ABOUT US
Since its inception, Friendship Christian has created a culture of service. FCS is the largest provider of non-perishable foods to the Lebanon Special School District Family Resource Center. FCS students plan and host a field day for Wilson County students with special needs in partnership with Wilson County’s Whip-Crackin’ Rodeo. FCS is active in state and worldwide missions in Sneedville, Lebanon, Nashville, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, and Nicaragua, leading Clean Water Initiatives by digging wells and installing tanks, pumps, and water purification systems. FCS female students founded d 84 Days, a student-led ministry to provide feminine hygiene products to underprivileged girls so they can attend school while on their menstrual cycle. Each year, FCS donates a tithe of all funds raised during their annual State of Love Campaign to the above mission efforts and other compassionate organizations such as Monroe-Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In September 1973, Friendship Christian School (FCS) embarked upon an educational journey that would nurture the God-given potential of every child who passed through its doors. This steadfast tradition is even more vital today, providing a balanced, holistic education rooted in Christian principles—an education focused on the whole child: mind, body, and soul.
FCS has won 30 athletic state championships in 20 years in Baseball (3), Boys’ Basketball (1), Bowling (10 team and 8 individual), Cross Country (1 individual), Football (4), Softball (1), and Volleyball (2).
For 20 years, Friendship Christian School has competed in Science Olympiad, a 23-event national academic competition. FCS has won the region tournament eleven times, qualified for the state tournament in each year of competition, and won the 2011 Tennessee state tournament. Three times, in 2007, 2011, and 2022, FCS has represented Tennessee in the Science Olympiad National Tournament. Each January, FCS hosts the Friendship Christian Invitational, which brings as many as 30 teams from multiple states to Lebanon for the competition.
ABOUT OUR CAMPUS
Friendship Christian School was launched as a junior high school encompassing grades seven through nine and 58 students. During the first three years of its existence, the school used classroom facilities at College Street Church of Christ in Lebanon. During this time, plans were drawn to construct the present school facility on Coles Ferry Pike, six miles west of Lebanon. FCS moved into this new facility in September 1976, and the first high school graduating class, the class of 1977, celebrated its senior year in the new school. At that point, the school population had more than doubled to 135 students.
The 1977-78 school year saw the addition of an elementary school, grades one through six, following the purchase and renovation of the Oakland School (now Linda's Little Ones). That first year, the elementary school was divided into two campuses. The lower three grades were housed at the College Street location, and grades four, five, and six attended the Oakland facility located less than a mile from the high school campus. The elementary campuses were consolidated in 1978 when the McFarland family funded the construction of four new classrooms at the Oakland School.
A kindergarten class was added in the fall of 1979, and for ten years, the school offered kindergarten through twelfth-grade education. In 1989, a new elementary school building containing eight large classrooms and a library was constructed on the current campus. In addition to facilitating the consolidation of first through twelfth grades onto one campus, new construction also enabled FCS to add a pre-kindergarten class. The kindergarten continued to utilize the Oakland facility. In 1991, due to the Lester family's generosity, a new high school library and six additional classrooms were built, bringing all students together on one campus.
A new middle school building was finished in 1995. In 1997, the new state-of-the-art Bay Family Sportsplex was constructed in honor of Charlie, Peggy, Kevin, and Kerry Bay. The gymnasium has a seating capacity of more than twelve hundred and contains a fully equipped weight room, team meeting rooms, locker rooms, and coaching offices.
In 1998, two significant events took place. The campus was named "The McFarland Campus" in memory of Dr. Sam and Mrs. Gwendolyn McFarland, outstanding benefactors of our school. Additionally, a Performing Arts Center was created when the old gym was renovated into a theater with a seating capacity of approximately six hundred, a band room, and a chorus room. This facility was named the Ken and Lynn Lester Performing Arts Center.
In 2003, James and Gay Chamberlain sponsored the Chamberlain Coffee House, a full-service coffee house and gathering place to serve our students, faculty, and parents.
In January 2009, we opened a new 12,000 sq. foot building housing ten new classrooms for middle school students. Named in honor of Mackie and Judy Bentley, the Bentley Building was equipped with wireless technology for teachers and students. FCS is the first school in Wilson County to install permeable concrete paving with this construction in its quest to incorporate more green technology.
In September 2011, FCS fully integrated its campus with wireless accessibility and launched the Apple 1:1 Initiative, becoming one of the first schools in Middle Tennessee to capture the rise in educational technology opportunities. The partnership with Apple utilized iPad and laptop technology in the learning environment to enhance the resources available to our students. This initiative allowed our students and teachers access to a wealth of information beyond textbooks, bringing educational and study resources literally to their fingertips. The iPads were mapped with the specific apps required for the student and fully integrated into the school's security framework, allowing teachers access and control over the classroom content. It was an essential step in embracing changing learning environments and in preparation for future educational innovations.
