ECS Early Childhood Director Bess Farris describes the vision and passion behind our Little Eagles, Pre-Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten classes at Lower School. Farris shares insights from recent brain research and how a quality early childhood program sets a child up for success, academically and beyond.
157: Teaching for Spiritual Formation
Director of Curriculum Alignment & Worldview John Grant discusses the content he is guiding our faculty through as part of their ongoing professional development. He shares how “Teaching for Spiritual Formation” is inviting teachers and coaches to examine their approach and inspire students to answer the call to be virtuous, according to God’s Word.
156: Students Kick Off Season 2 of Sports Podcast
ECS seniors Jed Dorrill and Kyle Mabie, and junior Ford Crane join Equip to talk about the launch of season two of their student-driven sports podcast, The Eagle Huddle. In addition to the podcast, they share about the variety of opportunities they have been exposed to, which has maximized their ECS experience.
155: Honor: Creating the Art for This Year’s Theme
David Butler walks us through his creative process in bringing the concept of “honor” to life. He shares about the significance of each element represented in this year’s theme art. He also discusses some of the exciting opportunities for students in the arts, including the return of ceramics.
154: Hauss Rules: Pursuing Honor in 2024-2025 with new Head of School Scott Hauss
Scott Hauss welcomes students back to school for the first time as Head of School. In this episode he shares why Honor is our theme for the school year, and how he hopes to see that theme lived out in our students, teachers and community.
153: Welcoming New ECS Head of School Scott Hauss
While he embraces a new title, Scott Hauss is no stranger to the ECS community. Scott joins host Brandon Artiles to share how God has prepared him for his new role as Head of School, and how the mission of ECS has eternally impacted his daughters and family.
152: ECS Lacrosse - “Everybody Has Got Something to Give”
The 2024 ECS Lacrosse team recently wrapped-up a fantastic campaign, which included a deep postseason run, four All-League player selections, and Coach Kyle Story being chosen as Division 2/AA-A coach of the year. Coach Story and rising seniors Lucas Cox and Grant Mariencheck join the podcast to share how an, “everybody has got something to give” mindset made this team special, and how unfinished business is motivating them for the year ahead.
151: Track & Field Triumph
Two Eagles returned from the 2024 TSSAA Track and Field Championship meet with gold medals! Pole Vaulter Campbell Pallera and sprinter Malik Truitt join host Brandon Artiles to celebrate their state titles, and share about the years of preparation and hard work that made their achievements possible.
150: ECS Trap Athletes Set Sights on Postseason
ECS trap coach Robert Hastings is joined by sophomores Andy Holler and Meredith Lyle to share about how they are preparing for the region and state championships in June. They also celebrate how the program has grown over the years.
149: Sparking Imagination and Deep Thinking with Seth Holler
Senior English teacher and ECS English Department Chair Dr. Seth Holler joins host Brandon Artiles to share how the art of literature inspires thinking in our students. He also discusses how he weaves biblical truths through the texts they are studying and how God is revealed through creativity.
148: Mr. Brady’s Farewell
Head of School Braxton Brady joins host Brandon Artiles to say goodbye to the ECS community as his family prepares to start a new chapter in Texas. He shares some of the memories he’ll cherish the most, celebrates how he has seen student culture improve, and expresses thanks to all the people who have made his time as Head of School a joy.
147: Ready to Fly: Class of 2024 Top Scholars
With graduation just days away, ECS’ Class of 2024 Valedictorian Graham Carpenter, Salutatorian Savannah Lofton and Bartusch Scholarship recipient Noelle Brink join Brandon Artiles to share about their most cherished experiences in their time at ECS. They also celebrate some of their favorite teachers and give a little advice to the students coming up behind them.
146: Tracking Teen Trends in American Culture
ECS Director of Curriculum Alignment & Worldview John Grant joins host Brandon Artiles to offer insight on some concerning trends amongst teens and adolescents in our culture in regard to mental health, life priorities and technology/social media. He compares national data with what we are seeing with our own students in how culture is influencing them.
145: Inaugural Upper Elementary Spring Musical
Upper Elementary art and music teacher Anna Pearson joins host Brandon Artiles to share about UE’s inaugural spring musical, “Let’s Go to the Movies”. Talented sixth graders, Emmy Murphy, Raston Goff and Cameron Williams jump in on the conversation to let us know how they prepared and what they learned from the process.
The performance is Thursday, May 2, 6:30 p.m. in the Mark Brink Auditorium.
144: Celebrating Teacher Growth and Student Achievement with Daniel Warner
ECS Director of Teacher Development Daniel Warner joins host Brandon Artiles to share about some innovative approaches he has implemented, offering opportunities for our faculty to grow professionally. He also fills us in on a new effort, which debuted this semester celebrating student achievement!
143: Encouraging Ownership, Accountability and Empathy in Middle School
ECS Middle School Principal Andy Gross joins Equip to showcase areas in which 7th and 8th graders are flourishing. As we build students for life, he also walks us through the practical ways they are encouraging students to grow in ownership, accountability and empathy.
142: Being Known and Bearing Burdens Through ECS Discipleship Groups
ECS class of 2024 seniors Lainey Bowden, Lynlee Wilkins, Donovan Smith and Riley McDaniel join host Brandon Artiles to share about their experiences in Discipleship Groups. They discuss how D-Groups have created a space for them to be known, forced them out of their comfort zones, helped them build relationships with their peers and teachers, and encouraged them to be disciple-makers for Christ.
141: Huddle Up! ECS Launches Student-driven Sports Podcast
ECS Digital Sports Media students launched a podcast this semester. “Eagle Huddle” hosts, senior Will Seay and junior Jed Dorrill, as well as, ECS Technology Director Cindy Brock join Equip to talk about the exciting and challenging experience of hosting their own show.
140: Resurrecting Wrestling
After a 40 year hiatus ECS resurrected its varsity wrestling team last year. Year two was punctuated with two qualifiers for the state wrestling tournament. Wrestlers Crews Gieselmann, Luke Wallace and Max Orman join Equip host, and ECS Head Varsity Wrestling Coach Brandon Artiles to discuss how the program is progressing.
139: ECS Day of Service
ECS families and student Discipleship groups will gather at the Shelby Farms campus on Saturday, March 2, for a Day of Service. ECS PTF’s Katelin Walker and Student Development director Ben Todd share about how this opportunity encourages students to be the hands and feet of Christ as they partner with local relief organizations and ministries.