A team of ECS Eagles participated in Life Choices of Memphis Life Walk at the Memphis Zoo and placed second for most participation! We are grateful to support this worthy ministry. We spy ECS alumni! Tracey Henry Bravos (‘82) organized the ECS Eagles team, which also included alumnae Janie Touliatos Peeler (‘84), Natalie Mars Milam (‘12) and Margaret Stevens (‘18).
Recently, more than 130 dads and sons joined us to hear from two pairs of fathers and sons: Rex and Barrett Jones (‘08) and Wright and Morgan Cox (’05). Both ECS alumni, Barrett and Morgan have had remarkable football careers, both collegiately and in the NFL, but their intentionality to use football as a platform to share the gospel of Jesus Christ is what makes them so admirable. It was apparent that both of those sons, who are now fathers themselves, were inspired to follow in their fathers’ footsteps to pursue Jesus and to use their spheres of influence to draw others to Him. We all learned so much from them, and are very thankful that they returned to campus to share their experiences from their years at ECS all the way to the NFL.
We are pleased to announce that Bess Farris has been named Early Childhood Coordinator at the Lower School for the 2024-2025 school year. This move will allow current Director of Admissions and Early Childhood Principal Cathy Boyd to dedicate all of her time to her Director of Admissions role on the Shelby Farms campus.
Mrs. Farris has more than fifteen years of experience in teaching and learning, and more than ten years of classroom experience in various grades and special areas. Until she began working in an administrative role for Admissions and Early Childhood two years ago, Mrs. Farris taught Pre-Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten at ECS. In her new position, Mrs. Farris will oversee the needs of the Early Childhood division under the leadership of Lower School Principal Ashley Colley.
“I am passionate about early childhood education and its long-term benefits for children,” Mrs. Farris said. “A quality program helps develop social, emotional, and academic skills that directly impact a child’s future success.”
Bess Griffin Farris, ECS class of 2000, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and French and later her Master of Arts in Teaching, Elementary Education, both from the University of Memphis.
Mrs. Farris is married to Daniel, who also graduated from ECS (class of 1999), and they have two children, both at ECS. Mrs. Farris is a fine arts painter, and she enjoys playing tennis and traveling with her family.
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Farris in her new role.
We love seeing familiar faces! Bethany Stanfill (2008) and Jordan Carpenter (2005) recently saw each other at the Mississippi State Capitol!
We are so proud of Margaret Stevens (2018), who met with Congressman David Kustoff as a representative of Autism Speaks to advocate for individuals with Autism and their families. This photo appeared in Congressman Kustoff's newsletter.
Congratulations to Hunter Field ('10) who was just selected to be the next editor of Arkansas Business, the weekly statewide business journal! A veteran journalist, Hunter currently serves as the deputy editor of the Arkansas Advocate.
Read more here: https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/.../hunter-field-named.../
We loved this NCAA March Madness ad, featuring "Dance with Everybody" by ECS alum Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors (2000). Click to watch!
A Story of a Special Friendship between Two Sons & Their Fathers
Two class of 2021 ECS alumni and teammates since fourth grade are both headed to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this week, Kam Jones with Marquette and Thomas Kizer with Samford. The friendship forged on the courts of AAU tournaments did not end with their last game as ECS seniors at the Tennessee State Division II-A Final Four. It continues today, as this seemingly unlikely pair encourages one another to live out the faith lessons their coaches and dads imparted to them.
How It Started
Basketball introduced Kameron Jones, currently a leading scorer for the Marquette men’s basketball team, and Thomas Kizer, who last year earned a coveted spot as a walk-on at Samford, when they were just 10 years old. Kam and Thomas got to know one another when they played on the same AAU basketball team, the War Eagles team coached by Thomas’ dad, Dr. David Kizer. Kam’s dad, Kevin, joined the team as an assistant coach.
The Joneses
Air Force Master Sargent Kevin Jones, a maintenance management analyst, grew up in South Memphis where he was a standout on the baseball diamond at South Side High School. He noticed early on that his son’s interest was in basketball. When Kam was just one year old, he would sit beside his dad and watch basketball on TV for long stretches of time. At age two, Kam accompanied his dad to the YMCA while Kevin and his coworkers played basketball, his dad stopping the game occasionally to change the two-year-old’s diaper. While other children played made-up games together in the gym, Kam watched intently as his dad and teammates played basketball. Kevin took his son to the gym nearly every day when he was three, and they would dribble and shoot the ball. That year, Kevin coached a four-year old team at the YMCA, and he gave his three-year-old son a jersey.
As he noticed Kam’s natural skills in basketball develop, Kevin asked around for the best place for his son to play competitive basketball in Memphis. He was directed to Memphis Athletic Ministries where Kam played for the Memphis Kings in early elementary school. Then he was referred to the War Eagles organization, whose reputation for producing players who went on to great collegiate and professional success was well documented. At first, Kam played on a War Eagles team that was a year older than he was. The next year, Kevin thought it was time for Kam to play with his own age group. Kam’s coach recommended that he play for Dr. Kizer. Kevin didn’t know this coach, but he was assured he was in good hands.
The Kizers
Dr. David Kizer, a dentist, who is married to current ECS board member Kathleen Campbell Kizer (’89), grew up playing basketball for the War Eagles under its founder, Dr. Van Snider. David was a star basketball player at a Christian school called SBEC, now known as Northpoint, then went on to play basketball at Union University. In 1993, after David had completed dental school, his old coach came calling. Looking to pass the baton of leadership in the War Eagles organization, he approached David and his friend Frank Harris to head up the organization. David felt inspired to follow in his coach’s footsteps.
“From an early age, I always had a huge passion for basketball,” David said. “I loved watching the Tigers play and loved playing and coaching. I also have a passion and love for the Lord. Because (the War Eagles organization) was founded by Bellevue and Dr. Snider who used basketball to bring kids to Christ, it was a perfect way to combine my love for the Lord and basketball. It was an amazing blessing for me to be able to combine the two passions for over 30 years now.”
Part of David’s joy in coaching basketball was getting to coach his son, Thomas, from age 9. “It was an awesome experience and an incredible blessing to coach my son,” David reflected. “The memories we made traveling to all of those tournaments for many years is something I’ll never forget. They are lifelong memories.”
A Friendship of Two Father-Son Duos
With both dads coaching their sons, the many practices, games and out-of-town tournaments meant these four spent a lot of time together. While the dads strategized the game plan, the sons spent time hanging out, telling jokes and of course, playing basketball.
Thomas remembered Kam as a nice, funny guy who he enjoyed being around when they were kids. His favorite memories with Kam revolve around playing basketball in the Kizers’ driveway when they were young. “We would play one-on-one and pretend were in March Madness. It’s cool to come full-circle, and we both have that opportunity before us.”
Thomas admits those driveway contests got intense. In fact, rather uncharacteristically, Thomas bit Kam in one particular competitive play. “On the court, I was trying to keep up with him. That made me better, and I hope it made him better.” Thomas joked, “My main goal was to try not to get embarrassed. If I can go against him, I can go against anybody.”
Kam laughed remembering that time Thomas bit him. “Thomas is very competitive, and he wants to win everything he does. I’ve always appreciated that about him. That’s the type of person he is.” Kam also appreciates Thomas’ humor and says he loves to crack jokes. On a serious note, he added, “Thomas is the epitome of his dad, the way he carries himself.”
“Thomas and Kam gravitated toward each other,” Kevin remembered of his young son and his friend. “They loved each other. Thomas was like Kam’s balance – not too playful, just enough.”
The respect between these two families extends to each dad. Kevin said, “Coaching with Dr. Kizer that first year gave me another aspect of coaching. He never yelled, never cursed, never demeaned an opponent and never yelled at a ref, yet he was able to coach the kids and get them to run through a brick wall for him. At that age, to get a kid to play that way, it changed the way I coached.
“The personal relationships he formed with the kids and their parents and the way he used basketball as a way to connect with those kids was something I hadn’t seen before,” Kevin added. “Going through that together for years, there was a bond between us. During games, he would know what I was thinking, and I would know what he was thinking. I’d get subs ready before he asked me for them.”
David agreed. “Fortunately, we were always on the same page from a basketball standpoint, and he was great at making recommendations for in-game adjustments. David added, “Also, he was not the typical AAU dad just wanting to promote his son. He always wanted what was best for the team. But more importantly, he was very committed to bigger issues such as promoting high character, discipline and integrity. He supported me, and I always knew he had my back. We did our best to help build a spiritual foundation for Kam and Thomas, and then it was incredible to pass the torch to ECS coaches Terry Tippett and Willie Jenkins who really took their spiritual growth to new levels and challenged them in amazing ways. I'm forever grateful for that."
An Uncommon Friendship Based on a Common Faith
David explained how the War Eagles organization is unique. “From the beginning, the War Eagles organization was based on a biblical foundation using basketball to teach about Christ and life.” Every time they traveled, the team ended each night with a team devotion. Prayer preceded every game and practice, and coaches aimed to live out their faith by showing good sportsmanship and in the way they conducted themselves on the court and on the sidelines.
“During the seven years I coached Thomas, just about every player on the team came to Christ,” David said. “The annual National Tournament was a week-long tournament, and we would share the gospel with them the whole week. On the last night, I would give a clear gospel presentation and give them a chance to accept Jesus. Kam came to the Lord during one of those tournaments.”
Kam remembered that night. “It was at an AAU Nationals in fifth grade that I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I’ve always felt and known that there was a God. I remember being curious at that age about Him. Dr. Kizer put it out in a very simple way for us to understand it. I remember my dad was sitting next to me. That was pretty special."
“The things that stood out to me are the stories that (Dr. Kizer) told. There is one story I think about very often, probably four to five times a week now. He told us about a man who was very wealthy, and in that town, there were a bunch of people that were very poor. People asked the rich man, ‘How much is enough for you?’ and he replied, ‘Just a little more.’” The point of the story was that the things of this world – success, fame or wealth – will never truly satisfy us. Only a personal relationship with Christ can truly fulfill us and give us peace and joy. Kam understood this message and realized a true need for Christ.
Kam explained that because of NIL opportunities, the lesson of that rich man is often on his mind. “I don’t want to have that type of spirit in me. I want to be able to help others and help the community. That’s what I think about very often.”
Thomas thinks the coaches did a great job of pouring into the players spiritually. “The coaches told us about the gospel, but they also really lived it out in how they coached us and how they encouraged us. Looking back on that, it makes me want to have the same joy and character that the coaches had.”
Dr. Kizer also led a Bible study with emphasis on biblical dating for his War Eagles team and for members of the eighth grade ECS boys basketball team. “I wanted to bring our ECS players and the AAU players together,” David said. I wanted to lay a foundation with these guys as they entered high school. One day basketball would end, but hopefully, each will find a godly wife for life.”
Thomas was already a student at ECS when Dr. Kizer and Thomas started encouraging Kam to join him at ECS in the ninth grade. Kevin put the ball in his son’s court to decide where he would attend high school. Kam remembered, “My dad was like, ‘It’s on you.’ Having a relationship with Thomas, I chose ECS.”
Kam, who went on to be ECS’ all-time leading scorer and its first Tennessee Mr. Basketball, said, “My experience at ECS was great. There are great people I formed great relationships with who call to check on me to this day. I’m very glad Thomas encouraged me to go to ECS.”
Kam remembers the transition to ECS in ninth grade was challenging at first. The academic rigor and pace were more difficult at ECS. Also, going from a public school with mostly black students to a private school with mostly white students was a different experience, but Kam said it wasn’t long before he felt at home.
In the first year, Kevin observed that Kam was unsure of himself and didn’t want to go to the football games. But by the time he was a senior, he was running with the flag on the football field before a game. “Kam loved ECS. It wasn’t just school,” Kevin said. “It was an experience for him. He continued to grow spiritually which was great. It prepared him academically for college. There were a lot of genuine people and great kids like Thomas. It was meant for him. It all fell into place.”
How It’s Going
Kam Jones is a household name in college basketball, having earned All-Tournament Team honors in this year’s Big East Tournament and multiple Big East Player of the Week honors as a junior. In his two previous seasons at Marquette, he earned Big East All-Freshman Team honors, and as a sophomore, he was named to the Second Team All-Big East. He is a scoring threat from inside the paint to outside the perimeter as an all-time top 10 three-point shooter for the Golden Eagles, which is headed into the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, this year as a two-seed.
Kam’s success is no surprise to Dr. Kizer, who has coached four NBA players and more than 50 D-I college basketball players in his 30-plus years of coaching. “Even from a young age, he was a phenomenal shooter. Kam was the best shooter I ever coached, and his basketball IQ was off the charts,” Dr. Kizer said. “Recently one of the commentators called Kam a ‘basketball savant.’ I could see that in fourth and fifth grade. He is so much smarter and knew the game and strategy so well. It is so much fun watching him grow in college, and guys calling college games see that as well.”
His AAU coach added that Kam has a team-first mentality. “Sometimes shooters can make it all about them, but he is not a ball hog; he shares the ball.” David noticed in college that Kam’s passing and defense have both improved. “He is committed to the team, and he is someone who can make his teammates better. He is a great team player.”
At Samford, Thomas earned a sought-after spot on the men’s basketball team after serving as the team manager in the two previous seasons. His job on the scout team is to make the starters better, like what he did for Kam back in his own driveway. Thomas is apparently doing his part well as the team earned its first berth into the NCAA Tournament since 2000 by winning the Southern Conference Championship. “I show up and practice like everybody else, but don’t get in the game.” Thomas admits, “I feel like it’s hard to keep your head up sometimes. But when the team is being successful, that’s all you care about.”
Kam’s encouragement has meant a lot to Thomas as they continue to keep in touch in college by calling and texting each other. Kam knows how badly his friend wanted to be on the team those first two years, and he has told Thomas he’s proud of him for making the team and keeping his head up.
Likewise, Thomas is proud of his friend’s success, and he and his dad were excited to fly up to Columbus, Ohio to watch Kam play in the NCAA Tournament last year.
The fact that the friendship of those two sparring boys pretending to play in March Madness on the Kizers’ driveway a decade ago continues today is no wonder to their AAU coach. “Having that bond of Christ together helped Thomas and Kam develop a deeper relationship not just based on basketball but based on Christ,” David said.
After their sons graduated ECS in 2021, David and Kevin were asked by then Coach Willie Jenkins to coach the Eagles freshman boys basketball team. Work and traveling to Kam’s games made it difficult for Kevin to continue in this role, but David still coaches the freshmen and serves as an assistant to the varsity team under Coach Tim Wise, who incidentally, David grew up with playing basketball.
David still heads up the War Eagles organization but no longer coaches its teams and is proud to help coach with his old friend who became the ECS varsity head coach in the past year. David said, “Tim is an amazing basketball coach and developer of men. He loves the Lord, and he is committed to growing godly men. It is the same legacy we built at the War Eagles, and he carries it on at ECS. He teaches values like life, character and integrity. The biblical focus has been amazing and something I want to be a part of.”
Years after his son graduated, it's not surprising to see Dr. Kizer continuing to spend his time discipling young men on a basketball court. “Men like Dr. Snider had a profound impact on me. Seeing how he poured his life into coaching AAU basketball for 42 years – the extra way he poured into those guys – he was an amazing example of how it should be done. He set a great example for me, Kevin, Coach Harris and others. Hopefully some of these young guys coaching teams will do the same things we’ve done.”
Now both juniors in college, Thomas reflected on his friendship with Kam and the experience they shared with their dads as their coaches, “I think it was really special. That has been a special bond.”
