Bethany Christian Schools
Address
Map
2904 South Main Street

Goshen
,
Indiana
46526

United States
Coordinates41°32′44″N 85°49′38″W / 41.545499°N 85.827092°W / 41.545499; -85.827092
Information
TypePrivate Christian
Established1954
PrincipalHank Willems, Juanita Hershberger[1]
Head of schoolTim Lehman
Teaching staff21.6 (on an FTE basis)[3]
Grades1–12
Enrollment316 (2023-2024)[2]
Student to teacher ratio13.2[3]
Color(s)   
NicknameBruins
Websitewww.bethanycs.net

Bethany Christian Schools (BCS) is a private Christian school for grades 1–12 in Goshen, Indiana, United States.

History

The Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference chartered a high school on June 4, 1953, to be built in Goshen on land that had been "home to a Potawatomi tribe".[4] It opened on September 7, 1954. There were building additions as the school grew, in 1957, 1964 and 1989.[4]

Bethany Christian was founded to serve Mennonite secondary school students.[5][6] Following a 24,000 sq. ft. addition to the school in 1990,[7] a middle school was added in 1996,[8] and grades 4–5 were added in 2011.[5] The school added third grade classes in 2021, and added first and second grades in 2022.[9][10]

Approximately 80 percent of the school's 350 students in 2018 joined walkouts by students from around the country to protest federal inaction on preventing school shootings. Bethany's protest included song and prayer. Students not participating gathered in the middle school gym.[11]

Athletics

In 2021 extensive sports renovations were begun, including new tennis courts, a new pavilion, upgraded concessions and restrooms, and a new soccer facility, with a field surrounded by a new track, bleachers, press box and scoreboard, as well as new LED lights.[12] Other planned changes include renovations to the baseball field and dugout, the softball field, and a new batting cage, with new landscaping around the entire complex.[12]

In 2007, BCS was barred from hosting sectional championships because of its refusal to play The Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events, as the lyrics are at odds with pacifist ideals of Mennonites.[13] By the 2015 school year, the BCS board decided to play the national anthem at certain sporting events, but it was criticized by some in the community for yielding to considerations of home-field advantage, revenue, and the publicity of hosting championship series, to make the decision.[14]

Bethany Christian won its first state championship in 2023 in the 1A Boys soccer state championship.[15]

The Bethany Christian Bruins are members of the Hoosier Plains Conference. School colors are royal blue and white. The following Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) sanctioned sports are offered:[16]

Awards

References

  1. ^ "Faculty and Staff Directory". www.bethanycs.net. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  2. ^ "Bethany Christian Schools". Indiana Department of Education. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Search for Private Schools - School Detail for Bethany Christian Schools". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b "A History of the Winona / Bethany Christian Schools Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  5. ^ a b "2020-2025 Strategic Plan for Bethany Christian Schools". www.bethanycs.net. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  6. ^ "Bethany Christian Schools announce new mission, vision statements". Goshen News. December 1, 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  7. ^ "Troyer Group". The South Bend Tribune. 1990-05-16. p. 56. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  8. ^ "Bethany will add middle grades". The South Bend Tribune. 1996-04-09. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  9. ^ Weiser, Joseph (October 15, 2021). "Bethany to grow again, add first and second grades". Goshen News. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  10. ^ "Explore Bethany Christian Schools". Niche. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  11. ^ "Students Stage Walkout Across Indiana". WFYI Public Media. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  12. ^ a b Lepak, Evan (August 21, 2023). "Prep Soccer: Bethany Christian introduces facility renovations". Goshen News. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  13. ^ Kline, John (February 17, 2010). "Bethany staff considering anthem issue". Goshen News. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  14. ^ Kaethler, Andy Brubacher (2016-11-01). "Encounters with God: Humanizing experiences amidst questions of faith and identity". Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  15. ^ "2023 Soccer Sate Tournament". IHSAA. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "myIHSAA". www.myihsaa.net. Indiana High School Athletic Association. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "Sustainable living tour showcases solutions". The South Bend Tribune. 2007-04-28. pp. D1. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  18. ^ "Indiana Department of Education congratulates winners of the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools Award". States News Service. May 5, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2022 – via Gale Academic OneFile, EBSCO.
  19. ^ State of Indiana House of Representatives (Jun 19, 2018). "Culver: Bethany Christian School recognized for AP success". US Official News. Retrieved October 19, 2022 – via EBSCO.

External links

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