Head of School Braxton Brady joins host Brandon Artiles to say goodbye to the ECS community as his family prepares to start a new chapter in Texas. He shares some of the memories he’ll cherish the most, celebrates how he has seen student culture improve, and expresses thanks to all the people who have made his time as Head of School a joy.
147: Ready to Fly: Class of 2024 Top Scholars
With graduation just days away, ECS’ Class of 2024 Valedictorian Graham Carpenter, Salutatorian Savannah Lofton and Bartusch Scholarship recipient Noelle Brink join Brandon Artiles to share about their most cherished experiences in their time at ECS. They also celebrate some of their favorite teachers and give a little advice to the students coming up behind them.
146: Tracking Teen Trends in American Culture
ECS Director of Curriculum Alignment & Worldview John Grant joins host Brandon Artiles to offer insight on some concerning trends amongst teens and adolescents in our culture in regard to mental health, life priorities and technology/social media. He compares national data with what we are seeing with our own students in how culture is influencing them.
145: Inaugural Upper Elementary Spring Musical
Upper Elementary art and music teacher Anna Pearson joins host Brandon Artiles to share about UE’s inaugural spring musical, “Let’s Go to the Movies”. Talented sixth graders, Emmy Murphy, Raston Goff and Cameron Williams jump in on the conversation to let us know how they prepared and what they learned from the process.
The performance is Thursday, May 2, 6:30 p.m. in the Mark Brink Auditorium.
144: Celebrating Teacher Growth and Student Achievement with Daniel Warner
ECS Director of Teacher Development Daniel Warner joins host Brandon Artiles to share about some innovative approaches he has implemented, offering opportunities for our faculty to grow professionally. He also fills us in on a new effort, which debuted this semester celebrating student achievement!
143: Encouraging Ownership, Accountability and Empathy in Middle School
ECS Middle School Principal Andy Gross joins Equip to showcase areas in which 7th and 8th graders are flourishing. As we build students for life, he also walks us through the practical ways they are encouraging students to grow in ownership, accountability and empathy.
142: Being Known and Bearing Burdens Through ECS Discipleship Groups
ECS class of 2024 seniors Lainey Bowden, Lynlee Wilkins, Donovan Smith and Riley McDaniel join host Brandon Artiles to share about their experiences in Discipleship Groups. They discuss how D-Groups have created a space for them to be known, forced them out of their comfort zones, helped them build relationships with their peers and teachers, and encouraged them to be disciple-makers for Christ.
141: Huddle Up! ECS Launches Student-driven Sports Podcast
ECS Digital Sports Media students launched a podcast this semester. “Eagle Huddle” hosts, senior Will Seay and junior Jed Dorrill, as well as, ECS Technology Director Cindy Brock join Equip to talk about the exciting and challenging experience of hosting their own show.
140: Resurrecting Wrestling
After a 40 year hiatus ECS resurrected its varsity wrestling team last year. Year two was punctuated with two qualifiers for the state wrestling tournament. Wrestlers Crews Gieselmann, Luke Wallace and Max Orman join Equip host, and ECS Head Varsity Wrestling Coach Brandon Artiles to discuss how the program is progressing.
139: ECS Day of Service
ECS families and student Discipleship groups will gather at the Shelby Farms campus on Saturday, March 2, for a Day of Service. ECS PTF’s Katelin Walker and Student Development director Ben Todd share about how this opportunity encourages students to be the hands and feet of Christ as they partner with local relief organizations and ministries.
138: “A Joyful Noise” with Tony Fisher, ECS Chapel Worship Leader
ECS alumnus and parent Tony Fisher (class of 2000) serves as worship leader for our students’ weekly chapel gatherings. Tony, who is also Worship Pastor at Harvest Church, shares how his experience at ECS prepared the way for him to use music to minister to the body of Christ.
137: “Eagle’s Eye” Student Newspaper
“Eagle’s Eye” Editor in Chief Libby Bourland (senior), Co-Associate Editor Drew Shelton (junior), and writer Cooper Acuff (junior) join Equip to discuss their experience putting together ECS’ school newspaper. While it’s a fun experience they share what they’ve learned through the process of writing and editing.
136: The Opportunity for Impact through Sports
ECS Head Varsity Girls Basketball coach Steven Kaspar discusses the special opportunity athletics present to impact our students. Coach Kaspar joins host Brandon Artiles to share his passion for coaching as it creates pathways for encouragement, growth, and discipleship.
135: A Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Episode
Host Brandon Artiles welcomes in ECS’ star student-performers for the Fine Arts Department’s presentation of “Mary Poppins”, which opens January 26. Senior Campbell Williams, junior Cooper Acuff, sophomore Emma Sanders Brady, and Performing Arts Director Lynden Jones share about the excitement of preparing for such an ambitious show.
https://gofan.co/app/school/TN8750?activity=Performing%20Arts
134: Excellence in Lower School Reading
Recent scores illustrate how Lower School students are excelling in reading compared to their peers both locally and nationally. Principals Ashley Colley and Cathy Boyd share how the success ECS students are having is the results of years of work and research.
133: Jingle Mingle: Engaging ECS’ Grandparent Community
Annual Fund Director and Equip host Brandon Artiles welcomes two guests who have witnessed ECS’ generational impact for God’s Kingdom and the gospel. Both Paula Cowart and Nancy Binkley are former educational leaders at ECS, as well as current grandparents and parents of alumni. They share how ECS engages its grandparent community throughout the year, including through the annual Christmas tradition, Jingle Mingle.
132: Wise Words
ECS Varsity Basketball Coach Tim Wise sits down with Equip host and Annual Fund Director Brandon Artiles to share about his passion for coaching. Coach Wise discusses the importance of building relationships with student-athletes, while inspiring them to uphold the five Biblical pillars that support the program.
131: A Night of Worship
Director of Performing Arts Lynden Jones and ECS parents, Adam & Ashley Fisher, join host Brandon Artiles to share about ECS’ inaugural “A Night of Worship.” The special event features a Christmas tree lighting, followed up by a time of worship for our community as we celebrate the anticipation of the birth of Jesus.
130: State Champions! ECS Girls Soccer Celebrating Excellence
Our girls soccer team continues their celebration of a hard-fought state championship in Division 2-A. Seniors Anna Laura Howard and Rowan Richardson and head coach Jordan Thompson join host, Annual Fund Director Brandon Artiles, to share about what made this team special.
129: ECS Girls Golfers Pursuing Big Goals
Fresh off a strong 4th place finish at the TSSAA Girls State Golf Tournament, ECS golfers Claire Todd, Avery Nyen, Mathile Walker, and Coach Beth Miller join host Brandon Artiles to discuss a successful season. They share about the goals they achieved this year, as well as the goals they continue to work toward as a team and individuals.