Kam added, “I love basketball mainly because it’s a beautiful thing and it’s just fun. It brings people together from different backgrounds. An example of that is Thomas and me.”
Kevin agreed. “There will always be a relationship there. The Kizers have been here for my family more than basketball. It hasn’t just been about basketball. There is a friendship and a bond there that will forever be there that is really special.”
Later this week, Kam and Thomas get the chance to make their 10-year-old dreams come true in the NCAA Tournament. Basketball may have brought these two seemingly unlikely father-son pairs together 12 years ago, but it is their common bond in their shared faith in Jesus Christ that keeps them close.
We are so proud of our alumni who currently play winter and spring sports in college. Their hard work and dedication in the classroom and on the court or field is admirable, and we wish them the best in their seasons!
Pictured from left to right:
Congratulations to Thomas Kizer (‘21), Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Champion! His Samford Bulldogs team beat ETSU in the conference championship, earning them a berth into the NCAA Tournament, the first time since 2000!
After meeting at the Birmingham alumni event in February, Thomas and alumnus Ryan Thompson (2001) reconnected at the Selection Sunday event in Homewood. We love to see our alumni make connections!
A sculpture by Clay Enoch ('91) was recently installed at Christ Methodist Day School in memory of two CMDS class of 2009 alumni, Will Threlkeld and ECS alumnus, David Weaver ('15).
Enoch said, "The two boys depict David and Will at about the age they were when they graduated from CMDS. Titled Do You See What I See?, the idea is that the boys have gently trapped one butterfly for closer inspection and study, but the younger girl is seeing the beauty of the swarm flying overhead. I think it is a piece about adventure, wonder, curiosity, and hope while also suggesting the fleeting and fragile quality of life." Each of the butterflies also symbolizes David and Will.
Lily Harding ('20) continues her passion for ballet and is currently on tour with Renovate Ballet. They will be presenting "Make Room" on Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m. at Christ Methodist Church. The event is open to the public.
Congratulations to Evan Norton (‘04) who was distinguished by the Nashville Business Journal as CFO of the Year in the Small Private Company category!
Allie McDaniel (‘18) continues her passion for dance as a Memphis Showboats cheerleader and a Grizz Girl. Allie graduated from Western Kentucky University where she studied on a dance scholarship. Here she is pictured with ECS students and children of ECS alumni.
Congratulations to Bethany Stanfill (‘08) for being recognized in the 2024 40 Under 40 class by the Ole Miss Alumni Association!
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.
Listen to the full episode at www.ecsequip.com/podcast/138
We were glad to see Alex Smith (‘15) return to campus to visit with Coach Williams after just wrapping up his professional baseball career which included stops with the Kansas City Royals among other independent baseball organizations.
Following the Industrial Revolution, organized sports such as rugby flourished in Europe. Recently, ECS alumni Landon Ray ('15) and Laura Beth Baker ('20) taught AP Euro students how to play rugby.
Igniting science! 
Chemistry class got a little hot as Mr. Vander Zwaag (‘88) demonstrated the fiery combustion reaction between methane and oxygen. In learning about chemical equations and reactions, students got to see first-hand how substances change when they interact with one another.
Kam Jones (‘21) earns Big East Player of the Week again! https://www.facebook.com/MarquetteMensBB
We were so happy to have Emily Baker (‘22) back on campus to share with our students during chapel about her missions experience in North Africa through Fusion Missions and Spurgeon College.
Baseball season is officially here! We had the honor of having MLB All-Star and ECS alum, Brent Rooker ('13), speak to our JV and Varsity teams. We're grateful for our alumni who come back to invest in our student-athletes.
We had such a great time with our alumni from Birmingham on February 9! Which city should we hit next?
Congratulations to PFC Allan P. Bowden III (ECS class of 2019) who graduated from US Army Infantry Training (OSUT) at Ft. Moore in Georgia. He distinguished himself by earning the Soldier of the Cycle award over close to 150 of his peers through demonstrating outstanding training abilities and exceptional skills.
Bowden completed a 22-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Army Values, physical fitness, infantry warfare, combative principles, leadership development and the Warrior Ethos. He was honored with the Soldier of the Cycle award at his graduation ceremony and chosen to recite the Infantry Creed and awarded the Army Achievement Medal.
He was selected and will attend the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) at Ft. Moore for his next assignment.
We salute you, Allan!
Impressive! Way to go, Kam (‘21)!
Drew Holcomb (‘00) performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live on 2.7.2024! Enjoy this clip if you missed it!
https://www.facebook.com/JimmyKimmelLive/videos/1861386994307864
ALSO we loved this NCAA March Madness ad, featuring "Dance with Everybody" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors!
Way to go, Kam (‘21)!
We are so thankful this 2011 alum is coaching basketball at ECS!
ECS Head Varsity Girls Basketball coach Steven Kaspar (‘11) 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.
Listen to the full episode at www.ecsequip.com/podcast/136
ECS alumni and friends since grade school, Dr. Andrew Van Hersh ('10, pictured left) and Dr. Christopher Chow ('10, pictured right) find themselves together again, both working as fellows at Virginia Commonwealth in the Children’s Hospital of Richmond. Christopher is a second year fellow in Pediatric Cardiology, and Andrew is a first year fellow in Allergy and Immunology.
In a recent #TeacherFeatureTuesday, we focused our spotlight on on our newest senior kindergarten teacher, Reagan Miller, also an ECS alumna, class of 2014! Ms. Miller coaches lower school cross country & track as well as middle school basketball. After earning her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Psychology and Elementary Education, Ms. Miller then earned her Master of Science in Elementary Education, both at the University of Tennessee. In her free time, Ms. Miller serves as a favorite Young Life leader for our high school girls.
ECS alumna Joi Taylor ('13) weighs in on the topic of school choice as she shares how attending New Hope Christian Academy and Evangelical Christian School changed the trajectory of her life in her article, "The Power of Opportunity" in The Memphis Flyer.
Joi says of her time at ECS, "For middle and high school, I continued my journey at independent schools and attended Evangelical Christian School, where I learned academic discipline and outside-of-the-box thinking. Advanced classes and extracurricular activities prepared me for college, challenging my worldview and thought process constantly."
Joi is currently the Choose901 alumni director at City Leadership in Memphis and was recognized in the Memphis Flyer’s 20<30 class of 2020.
Read more about her educational journey here: https://www.memphisflyer.com/the-power-of-opportunity
Shelby Farms campus principal Ryan Cummins (‘01), a former History teacher, shared his knowledge of Jamestown with the sixth grade literature classes as part of their study of the historical fiction book, Blood on the River. Learning more about this colonial town helped students gain a better understanding of the characters in the book and the struggles they faced during the 1600s.
There is something special about the ECS community that lasts long after our eagles graduate. Moms from the class of 2021 gathered at a local restaurant recently to catch up with one another and share about their children who are now juniors in college. There were plenty of laughs as fun memories were shared!
Congratulations, Kam (‘21)!
Members from the AP BC Calculus course from the class of 2023 recently reunited with their teacher, Dr. Stevens, to celebrate their outstanding scores on the AP test and to catch up after their fall semester in college.
Congratulations to our pickleball tournament champions Brandon Brackett ('20) and Joseph Lambert ('18). Thanks to all of the teams who came out to compete earlier this month and make this day a success. Be on the lookout for more pickleball tournaments in the future!
Look at all of these ECS alumni who currently serve as faculty or staff members at their alma mater! We are so grateful they are giving back to the school that poured into them as students!
Drew and Ellie Holcomb brought some Christmas cheer to Seacrest Studios ahead of their concert at The Orpheum here in Memphis. As long time supporters of Le Bonheur, it is always a blast to have Drew and Ellie visit with our patients and families. Thank you for taking the time during this busy holiday season to spread joy at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital! View video: https://www.facebook.com/lebonheurchildrens/videos/686940006902584
We were thrilled to spot Gabriella Genereaux ('19) reporting live from a Lady Vols basketball game! So proud to see our graduates making a mark in the world of sports journalism.
Congratulations to Girls Soccer Coach, Jordan Thompson ('06), for being selected as the Commercial Appeal’s Girls Soccer Coach of the Year!
Daily Memphian CEO Eric Barnes writes about the legacy of his friend, ECS alumnus Tommy Pacello ('96) and shares about Tommy's urban planning impact in Memphis and beyond on @dailymemphian The Sidebar podcast.
Tommy, who passed away in 2020, was the original leader of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, which was an expression of his passion for urban planning and redeveloping public spaces for the purpose of creating personal connections. This effort, known as "placemaking" has led to the establishment of a fellowship in his memory awarded to organizations with a similar placemaking vision.
Click to read the article and listen to The Sidebar podcast to learn more about Tommy's influence which continues to impact communities today: http://tinyurl.com/y22226r3
Congratulations to Austin Hill ('20), captain of the Army Football team, for his team win over Navy. Austin, #52, is pictured on the right of the prized Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
1st 
credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
We are so proud of our many collegiate athletes who continue to put in the work in the classroom and on the field, court or course. In a previous post, we celebrated our 17 alumni currently playing or coaching college football. Here, we celebrate the following athletes who play other collegiate fall sports. We commend them for their dedication and commitment to their sport and studies. Pictured left to right, these alumni are as follows:
 |
 |
Congratulations, Zoe!
"The 2023 Academic All-District® Volleyball Teams, selected by CSC, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Each of the three honorees appeared in all 28 matches this season and were the top three in kills per set for the Chargers in 2023."
https://uahchargers.com/.../three-uah-volleyball-athletes...
Congratulations to ECS alumni Preston Daniel (‘20) and Preston Brady (‘17), ACC Champs! Pictured here for Florida State Seminoles Football, Preston Daniel, #45, is a tight end and Preston Brady is an assistant coach to the tight ends.
Congrats to Lucy Benson ('23) for earning CCS Rookie of the Week honors
https://athletics.covenant.edu/news/2023/12/4/womens-basketball-benson-named-ccs-rookie-of-the-week.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3W8pJKXKz9G_odZNlmZKPQVLmUEnsmPcNqlAd0nWcaD1OI60c2jFY9iyA
and later for CCS Player of the Week!
https://athletics.covenant.edu/news/2023/12/18/womens-basketball-benson-named-ccs-player-of-the-week.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0u61Cn8LCgYL_EAd_8BRC_Th3p39LmYPnIIFgpujpFjTzhxO4qes5rTQY
ECS grandparents and pioneers joyfully gathered to celebrate the Christmas season at the annual Jingle Mingle breakfast. Longtime friends reconnected and reminisced over ECS memories, and the high school choir sang Christmas carols to bring in the holiday spirit!
Look at all of these ECS 8th grade students pictured with their alumni parents! The students were all dressed up for the Reindeer Rockout to benefit Porter-Leath.
It was a perfect day for the Turkey Bowl! ECS alumni and other members of the ECS community enjoyed a fun flag football game on Legends Field!
The 2023 girls soccer team was a picture of unity, and four-time state champion Coach Jordan Thompson said that made the difference in finishing out the season with 18 straight wins, culminating in a state title, earning the Eagles' girls soccer program their third state championship in the past eight years.
READ MORE at https://tinyurl.com/ECS-Soccer
Congratulations, Kam Jones (‘21), recently namd Big East Player of the Week!
Congratulations to Maddie Halford (‘23) whose soccer team at the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s won the NCAA D3 Skyline Conference Championship, punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history!
Two ECS alumnae, Anna Cox Thompson ('08) and Dare Harcourt ('07), teamed up to write and illustrate The One and Only You, a children's book about God's faithfulness and how He made each of us so special and unique!
Recently, author Anna Thompson read the book to our early childhood students including her daughter who is in the class of 2037!
In a world where only 5.6% of high school baseball players advance to play in college, and a staggering .03% of Little Leaguers make it to the major leagues, Brent Rooker, ECS class of 2013, is living proof that big league dreams do come true!
After three years of trying to get his big break — bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors, getting traded twice and claimed on waivers — Brent continued to work while waiting for his opportunity. In 2023, Brent earned an everyday spot in the lineup with the Oakland A’s and on July 11, 2023, made his MLB All-Star debut!
Read More: https://www.ecseagles.com/alumni
What a milestone! Congrats, Brent (‘13)!
Included on the coaching staff of our UNDEFEATED 8th grade football team are two ECS alumni! Many thanks to Sumner Darlington ('18) and Carson Gagnon ('20) who helped coach our 8th grade boys and share their football knowledge gained from years of playing football at ECS.
 |
 |
 |
The classes of 1983, 2003 and 2013 enjoyed their 40-, 20- and 10-year class reunions as part of Homecoming 2023!
We celebrated a hero on Homecoming night! READ MORE: www.ecseagles.com/about-ecs/blog
Congratulations to Preston Daniel ('20), a National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy nominee! The William V. Campbell Trophy®, also known as the "Academic Heisman," has become the most prestigious and desirable "academic" award in college football. According to the NFF, "The trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership." Past winners have included Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow and ECS alumnus Barrett Jones. Preston, who served as student council president when he was a senior at ECS, has maintained a 4.0 GPA in college while playing tight end for the Florida State Seminoles. Read more about the prestigious award here: www.campbelltrophysummit.org/nff
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
We recently had the honor of retiring the #53 ECS Eagles football jersey of five-time Pro-Bowler and Super Bowl Champion Morgan Cox ('05)! We are thankful to Morgan and his family and friends for sharing this moment with our ECS family. Read more here: www.ecseagles.com/alumni
As the college football season has kicked off, we are cheering on our ECS football alumni!
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pictured left to right:
Congratulations to ECS alum, Tennessee’s 2019 Mr. Football and Army Football team captain Austin Hill ('20) who was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List! "The Wuerffel Trophy is College Football's Premier Award for Community Service, and one of the most meaningful awards in collegiate sports," according to this article on the Army Football website. We are proud of you, Austin!
Congratulations to Preston Daniel ('20), a National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy nominee! The William V. Campbell Trophy®, also known as the "Academic Heisman," has become the most prestigious and desirable "academic" award in college football. According to the NFF, "The trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership." Past winners have included Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow and ECS alumnus Barrett Jones. Preston, who served as student council president when he was a senior at ECS, has maintained a 4.0 GPA in college while playing tight end for the Florida State Seminoles. Read more about the prestigious award here: www.campbelltrophysummit.org/
An Inspiring Story of Perseverance
In a world where only 5.6% of high school baseball players advance to play in college1 and a staggering .03% of Little Leaguers make it to the major leagues, Brent Rooker is living proof that big league dreams do come true!
After three years of trying to get his big break — bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors, getting traded twice and claimed on waivers — Brent continued to work while waiting for his opportunity. In 2023, Brent earned an everyday spot in the lineup with the Oakland A’s and on July 11, 2023, made his MLB All-Star debut!
Brent grew up in a baseball family. His dad, Terry, played catcher for the University of Memphis, and coached Brent from tee ball and coach-pitch through youth competitive baseball until he was 14. After playing in tournaments every weekend, Brent and his teammates always wanted to play more. They would go to nearby tennis courts and play there, all with dreams of playing in the big leagues one day. “We could never get enough of it,” Brent said.
Having dad serve as coach can be tricky for many children, but Brent loved it. He remembered,
“My dad did a great job coaching and never put too much pressure on us. He made sure that if it was something we were going to pursue, that we were going to work at it adequately while at the same time keeping it fun.”
