Hillcrest Christian School

Hillcrest Christian School is a private school founded in 1971. It stands on South Siwell Road, Jackson, Mississippi, United States. The current campus was originally known as Council McCluer, which was a separate school opened the same year as Hillcrest.

For much of its early life, the school was located at Sykes Road and Wheatley Drive in south Jackson, and operated as a K-9 school. In 1986 the school purchased the former McCluer Academy property on Siwell Road, where it established a high school and relocated the middle school. The school ultimately moved all operations to that campus and sold the Wheatley property in the late 1990s following the construction of an elementary school building at the Siwell campus.

Education

Hillcrest educates pupils from kindergarten 3 to grade 12.^[1]

95% of the pupils are white and there is a 1:10 student:teacher ratio.^[2]

Hillcrest Christian School has a variety of clubs and organizations. The Hillcrest National Honor Society is known throughout the Jackson area. In YMCA Youth Legislature, the school has experienced success. Over ten students have been named Outstanding Senator and/or Representative. Hillcrest has also been represented in positions such as House Floor Leader and Youth Governor.

Arts

Hillcrest Christian School has a diverse fine arts program that includes Symphonic and Marching Band, Praise Band, Choral Music, 2-D Art and 3-D Art, Drama, and Elementary Drama and Music.

Success

The Choral Music and Instrumental Music programs have a history of success at regional and national festivals and competitions. The Hillcrest "One Spirit, One Sound" Marching Band has also been successful, posting all-superior ratings at regional and state marching competitions. MoThe band has scored all-superior at the 2006 Pinson Valley Marching Competition and Best Overall at the 2005 West Alabama Marching Festival. In concert band, Hillcrest posts equally impressive results. After participating in the 2006 St. Louis, Missouri Heritage Festival, the band received their second invitation to the Festival of Gold, a national competition held in Boston Symphony Hall. The band first attended the Festival of Gold in April 2005, posting a 4th-place finish nationally.

Athletics

All Hillcrest teams participate in the Mississippi Private School Association's Division AAAA. Hillcrest fields teams in football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, and track.

Baseball

Coached by former Mississippi State standout Shane Kelly, the Cougars won the 2006 MPSA Academy AAA Division I title, beating Jackson Academy. They also won the Academy AAA Division II State Championship in 2007, beating Magnolia Heights School. Under the leadership of Coach Paul Wyczawski, the current pitching and recruiting coach at Murray State University, the Cougars won several state titles in the 1990s, including three consecutive state AAAA titles from 1996 to 1998.

Since 1989, Hillcrest has had more than 35 student-athletes play in the collegiate ranks, including:

• Dustin Cliburn - Class of 1999, record holder at Meridian Community College; former Ole Miss player; played for Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League
• Jeremy Dixon - Class of 1993, All-GSC at Delta State University, and former professional
• David Hayman - Class of 1992, All-SEC OF, and former professional baseball player
• Stephen Head - Class of 2002, Ole Miss graduate, and current minor league player for the Cleveland Indians
• Glenn Morris - Class of 1998, former record holder for saves at the University of Mississippi
• Logan Power - Class of 2004, former player for the University of Mississippi and the school's all-time RBI leader
• Justin Reed - Class of 2006 and current minor leaguer in the Cincinnati Reds organization
• Cody Satterwhite - Class of 2005 and current professional baseball player
• Seth Smith - Class of 2001, Ole Miss graduate, and current Colorado Rockies player

Hillcrest teams have appeared in the MPSA State championship twelve times, including championships in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Basketball

The Cougars won the MPSA Overall Championship in the 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2007 seasons.

Notable alumni

• Taryn Foshee - won the 2003 Miss Clinton pageant while a pupil at Hillcrest Christian School and received a commendation from the Mississippi Legislature;^[3] 2006 Miss Mississippi; 3rd runner-up in Miss America 2007^[4]
• Stephen Head - minor league first basemen for Cleveland Indians and winner of Boo Ferris Award, given to Mississippi's top collegiate baseball player
• Justin Reed - National High School Baseball Coaches Association 2006 "Slugger Senior State Players of the Year" for Mississippi;^[5] the state's first Junior Olympics finalist; now plays professionally^[6]
• Jeff Savage - recording artist; Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning producer and songwriter for such multi-platinum selling groups and artists as TobyMac, dcTalk, Jars of Clay, Natalie Imbruglia, and Plumb
• Scott Savage - former drummer for multi-platinum, Grammy- and Dove Award-winning band Jars of Clay
• Seth Smith - outfielder for Oakland Athletics

References

1. ↑ Hillcrest Christian School, Official site
2. ↑ "Hillcrest Christian School", Great Schools
3. ↑ "Senate Concurrent Resolution 573", Mississippi Legislature, 2003.
4. ↑ Chris Joyner, "Miss Mississippi makes it to top 5 in Miss America pageant", Hattiesburg American, February 15, 2007.
5. ↑ "Slugger Senior State Players of the Year", Baseball Coaches Association.
6. ↑ Yancy Porter, "Jr Olympics Finalist Chooses Ole Miss", The Ole Miss Spirit, August 3, 2005.