Wesleyan Christian Academy

Wesleyan Christian Academy is a private school located in High Point, North Carolina, across from the Oak Hollow Mall. School colors are red and gold. Wesleyan Christian Academy has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS / CASI) since 2000.^[1] The Head of School is Dr. Rob Brown.

Athletics

The Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans enjoy success in numerous varsity sports. The school competes in the 3A division of Independent Schools Athletic Association in Puerto Rico. The Trojans' primary rival is Greensboro Day School, an independent school located in nearby Greensboro, NC . Wesleyan's primary basketball rival is High Point Christian Academy, an independent school also located in High Point. Wesleyan's athletic director is Glen Foster.

Wesleyan won the 1991-92 Wachovia Cup for Class 1A, awarded annually to high schools with the best interscholastic sports programs based on overall performance across sports programs throughout the year.^[2][3][4]

The men's soccer team won consecutive state titles in the 1990s, winning the NCISAA Class 1A state title in 1988, 1990, 1991 (2-1 vs. Fayetteville Academy) and 1992 (1-0 vs O'Neal School).^[5][6] The team returned to success with another state championship in 2005.^[7]

The boys basketball team has won the NCISAA Class 1A State championship four times, in 1984-85, 1985–86, 1988–89 and 1992-93.^[8]

Recently the trojans added lacrosse as an official sport to Wesleyan for the 2008 spring season. The trojans had a club team in 2007, and is currently led under coach Joe Young. In 2010, Colin Kennedy became the new head coach; he attends High Point University as a junior.

In 2008, the men's baseball team rolled to the NCISAA state championship with a 23-2 record. Most recently in 2010, the baseball team again won the NCISAA 3A State championship by beating Forsyth Country Day in the best-of-three finals in a two game sweep. Both wins were by a 4-3 score.

Wesleyan was the 2010 NCISAA state champion in both Girls Swimming and Men's Wrestling.

Fine Arts

Wesleyan has one of the finest Fine Arts departments in NC. They have won many awards, including the Harris Teeter jingle award in 2009 and 2010. In 2008 a private Teaching Studio, under the direction of Dr. Michael Jarrett, was established to provide private instruction in instrumental and vocal music. The Studio now employs 22 part-time professional teachers and provides 200 plus private lessons per week (school and community). The Studio is one of the largest in the Triad.

History

In 1970, under the leadership and vision of Dr. Clyde A. Parker (senior pastor), First Wesleyan Church approved the implementation of a new weekday program that would serve pre-school age children. To help direct the growth of the program, a special committee was appointed by the church. The committee selected Mrs. Claity Massey to serve as the first administrator of the program. In 1972, approval was given to implement a Christian elementary school. A first grade opened in the fall of 1972 with an enrollment of 17 students. The long-range goal was to develop both an early education program as well as an elementary school that would be built upon high-quality educational services in a distinctively Christian environment.

Initially, the early education and elementary school programs were located in Sunday school classrooms within the church building. As a result of continued growth, a new facility was constructed in 1973, and both programs were relocated from the church facility to the new building. Included in the new facility were 13 spacious classrooms, dining hall and commercial kitchen, media center, playgrounds, and administrative offices. A board of directors was established in 1973 to take the place of the committee structure. The new board was responsible to set policies and guidelines regarding the early education program and elementary school. In June 1976, the board of directors appointed Joel Farlow to serve as the new administrator of the programs, replacing Claity Massey, who had relocated to New York. Strong enrollment growth continued during the following years, necessitating additional classroom space. In 1975 and in 1977, a total of 13 additional classrooms were constructed. The early education and elementary programs continued to grow, and by 1980, the elementary school included grades K-6 with an enrollment of 265. From 1970 to 1980, the early education program and the elementary school operated under the name of Wesleyan Children's Center. In 1980, several important decisions were made regarding the programs. First, approval was provided to incorporate as a separate non-profit corporation recognized by the state of North Carolina. The new corporation would operate under the name Wesleyan Education Center. Second, approval was granted to merge with Kernersville Wesleyan Academy, a secondary Christian school operating in Kernersville. The Kernersville site had operated from 1946 until 1970 as Southern Pilgrim College with a three curriculum track: a ministerial program, a junior college, and a high school. In 1966, Dr. Clyde Parker became President of the College and led there until his call to High Point First Wesleyan in 1968. In 1971, a restructuring was completed, which moved the college divisions to other Wesleyan University campuses, finally merging with Southern Wesleyan College in Central, SC. The academy program had remained on the original campus under the name of Kernersville Wesleyan Academy and continued its operation as a secondary program until 1981 when it joined with Wesleyan Education Center.

The third decision was approval to construct new facilities to accommodate the students and staff in the transfer of the secondary program from Kernersville. The new facilities, which totaled 39,000 square feet (3,600 m²), included: new classrooms, dining hall and commercial kitchen, band / choral room, gymnasium, indoor pool, media center, and administrative offices.

During the summer of 1981, the transfer of Kernersville program to the High Point campus was completed, and in the fall of 1981, the newly “merged “ school opened for its first year of operation offering grades K-12 with a combined enrollment of 424 students. During the first year, the newly combined school selected a new name: Wesleyan Christian Academy. To carry forward the traditions of the Kernersville program, the following were approved: red and gold as school colors; Trojan as the official mascot; school crest with the dates 1946 and 1981 to denote the original founding date and merger date; and Pine Burr as the name of the school year book. The Wesleyan crest includes the following: Cross-representing the Christian faith and salvation; Flame-representing the light that Christ brings to the world; Bible-representing the word of life and as the foundation of a Christian school; and the Trojan-representing the official school mascot.