At ECS, Brent enjoyed great success as a three-sport athlete. In his senior year of high school, he played in three state championships in football, basketball and baseball. As quarterback, he set 18 school records by piling up more than 3,300 yards in total offense with 33 touchdowns and was named a 2013 Tennessee Mr. Football finalist. Brent helped lead the Eagles baseball program to two state championships, one as a sophomore and the other as a senior. As a senior baseball player, Brent set the state tournament record for home runs in a game and home runs in a tournament. That season, he hit .430 with 37 runs, 32 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and nine home runs.
Other favorite memories Brent has at ECS include his relationships with teachers and coaches.
“All three of my head coaches: Coach (Geoff) Walters, Coach (Ryan) Porter and Coach (Terry) Tippett were all just fantastic men, coaches and leaders. They are guys who I loved playing for and learned a ton from.” Brent also enjoyed Mr. V’s chemistry class and Coach Durham’s English class. “Mr. (Mark) Brink and Coach (Noah) Brink are two really special people that I had great relationships with. I met with Coach Brink once a week for a Bible study for the last three years of high school, and he had a pretty profound impact on me. I think that’s one of the most special parts of ECS - the relationships you form with teachers and how personal those relationships are. They are people I still keep in contact with today, and I think that’s my favorite part of the ECS experience.”
In 2013, Brent signed to play baseball at Mississippi State. He had impressive seasons as an underclassman, but nothing compared to his junior year.
With a standout 2017 season at Mississippi State, Brent was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year after leading the conference with a .387 batting average, 23 home runs and 82 RBIs, winning only the second triple crown in SEC history. Add to that a .495 on-base percentage, .810 slugging percentage, 30 doubles and 18 stolen bases in the same season. He was also a Golden Spikes Award finalist and the recipient of the C Spire Ferris Trophy, given to Mississippi’s top college baseball player. As a fun way to cap off his impressive collegiate career, Brent starred in the College World Series Home Run Derby at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not surprisingly, Brent was a first-round draft pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, selected as the 35th overall pick by the Minnesota Twins. He was first assigned to the Elizabethton Twins in rookie ball, which was a stark contrast to playing in the SEC. “You go from playing against Ole Miss and LSU in front of 10-12,000 fans to playing in very small towns in front of 40-50 fans. The difference in playing three to four games a week to playing every single night is pretty stark as well, and you have to adjust to that.” His stint there was short, just three weeks, before he was promoted to the Single-A Fort Myers Miracle.
Brent continued to have success as a power hitter in the minor leagues. He played for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts in 2018, and in 2019, he was promoted to Triple-A where he was distinguished as an International League All-Star while playing for the Rochester Red Wings. Brent was selected to the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12. There, he was selected to the All World Team as the best designated hitter in the tournament, batting an impressive .300/.333/.800 including three home runs and five RBIs in 20 at-bats.
Brent’s stats soared. But still no appearance in the big leagues.
“There have been several times I questioned how long to continue,” Brent admitted. “I played very well in Triple-A but wasn’t really getting any opportunities to play in the big leagues. I always felt like I was good enough to do so and just needed the right opportunity and the right team to get me those looks. I was spending all this time away from my family, and I was missing my wife and kid. I wondered if it was worth being away from them if it’s not going to pay off and come to fruition. But my family kept encouraging me, and I actually continued to have the belief myself that I was good enough.”
On September 4, 2020, Brent finally had his chance. He was promoted to the major leagues for the first time and made his MLB debut in a Twins uniform against the Detroit Tigers.
A memorable highlight of his time with the Twins included hitting his first major league home run in Busch Stadium, where he grew up cheering for his favorite team. Originally from the Midwest, Brent’s dad grew up a Cardinals fan and passed his enthusiasm for the team onto his children. The Rooker family traveled to this stadium nearly every year to watch the Cardinals play. “To hit my first home run there was pretty special,” Brent remembered.
But his stint in the major leagues didn’t last long.
With a solid lineup, the Twins bounced Brent between the major league club and the Triple-A club until he was traded to the San Diego Padres on April 7, 2022. Then on August 2, the Padres traded him to the Kansas City Royals. Finally, on November 17, 2022, he found a fit with the Oakland A’s.
Brent has shined this year with the A’s. He landed on a team that gave him the opportunity he needed to show his strengths. After the first half of the season, he led the A's in home runs with sixteen. He was named the American League Player of the Week on May 1, 2023 after going 10 for 24 with five home runs and 11 RBI’s in the previous week. “I just needed an opportunity, and I was able to take advantage of that, and it’s been fun,” Brent said.
Then mid-season, his All-Star selection was announced. Perhaps no one was more surprised than Brent himself. "As a 27-year-old, spending most of last season at Triple-A, this seemed like a far reach, but here I am. The All-Star Game didn't cross my mind until last Sunday when they told me I was in it," he told an ESPN reporter the week of the All-Star game in Seattle.
In an All-Star announcement that was shared on social media, Mark Kotsay, A’s general manager, revealed the big news that Brent was selected to the team in the locker room, commending his perseverance through all of the years of work, grinding on four different teams. Kotsay pointed out that Brent received the second highest number of votes by players to be an All-Star designated hitter, second only to Shohei Ohtani. Overwhelmed with emotion, Brent described the moment as “surreal. It really was. Making the All-Star team wasn’t really anything I ever considered was possible, to be honest. To have that happen and to find out like that was a surreal moment. It’s still even hard to believe even after it happened.”
The All-Star game and events surrounding it exceeded Brent’s expectations. He said, “The league did a great job putting it on.” He enjoyed spending time with the guys he always played against but hadn't had the opportunity to get to know very well.
And the game didn’t disappoint. When Brent got his opportunity at the plate, he pelted a ground-rule double to right center field. That All-Star debut at-bat wasn't a bad way to say hello to a festival of the world’s most elite baseball talent.
Perhaps what made it most special is sharing this memorable time with his family. His wife, Allie Oliver Rooker, also a graduate of ECS (’12) and their two-year-old daughter, Blair, made appearances with him on the red carpet and were announced on the field. “Having Blair around while I’m playing is definitely one of the coolest things that I’ve gotten to experience. Being able to bring her on the field before the game, having her on the field for the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game, getting to watch her run around the bases postgame – it’s something you can’t really describe.”
He credits his wife, Allie, his high school sweetheart, for her tremendous support and encouragement over the years. He admits that baseball season is probably harder on her than it is on him because he is gone so much during the season. Allie travels sometimes eight to nine hours with a two-year old to see Brent play in different cities. “Allie is fantastic,” Brent said. “I know it is difficult, but she makes it work, and I love her for it.”
The entire Rooker family – incidentally, all ECS alumni – made the trip to Seattle in July too: parents, Terry and Lynne Tipton Rooker, (classes of '87 and '86), brother Josh (’17) and sister Alden (’19). Even his grandfather was able to come. Brent said, “I wouldn’t want it any other way than for them to experience it with me. I am definitely glad they were able to make the trip.”
So after all of the hardships, the what seemed like endless Triple-A play and multiple trades to teams all over the country, what does Brent think about when he realizes he is living his childhood dreams?
“I take a moment,” Brent reflected. “I look back and think about that 10- or 11-year-old version of myself and how happy that guy would be that I made it here and that I’m doing what I love and doing what I always dreamed of. It makes it a little easier to stay motivated, to keep working and to keep grinding and get through those hard times because it’s well worth it.”
Through the ups and downs of baseball, Brent’s faith keeps life in proper perspective. “You may have a rough night, but you can’t let it define you,” Brent said. “You can’t let a rough stretch define you. You can’t let sports as a whole define you. It’s just something you do, and it doesn’t determine the kind of person you are. It doesn’t make up your identity. Our identity first is as Christians, as followers of Jesus, so that’s always the most important thing. Knowing that helps to make the failures a little easier to deal with, and it helps to keep things in perspective during the successful times as well.”
Morgan Cox (2005) is a five-time Pro-Bowler and Super Bowl Champion, and his #53 ECS jersey was retired recently in a special half-time ceremony on Legends Field. Morgan currently plays for the Tennessee Titans and is in his 14th year as a long snapper in the NFL. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and appeared in 165 games and 10 postseason contests. In 2011, Morgan earned the Ravens’ Ed Block Courage Award after returning from a significant injury suffered in 2010. In college, Morgan played in 38 games as the primary long snapper for the Tennessee Volunteers while earning his accounting degree.
At ECS, Morgan helped lead the Eagles to the football state championship as a senior and earned All-State Honorable Mention and the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Best of Preps Award. He also served as the sports editor for the Eagle’s Eye school newspaper in his final two years at ECS.
Congratulations to Brady Holloway (‘21) who committed to continue his academic and athletic career in baseball at Middle Tennessee State University.
Congratulations to Austin Hill ('20), 2019 Tennessee Mr. Football, who was chosen by his teammates to help lead Army Football in 2023.
When announcing the four captains to the team, Coach Monken said this about this prestigious honor: "They are the guys that you can trust to help with decisions that affect the program... and that are very respected by not only their classmates but everybody in this room."
Getting it done on the field and in the classroom!
Congratulations to Preston Daniel (‘20) for being selected as an FSU SAAS Student-Athlete of the Month for April
Preston was nominated and voted on by SAAS staff and athletic administration for exhibiting tremendous effort and commitment in the classroom.
Congratulations to Brady Holloway (‘21) who has made his mark on the Southwest Tennessee baseball program! He set the school record with 21 career home runs, helped lead his team to an historic 41 season wins, and he was named TCCAA Co-Player of the Week!
We are proud of 2013 ECS alumnus Brent Rooker!
Recently, Coach Jim Heinz was posthumously inducted to the TSSAA Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class at a luncheon in Murfreesboro. Coach's impact on many was far-reaching, and includes those ECS connections present at this celebration, pictured here left to right: Justin Payne, Aubrey Boren, David Carter, Jane Heinz, Steve Heinz, Cathy Jobe, Ben Todd, Alan Durham and Blake Butler.
Coach Heinz has previously been inducted into the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the ECS Hall of Fame as well as the Amateur Sports Hall of Fame, the last induction ceremony at which he was also posthumously presented with the Larry Finch Lifetime Achievement Award.
Coach Heinz coached football and baseball at ECS from 1978 to 2010, helping to build our storied athletic history. He was easily one of the most revered coaches in Tennessee. He won seven Tennessee State Championship titles, four in football and three in baseball, and two of those seasons were undefeated (30-0 in the 1989 baseball season; and 13-0 in the 1999 football season). He was distinguished with multiple Coach of the Year honors, awarded from the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association to The Commercial Appeal to Best of the Preps.
Despite all of his achievements, Coach Heinz is remembered by those whom he coached as a great man of God concerned most with discipling his players in Christ and building them into godly men of character. We are so proud of Coach Heinz and his great legacy that continues to inspire our ECS community.
The class of 2023 is one step closer to being #ECSalumni! On April 27, they celebrated with the annual Almost Alumni Brunch hosted by the ECS Alumni Department! It was a deliciously fun time!
JOIN US as ECS alumni, parents and faculty/staff come together for some fun summer basketball, which culminates in a super competitive tournament for the chance to win the big trophy and bragging rights for the year.
Sign up here today: https://www.ecseagles.com/alumni/legacy-league-basketball
Our football coaches enjoyed an ECS reunion at a coaches clinic at Clemson University recently! They enjoyed spending time with the Clemson staff and reconnecting with former ECS coach Will Gilchrist who is now on the Clemson coaching staff and ECS alumni Peter Nearn and Dietrick Pennington who play for the Tigers.
ECS alumna, teacher and coach Molly Martin ('17) enjoyed the new upgrade to the Shelby Farms campus that opened recently - Sips Tea & Coffee Shop!
ECS alumni and longtime friends reunite at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament!
Thomas Kizer ('21), longtime friend, classmate and teammate of star Marquette guard Kam Jones ('21), traveled to Columbus, Ohio to cheer on Kam as he played in the basketball tournament. Thomas' dad, Dr. David Kizer, 9th grade ECS boys basketball coach and Kam's former childhood competitive basketball coach, was also there to show his support.
Although the season ended sooner than we wanted, it was a special one for the Marquette basketball program, and Kam played a big role in its success! Kam was selected to the Big East Tournament team and earned NABC All-District honors. In his final game of the season yesterday, Kam made his 100th 3-point shot this season! At ECS, Kam was selected as the Tennessee DII-A Mr. Basketball and is the All-Time Leading Scorer. ECS is proud of you, Kam!
We were so glad to see the Kizer-Jones connection again!
Congratulations to Kam Jones ('21), Marquette basketball guard, for being selected to the Big East tournament team and for earning National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District honors!
Here's what Kam had to say about how his days at ECS prepared him for this moment (taken from a 2021 article)...
"After practicing at Marquette for a few weeks, Kam penned a letter to his ECS basketball teammates. In it, he wrote, 'Playing at ECS prepared me for what I’m going through here, and even attending school there did as well. I had to take constructive criticism, I had to keep my head up after making mistakes, I had to lead, I was held to a high standard, I was held accountable for my actions, my maximum effort was demanded out of me, nothing less.
“Playing at ECS has put me ahead of my classmates, mentally, physically, and most importantly spiritually. Playing basketball for ECS even prepared me for the challenges I’ve already faced off the court at college. How to step away from things, how to approach situations, how to talk to people, get to know people before you judge them. Playing for ECS and attending ECS absolutely prepared me for what I am facing now at Marquette, on and off the court.”
READ MORE: http://bit.ly/3llXfN6
Congratulations to ECS alumnus Tim Johnson (‘06), Furman University assistant basketball coach, who helped lead his Southern Conference championship team to their first NCAA basketball tournament appearance in 43 years.
 |
 |
Photos courtesy of Furman Basketball and Tim Johnson.
The annual Brent Rooker Fellowship of Christian Athletes Diamond Challenge baseball tournament was held recently! Brent is a current MLB player and ECS alumnus (‘13).
Congratulations, Kam Jones (ECS class of 2021), Big East basketball regular season and tournament champion!
We are proud to announce that Coach Jim Heinz will be posthumously inducted to the TSSAA Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class at a luncheon on April 15 at 11:00 a.m., at the Embassy Suites and Hotel in Murfreesboro. Tickets are $35 each and must be purchased in advance at tssaa.org beginning Monday, February 27.
Coach Heinz has previously been inducted into the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the ECS Hall of Fame as well as the Amateur Sports Hall of Fame, the last induction ceremony at which he was also posthumously presented with the Larry Finch Lifetime Achievement Award.
Coach Heinz coached football and baseball at ECS from 1978 to 2010, helping to build our storied athletic history. He was easily one of the most revered coaches in Tennessee. He won seven Tennessee State Championship titles, four in football and three in baseball, and two of those seasons were undefeated (30-0 in the 1989 baseball season; and 13-0 in the 1999 football season). He was distinguished with multiple Coach of the Year honors, awarded from the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association to The Commercial Appeal to Best of the Preps.
Despite all of his achievements, Coach Heinz is remembered by those whom he coached as a great man of God concerned most with discipling his players in Christ and building them into godly men of character. We are so proud of Coach Heinz and his great legacy that continues to inspire our ECS community.
ECS alumnus ('08) and photographer Houston Cofield's pictures of the aftermath of the flash flood in Waverly, Tennessee from August 2021 taken for The New York Times are now on exhibit at The Parthenon Museum in Nashville through May 6.
Read more about Houston's impressive photography career in "Through the Lens of Houston Cofield: A Look at American Icons, Southern Culture and Grief" at ecseagles.com/alumni.
It was a fun night celebrating our ECS alumni from the 2011 state championship basketball team! In the photo below, pictured left to right:
Also honored but not pictured:
A boyhood dream come true! We are proud of Morgan Cox (‘05)!
