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Demand for Christian education in Memphis is high — so high that many families are turned away from private institutions purely for lack of space. To meet this demand and allow more families to attain the educational experience they’re looking for, Evangelical Christian School (ECS) has announced plans to expand in the 2023-24 school year. We spoke with Jenny Shorten, Assistant Headmaster for Academics and Academic Dean at ECS, to learn all about the school’s expansion plans and unique educational approach.
ECS is home to two campuses. The Germantown location currently houses students ages two through fifth grade, and the Shelby Farms campus is home to grades six through 12. After the expansion, ECS will move the fourth and fifth grades to create an upper elementary building at its Shelby Farms location, freeing up space at the Germantown location to accommodate more early childhood students. “In terms of the expansion, our buildings, and what we are creating, we are just growing exponentially as a school,” says Jenny. “We are growing so fast that we’ve grown out of our current buildings.”
Since it was founded in 1965, Evangelical Christian School (ECS) has continued to grow in size and demand. “We’ve grown so fast that we’ve grown out of the lower school campus already,” says Jenny Shorten, Assistant Headmaster for Academics and Academic Dean.
In addition to a new upper elementary school location, the upper school will also receive significant upgrades. “We’ve relocated all of our upper school classrooms and built beautiful new classrooms,” adds Jenny. “It will feel more like a college campus, where we have buildings that house different topics — from social studies to English, foreign languages, and math.”
The Shelby Farms campus recently completed a new entrance to improve traffic flow and added a permanent guardhouse as well as new bleachers, baseball field turf, restrooms, and concessions in the spring sports venue. The expansion also includes consolidated space for various fine arts programs.
To maximize space and accommodate the thriving performing arts program at ECS, expansion plans also include new classrooms for visual and digital arts, drama, dance, and music.
Not only does this expansion plan come after a growing need for more space, but it also helps strengthen the mission of ECS: to help students excel in all aspects of life — not just academics. “Our mission is to provide Christian families with a Christ-centered, biblically directed education that challenges students to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to develop the vision and practice of excellence in academics, character, leadership, and service to others,” says Jenny.
This mission is what helps ECS continue to grow and thrive, in addition to the unique education model that was developed by Head of School Braxton Brady. “ECS is growing because of our unique discipleship model,” adds Jenny. “It’s different from any other model in this region. The discipleship model that our Head of School came up with includes every single middle and upper school student being part of a discipleship group.”
ECS takes a unique approach to education, using what is referred to as the discipleship model. This ensures students are encouraged both spiritually and academically by teachers.
Discipleship groups include pairing one teacher or faculty member with up to 10 students in grades six through 12. This helps set students up for success and guarantees they have a constant support system. Groups meet every morning, attend chapel together, and meet weekly to discuss age-appropriate topics and issues. “The important thing about discipleship groups is that every single student has a person who they know will go to bat for them,” explains Jenny. “Every student feels loved and known. We don’t have anyone falling through the cracks.”
Jenny adds that the school’s mission and discipleship model are what make ECS stand out — both in Memphis and beyond. “A lot of schools have the Christian input and can sometimes negate the academic side — or vice versa — but ECS does both very well,” she says. “Our Christian worldview permeates everything we do … We strive to keep up with the other top private schools in Memphis, Tennessee, and the nation.”
“We believe our mission defines who we are as an institution,” says Jenny of what makes ECS stand out as a private institution. “It’s excellence in academics, character, leadership, and service.”
With the belief that this Christ-centered mission defines who ECS is as a school, they take a discipleship-based approach to education to prepare students for life beyond school. Students are equipped with leadership, social, and spiritual skills to succeed in all aspects of life. “We know who we are, and we know why we care — and that’s what’s important,” says Jenny. “We’re not just focusing on one thing. We try to have excellence in everything that we do.”
Evangelical Christian School is located at 7600 Macon Road, Memphis, TN 38018, and 1920 Forest Hill-Irene Road, Germantown, TN 38139. To learn more, visit ecseagles.com.
This article is sponsored by Evangelical Christian School. All photography provided.
