French Camp Academy (FCA) is an interdenominational Christian boarding home and academy in French Camp,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. It is intended to serve children and teenagers who need opportunities and resources not available in their home or peer environments FCA also serves young people in their area by providing an accredited Christian education for grades 7-12.Scherer, Dennis.
Time travelers
"
CAMP: Visitors get a glimpse of the past in French Camp, Miss.
) '' The Times Daily''. Tuesday May 23, 2000. 7A (continued from 1A). Retrieved from

Google News Google News is a news aggregator service developed by Google. It presents a continuous flow of links to articles organized from thousands of publishers and magazines. Google News is available as an app on Android, iOS, and the Web. Google rel ...

(14 of 27) on February 28, 2011. The school operates several businesses in French Camp, including a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

, a gift shop, and a restaurant.

History

A group of Scotch-Irish Christians, under the area Presbyterian Church, established the Central Mississippi Institute for Girls in 1885. The French Camp Academy for Boys opened later in 1885.Our History
."
Archive
French Camp Academy. Retrieved on February 28, 2011. In 1915 a fire destroyed the girls' school; both the schools for boys and girls combined as the French Camp Academy. In 1950 the school was reorganized under a board of trustees, which represented various

Christian denominations Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Location and composition

French Camp Academy is in French Camp, a community in central

, south of

Tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

and north of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

. The school has a total of of land. The school hosts the Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium, the largest planetary observatory in Mississippi. The observatory, with 16 telescopes, has a clear view of outer space since it is far from major cities, which are sources of light pollution. The observatory is open by appointment to members of the public.

Education

Residents of French Camp Academy in Grades K-6 attend a public school, French Camp Elementary School of the

Choctaw County School District The Choctaw County School District is a public school district based in Ackerman, Mississippi (USA). The district's boundaries parallel that of Choctaw County. Schools *Choctaw County High School ( Choctaw County, Grades 7-12) *Choctaw County E ...

. Students in grades 7 - 12 attend French Camp Academy's campus facility.French Camp Today summer 2013 Students are required to wear

school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution.They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries. An example of a uniform would be requiring button-down shir ...

s, similar to many private and public schools today. High school students may attend a vocational technology program in the Choctaw Vocational Center in

Ackerman Ackerman may refer to: Surname *Ackerman (surname), people with the surname Ackerman *Ackerman is a family name for singer Barlin Ackerman Places *Ackerman, Mississippi, town in Choctaw County, Mississippi, US *Ackerman, West Virginia, former un ...

.Academics
" French Camp Academy. Retrieved on February 28, 2011.

Support Ministries

French Camp operates the Council House Café, a restaurant, in a by log cabin that was built in 1820 and once served as a meeting place for

Greenwood LeFlore Greenwood LeFlore or Greenwood Le Fleur (June 3, 1800 – August 31, 1865) served as the elected Principal Chief of the Choctaw in 1830 before removal. Before that, the nation was governed by three district chiefs and a council of chiefs. A weal ...

. The school received the building as a donation in 1967. As part of a bicentennial project of students and staff, the log cabin was restored. The Council House serves sandwiches, salads, soups,

bread pudding Bread pudding is a bread-based dessert popular in many countries' cuisines. It is made with stale bread and milk or cream, generally containing eggs, a form of fat such as oil, butter or suet and, depending on whether the pudding is sweet o ...

,Council House Café
." French Camp Academy Historic District. Retrieved on January 13, 2012. and

Mississippi mud pie Mississippi mud pie is a chocolate-based dessert pie that is likely to have originated in the U.S. state of Mississippi, hence the name. It contains a gooey chocolate sauce, brownie and chocolate custard on top of a crumbly chocolate crust. It ...

. The school uses the restaurant as a training area for students, and the profits from the restaurant fund scholarships for students. French Camp operates a

hotel. In 1986 the school moved two clerestory log cabins from

Eupora, Mississippi Eupora is the largest city in Webster County, central Mississippi. The population was 2,197 at the 2010 census. History Eupora was established in 1889 by European Americans on a spur track of the Georgia Pacific Railway. While there had been agr ...

, to French Camp. The cabins, which had been constructed between 1840 and 1860, were placed together and the school established an addition between the cabins. The addition was designed to have the same historic appearance that the original cabins have. The hotel opened in March 1987. In 1990 the school restored an additional cottage, named the B & B Jr., and placed it behind the main building. Carriage House is a building of newer construction which sits on the former location of an 1880s cabin. Another cabin, the Burford Cabin, is the most newly opened accommodation building within the bed and breakfast. The Buford Cabin is accessible for handicapped people. The main building can accommodate up to eight people. The B & B Jr. can accommodate up to six people, the Burford Cabin can house up to four people, and the Carriage House can accommodate up to six people.

WFCA

French Camp Academy hosts the WFCA radio station, a non-profit radio station with its studios located along the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 ...

at Mile Marker 181. H. Richard Cannon, president of the school, conceived of the idea of the radio station while taking a mission field trip in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

.About Us
." WFCA. Retrieved on February 28, 2011.

Festivals

The French Camp village Harvest Festival, held annually every second Saturday of October, has its proceeds benefiting the school.

Demographics

As of 20222 the school served close to 300 students in its home and academic programs. As of 2011 about 300 children and adults live and work on the campus.

References

External links

French Camp Academy
{{Coord, 33.289827, -89.400288, display=title * Education in Choctaw County, Mississippi Educational institutions established in 1885 Buildings and structures in Choctaw County, Mississippi Hotels in Mississippi Restaurants in Mississippi 1885 establishments in Mississippi Boarding schools in Mississippi Christian schools in Mississippi