From an ECS senior road tripping with buddies to watch his favorite pro football team play in Nashville to earning his fifth Pro Bowl bid - now playing for his home state's NFL franchise, Tennessee Titans long snapper Morgan Cox ('05) said, "I've seen God's hands on a lot of things as I kind of reflect on my career. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given, and the unique experiences I have gotten to have because of this game."
Read more about his remarkable career here: https://www.tennesseetitans.com/.../from-the-pro-bowl...
This photo documenting the memorial service of Lisa Marie Presley at Graceland recently was taken by Houston Cofield (‘08) and published in The New York Times.
His subjects have ranged from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett to famous American actor Chuck Norris.
His credits include the top national and worldwide publications: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business Week, Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Golf Digest and Zeit Magazin (published in Germany).
Undoubtedly, Houston Cofield’s resume is impressive. He uses his art form of photography to document the key influencers of our time – and more importantly for him – he writes his own narrative of the American South.
One could say that it all started at the ECS Eagle’s Eye newspaper in 2006.
But perhaps it really started three generations ago.
Houston’s paternal grandfather and great grandfather were studio photographers in Mississippi and photographed renowned Southern author William Faulkner throughout his life.
“Having that in the background growing up was really special. I was never planning on being a photographer, but I find it kind of ironic that here I am doing the same thing now.”
When he was a child, Houston wanted to be an archeologist. He enjoyed digging in his backyard and even dug up his dog’s bones, which disturbed his mom who kindly suggested they could have belonged to a dinosaur. Houston noted, “What I was interested in as a kid carried over into what I’m interested in today: looking at the unseen, looking at something in plain sight and seeing it in a new way. The discovery of that process is something I think a lot about.”
In his junior year of high school, he started shooting photos for the Eagle’s Eye, which he joined with an ulterior motive. In his quest to avoid study hall, he discovered that he enjoyed making photos, not photos of sports like most of his peers did, but photos of plants, flowers and chain-link fences. “I started to realize I loved framing these things in a rectangle and looking at the way light hit an object. That’s when I first started taking it a little more seriously and realized I have a real interest in it.”
Houston’s interest in storytelling was fueled by his high school English teacher, Jonathan Sherrod, who only taught for one year because he would enter medical school the following year. Houston remembered him saying, “‘I am not a teacher. But I like English, and I like reading.’ I really appreciate how straightforward he was. He led the class out of his own interest and curiosity. That’s what made the class so special. I look back and as a freshman, he got me interested in fiction, storytelling and writing. I don't think he knows how much of an impact he made on me.”
After he graduated ECS in 2008, Houston studied journalism at the University of Mississippi as a way to pursue his interest in writing and storytelling. It wasn’t long before he realized the tool through which he wanted to tell stories was the lens of a camera. Specifically, he wanted to shoot magazine editorial photos for feature stories – more on the artistic end of making pictures. He took magazine editorial classes, and for inspiration, he started studying photographs in The New Yorker, Bloomberg Business Week and Garden & Gun, among others. He added art classes to his curriculum and minored in art with a photography emphasis.
With a penchant for formal study of his craft, he then pursued his Master’s of Fine Arts in photography at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
“That’s where my career took a turn,” Houston reflected. “It pushed me in the direction I needed to be going. I caught up to speed very quickly surrounded by people who are my mentors and close friends.” In his studio, he honed in on photography as an artistic form.
Following school, he worked for a prominent photographer in Chicago and assisted in shooting pictures which included tasks from carrying gear to setting up lighting to printing his work. “Being in Chicago was probably one of the best things for my career. It put me in the community of like-minded artists to help me see what was possible and pushed me to be really good at what I do. It opened the door and opened my eyes to what is possible in this career,” Houston recalled.
After living in Chicago for a few years, his wife, Kristen, completed graduate school, offering a natural fork in the road: stay in Chicago or return home to the South. Even though Houston had an opportunity to stay, the couple chose to return home to Memphis to be close to family and friends.
Houston began working for the Memphis Daily News, now called the Daily Memphian. He did some photojournalism and took portraits of people in the business sector, building his portfolio. “I had free creative reign.” He added, “I love making something bland interesting.”
It wasn’t long before a colleague referred him to the New York Times. In his first assignment for a national publication, he took photos of the musicians who accompanied Isaac Hayes. “Those were some of the best pictures I ever made.” Houston remembered, “Sending in work I thought was good and hearing that affirmation was really reassuring.” Houston got five assignments that week because they were so pleased with his work.
From there, he got work from Garden & Gun, Bloomberg Business Week and The New York Times Magazine. “A lot of the magazines I have been inspired by I have now gotten to work for,” he noted. More credits include A&E Network, The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine.
“I have been fortunate to work for the people I have always wanted to. It is always a good challenge and involves problem-solving.”
Some of these people include a few of the most successful individuals in the world: Apple CEO Tim Cook and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet. Then in Texas, Houston took photos of Chuck Norris for A&E Network.
Perhaps his most memorable assignment was making pictures of Harold Primat, former professional racing driver and investor. Primat offers a three-day luxury excursion known as the Primland Racing Experience at his Auberge resort called Primland. Guests enjoy driving high performance race cars with him at the Virginia International Raceway, golfing, fine dining and helicopter rides. “I have always had an interest in cars,” Houston said, “and I got to meet someone who is the best at that.”
“Photography has allowed me to be around people who are the best at what they do. Having a camera has given me access I wouldn’t otherwise have,” Houston said. “It is a fun and exciting part about this career.”
As glamorous as some of these assignments have been, Houston is most interested in making photos that tell the story of the American South. “Moving away from my home gave me an appreciation for the culture of both Memphis and Mississippi. I’m very interested in the myth and culture that surrounds the South, like what Faulkner wrote about the South and Mississippi. In a similar vein, I look at what I’m photographing as my own narrative that I’m constructing and giving that some sort of platform whether I photograph people that I find interesting or a building on the side of the road. I am very curious about adding my own narrative to this culture that has already been so surrounded by myth and storytelling.”
Tragically, part of his narrative includes the senseless and still unsolved murder of his father, Glenn Cofield, in a possible robbery attempt as he and his wife, Natalie, were leaving a charity event in June 2019. Glenn, a financial services executive and civic volunteer, was well-known and loved in the ECS and Memphis community.
“How does that affect me personally and as an artist? That’s what I’m trying to draw out in photography. Rather than me looking at the work, I’m turning inwards, and that story is now part of my story. It’s a different narrative – a narrative about grief, sadness and darkness.”
While he hesitates to call photography therapy for him, Houston said, “The work I made around my dad’s death has made me label or pay respect to the grief that I felt and the grief that I continue to feel. In some ways, it’s a direct response to the grief. When you lose someone close to you in a traumatic way, it is unlike anything else. It is hard to describe how awful it feels, but that feeling to me is important to, instead of avoid it, confront it. I don’t think of grief as a negative thing but a necessary thing in the whole process of losing someone. Making work around it made sense to me.”
Using photography in the process of grieving his father’s death has meant making photos of concrete subjects that reflect his feelings, such as photos of rotten fruit from a forgotten but well intended gift basket published in the March 2022 issue of Memphis Magazine. Those images served as a metaphor for grief. Most times, however, photographing through grief involves making photos of common subjects but with a different, more inward perspective.
Houston intends to publish a collection of his photography into a book centered around grief. While he doesn’t have a release date yet, he does think the work is close to being completed. He is not motivated by sales of the book and admits that most photography books are not lucrative. His motivation for publishing is simple, as he said: “I want it to exist in the world.”
Using the gifts he has developed and the perspective he wishes he didn’t have, in this book, Houston will take a big step toward fulfilling his goal as a photographer – adding his own narrative to the story-rich culture of the American South.
As part of the annual Professional Speaker Series, our juniors and seniors learned more about potential career paths. Experts answered students' questions and shared about their careers in the medical, legal, financial, engineering, real estate, law enforcement, veterinary, teaching and consulting professions. Speakers included ECS alumni, parents and other industry leaders.
We were so glad to have some of our outstanding alumni return to campus to share more about their professions with our students! Many thanks to the following alumni:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
We began our 2nd semester faculty and staff in-service with praise and worship, then spent time in prayer for our school, families and students.
Many thanks to Tony Fisher (ECS class of 2000), Anna Kelly Pearson (ECS class of 1999) and Emily Waites for leading us in worship.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Three ECS alumni reunited at the 2022 Orange Bowl. Pictured left to right: Dietrick Pennington (‘21), Bennett Brady (‘22) and Peter Nearn (‘21).
Shoutout to Austin Hill (‘20) who forced a fumble on the 1-yard line in double overtime to help secure Army football’s victory over Navy!
Photo courtesy of CBS Sports
It was great to see alumni and parents and grandparents of alumni last week at the annual Jingle Mingle!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
From state champions at ECS to ACC champions at Clemson, ECS alumni Dietrick Pennington (‘21) and Peter Nearn (‘21) enjoyed the victory Saturday night, December 3 in Charlotte.
On Veterans Day 2022, we saluted our many alumni who have served or are currently serving in the United States Military, and we thanked them for their service.
A special thank you to the following alumni who submitted photos and updates to us.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
(Pictured in the thumbnail is our Alumni in Service plaque which hangs in our chapel lobby inscribed with the names of more ECS alumni who serve or have served our country in the military.)
Congratulations to Fisher Smith, Esq., and Andrew Shorten, Esq., who were inducted to the Tennessee Bar today!
Fisher and Andrew are both from the ECS class of 2015 and are pictured here with their mothers, Kelly Smith and Jenny Shorten, who currently work at ECS.
Congratulations to Morgan Cox (‘05) who recently played in his 200th NFL game! Morgan currently plays long snapper for the Tennessee Titans and was featured on the Mike Vrabel Show. See clip below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMZyftDhnMM
This is a wonderful way to honor the memory of Tommy Pacello (‘96) and continue his legacy of and passion for investing in our city.
ECS alumni worldwide!
While traveling, Mary Beth (Hazelwood, ’99) and Bill Edwards (‘00) met up with Brussels, Belgium residents Daniel (‘99) and Katy Brink.
Three ECS alumni reunited in Tallahassee at the FSU vs Clemson game!
Pictured left to right: Preston Brady (‘17), Florida State Seminoles Football staff; Dietrick Pennington (‘21), Clemson Football player; and Preston Daniel (‘20), FSU football player.
Check out this article in Style Blueprint, announcing plans to open an additional Lower School option at the Shelby Farms campus in 2023-2024, the first time in our school history that all grades will be offered on one campus! Space is limited. Schedule a tour, and apply now at THIS LINK
IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE AN EAGLE!
The class of 2002 had a great time at their recent 20-year reunion!
 |
 |
A record number of golfers participated in this year’s Steve Collums Classic Golf Tournament to benefit the tuition assistance program. It was a beautiful day to play golf, enjoy the ECS community and raise funds for a great cause!
 |
 |
 |
 |
See our complete photo album at https://www.facebook.com/ECSAlumni
Homecoming 2022 was full of fun celebrations for students, teachers, parents and alumni! See our full album on our Facebook page.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The latest issue of "FORWARD ECS: The ECS Alumni Newsletter" was sent via email on Sept. 14 ! Don't miss out on updates on fellow ECS alumni!
If you did not receive FORWARD ECS in your inbox, check your spam mail, then email us at alumni@ecseagles.com.
At ECS, our Lower School program is growing exponentially, which is why plans are currently underway to open a new Lower School campus at the Shelby Farms location beginning 2023-2024. We think it is appropriate to honor a foundational leader in our Lower School program.
Mrs. Marilyn Wray, former ECS lower school principal who served ECS for 31 years, was honored with a reception at the Lower School campus last spring as a part of the Grandparents Day presentation. Many of Mrs. Wray’s former teachers and students were present to celebrate her many years of dedicated service to ECS. Head of School Braxton Brady honored her at the conclusion of the program and presented her with a plaque to honor her leadership in helping to lay the foundation for our Lower School program.
But Mrs. Wray did not always set out to be an elementary school principal.
In 1950, Mrs. Wray graduated from Humes High School. She received a scholarship to attend Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) where she studied English. While there, she met her husband, Red Wray, a Navy pilot. The couple married in February 1954, and she graduated from college three months later.
Her first job was working in the bridal registry at Goldsmith’s Department Store which she quickly realized was not for her. She decided to pursue teaching and received her emergency certificate to teach by the end of summer. She interviewed with the superintendent of the city schools, and he offered her a sixth grade teaching position at Sherwood Elementary where she taught for two years.
Then, she taught at Presbyterian Day School for six years. When her son, Andy, was born, she became a stay-at-home mom. She earned her Master of Education from the University of Memphis shortly after Andy was born. Her daughter, Lynda, was born two years later.
As her children got older, Mrs. Wray became interested in teaching again. In 1973, she joined ECS as a fifth grade teacher. There was an opening for the elementary school principal the following year, and then-Headmaster Doug Petersen asked if she would be interested in filling that role. She was surprised by that offer and said she would talk to her husband about it. That’s when she learned that her husband was in on the plan; in fact, he had told Mr. Petersen that he already had his principal in Marilyn.
For 30 years she filled that role. During her tenure as principal, ECS had four separate campuses around Memphis: Union at Lindenwood Church, East on Poplar Avenue, North at Dellwood Church and the Park Avenue campus. Some of her favorite memories include days in which she made appearances at all four campuses for Field Day and Awards Day.
“I stayed in my car a lot,” Mrs. Wray remembered. “I always tried to attend chapel and faculty meetings at each of the four campuses.” During those years, ECS opened and closed campuses 14 times.
Field Days formed some of Mrs. Wray’s favorite memories. “I always wanted the kids to be looking toward (middle school together at) Macon. All elementary students arrived at the Macon campus on buses wearing different colored t-shirts representing their campuses. The elementary campuses were separate, but we were one,” Mrs. Wray said.
For many years, elementary students from all campuses would also play basketball together on winter Saturdays at the Macon campus in what was known as Saturday League. Mrs. Wray explained “the bubble” that used to cover the gym at that campus, similar to the temporary bubbles used to allow for winter swimming at some outdoor swimming pools today. She recalled the time the bubble leaked heavy rain onto the gym floor. She laughed, “We had probably the only basketball game cancelled due to rain!” That is when leadership decided it was time to raise funds for a new, more permanent gym structure.
Mrs. Wray believes that having shared activities such as Field Day and Saturday League helped students from different campuses bond together so that when they arrived at Macon they were one group.
Cindy Garrison and Mrs. Wray visit during the Homecoming football game in September 2022.
Cindy Logan Garrison (‘88) speaks very fondly of Mrs. Wray, her childhood principal. One of Cindy’s favorite memories was from a summer Bible camp in Louisiana she attended for free by memorizing 142 Bible verses in third grade. Mrs. Wray was sitting on the front row of the bus to camp and made young Cindy move and sit near her due to excessive talking and not showing proper respect to her principal. When they arrived at camp, Cindy called her mom to complain about her punishment to which her mom surprised her by siding with her principal. She was to hang up the phone, apologize to Mrs. Wray and receive her punishment for her disrespectful behavior. Laughing about this incident years later, Cindy reflected about Mrs. Wray: “She loved me enough to provide a way, invest in my character and discipline out of love. I had the best week at camp and grew to LOVE Mrs. Wray more and more year after year. She was a godly leader, always professionally poised and stern with a gentle smile. Her demeanor was always endearing towards kids and confident with parents. She always reminded me of Queen Elizabeth. I will forever cherish her investment into Christian education – and her patience with kids like me!”
