Fort Bend Christian Academy | |
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Location | |
Coordinates | 29°37′48″N95°36′55″W / 29.6301°N 95.6152°W |
Information | |
Former names | Sugar Creek Baptist Church School (SCBCS) Fort Bend Baptist Academy (FBBA) |
Type | Private, co-educational, non-profit |
Motto | believe. achieve. lead. |
Denomination | non-denominational Christian |
Opened | September 1987 |
Head of school | Rene' Cargile [1] |
Grades | PK-12 |
Gender | Co-educational |
Enrollment | 860 |
Student to teacher ratio | 10:1 [2] |
Color(s) | Green White Gold |
Athletics conference | TAPPS 5A |
Mascot | Eagles |
Nickname | FBCA |
Rivals | Lutheran South Academy |
Accreditation | Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) |
Website | Fort Bend Christian Academy |
Fort Bend Christian Academy (FBCA) is a private PK-12 Christian school with two campuses in Sugar Land, Texas in the Houston metropolitan area. [3] With two campuses, the North Campus houses upper school (9th - 12th Grade) while the South Campus houses lower school (PreK - 4th Grade) and middle school (5th - 8th Grade). [4] FBCA pursues a mission "to equip students to thrive spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally, and physically" through weekly chapel, maintaining a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio in the upper school and providing a wide variety of honors and AP courses. With 82% [2] of students participating in athletics, FBCA has high participation in their sports program alongside a competitive Fine Arts program the school has achieved a combined 26 Fine Arts and Athletic State Championships. The school has unique traditions and opportunities such as Eagle Weeke and has been recognized as the "Best Private School" in Fort Bend County. [5]
All Upper School FBCA students graduate from either the recommended or distinguished degree program, with 100% of graduates pursuing post-secondary education or military service. [6] The average class size in FBCA's Upper School is 14 students. [7] Course offerings include a variety of unique honors and Advanced Placement-level courses, fostering academic rigor and enabling students to excel. Drawing on the diverse community of the surrounding area, the Upper School boasts 40% racial diversity. [6]
FBCA alumni have included National Merit Finalists, [8] [2] Semifinalists [9] [10] and Commended Scholars [11] [12] and have gone on to study at a variety of Ivy League schools including Brown University, [13] Columbia University, [14] Cornell University, [15] and Princeton University [16] as well as elite institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, [17] Stanford University, [18] The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Baylor University, Rice University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Serving as a foundation for a college-preparatory education, the Lower School curriculum combines a "traditional academic program rich in mathematics, science, literature and social studies with a diverse offering of courses in Spanish, computers, music, art, science and physical education." [19]
In 2020, a STEAM Lab was opened for the Lower and Middle School [20] focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Students engage in STEAM enrichment classes beginning in PreK, developing skills to code and program robots, learn about science fundamentals such as states of matter, and work on engineering projects designed to teach and engage students on fundamental engineering and physics principles.
In Middle School, "the traditional academic program offers a rich selection of classes within arts, world languages, technology, creative writing and leadership opportunities. Students participate in weekly chapel and dive deeper into daily Bible classes" [19] designed to develop servant leaders.
Students from the Lower and Middle Schools have a variety of opportunities to compete in various academic competitions including the Private School Interscholastic Association (PSIA) state competition, where FBCA has excelled. [21]
Fort Bend Christian Academy sports teams are known as the Eagles; their colors are green and white with gold accent. They compete as a TAPPS Division II/5A [22] school with 26 varsity and junior varsity upper school athletics teams. Multiple sports are offered in each sports season, including cheerleading, dance team, cross country, football, and volleyball in the fall; basketball, cheerleading, dance team, soccer, and swimming in the winter; and baseball, golf, softball, tennis, track and field in the spring. [23]
Recently named "Best Private School" in Fort Bend County, [5] [2] FBCA offers students opportunities to play multiple sports at a competitive level with a substantial 82% [2] of students participating in competitive sports annually. The objective of the FBCA athletic department is to "glorify God while developing student athletes and mentoring them in blending a competitive spirit in the athletic arena while attaining excellence in their spiritual lives, academic endeavors, and social responsibilities." [24]
On February 11, 2019, FBCA named world-record setter Deon Minor Head Track and Field coach. [25]
On February 15, 2019, FBCA named former University of Notre Dame and former NFL player Jordan Black as head football coach. [26] [27] Coach Black has since completed his Master of Theology from Houston Baptist University in 2021 and was named Private School Coach of the Year in 2022 by the Touchdown Club of Houston. [28]
On July 19, 2023, FBCA named former Rice University Quarterback and NFL Wide Receiver Bert Emanuel as the new director of athletics. [29]
With a combined 26 fine art and athletic state championships, FBCA has won numerous athletic awards including most recently:
Fort Bend Christian Academy offers a fine arts program for students across different grade levels, starting from lower school enrichment classes in music and art, which gradually expand to include band and theatre opportunities during middle school. [44]
At the upper school level, the visual arts program provides a diverse range of courses in the visual and performing arts and media. With a selection of more than 20 Honors and AP-level art options, students have opportunities to explore and develop their artistic interests.