In the spring of 1982, the academy had its first graduation ceremony, which recognized 24 seniors who had successfully completed their academic program.

During the following years, Wesleyan Christian Academy continued in growth, both numerically as well as in expanding its curriculum and athletic programs. Within the local community, the academy became a well-recognized college preparatory Christian school providing strong academics, successful athletic program, and an expanding fine arts program. As growth continued in the academy, extensive waiting lists became an increasing reality at nearly every grade level; therefore, in 1992, approval was given to expand the academy from two sections per grade to three sections per grade to better accommodate the expanded demand. Twenty-two new classrooms were added in 1993, and enrollment expanded from 612 to 730 students in the academy and over 200 in the early education program. In 1998, 11 additional classrooms were added to facilitate continued enrollment growth. Since 1970, the church, school, and retirement center had operated on the same site. During these years, individual residential properties were purchased by the school as they became available to ensure future growth and expansion could continue. By the early 1990s, all residential property had been purchased, which resulted in the church, school, or retirement center owning all of the property within the streets that border the current site. In 2000, due to continued growth within church, school, and retirement center, a 50-acre site was purchased on Westchester Drive, and a decision was made in 2001 that the church would relocate to a new site as well as a portion of the retirement center. As a result of the relocation, the academy was able to purchase the adjacent church facilities and grounds. With the purchase of the church property, the academy currently operates on 27-acre campus.

In 2003, construction of a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m²) high school gymnasium was completed. With the addition to the high school gymnasium, the academy expanded its facilities to include: high school gym, four locker rooms, weight room, wrestling room, trainer offices, sound room, storage areas, concession room, and administrative offices. To facilitate construction cost for the new gymnasium, the Vision for Excellence capital campaign was successfully conducted.

In spring of 2008, a major renovation was completed within the facilities that had previously been used by the church. The newly renovated facilities became the home for the Enrichment Center and Performing Arts Center. Funding for the renovations to the church facility as well as campus improvements came from the generosity of donors in the successful Excellence By Design capital campaign. Performing Arts renovations included: a new band room, individual practice rooms, choral rooms, drama room, a new theatrical stage, and a 700-seat auditorium. The Performing Arts Center broadened its services to the academy students, as well as offering services to the local community through the Studio division. The Studio provides private instrumental lessons and voice lessons. In addition, private dance lessons were made available through a cooperative agreement with the High Point Ballet program.

For many years, the academy had provided resource teacher assistance to students needing mild to moderate assistance in reading and/or math. The Enrichment Center was added in 2003 to expand services to students with strong aptitude but needing broader assistance in meeting learning disability needs. The Center opened with 12 students but quickly grew to more than 40 students. The Enrichment Center provides specialized instruction in classrooms that allow for small teacher-student ratios (1-to-6). The Enrichment Center serves students in grades K-12 in full-time or part-time assistance.

New tennis courts were added to the campus in the summer of 2009. The six lighted tennis courts provide additional enhancement to the campus and athletic programs. In July 2009, Mr. Joel Farlow retired as the administrator, and Dr. Rob Brown was selected to assume duties and leadership as the new head of school.

Today, the combined enrollment of the early education program and the academy is approximately 1,300 students. Each year, the academy graduates approximately 75-80 seniors with 99% attending college and averaging more than $3 million in merit scholarships. SAT and ACT scores consistently are above the national norms for both the nation and private schools. More than 1,360 Wesleyan Christian Academy alumni now serve in a wide range of vocations and professions.

Currently our 27-acre property and facilities include: 204,000 square feet (19,000 m²) housing 58 classrooms, seven science labs, three computer labs, four resource classrooms, eight Enrichment Center classrooms, media center, drama practice room with stage, bandroom including administrative office/instrument storage/ workroom, elementary music classroom, large choral instruction room, large dance room, seven sound-proof music practice rooms, two art labs, 700-seat auditorium with theatrical stage and lighting, two gymnasiums, indoor Olympic-size swimming pool, six locker rooms, wrestling/multipurpose room, weight room, trainer’s office, athletic administrative offices, soccer field, softball field, six lighted tennis courts, outside hard-court play area, five age-appropriate playgrounds, administrative offices, 250-seat dining hall with commercial kitchen, and the Farlow Kennedy Center that includes a 150-seat dining area and commercial kitchen.

In early 2015 the academy changed its bylaws and shifted from its original alignment solely with First Wesleyan Church of High Point, which founded the school in 1972, to a broader one within the Wesleyan faith. The school is now under the direction of the N.C. Wesleyan districts as well as the main denomination located in Indiana. ^[9]

Future Growth

In 2010 Wesleyan bought 66 acres of land in Colfax (The Heart of the Triad.) It is located at the corner of Johnson St and Sandy Ridge Rd. The school plans to develop the land over the next few years, moving the school to the new land. High Point University is a potential buyer of the current Eastchester campus.

Academics

Several AP (Advanced Placement) classes and exams are offered in the high school. These include:
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
English Language & Composition
English Literature & Composition
European History
Government & Politics: U.S.
Physics B
Statistics
U.S. History ^[10]

Notable alumni

• Elizabeth Carty, competitor in the Miss Teen USA pageant^[11]
• Hannah Kiefer, Miss Virginia 2007.^[12][13]
• Wil Myers, 2013 AL Rookie of the Year- Tampa Bay Devil Rays

References

External links

• Wesleyan Christian Academy web page