Mrs. Wray served on the administration team as the only woman for many years. She admits in retrospect that she was probably breaking the glass ceiling, although she said she was not really thinking along those lines. She thoroughly enjoyed working alongside many great leaders of ECS who treated her with the utmost respect.
Mrs. Wray even helped the administrative team craft the ECS mission statement, which is still paramount today. She remembers many meetings to write the mission statement in which they would write it, discuss it and rewrite it. “Mark Brink was instrumental in guiding us. The mission statement is so important. When I was at another school, there was Bible and chapel, but when I got to ECS, I realized what worldview was. It changed how I looked at things. I read books about worldview. I learned that all truth is God’s Truth. There is no difference between the secular and the sacred. All is sacred. That was new to me.”
Mrs. Wray said ECS is so important because the school trains the next generation in Truth. Elementary school is the very foundation of ECS, building Truth in children from a very young age.
The Wray family demonstrated their belief in generational Christian education as each of Mrs. Wray’s children, Andy (‘79), Lynda (‘82) and her grandson Alexander (‘14) all graduated from ECS. In fact, all three were Valedictorians of their respective graduating classes at ECS, reflecting Mrs. Wray’s commitment to educational excellence.
Mrs. Wray said she prays for ECS. “I pray they stick to the mission and not let the world squeeze them out. It looks like they have done that.” She advises, “Keep faithful to the past while looking to the future.” She praised the administration for not deviating from the mission.
“When people ask me about school, I just point out III John 4: ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.’ It is always very rewarding to see graduates bringing their children and grandchildren back to campus.”
The Marilyn Wray Scholarship, established in 2010, is awarded annually to the ECS graduate with the highest grade point average who has attended ECS for 12 or more years. It is a great way to recognize not only that student’s hard work in the classroom but also his or her parents’ loyalty to ECS and shared commitment to our mission. In addition, it serves as a great reminder of Mrs. Wray’s loyalty to ECS for 31 years.
Thank you, Mrs. Wray, for your many years of faithful service to ECS!
Congratulations to Ashleigh Young Rainer (’10) who recently won Make-A-Wish Mid-South’s culture award! Ashleigh has been a Volunteer Coordinator with Make-A-Wish Mid-South since April 2019.
The mission of Make-A-Wish Mid-South is to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. ECS has been a part of the Kids for Wish Kids program as a sponsor of wishes.
If you are interested in volunteering with Make-A-Wish, contact Ashleigh at arainer@midsouth.wish.org for more information about upcoming virtual training sessions. #ECSalumni #ECSeagles
Congratulations to Austin Cooper (‘10), who completed the qualification course for Army Special Forces this year as an 18 Bravo, Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Green Beret.
In his military career, he served in the US Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer from 2014 to 2019. During this time, he deployed as a platoon commander with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. After deployment, he was the only marine that year to attend and graduate the US Army Ranger School. Austin got out of the USMC as a Captain.
Austin joined the US Army in 2019 in order to join US Army Special Forces, and he graduated Airborne school in 2021.
Austin is pictured with his wife, Katie, his parents, Richard (‘88) and Amee, and brother, Hunter Cooper (‘13).
Thank you for your service to our country! #ECSalumni #ECSeagles
Congratulations to ECS class of '01 alumnus Clint Dowdle, who was recently named to The Athletic's College Sports 40 Under 40 list for his impressive work in the sports industry as one of the most influential coaching agents at Creative Arts Agency.
"Dowdle helped negotiate Marcus Freeman’s promotion to head coach at Notre Dame, and his list of clients includes Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Utah State’s Blake Anderson. CAA is the biggest player in the college coaching agent world, and Dowdle has quickly moved up the ranks."
Read more at https://theathletic.com/.../23/college-sports-40-under-40/ #ECSeagles #ECSAlumni
Tennessee Titans players wore their high school jerseys into Nissan Stadium recently, so ECS alumnus and Titans long snapper Morgan Cox proudly wore his #53 ECS Eagles jersey. The last time he wore it was also in Nashville at the 2005 State Championship!
 |
 |
 |
Two ECS alumni are now in dental practice together! Patrick Person, DDS (‘81) and Baker Darlington, DDS (‘14).
Congratulations to Team Kaspar (orange), the 2022 Legacy League Champions! 
Congrats also to Team Fisher (blue), who placed Runner-Up!
Legacy League 2022 was so much fun! It was great to see so many alumni involved!
 |
 |
The ECS class of 2014 is representing in California! Chase Clack and Austin Cain stopped in for a visit with Ben Lowe, and they enjoyed a little golf today in Monterey.
Coach Terry Tippett stopped by to see his former players compete in the Legacy League Semifinals.
Pictured below, guys who played for Coach Tippett, L to R: Cameron Dobbins ‘15, Peyton Watts ‘15, Conner Graves ‘14, Jake Weatherford ‘16, Coach Tippett, Marcus Lytle ‘15, Noah Teed ‘15, Benton Garrison ‘16
Also pictured below are Hunter Harrington, Micah Teed and Steven Kaspar, who played on Coach Tippett’s 2011 state championship team.
 |
 |
 |
All three Gagnon brothers played in the Legacy League this past summer!
Pictured left to right include Carson (‘20), Cameron (‘22) and Chandler (‘11).
Brent Rooker (‘13) started for his new team, the San Diego Padres, in July, and fellow ECS alum, David Boyd (‘16) was at Petco Park to show his support! #ECSalumni #ECSeagles
Check out this great The Daily Memphian article on Morgan Cox (‘05). #ECSalumni #ECSeagles
Congratulations to Zack Genereaux (‘17) and Colin Jones (‘18) on their recent graduation from the United States Naval Academy! Thank you for your commitment to serve our country!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Congratulations to Landon Williams ('01) for being selected to the 40 Under 40 List by the Memphis Business Journal.
Williams currently serves as SVP for Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors. During his days as a sports agent, he helped negotiate a $127.5 million contract for pitcher Matt Cain in 2012, the largest in Major League Baseball at the time. On the real estate front, Williams has worked on MAA's build-to-suite headquarters in Germantown, to name just one of the many high-profile deals.
When asked what motivates him, Williams responded, "Strive for excellence in every facet of my life; not to earn God’s grace — of which I cannot earn — but because of God’s grace of which He has freely given me."
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/yady6n67 #ECSalumni #ECSeagles
Some former ECS girls soccer players from the classes of 2003-2013 laced up their cleats and played together in a 7 v 7 soccer tournament in May at Mike Rose Soccer Complex to benefit Lebonheur Children's Hospital. #GoEagles #ECSalumni #ECSeagles
So many from the ECS community attended a reception on May 19 to celebrate Mr. Brink's retirement after 49 years of faithful service to ECS. It was a fun afternoon full of catching up and lots of hugs! Check out our full photo album on our @ECSeagles Facebook page. #ECSeagles #ecsalumni
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The auditorium in the chapel bears his name. Selected as the first recipient of the Steve Collums Distinguished Faculty Award, he has served in many positions, from his most widely known roles as Bible department chair and beloved Bible teacher to his lesser known duties which have included varsity golf coach, after-school bus driver and painting volunteer, to name a few. Now, after 49 years of service to ECS, Mark Brink has retired from ECS.
Mr. Brink, often called “a true ECS legend,” has been faithfully preparing our oldest students for college and the real world for nearly five decades through teaching the book of Romans and apologetics, ethics and Christian worldview. His impact on students, teachers and faculty members is immeasurable.
“A spiritual leader at ECS and the ECS community.” - Coach John Roelofs, ECS colleague
On May 19, ECS hosted a retirement reception for Mr. Brink, and many current and former students, parents and colleagues flooded the White House to show appreciation to their beloved teacher and friend.
While most of us can’t imagine ECS Bible without Mr. Brink at the helm, he will be the first to tell you that he never set out to be a teacher.
First, some background....
Mr. Brink grew up on a dairy farm in Michigan, which taught him the importance of family, commitment and hard work. His parents, three siblings and he ate 21 meals at home together every week, which provided needed structure and family connection. Because the constant attention the cows required, they never took a family vacation. While he prized his upbringing and his parents’ dedication to the Lord, their family and their farm, Mr. Brink felt called to a different profession.
His future career began to unfold with his decision to attend Wheaton College, which he first learned about from an aunt who was an alumna.
Mr. Brink remembered, “I became a Christian around 10 years of age, but I really didn’t know how to think Christianly. I could think in terms of moral areas but I was not challenged in the intellectual areas until I attended Wheaton.”
“He was one of my favorite teachers at ECS. He motivated me like no other teacher had before. I still talk about him to this day. Congrats on a job well done!” - Alicia Adams Downen (’98)
In his second week, he was introduced to Francis Schaeffer, guest speaker at Wheaton’s annual fall spiritual emphasis week. After hearing him speak both morning and evening for five days, a young Mark Brink, writing to his parents, penned, “I don’t understand what he is saying, but I know that what he is saying is important.” Little did Mr. Brink know at that time how Dr. Schaeffer would impact his life and teaching career at ECS.
Mr. Brink earned two graduate degrees – a Master of Arts in Christian Education at Wheaton and a Master of Psychiatric Social Work from the University of Illinois – with the intention of pursuing a career in Christian counseling.
While fulfilling his commitment to the United States Army after four years of graduate school, a man with a heavy Southern accent contacted 1LT Brink by telephone, recruiting teachers for a fairly new Christian school in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Mark Brink is a pillar in the ECS community! We won’t know until we get to Heaven all of the students, parents and teachers (me being one of them!) that he has impacted for Christ. Thank you just isn’t enough, Mark!" – Peggy Selph, ECS kindergarten teacher for more than 40 years
“He was very proud to tell me that they were able to increase the faculty salary by $1000 that year, which made it $5700,” Mr. Brink remembered, not being overly impressed by the offer. The year before, his wife, Sandra, had earned $9600 teaching music at the local public high school.
Undeterred, Mr. Brink decided to look into this opportunity, but admitted he first needed to check the map to see exactly where Memphis was located! His original interest in Christian counseling morphed into an interest in Christian education. His training in theology at Wheaton and his enjoyment of teaching adult Sunday school back in Illinois gave him both the education and experience which led him to pursue a career as a high school Bible teacher.
When Mr. Brink arrived in 1973, ECS was nine years old. Starting out, Mr. Brink was assigned to teach Bible to 7th and 8th graders. Immediately, he felt at home. “I enjoyed stretching students and helping them to see the wonder of redemption and how that is developed in the Scripture historically.”
“We all love Mr. Brink! What faithful service and commitment to ECS and all of us!” - Tasha Thomas Shew (’85)
In his third year at ECS, Mr. Brink was assigned to teach the sophomore and junior Bible classes (semester classes) but eventually ended up teaching senior Bible exclusively. Senior Bible, a year-long course, was structured to accomplish two objectives – to provide a summary of all ECS Bible instruction and to prepare the graduate for life after ECS.
A detailed study of Romans 1-8 had been chosen to accomplish the first objective. Teaching Romans became Mr. Brink’s joy since Romans, perhaps better than any other part of the Scripture, “gives the best explanation of the Gospel – how can anyone be right or acceptable to God.”
Mr. Brink explained, “In other religions, the individual seeks to give something to the deity (i.e., to ascend to god), but in Christianity, the Deity uniquely descends to give the individual what he doesn’t have – a perfect righteousness.” Mr. Brink added, “Because this contrast is so critical, Paul uses three chapters to reveal the problem – that no one, the bad person or the good person, has what is needed, but there is one individual who does – Jesus.” This is why his students have heard four simple words to summarize the Gospel: “I can’t; He can.”
He stated another benefit that comes from studying Romans: “Paul is very deliberate in how he structures his arguments, and I think that’s why it appeals to seniors. They see the connections, the unity of truth.”
Mr. Brink had been teaching the concept of worldview years before it became common terminology in the Christian community. “A worldview is a person’s presuppositions that cause him to interpret the world as he does.” Francis Schaeffer – that intriguing speaker from his Wheaton days – used three questions to help identify a person’s worldview: Where do things come from? Why do things have form? and Who is man? How a person answers these questions form a ‘grid’ or ‘lens’ through which he interprets all of life. The reason we have different views on abortion, for example, is that we have different views on life. We put glasses on and see everything through those lenses.
“Dr. Shaeffer saw the unity of truth whether it was in theology, philosophy, science or art. Rather than withdrawing from culture to maintain doctrinal purity, which was common in the 20th century, Schaeffer believed that Christians were to engage the culture demonstrating genuine love while maintaining what he called ‘true truth.’”
“After I graduated, I appreciated how difficult his class was because I learned a lot. Such a good man!” - Tim Tatum (‘77)
In 1977, Mr. Brink and former ECS headmaster Steve Collums attended a conference in Atlanta at which Schaeffer presented his 10-film series How Should We Then Live? In this series, Schaeffer contrasted the biblical worldview with thought from Greek and Roman days through the 20th century. This series became a part of the senior Bible curriculum for the class of 1978. As Dean of Faculty, Mr. Brink also oversaw faculty training on worldview so that all subjects, not just the Bible department, were integrating biblical worldview into their curricula.
Units on apologetics, worldview and ethics are included in the Bible curriculum to prepare seniors for life beyond ECS. Studying apologetics prepares them to give an answer to those who question or oppose the Christian faith. Many ECS graduates have taken their senior Bible notes with them to college, and many have called or emailed Mr. Brink with more questions to help them defend their faith. A firm believer that our faith is defensible, Mr. Brink also admits that there are some questions for which we do not have answers. To this, he poses, “Does this weaken the Christian position when we can’t understand or explain something? May it never be! Since God is infinite and we are finite, there will always be mysteries, but by grace we have the capability of knowing in dependence upon Him.”
To consider practical implications of a biblical worldview, Mr. Brink concluded senior Bible with a unit on ethics. Most of the topics in this unit dealt with medical ethics such as abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and in vitro fertilization. One of Mr. Brink’s most memorable moments came when he discovered that he taught a student who would have been aborted had his mother not studied this topic in his senior Bible class.
“Thank you for giving me the foundation in theology. It has not only helped me as a follower of Jesus but has also EQUIPPED me to lead a church. I’m so grateful to you.”
- John Horne (‘85)
In the early years at ECS, parents and teachers pitched in and provided the sweat equity needed for maintenance and campus improvements. Mr. Brink was often seen with a paintbrush in his hand. Coach Roelofs laughed as he told of the time Mr. Brink fell of a ladder while painting the Middle School gym but didn’t spill a drop of paint.
For years, Mr. Brink has brewed a pot of coffee every morning but not for himself. He was the first person on campus every day by 6:00 a.m., with a thermos already full. He started his day on the treadmill, and he consistently led the faculty and staff in steps per day in our health insurance benefits competition.
For many Christmas seasons, Mr. and Mrs. Brink opened their home to the upper school faculty. Junior chemistry teacher Paul Vander Zwaag remarked that Mr. Brink “believes in community and lives it.” He also says Mr. Brink is living embodiment of the ECS mission statement, which the senior Bible teacher helped craft with other administrators in the mid-1980’s.
A responsibility that has meant a lot to Mr. Brink has been awarding the Avis Grant on graduation day every year. The grant, named after Dr. Kenneth Avis, one of the founders of ECS, is selected by the faculty and distributed to the graduate who has embraced the ECS mission and has demonstrated financial need. The Avis Grant has gifted 53 students with a total of $416,000 since it was established in 1979.