In the performing arts, students have the opportunity to perform in multiple school plays and musicals per year including student-directed musicals in the advanced Production Theatre class. Past performances have included Godspell JR, Beauty and the Beast,The Addams Family , Matilda, Newsies , and The Sound of Music . Additionally, middle school and upper school praise teams lead weekly chapel/worship every Wednesday morning. Furthermore, the FBCA Theatre and ASL departments have worked together on a number of plays and musicals in order to present performances for the hearing-impaired community including The Taste of Sunrise and Godspell JR .
Throughout the academic year, students actively participate in TAPPS competitions and various performances, showcasing their talents and skills acquired through the fine arts program. This participation allows students to further enrich their artistic growth and gain valuable experiences in a competitive and collaborative setting.
FBCA has built a strong visual arts program with 10 TAPPS State Championships in the visual arts including a wide variety of visual art mediums including drawing - black & white & color, communication design, computer rendered art, painting, printmaking, 2D mixed media, photography black & white & color, sculpture, 2D relief, fashion design, textile arts, applied/industrial design, pottery, ceramics, senior portfolio, art history, on-site drawing seek and sketch - black and white & color, and short film (narrative, documentary, animation).
The Upper School Production Theatre troupe was honored with a JTF Outstanding Production award for their performance of Godspell JR [45] on their first trip to JTF Atlanta, an annual theatre festival with almost 6,500 attendees and 125 troupes and was later featured by KHOU. [46] The Middle School Musical Theatre Class in its inaugural year was honored with multiple awards at the National Performing Arts Festival (NPAF) held in Orlando, Florida, including the festival’s highest honors — the Junior Festival Showcase Award, as well as the earning a Superior Ensemble Rating, along with the Impactful Performance award. [47] Additionally, the theatre department has won District Champion, Best Actor, and Best Actress on multiple occasions.
Foreign language courses include Spanish I-IV and ASL I-V. FBCA has a robust American Sign Language (ASL) program that enriches the community through student performances, [61] works with the theatre department to incorporate ASL into musicals, [62] [63] and incorporates machine translation of sign languages using SignAll technology to allow students to "practice, learn, and get immediate feedback on their American Sign Language skills in real time." [64]
FBCA encourages a variety of traditions to "encourage participation, build community and provide families with fond memories of their time spent on campus." [65] These traditions range from more common activities such as Homecoming and Rodeo Day to opportunities for building community such as:
The school first opened in September 1987, with seven kindergarten students, as Sugar Creek Baptist Church School (SCBCS). The school, on the property of Sugar Creek Baptist Church, had one teacher in its initial year, and 1988 it had 14 students with first grade included. The school moved to the property of the First Baptist Church of Sugar Land and changed its name to Fort Bend Baptist Academy (FBBA) in Summer 1992. [8] At the time of the move the school became non-denominational and it was no longer affiliated and no longer received support from the church. The word "Baptist" remained in its name even though it became a non-denominational school with no support from any particular denomination. [4]
The 7th and 8th grades opened in the 1993–1994 school year. [8] In the following year the FBBA's high school division opened. [4]
Its current name (Fort Bend Christian Academy) was adopted in the summer of 2011. [8] The board adopted a name indicating the school's non-denominational status in order to compete with area private schools and increase enrollment. The school mascot, colors, and scripture verse remained the same. The school hired a marketing company to establish a new brand along with the new name. [4]
FBCA facilities are adjacent to one another across the large 35-acre campus with multiple facilities including the South Campus, North Campus, 7,000 sq. ft. Visual Arts Pavilion, baseball stadium, athletic complex, field house, track, soccer field, weight room, training facility, and football field with new shock pad system, cooler infill, and artificial turf surface. [67] [68]
The campus consists of three main facilities:
1250 Seventh Street
Sugar Land, TX 77478
1201 Lakeview Drive
Sugar Land, TX 77478
1207 Seventh Street
Sugar Land, TX 77478
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