Harding Academy (Searcy, Arkansas)

Infobox School
name = Harding Academy
motto = "High Quality Academic Education in a Christian Environment."
established = 1924
type = Private
headmaster = Dr. Mark Benton
staff = 61
students = 568
city = Searcy
state = AR
country = USA
affiliations = Church of Christ, Harding University
colors = Red and White
nickname = Wildcats
website = [http://www.hardingwildcats.org/ www.hardingwildcats.org]
grades = K-12
conference = Class 3A

Harding Academy is a K-12 private school in Searcy, Arkansas. It is affiliated with Harding University. Like that institution, it is associated with the Church of Christ and named in honor of an early minister of that fellowship, James A. Harding.

Dr. Mark Benton is the current Headmaster.

tudent Life

Harding Academy (H.A.) prides itself upon its rigorous approach to academics. Many students take AP courses and successfully gain college credit while still enrolled in high school. A very high percentage of each graduating class attends college.

The H.A. choral program is among the best in the state. The chorus consistently receives high rankings at competitions, and it gives concerts and goes on tours periodically. Several members of the chorus have performed at Carnegie Hall.

Other activities include quiz bowl, band, National Beta Club, art club, history club, chess club, key club, and drama. The H.A. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) have been particularly successful in recent years, competing locally, statewide, and on the national level. In 2007, H.A. student Conor Kirkman [Taken from the 2007 Arkansas FBLA results (see 'Technology Concepts') http://www.arfbla.org/Winners%20list.doc] won second place in the Arkansas state FBLA competition in the Technology Concepts category, but he bested that feat when he won first place at the national FBLA competition in the same category Hambrick, Pat. "Best in the Nation." 14 July 2007 The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2007/07/15/news/local_news/news01.txt] accessed 15 July 2007.] .

Every school day the students and faculty come together for chapel, followed by a daily 45-minute Bible period that all students (grades 7-12) attend.

The school is very active in helping the community; the school has volunteered to help clean parks and other public areas in Searcy. The school has an annual food drive which is usually organized by the S.A president. The school also helped raise money for the Bald Knob, Arkansas School District.

Athletics

Harding Academy's mascot is the Wildcat, and its colors are red and white. H.A., which routinely defeats larger schools, won the best in Class 2A All-Sports ranking in 2005 and the best in Class 3A in all sports for 2006, "despite having a student body population of approximately 150 for grades 10-12"Constance, Dale. "Harding Academy: Best in 3A." 25 June 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [http://thedailycitizen.com/articles/2007/06/26/news/sports/sports01.txt] accessed 26 June 2007.] . Coach Brad Francis explained that the Wildcats “. . . had several teams go deep in the postseason” in 2006, though paradoxically none won state championships. "According to Athletic Director Mike Keese, 70-75 percent of the boys in grades 10-12 at Harding Academy participate in at least one school sport, while 50 percent of the girls are involved in athletics". Keese noted that this continues a tradition of excellence and "credited former principal Bill Diles, longtime superintendent Ed Higginbotham and former head football coach and athletic director Bill Barden for laying the foundation for the school’s athletic success".

The football team has won many conference championships and four state championships. The baseball team won the Arkansas AAA State Championship in 2008, the first time the school has won a state title in baseball (Bagley). [http://thedailycitizen.com/articles/2008/05/18/news/sports/sports01.txt]

The school also has a very prestigious junior high athletics program. The Junior High football team had an undefeated season in 2007 for the first time in school history.Fact|date=December 2007. The junior high basketball teams and the track teams have also been very competitive.

Boys may participate in these sports:

*Basketball
*Track
*Cross Country
*Tennis
*Soccer
*Baseball
*Football
*Golf
*Wrestling

Girls may participate in these sports:

*Basketball
*Track
*Cross Country
*Tennis
*Soccer
*Softball
*Cheerleading
*Volleyball

The girls' basketball team has won one state championship and many recent conference championships.

Also, there are two different sports education courses offered: Lifetime Sports and Physical Education.

Notable Achievements by Students

* James Kee, 2006 state shot put champion.
* Conor Kirkman, winner of the Technology Concepts competition at the 2007 national FBLA conference. [2007 FBLA Competitive Event Winners http://www.fbla-pbl.org/fbla.asp?landingpage=competitiveevents]
* Jordan Simpson, named "student of excellence in foreign languages" by the United States Achievement Academy in 2008. [http://thedailycitizen.com/articles/2008/06/01/news/features/features07.txt]

Notable Alumni

* Stephen Mark Brown

References

Anon. "Jordan Simpson." The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. Education Section. May 31, 2008. Accessed June 1, 2008. [http://thedailycitizen.com/articles/2008/06/01/news/features/features07.txt]

Bagley, Quinton. "WILDCATS WIN!" The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. Sports Section. May 17, 2008. Accessed May 28, 2008. (Report about H.A. the State Championship in baseball, filed from Fayetteville, AR, where the state finals were held.)

External links

* [http://www.hardingwildcats.org/ Harding Academy]
* [http://www.Searcy.com Searcy Lifestyle Guide]