“I made my first D in your class the first year you came to ECS, but brought it up to A’s by the next semester. In Bible … no less. But I so appreciate the strong foundation of Bible knowledge and critical thinking you taught. You will be missed at ECS.” - Sheila Tatum Whitworth (’78)
“ECS began eight years before I came,” Mr. Brink said, “but its founding purpose, to provide Christian parents a way to fulfill their calling of providing a consistent Christian world and life view for their children, is what attracted me to and has kept me at ECS. To have taught my three sons and now a grandson has to be the high point of my career but also to teach many second generation students, to work with a group of colleagues committed to the mission of the school, and to witness students who connect truth to life are some of the best things about my life at ECS.”
When asked to name his most memorable moment working at ECS, Mr. Brink responded, “One?” After so many years, he named a few which include: “Seeing one of my 7th graders fall (unharmed) through and out a window that he was attempting to close, seeing our Eagle Scouts lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in D.C., painting the inside of the Middle School gym with colleagues and parents as it was being built on a limited budget, hearing ECS graduates sing ‘May the Mind of Christ’ a cappella.”
In closing, we thank Mr. Brink for being a “faithful senior,” another phrase he often uses. Mr. Vander Zwaag shared at the faculty and staff recognition service that Mr. Brink has “been that faithful ECS senior for a half a century.” He directed his thoughts to Mr. Brink, his own former teacher and colleague: “You are that elder brother that has gone before us to smooth out the rough patches in the road so we would not trip. You laid the cornerstones of the auditorium and the middle school gym and Eagle Hall and the Legacy Center, and we have reaped the benefits. We come to the end of our journey together, and more than one person has asked, ‘How will ECS survive without Mr. Brink?’ You’ve provided that answer, too. Because at the end of your leg of the race, you planted a sign, and it says, ‘Look to Christ.’”
“What a tremendous legacy with eternal impact!” - Aubrey Boren, former ECS teacher and coach.
THANK YOU, Mr. Brink, for faithfully teaching the Word of God for 49 years at ECS, investing in the lives of more than 4500 students with the most important message of all – salvation through Jesus Christ.
Bethany Stanfill (class of 2008) was recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Most Influential leaders in Mississippi for her role as a state legislative and executive lobbyist for Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners.
As a government affairs and fundraising professional now residing in Madison, Mississippi, Bethany designs strategy for corporations and investment offices, plans and schedules events, tracks legislation and speaks with members of the Mississippi legislature, agency heads and statewide elected officials. She is most proud that she is able to help solve problems and create opportunities for her clients.
“I love that every day is different, and I love connecting people,” Bethany said. “I never get bored and want to constantly keep learning and growing.”
Mississippi Top 50 is an annual list of people judged to be the most influential leaders in the state, representing elected and appointed officials, economic development professionals, business, media and government affairs. Bethany was nominated for this prestigious award in the Lobbying/Government Relations category and was selected out of 250 nominations.
When asked how she chose to pursue a career in this unique specialty, Bethany answered, “I think my profession chose me!”
Bethany graduated in 2012 from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Advertising and Applied Communication.
“I worked for Governor Phil Bryant (R-MS) for six years while in office,” Bethany said. “I was hired almost right out of college in 2013 as the Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff, and, in 2014, was promoted to Governor Bryant’s Director of Scheduling. In January of 2020, he and his two partners, Joey Songy and Katie Bryant Snell, asked me to join their new consulting firm, Bryant Songy Snell Global Partners.”
She added, “I have been blessed to work with many high caliber people that I trust. It is an honor to work with colleagues that are like family.”
Bethany is also involved in local philanthropy efforts in the Jackson, Miss., area. She serves on the board of Harbor House, which offers high quality treatment programs and hope to those who struggle with addiction. She has also planned fundraising events to benefit the Mississippi Children’s Museum and the Mississippi Kidney Foundation.
When not at work or serving philanthropically, Bethany loves to travel, read and spend time with family and friends.
Reflecting on her time at ECS, Bethany said, “ECS gave me the foundation that will be with me the rest of my life. Every part of the curriculum at ECS was Christ-centered. We were pointed to Jesus and were encouraged to seek His truth as a guide for life. I cherish my time at ECS (4th grade through graduation) and have such fond memories of friends, teachers, and coaches.” She added, “I feel truly blessed to have such amazing parents who provided the opportunity for me to go to such a wonderful school.”
The Clown Lady. The heart of ECS. The hands and feet of Jesus. A gem.
These are common descriptions of Mrs. Carolyn Montfort, who we celebrate for her faithful service to ECS for 40 years.
Mrs. Montfort never met a stranger. She gives the warmest hugs around, knows your name, asks how you and your family are doing and assures you she is praying for you. And she means it.
She sees the unseen, pursues the rebel, treasures relationship and loves Jesus above all. When you see her, prepare to receive the best hug, put away your electronic device and sit a spell, because she wants to talk. You won’t regret it.
She oozes the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Well, self-control may be the only fruit in question at times – but with the purest of intentions.
Her children joke that she sometimes “lacks a filter,” referring to her tendency to share every little detail most would leave out in her very elaborate stories. While the added color in her stories may raise a few eyebrows at the dinner table – with nothing crude of course because she is a lady – she speaks in such an unassuming and truthful way that’s not only comical and entertaining but also refreshing to the soul.
Mrs. Montfort stands proud at 4 foot 11, always decked out in Chico’s best, dripping with not one or two necklaces, but three or four, plus or minus a color-coordinated scarf or boa, because, why not? Before she retired, she used to lay out her clothes for the week, complete with accessories on Sunday nights; otherwise, she said she would be late for work every day.
If you can believe it, there was a day that this great ECS ambassador had yet to hear of ECS. Carolyn told how she and her husband, Skip, had moved into the house in the Berclair neighborhood in 1962 so that their children could walk to the nearby public school. Then she met Jean Patrick at a Bible study at Open Door Bible Church on North Parkway. Carolyn explains, “She took the time to share with me that there was a difference between a school and a Christian school. So I told Skip we need to see the school she told me about. Not knowing how they could afford tuition, she said the Lord taught her this lesson over and over: “If you purpose to give the very best for your children, then God provides a way.”
When she enrolled her oldest daughter Mikki in kindergarten at ECS at the old Central Church on Poplar where Kirby Woods Baptist is now, Mrs. Montfort was pregnant with their youngest in 1972 and was a wreck about dropping her off. The teacher that God gave Mikki was Mrs. Glenda Kragt and lived in an apartment upstairs behind the white house. According to Mrs. Montfort, the teacher looked 12. Her teacher asked, “Do you have any questions?” to which Mrs. Montfort answered, “I do. How old are you?”
“When Mikki learned a Bible verse, I learned a Bible verse!” Mrs. Montfort said. “There’s so much I learned from Mikki being at ECS! Kindergarten wasn’t just for Mikki. It was for our entire family.
“I have never regretted a day that we spent at ECS over the years. I have heard so many people say that it is such a sacrifice. I never saw it that way. I saw it as an investment. We signed the contract every year and trusted the Lord to provide.”
When her youngest daughter, Lisa was born (known to most today as Melisse), Mrs. Montfort served as a volunteer at the Ridge Lake campus and helped start Dog Day there. Then she volunteered stamping envelopes. She got her first paid job at ECS in the business office answering phones and performing jobs which included counting quarters from the Coke machine in the cafeteria.
Mickey Bowden, Headmaster at the time, approached Mrs. Montfort and said, “I want you to pray about something. I think you should apply for the Admissions Director.”
She protested, “I don't know how to do that.”
He responded, “Carolyn, you’ve been doing that from the beginning. Pray about it.”
After praying and talking it over with her family, Mrs. Montfort accepted the position of Admissions Director, which she held for 18 years and pulled many 14-hour days. She told about spending hours at home with a typewriter on her lap, manually typing contracts.
Some of her favorite jobs at ECS were not a part of her job description.
Mrs. Montfort was the Director of the Harvest Festival, which brought together parents and students of all four satellite ECS campuses so that they could get to know one another and raise money for the school each year, up to $10,000 annually. Parents and students sold homemade goodies including scones, donuts and other treats. The Harvest Festival offered fun games for children, horse and motorcycle rides and the highlight was the famous Clown Parade, the tradition with which Mrs. Montfort is probably most closely identified because she has led it for close to 40 years.
The Harvest Festival also featured a talent show on the front porch of the white house. In fact, Mrs. Montfort loves to tell about when Johnny Cash performed on the front porch of the white house because his sister worked at ECS. She went on to say that Jerry Lee Lewis, his wife and child marched with her in the Clown Parade one year.
She laughed as she remembered when the Outdoors Club installed a zip line from the top of the Middle School building over the pond that used to be between the chapel and Eagle Hall. She recalled that the business manager at the time “…about had a heart attack when he saw that!”
Mrs. Montfort was also the most willing chaperone on any school trip. Over the years, she has chaperoned numerous senior trips to Washington, D.C., she traveled to Ireland with the band, and we’ve lost track of the number of times she has gone to Chicago with the 7th graders and St. Louis with the 5th graders. Mrs. Montfort looked forward to the long bus rides to get to know new ECS families. She was also always fast friends with the bus drivers and the hotel staff wherever ECS stayed. On trips, there was always a new person to know, to love and with whom to share Jesus.
Mrs. Montfort can host a party. Well known for her cooking and catering abilities, she knew how to feed a crowd not just comfort food but she oozed hospitality and somehow made a meal feel like a friend.
As Admissions Director, she laughed as she remembered when a certain dad came for a tour and asked, “Is this school charismatic?”
She responded, “No, I wouldn't say that this school is charismatic, but we do have some charismatic people here.”
“Do you speak in tongues?” he said.
“We teach Spanish, French and Latin,” she answered.
He insisted, “I mean, do you stop class and cast out demons?”
“We don’t,” she answered. “We go ahead and let those little devils stay all period.”
Former Headmaster Mickey Bowden said of Carolyn, “Thousands of ECS students, parents, teachers, and administrators have experienced the love of Christ through the ministry of Carolyn Montfort. The warmth of her love, her understanding, her compassion, and her personal attention has touched all of us. She embodies Christ-like love and is a blessing to ECS. She is an outstanding ambassador for Christ and for ECS. She brings joy, enthusiasm, faith, love and hope into all of our lives. Her legacy of love will always serve as a hallmark of an ECS education.”
Former Advancement Director, Rex Jones, agreed, “Carolyn Montfort is a foundational piece of the ECS heritage. She is on the ‘Mount Rushmore of ECS!’ Her love for the school, for the mission, but more importantly for the people in the ECS family have inspired my family to invest in the future of the school. Her impact will far outlive her presence.”
When asked how she felt about being described as “the heart of ECS,” Mrs. Montfort very meekly said, “Well, I have a mother’s heart for ECS.”
And isn’t that true? A mother sees her child’s strengths as promise. She sees her child’s weaknesses as potential. She willingly sacrifices sleep, and works long, hard hours because the mission of the task and legacy of the future are greater than herself.
No matter which hat she has worn for ECS over the years, whether as the Admissions Director, Dog Day volunteer, Harvest Festival Director, Chicago chaperone, business office secretary, bus driver, caterer, or as the Clown Lady, Mrs. Montfort has lived out Paul’s admonition in I Corinthians 9:22-23: “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
“The poster child of the ECS mission.”
“The embodiment of everything ECS is about.”
These are some of the descriptions of Coach John Roelofs by those who know him best.
As we celebrate Coach’s service to ECS for 50 years at Homecoming this year, we thank the Lord for using this man of God to disciple future generations of ECS students so faithfully for more than a half century.
The son of a farmer and homemaker, Coach learned the value of hard work in the onion and potato fields of Albert Lea, Minnesota. He attended Dordt University, an evangelical Christian college in Sioux Center, Iowa. His college friend, Arlo Kreun, began his career as a math teacher at a fairly new school in Memphis called Evangelical Christian School. A year later, Coach joined him in Memphis to teach PE at ECS, eight years after the school’s founding.
As they say, the rest is history.
The history of ECS unfolded during John’s tenure at the school, now in its 57th year of Christian education. And he has the stories to prove it.
Coach laughed as he recalled teaching PE before there was a gym on campus. The area between the White House and the ARC served as the basketball court. Rainy days necessitated creative PE class plans before the Middle School gym was built, which now bears his name. Coach taught Civics class in what is now the Head of School’s office in the white house.
The booster club did not require an annual fee back then. It was made up of committed parents who put in sweat equity, spending their Saturdays doing odd jobs which included painting the gym, cutting the grass on what is now Legends Field and selling Christmas trees and an apparent smoked sausage delicacy Coach loved known as “Smoky-in-a-Bun” to raise needed funds to support their athletic endeavors.
Coach was a star on a basketball team in the Park Commission League made up of ECS faculty members including Arlo Kreun, Skip Hannah, Larry Louters and Steve Collums whose storied victories included beating the University of Memphis freshman team in double overtime, stunning the overconfident college players and wowing the ECS student section in attendance that night.
While there were thousands of games, practices, classes and grades over the span of 50 years, without a doubt, the most impressionable memory of Coach’s tenure at ECS occurred at the 1975 Baccalaureate. Doug Peterson, ECS Headmaster at the time, delivered an invocation that Coach remembers to this day. At that time, the bank called the school’s loan. In order for ECS to keep its doors open the following year, ECS had to raise $800,000 in 21 days, an unheard of amount in an unbelievably short timeline. The whole community prayed, rallied together and sacrificed greatly to keep ECS alive. Board members as well as other parents, most of whom were middle class families, guaranteed the loan with their own homes; yet, they were still short in the final hours. When graduates, faculty members, and guests arrived at the Baccalaureate at First Evangelical Church on Union Extended at the end of the 21-day period, no one knew whether they had raised the necessary funds. Then Mr. Peterson announced those pivotal words: “Not only will we have a graduation in 1975, but we will have a graduation in 1976.” The whole sanctuary erupted in applause and tears, all in praise for the Lord’s amazing provision. Coach still gets choked up when retelling this memory – what he calls “a God thing, the greatest time I felt God’s hand on the school.”
In the years Coach has served at ECS, he has taught PE, science and civics, coached cross country, track, basketball, soccer, football and baseball. He has chaperoned many mission trips, senior retreats and senior trips, and he has also worked in the alumni department. Coach said that he was drawn to ECS because he came from a Christian college and wanted to be in a Christian setting. He then added, “I didn’t know I was going to be here 50 years. The Lord has been gracious.”
To work at the same place for 50 years is very rare, especially these days. Coach knew his purpose to disciple students for Christ, and he has remained faithful to that calling for five decades. When asked why Coach spent his career at ECS, he answered immediately: “the people and the kids.”
He also gives credit to Bonnie, his wife of 46 years, who has supported his ministry at ECS for so long. In fact, she has also worked at ECS, as a home economics teacher. Coach describes Bonnie as a Proverbs 31 woman and his number one prayer warrior. Coach’s four children also attended ECS: Angela, Bradley, Matthew and Nathan.
Longtime ECS Headmaster Mickey Bowdon said, “Coach Roelofs embodies the ECS mission statement. His life and ministry at ECS has instilled the vision and practice of excellence for God’s glory in 5 decades of student lives, lives of his colleagues, and lives of ECS parents. John is known for his loyalty to Christ, his unwavering integrity, his life of honor, his life of prayer, and his solid and dependable friendship. John models what we pray that each ECS student will gain from their ECS experience. As a father, I am so grateful for the example that John is for my son and daughter. John is a fierce competitor in athletics and demonstrates what are the distinctives of Christ-centered, biblically directed student athletes. His legacy of faithfulness to Christ will always serve as a hallmark of an ECS education.”
