Gaston Christian School is a private Christian school

Christian school

A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...

 located in Lowell, North Carolina

Lowell, North Carolina

Lowell is a small city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States and a suburb of both Charlotte and Gastonia. The population was 2,662 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lowell is located at ....

.

History

"GCS" was founded in 1979 by a group of parents who wished to have a non-denominational school

Non-denominational Christianity

In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...

. With support of the pastors of Parkwood Baptist Church and First ARP Church, it was opened in 1980 in Parkwood Baptist Church. It opened a second campus, provided by Catawba Heights Baptist Church, in 1991. In 1994, it entered into a contract with the Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy

The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....

 to lease a portion of the old Sacred Heart College campus in Belmont for use by the middle

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

and High school.

Today

Gaston Christian is largest private school in Gaston County, NC. with nearly 900 students in the school, ranging from PK3 to 12th grade located on a single campus. The 50 acres (202,343 m²) campus features a gymnasium, pre-school and elementary building, middle/high school building and sports facilities for softball, baseball, soccer and cross country. Gaston Christian students, historically, achieve higher average College Board SAT scores when compared locally, state-wide and nationally. Along with excellent Christian Universitites, students at GCS have been offered admission to many outstanding secular schools such as UNC-Chapel Hill, Gaston College, Wake Forest, Duke, NC State, Wayne Community College, Davidson, Harvard, MIT and Yale.

Mission statement

The mission of Gaston Christian School is to help students mature spiritually and excel academically by offering a Biblically-integrated, college preparatory program that will enable them to impact the kingdom of God by living productive Christian lives.

Mascot

The mascot for Gaston Christian is the mighty eagle. It is inspired by a Isaiah 40:31 ( but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.)

Sports

Gaston Christian plays 13 sports including, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls cricket, boys and girls water polo, cross country, swimming, softball, baseball, golf, and cheerleading. Recently in 2004, the girls tennis team won a doubles state title and has won 2 conference individual titles. The cheerleading squad has won several national independent school titles. In 2007, the boys soccer team reached the state tournament and finished ranked No. 12 in the state. One of the students was placed on the All-State team. In 2007/2008, the girls basketball team reached the state tournament and finished ranked No. 10 in the state. In 2008, the boys baseball team reached the state tournament and finished ranked No. 12 in the state. The girls softball team reached the state tournament in 2008, where they lost in the finals to conference rivals Northside Christian Academy, finishing the season ranked No. 2 in the state. However, in 2010, the Lady Eagles softball team surged to take home the State Championship trophy, having defeated several well-prepared teams in challenging tournament play.

External links

• Gaston Christian School