In May 2014, FCS received its first Apple School of Distinction Award for 2013-2015—only one of 220 schools in the nation to be recognized that year. The Apple Distinguished Program designation is reserved for programs that meet the criteria for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence and demonstrate Apple's vision of exemplary learning environments. Subsequently, FCS received the Apple School of Distinction Award for the two following terms: 2015-2017 and 2017-2019.
The Commander Tennis Complex was dedicated in February 2016. The six-court tennis complex and lighting were solely funded by the FCS tennis players' parents and tennis alums.
In 2017, we focused our efforts on bringing more green technology to our campus. We installed nine energy-efficient LED flat panel monitors to reduce our consumption of paper products while increasing the effectiveness of our in-house communication and marketing for our admissions department. Additionally, we added several receptacles for recycling plastics on campus. In the spring of 2018, Parker Uniforms, the school's uniform supplier, abruptly closed. As a result, FCS opened a campus store with on-site inventory for families to purchase uniforms, school-authorized spirit wear, and school-related accessories.
During the summer of 2018, the high school library and media center were completely renovated to include new seating, shelving, workstations and tables, and a dozen Apple Mac Mini Computers.
In May 2019, through the Ramsey and Swaney families' generosity, FCS became an official WeatherBug location for the benefit of our school, the city of Lebanon, and all of Wilson County. The installation of a state-of-the-art weather station on campus provides immediate access to current weather conditions, hourly and 10-day weather forecasts, daily precipitation totals, a live camera image, and a time-lapse of the day's weather conditions. It is an excellent tool to enhance the science classroom, the Elementary Fun Lab (STEM Lab), and our Science Olympiad teams. It further enables school administration to make real-time weather-related decisions affecting both the school day and outdoor athletic programs.
At the beginning of the 2019 school year, FCS purchased the Raptor Visitor Management System to strengthen our students' and faculty's safety. A key component in keeping our students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times. The Raptor system will allow us to check a visitor's government-issued ID for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders, allowing us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students.
To raise our school's visibility in Wilson County, in July 2019, FCS became the first school in Wilson County to have both an artificial turf field and an artificial turf playground. We contacted several schools that installed artificial turf fields and inquired about their results experienced. All schools reported that installing an artificial turf surface effectively attracted potential students and their families to campus.
After the installation was completed, youth sports organizations, such as soccer and flag football, began utilizing the turf field, which provided a playable athletic surface regardless of the weather conditions. The artificial turf field provides FCS the opportunity to reach prospective families by inviting them to campus, where they can experience firsthand the FCS difference and choose us as partners in their children's education.
Simultaneously, we installed an artificial turf surface on our existing elementary playground and constructed new restroom facilities in the area between the football field and tennis court complex. In the spring, an artificial turf surface was added to the infield of the baseball stadium. All these improvements greatly enhanced the functionality of our campus and athletic complex. These projects were funded entirely through donations and sponsorships from families and businesses closely connected to the school.
In October 2019, we released the official FCS app, available for Android and Apple devices, to enhance communications and benefit from modern technological advancements. The App offers a school-wide calendar (customizable by teams, clubs, etc.) that updates instantly when changes are made to an event, links to handbooks, forms, and other essential documents, FAQs, email links to faculty and staff, important FACTS links, lunch menus, and more.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, FCS immediately shifted from on-campus learning to at-home distance learning. This rapid transition was possible due to the Apple 1:1 Initiative launched in 2011 and ultimately proven successful because of our faculty's responsiveness, preparation, and persistence to finish the school year virtually.
In August 2020, as we prepared to return to on-campus learning, the importance of providing a safe and healthy environment was reinforced. In addition to following the government mandates and recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics, FCS purchased the Base Camp Health Ascend platform to monitor wellness indicators daily to maintain a safe and healthy campus environment. The Ascend platform documented daily faculty, staff, and student symptoms and utilized algorithms to identify potential COVID-19 outbreaks, as well as other viruses, bacteria, common colds, and diseases.
In 2022, a new locker room, dugout, and restrooms for the lady Commanders' softball program were completed. On April 23, the baseball field was dedicated and named the John McNeal Stadium, commemorating and honoring Coach McNeal for 29 years of coaching and leading the Commanders' baseball team to three state championships in four appearances.
In the fall of 2023, a significant change to the front of the campus began. The breezeway connecting the high school, cafeteria, PAC, lower elementary, and Sportsplex was enclosed, which will provide our students with enhanced security and protection from the weather.
FCS remains steadfast in its commitment to its mission of cultivating strong faith and strong minds in its students—connecting the heart and the mind by delivering exceptional academics presented through a Christian worldview as we continue to embrace a future built on the legacy of the past.