Pete Tashie, ECS board member and class of 1978 said, “It’s hard to put into words my relationship with Coach. He was my first coach at ECS. It was his first year at ECS and my eighth grade year. It was so fun having a Coach that really wasn’t that much older than me and who was great at every sport. We had so much fun going to watch Coach and all the other teachers at ECS play basketball in the Park Commission League. … Coach was the best player on the team and my favorite. … I deeply love and admire Coach. His character and integrity are beyond reproach, and he is perhaps the best example of a humble yet strong servant leader. He is still my favorite coach after all these years.”
Long-term ECS Bible teacher Mark Brink said of his colleague and friend, “There are many ways that the LORD has blessed me through my friendship with Coach Roelofs over the last forty-nine years. These blessings become extra special when they have involved my own sons. All three have benefited from his teaching. They have witnessed his physical and spiritual care in the gym, on the track, on cross country paths, on senior trips, on mission trips. His influence in their lives continues, even when separated, but especially in the next generation. I was brought to tears seven years ago when I realized that John would be the cross country coach of my oldest grandson. ‘May it never be’ that we conclude other than Soli Deo Gloria.”
Kevin Weaver, ECS class of 1978 and former chairman of the ECS Board of Trustees, said of Coach, “The biggest impact on me is that he taught me how to be a man. My dad died when I was 14. John was one of the guys that took me in and spent time with me. I used to go fishing with him and Skip Hannah.” Years later, Kevin and Coach had children the same ages, so they found themselves parenting together. “When our children were really young, Coach gave me a book on the importance of speaking blessings over your children. I developed a blessing that I would speak over my children every night. Now my son, Walter, has that blessing hanging on the wall of my grandson’s room. That’s an example of how he impacted me and my family.”
Richard Reyle, class of 1983 remembered, “My first encounter with Coach was my first day on the Macon (now Shelby Farms) campus in seventh grade PE. He was a lot younger obviously – very athletic and a little intimidating. I was far from an athlete, and yet he gave everyone the feeling they could rise beyond their present abilities and do more. All for the glory of God.” Richard continued, “As I grew up at ECS, he was there when I was a senior, and my dad became terminally ill. He checked up on me almost daily. Coach is the embodiment of everything ECS is about – the servant leader who faithfully shows all of us what a Christ-like walk should look like.”
“ECS is a better place because of Coach as he is STEADFAST,” Pete reflected. “Steadfast in his faith and love of Jesus; steadfast in his love of us his students; steadfast in dedication to ECS; and steadfast in his love of family and country.”
Kevin added, “To me, he is the poster child for the ECS mission. I don’t know if ECS would be the ECS it is today without John Roelofs. He was always completely faithful to the mission of ECS.”
Recently, family, friends and even complete strangers poured out their support so that fellow Memphian, John Payne (ECS class of 1997), could walk again.
In June 1998, just a year after high school, Payne, a high level mountain bike racer, was training in Chattanooga for nationals later that year. While training, Payne was involved in a freak accident and suffered a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the chest down.
While others may have resorted to anger, doubt and idleness at such a tragedy, Payne forged ahead, determined to live out his life as normally as before, enrolling in classes just two months later and graduating college in four years.
As a part of adapting to his new life, Payne remained active physically and through volunteer work. He began hand-bicycling (on a hand-crank bicycle) and wheelchair racing. He also volunteered for two major running organizations: the Memphis Runners Track Club for 17 years and Memphis Youth Athletics since its inception in 2014, serving both as a race timer, enabling and encouraging others to run, a pleasure he had been denied. He has served both organizations on their boards and as president. In addition, Payne has volunteered for Girls on the Run and serves on the board for Accessible Hope International and is hoping to participate in relief work through them in Sierra Leone in the next year. Throughout all of his efforts volunteering in the running community, Payne never gave up his dream to one day walk again.
In 2020, an opportunity to fulfill his dream presented itself in the form of a new device called ReWalk, an exoskeleton which depends on user-controlled technology and weight balance to walk. But this device came with a hefty price tag. Payne traveled to North Carolina to learn more about it and see the device in use. That’s when he decided to post about this opportunity on Facebook, which began a grassroots effort to make Payne’s dream come true.
Bill Rhodes, CEO of AutoZone, for which Payne works as a senior operations analyst, got wind of Payne’s opportunity, and reached out to him to learn more about the ReWalk device. He encouraged Payne to get in touch with AutoZone’s Human Resources who worked to find a way for Payne to get his own device.
AutoZone Human Resources and Community Relations connected Payne to a fundraising organization, I GOT LEGS, that helps raise money for ReWalk devices. After retaining their services, he had raised $20,000 in just four days! However, there was still a long way to go to raise the $92,250 needed to purchase this exoskeleton. As word got out, donations kept pouring in, and he had reached the $67,000 mark. That’s when a longtime Memphis journalist learned about this fundraising effort.
Payne explained, “Geoff Calkins (of the Daily Memphian) wanted to do an article on it. He called me that night. He posted the article on Monday, April 12. By Tuesday morning, we had raised $81,000, and within the hour, we were over the goal.” Payne was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
Calkins wrote in his follow-up article on April 13: “I chronicled Payne’s story in a Monday column. Readers responded as I suspected they would. It’s not just that Payne is a good guy who suffered misfortune. It’s that he didn’t let his misfortune get in the way of giving back.”
The total amount raised was $129,447, well over his goal, donated from friends in the running community as well as complete strangers. The surplus will be used to help others walk.
Payne was given access to a refurbished exoskeleton to increase his speed of training. He attends training three times a week with a physical therapist, Melanie Morton, who, incidentally, is married to an ECS alumnus, Richard Morton (class of 1994). This specialized training helps Payne learn how to work the battery-powered device that straps onto his legs and lower back. Payne moves the ReWalk device to different modes such as stand and walk through a Bluetooth-paired watch while he balances his weight on crutches. Learning how to synchronize the device to his body to produce controlled movement takes about 30-40 sessions to become proficient; Payne is about halfway through his training.
“It’s pretty mechanical. It’s all driven by a device but with a lot of input from the user.” Payne adds, “It is way harder than I thought it was going to be. It’s a lot of work.” It’s a good thing he has remained so active!
Throughout his journey, Payne credits his family and friends for their support. “Family has had a big role to play. My church, friends and parents helped support me a lot.” His friendships from ECS have been a part of this as well. Payne reflected, “ECS has provided me with good life values and a Christian education. I have remained engaged in my church. ECS has provided me with a lot of good friends such as the Butler family.”
Fellow ECS classmate David Butler said of his friend, “Being able to walk alongside this journey with John has been an awesome and yet humbling experience. JP does more from his chair than many able-bodied individuals. Whether it’s marathons or timing youth running events, he just refused to let his injury define him.
“John’s positive attitude and sense of humor have been magnetic for everyone he has come into contact with. I’ve watched two of my brothers complete marathons because of John’s example and encouragement.”
Butler continued, “It’s been a testament to JP’s determination and faith in God’s plan for him for this opportunity to come to fruition. JP has worked, researched and prepared for this opportunity when it was still theoretical research. I’m excited for his wife Sabrina, family and his friends to be able to see him stand and walk since, for some, they have only known him in a chair. It’s an answer to 20+ years of prayers.”
When Carlie Clack (ECS class of 2012) was a nursing student at Samford University five years ago, she could have never dreamed she would be serving on the front line during a worldwide pandemic. Now, Clack is a leader on a COVID-19 response team in the Germantown Methodist Emergency Room, and often treats COVID-19 patients 60 hours per week.
Last spring, shortly before the coronavirus hit Memphis, Clack decided that after four years of working as a Registered Nurse for Germantown Methodist Hospital, it was time for her to take on a leadership role. So she responded to an email soliciting volunteers to join a research team. Little did she know, on March 19, also her twenty-sixth birthday, her whole world would change.
As a part of this administrative team including the emergency department director and head emergency room doctor, Clack and her team rose to the occasion by spearheading the invention of Methodist’s process for drive-through COVID-19 testing on-site. “It was a whole lot of trial-and-error. There was not really any research on this. They don’t even have drive-through flu shots. So we just asked ourselves, What do we need to do?”
And they got it done. Their drive-through model worked so well it was soon adopted by other Methodist Hospital locations.
The early days of COVID-19 were long and hard. Before COVID, Clack worked three 12-hour shifts. Since March, it is common for her to work five 12-hour days because the hospital is short-staffed. In fact, she says, “I almost feel guilty when I’m not at work.”
As part of her training, Samford simulated a disaster drill in response to the then-recent Tuscaloosa tornado nearby. “But it was only a day,” Clack says. (With COVID-19), you don’t have time to process it mentally, and patients keep coming in for treatment. A year-long disaster of this pandemic is nothing that I could have imagined.
“Nurses are mentally drained. The news is saying that we will have PTSD after this. I have lost patients, and it has been devastating. But it has been so rewarding too. Having a 103-year old beat COVID and then get discharged, or seeing someone’s oxygen levels going up quickly is so exciting. You have to celebrate the little victories.
“It has been the most stressful year of my life,” Clack says. A few months ago, after a particularly long and hard day with more patients than beds available, the stress finally hit her. Clack was discouraged and found comfort in her mother’s reassuring words that reminded her that she was trained to do this, and she must keep going.
“At work, I love to educate people. If I wasn’t a nurse, I would be a teacher. I’ve said that ever since being in Mrs. Peggy’s class (referring to her ECS kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Peggy Selph). It is stressful to educate my patients when there is still so much unknown, and information on the virus is ever-changing. I want to make sure I’m doing the best I can to make sure I’m giving the most current information.”
Clack has taken her first vaccine and will receive her second dose this week. She advises that everyone should consult their doctor about the best choice for them. Clack supports anything we can do to heIp get rid of this virus, including taking precautions to stay safe and help keep others safe.
Clack looks with promise to the days ahead, now that the vaccine is being distributed worldwide. Her sunny disposition about the future may also have something to do with her upcoming wedding in May.
Many people, including ECS friends, have asked what they can do for her. Her answer? Pray. “Pray for health care workers. Work is hard, yet not being at work is hard too. It’s taking a physical toll.”
Especially in the past year, Clack has been comforted by a quote by writer Corrie Ten Boon plastered all over her house, which perhaps not coincidentally was also her ECS senior quote in the yearbook: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a knowing God.”
Engineer Andy Short (ECS 1996), shares his experiences in a revolutionary industry, including working for SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Many watched with rapt attention as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched into orbit from Kennedy Space Center on May 30, 2020, the first time the United States has launched a rocket into space in 10 years. Perhaps more notably, this marked the first time a rocket built by a private company launched astronauts into orbit, ushering in a new era in human space travel.
Andy Short was also watching the launch closely, but with perhaps greater anticipation than the rest of us. Six years ago, he was on the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) team responsible for the design and creation of a prototype of the Dragon 2, a capsule which later housed astronauts aboard the Falcon 9 rocket.
Even though Short has been working as an engineer in the aerospace industry for 20 years, launch day revealed his boy-like wonder: “By far, the coolest part of working in aerospace is seeing the final countdown of the rocket launch and watching those initial 20 to 30 seconds of flight. The anticipation, the amount of power on display as the rocket lifts off, and the myriad systems that have to work perfectly together is incredible.”
Launch day is a culmination of years of work from the nation’s brightest minds researching, planning, building, testing, troubleshooting and revamping time and again, to finally achieve exhilarating success.
“SpaceX was probably the place that was the most demanding and challenging, but it’s also where I learned the most,” Short reflects of his job as Director of Composites Production, in which he led a team of more than 200 people. “I think the most important thing I learned while working at SpaceX was the value of setting really ambitious goals and objectives. Some people used the word impossible to describe their goals. Working there meant learning to get comfortable in that environment of trying to make the impossible possible.”
Short describes what it was like to work for Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and one of the founders of Tesla, Inc., with whom he had regular interaction: “Elon Musk is a man that is always pushing forward and using ambitious goals as a driving motivating factor. As a result, he has accomplished more in scope than was ever thought possible. That’s his M.O.
“It is a really tall order to hit the objectives and accomplish what he expects of you, but if you can get comfortable in that pressure cooker, and you accomplish 80% of his expectations, then you are still miles and miles ahead of other companies.”
Ultimately, working in an environment likened to a pressure cooker can lead to exhaustion. “When I decided to leave SpaceX, I wanted to work in a new industry. I had been in aerospace for a long time and was eager to try something new. I wanted to work in a small company.” He transitioned to a position as Director of Operations at Goldbrecht, Inc., a company that makes high-end architectural windows and door designs.
“No one should shy away from making a career change based on following your interests or expanding your horizons,” Short advises. “For me, it was cool, but I realized I did miss the more technical challenges of aerospace.”
Now, Short is the Senior Director of Manufacturing at Virgin Orbit, which provides launch services for small satellites and has developed the air-launched LauncherOne rocket.
As both an engineer and a business manager, Short relishes his role at this up and coming company. At the time he was brought on in 2016, Virgin Orbit still needed to make foundational decisions and establish basic business processes such as determining which enterprise systems to use, how to purchase parts and manage inventory, and how to plan and manage production.
Short prefers the smaller company size – Virgin Orbit currently employs around 500 people – and enjoys his ability to influence decisions and the direction of the company. “There was a lot that had to be done in terms of maturing the organization and business processes.” He adds, “We are working on building a rocket but also building a company.”
Virgin Orbit recently completed their launch demonstration mission. There was a malfunction early in flight that ended the mission. While disappointing, Short says that in his industry, it is not unusual for new rocket programs to experience failures or anomalies during their first several missions. Now, they are investigating what went wrong and strategizing how to fix it for future launches.
Each rocket is equipped with sensors and instrumentation from which engineers at Virgin retrieve valuable data needed to learn how to improve the design and launch future rockets successfully. Short and his team simultaneously incorporate these new findings into manufacturing future rockets so that their launch timeline is minimally affected.
Short shares that extensive testing and learning from failures is a key aspect of work for engineers. He advises young engineering students, “Sometimes you may get a very black-and-white answer for simpler designs or problems. When you are dealing with a complex system like launching a rocket, you can’t always get a crystal clear, black-and-white answer. It always takes engineering judgment and quantification of risk. That is a vital part of an engineer’s job. We could tinker with a rocket design for years, but you can’t run a business like that. At the end of the day, you have to get the data, use that along with engineering judgment to determine, based on everything we have collected and others’ input, what we could do to solve the problem.”
Short encourages students interested in one day becoming engineers to develop their skills in active STEM programs as early as possible. “I am a huge proponent of maximizing opportunities to apply what students are learning in the classroom.” He advises, “Students should take advantage of robotics teams or similar organized groups and competitions. Things start to come together when you are forced to work with your hands. There is a lot you can learn in that environment that you can’t learn in the classroom.”
To future engineers, Short offers some valuable advice as a hiring manager in one of the most cutting edge industries in the world. The pool of applicants for jobs at any aerospace company is impressive, and there is no shortage of graduates from highly distinguished universities. But Short has found, “One of the most important, foundational qualities of a good engineer is a great work ethic. What a differentiator between people in terms of what they know versus how they perform!”
HOW DID ECS PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE?
The number one thing that ECS helped with was writing and critical thinking. It provided guided opportunities to think through faith and how it applied to different areas of my life. A lot of that was done in the advanced English classes. I was fortunate to be with a group of students who prompted debate and discussion and critical thinking. My teachers were good about integrating Christian worldview into our class discussions of books. It pushed me to think in areas I wouldn’t have on my own. ECS was a safe place to be challenged in the thought process. After ECS, students will be challenged on their faith and worldview, but perhaps with less support, and in a not-as-safe environment. That could be difficult without the foundation of a place like ECS.
WHO WERE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS?
Joyce Herring, my AP English teacher, and Peter Cooper, my sophomore History and Literature teacher were some of my favorites. I also have such wonderful memories from cross country and track with Coach Baker and Coach Roelofs. Both of those guys were mentors to me who taught the values of working hard, living your faith, supporting your teammates, and in all that, having fun.
![Discipleship, Basketball, NCAATournament, BigDance, MarquetteMeBasketball, GoldenEagles, KamJones, SamfordMensBasketball, Bulldogs, ThomasKizer, AAU, WarEagles, ECSeagles, ECSalumni, Faith, Friendship]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1710967607/evangelical/jre6znxybqxqfpkwai7u/BasketballBlog2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1710967607/evangelical/jre6znxybqxqfpkwai7u/BasketballBlog2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1710967607/evangelical/jre6znxybqxqfpkwai7u/BasketballBlog2.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1710967607/evangelical/jre6znxybqxqfpkwai7u/BasketballBlog2.jpg","width":1080}])
![BRENT ROOKER'S ALL-STAR DREAMS COME TRUE]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1693930209/evangelical/f2fqwljs4ouzpnqxvb6l/Rookerdream.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1693930209/evangelical/f2fqwljs4ouzpnqxvb6l/Rookerdream.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1693930209/evangelical/f2fqwljs4ouzpnqxvb6l/Rookerdream.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1693930209/evangelical/f2fqwljs4ouzpnqxvb6l/Rookerdream.jpg","width":1080}])
![MORGAN COX'S ECS #53 JERSEY RETIRED]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1693938585/evangelical/fqj5ubxgz6bo909qjlul/MorganCox-CROP.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1693938585/evangelical/fqj5ubxgz6bo909qjlul/MorganCox-CROP.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1693938585/evangelical/fqj5ubxgz6bo909qjlul/MorganCox-CROP.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1693938585/evangelical/fqj5ubxgz6bo909qjlul/MorganCox-CROP.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1693938585/evangelical/fqj5ubxgz6bo909qjlul/MorganCox-CROP.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1693938585/evangelical/fqj5ubxgz6bo909qjlul/MorganCox-CROP.jpg","width":1608}])
![TIM JOHNSON AND FURMAN GO TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1679413745/evangelical/tjqc7vuttvpboedhmkr3/TJohnson2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1679413745/evangelical/tjqc7vuttvpboedhmkr3/TJohnson2.jpg","width":505}])
![Fellowship of Christian Athletes, alumnus, baseball,]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1679413441/evangelical/kst3or95bquzflkxlyqj/FCA2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1679413441/evangelical/kst3or95bquzflkxlyqj/FCA2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1679413441/evangelical/kst3or95bquzflkxlyqj/FCA2.jpg","width":600}])
![2011 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL TEAM HONORED]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1675718681/evangelical/bnmnfgesmxlcqdcaesst/2011ChampBBall2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1675718681/evangelical/bnmnfgesmxlcqdcaesst/2011ChampBBall2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1675718681/evangelical/bnmnfgesmxlcqdcaesst/2011ChampBBall2.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1675718681/evangelical/bnmnfgesmxlcqdcaesst/2011ChampBBall2.jpg","width":1080}])
![Through the Lens of Houston Cofield: A Look at American Icons, Southern Culture and Grief]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1674230905/evangelical/bha7vwwe9yyqq7r8nrmn/IMG_2480.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1674230905/evangelical/bha7vwwe9yyqq7r8nrmn/IMG_2480.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1674230905/evangelical/bha7vwwe9yyqq7r8nrmn/IMG_2480.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1674230905/evangelical/bha7vwwe9yyqq7r8nrmn/IMG_2480.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1674230905/evangelical/bha7vwwe9yyqq7r8nrmn/IMG_2480.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1674230905/evangelical/bha7vwwe9yyqq7r8nrmn/IMG_2480.jpg","width":2200}])
![ALUMNI LEAD WORSHIP AT FACULTY IN-SERVICE]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1673023080/evangelical/ho8o1pe8nxrxqzgw7wia/ALINSer6.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1673023080/evangelical/ho8o1pe8nxrxqzgw7wia/ALINSer6.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1673023080/evangelical/ho8o1pe8nxrxqzgw7wia/ALINSer6.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1673023080/evangelical/ho8o1pe8nxrxqzgw7wia/ALINSer6.jpg","width":1080}])
![JINGLE MINGLE!]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1670859766/evangelical/hylvjlzvtethtbybsdoe/JM4.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1670859766/evangelical/hylvjlzvtethtbybsdoe/JM4.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1670859766/evangelical/hylvjlzvtethtbybsdoe/JM4.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1670859766/evangelical/hylvjlzvtethtbybsdoe/JM4.jpg","width":1080}])
![ECS SALUTES OUR ALUMNI VETERANS]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1668536021/evangelical/h7wfb91sdfbbg1kr21jf/AlVetPlaque.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1668536021/evangelical/h7wfb91sdfbbg1kr21jf/AlVetPlaque.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1668536021/evangelical/h7wfb91sdfbbg1kr21jf/AlVetPlaque.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1668536021/evangelical/h7wfb91sdfbbg1kr21jf/AlVetPlaque.jpg","width":940}])
![Tommy Pacello's Legacy Lives On]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1667398329/evangelical/gfjveqtgg0q6lhddewip/pacel.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1667398329/evangelical/gfjveqtgg0q6lhddewip/pacel.jpg","width":371}])
![ECS LOWER SCHOOL AT SHELBY FARMS CAMPUS FOR 2023-2024 in STYLE BLUEPRINT]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1665675401/evangelical/ovwru5q2iayrr6vraz9s/StyleBlue.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1665675401/evangelical/ovwru5q2iayrr6vraz9s/StyleBlue.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1665675401/evangelical/ovwru5q2iayrr6vraz9s/StyleBlue.jpg","width":679}])
![CLASS OF 2002 CELEBRATES AT 20-YEAR REUNION]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1665677786/evangelical/sbvm1s4dsntvatfu0jmk/Classof02_1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1665677786/evangelical/sbvm1s4dsntvatfu0jmk/Classof02_1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1665677786/evangelical/sbvm1s4dsntvatfu0jmk/Classof02_1.jpg","width":720}])
![STEVE COLLUMS CLASSIC 2022]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1665677425/evangelical/pmxxt1fokrm8wrtlgwli/scchIT.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1665677425/evangelical/pmxxt1fokrm8wrtlgwli/scchIT.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1665677425/evangelical/pmxxt1fokrm8wrtlgwli/scchIT.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1665677425/evangelical/pmxxt1fokrm8wrtlgwli/scchIT.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1665677425/evangelical/pmxxt1fokrm8wrtlgwli/scchIT.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1665677425/evangelical/pmxxt1fokrm8wrtlgwli/scchIT.jpg","width":2048}])
![HOMECOMING 2022!]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1665676904/evangelical/xqkw0svznvizs64mux4j/HOcoClownhands.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1665676904/evangelical/xqkw0svznvizs64mux4j/HOcoClownhands.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1665676904/evangelical/xqkw0svznvizs64mux4j/HOcoClownhands.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1665676904/evangelical/xqkw0svznvizs64mux4j/HOcoClownhands.jpg","width":1080}])
![FORWARD ECS Alumni Newsletter]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1665675937/evangelical/an4lphl9pgxoxyswrgkr/ForwardECScapture.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1665675937/evangelical/an4lphl9pgxoxyswrgkr/ForwardECScapture.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1665675937/evangelical/an4lphl9pgxoxyswrgkr/ForwardECScapture.jpg","width":641}])
![Honoring Mrs. Marilyn Wray for Three Decades of Lower School Leadership]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1663090526/evangelical/c0olxhpqju6lq3lhiwqz/Wrayonly.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1663090526/evangelical/c0olxhpqju6lq3lhiwqz/Wrayonly.jpg","width":265}])
![Ashleigh Young Rainer (’10) Honored with Make-A-Wish Award]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1662995586/evangelical/ue5u5wqakhubprpwfos0/rainer.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1662995586/evangelical/ue5u5wqakhubprpwfos0/rainer.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1662995586/evangelical/ue5u5wqakhubprpwfos0/rainer.jpg","width":526}])
![Austin Cooper (‘10) Qualifies for Army Special Forces]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1662645421/evangelical/izsre8hcdniwmbwjyiga/CooperA.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1662645421/evangelical/izsre8hcdniwmbwjyiga/CooperA.jpg","width":512}])
![Alumnus Clint Dowdle Honored]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661795414/evangelical/sqechggjmnzjrjneei78/Dowdle1.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661795414/evangelical/sqechggjmnzjrjneei78/Dowdle1.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661795414/evangelical/sqechggjmnzjrjneei78/Dowdle1.png","width":526}])
![Former Eagle Morgan Cox is a Tennessee Titan]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661795211/evangelical/uti1ntqo1llbvx7knjze/Cox1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661795211/evangelical/uti1ntqo1llbvx7knjze/Cox1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661795211/evangelical/uti1ntqo1llbvx7knjze/Cox1.jpg","width":760}])
![Alumni in Dental Practice Together]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661355017/evangelical/kykhkqvjrfrd3pmppsve/Person.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661355017/evangelical/kykhkqvjrfrd3pmppsve/Person.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1661355017/evangelical/kykhkqvjrfrd3pmppsve/Person.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1661355017/evangelical/kykhkqvjrfrd3pmppsve/Person.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661355017/evangelical/kykhkqvjrfrd3pmppsve/Person.jpg","width":1536}])
![Legacy League Champions]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661355643/evangelical/ajeii5qglhh4m4rik5rd/LLOrange_1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661355643/evangelical/ajeii5qglhh4m4rik5rd/LLOrange_1.jpg","width":362}])
![Alumni Meet in California]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661354843/evangelical/xjrpgjxktvsg1lef85vj/Clack.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661354843/evangelical/xjrpgjxktvsg1lef85vj/Clack.jpg","width":501}])
![Coach Tippett Drops By Legacy League]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661354675/evangelical/nie0k0kasuuu28fhxjsd/TippettCrop.jpg","width":176}])
![Gagnon Brothers Play in Legacy League]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661354039/evangelical/p6kbd91y8qxbnlejskev/Gagnons.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661354039/evangelical/p6kbd91y8qxbnlejskev/Gagnons.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661354039/evangelical/p6kbd91y8qxbnlejskev/Gagnons.jpg","width":515}])
![Brent Rooker and David Boyd Meet at Padres Game]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661353821/evangelical/u4oquwe3kvd9nvu3c2lh/RookerBoyd.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661353821/evangelical/u4oquwe3kvd9nvu3c2lh/RookerBoyd.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661353821/evangelical/u4oquwe3kvd9nvu3c2lh/RookerBoyd.jpg","width":720}])
![Morgan Cox (2005) in the Daily Memphian]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661353209/evangelical/wfexjgemp9azohqbyb2n/MorganCox.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661353209/evangelical/wfexjgemp9azohqbyb2n/MorganCox.jpg","width":500}])
![Alumni Graduate from USNA]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661352681/evangelical/jpdwzcq3htcrpeq0scyb/USNA4.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661352681/evangelical/jpdwzcq3htcrpeq0scyb/USNA4.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661352681/evangelical/jpdwzcq3htcrpeq0scyb/USNA4.jpg","width":768}])
![Congratulations, Landon Williams (Class of 2001)!]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1661352005/evangelical/dtiuyedzymrcs6ibtfhx/LandonW.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1661352005/evangelical/dtiuyedzymrcs6ibtfhx/LandonW.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661352005/evangelical/dtiuyedzymrcs6ibtfhx/LandonW.png","width":526}])
![ECS Alumni Girls Soccer Tournament]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1661353672/evangelical/mjyybhm7dzo4wmzzvh8x/ECSSoccer_1.png","width":240}])
![Mr. Brink Retires]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1655741143/evangelical/ipefkdulr504kjcbqj3s/Brink61.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1655741143/evangelical/ipefkdulr504kjcbqj3s/Brink61.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1655741143/evangelical/ipefkdulr504kjcbqj3s/Brink61.jpg","width":640}])
![Mark Brink Retires from ECS after 49 Years]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1597252543/evangelical/ms0a1u6ovf4nhjvhbnm0/Mark_B_copy.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1597252543/evangelical/ms0a1u6ovf4nhjvhbnm0/Mark_B_copy.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1597252543/evangelical/ms0a1u6ovf4nhjvhbnm0/Mark_B_copy.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1597252543/evangelical/ms0a1u6ovf4nhjvhbnm0/Mark_B_copy.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1597252543/evangelical/ms0a1u6ovf4nhjvhbnm0/Mark_B_copy.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1597252543/evangelical/ms0a1u6ovf4nhjvhbnm0/Mark_B_copy.jpg","width":2200}])
![Bethany Stanfill Named Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Mississippi]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1646409585/evangelical/u6cmo2czuem6l01c2xsx/BethanyStanfill.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1646409585/evangelical/u6cmo2czuem6l01c2xsx/BethanyStanfill.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1646409585/evangelical/u6cmo2czuem6l01c2xsx/BethanyStanfill.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1646409585/evangelical/u6cmo2czuem6l01c2xsx/BethanyStanfill.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1646409585/evangelical/u6cmo2czuem6l01c2xsx/BethanyStanfill.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1646409585/evangelical/u6cmo2czuem6l01c2xsx/BethanyStanfill.jpg","width":2200}])
![Carolyn Montfort Retires After 40 Years of Service to ECS]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1632424499/evangelical/emvmzdkssxrp3obglsyy/CM25.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1632424499/evangelical/emvmzdkssxrp3obglsyy/CM25.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1632424499/evangelical/emvmzdkssxrp3obglsyy/CM25.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1632424499/evangelical/emvmzdkssxrp3obglsyy/CM25.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1632424499/evangelical/emvmzdkssxrp3obglsyy/CM25.jpg","width":1280}])
![Coach John Roelofs Celebrates 50 Years of Service to ECS]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1632328910/evangelical/dv6jp4sjufwovk0iugha/John_Rcopycopy.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1632328910/evangelical/dv6jp4sjufwovk0iugha/John_Rcopycopy.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1632328910/evangelical/dv6jp4sjufwovk0iugha/John_Rcopycopy.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1632328910/evangelical/dv6jp4sjufwovk0iugha/John_Rcopycopy.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1632328910/evangelical/dv6jp4sjufwovk0iugha/John_Rcopycopy.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1632328910/evangelical/dv6jp4sjufwovk0iugha/John_Rcopycopy.jpg","width":2200}])
![Community Rallies Around John Payne’s Dream to Walk Again]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1623253400/evangelical/jbx8mpwlvj79pfcx61qt/PayneGroup_crop.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1623253400/evangelical/jbx8mpwlvj79pfcx61qt/PayneGroup_crop.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1623253400/evangelical/jbx8mpwlvj79pfcx61qt/PayneGroup_crop.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1623253400/evangelical/jbx8mpwlvj79pfcx61qt/PayneGroup_crop.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1623253400/evangelical/jbx8mpwlvj79pfcx61qt/PayneGroup_crop.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1623253400/evangelical/jbx8mpwlvj79pfcx61qt/PayneGroup_crop.jpg","width":2200}])
![Fighting COVID-19 on the Front Lines]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1612906077/evangelical/pznxqd6joe7xdyy5gamw/CarlieClack3.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1612906077/evangelical/pznxqd6joe7xdyy5gamw/CarlieClack3.jpg","width":313}])
![Rocket Man]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1611244461/evangelical/a8rmdbe8kasfr6w8ji71/AndyShort.jpg","width":240}])