Mars Hill Bible School is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
,
college preparatory Christian day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...
for boys and girls located in
Florence, Alabama. The school begins at pre-kindergarten and continues through the twelfth grade.
The school also operates a pre-school.
History
Mars Hill Academy, the predecessor of today's school was opened by
Theophilus Brown Larimore in 1871.
He drew the name "Mars Hill" from the New Testament book of Acts (17:22) ''Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill...'' He later changed the name to Mars Hill College. The academy and college operated for 16 years teaching hundreds of young men and women. Larimore offered a diverse curriculum of classes including business writing, rhetoric and Latin as well as advanced studies in the Bible. Many of his students became preachers that established numerous congregations around the area. The college was closed in 1887 in order for Larimore to spend more time preaching. '
F.D. Srygley'' wrote a biography on Larimore and the school titled, "Smiles and Tears, Larimore and His Boys", which details the life of the school and early preaching of Larimore.
Mars Hill Bible School In 1947, a group of Christians in the Shoals area agreed on the need to re-establish a Christian school to provide an education grounded in the eternal truths of Scripture. T.B. Larimore's son, Virgil, agreed to sell a portion of the property for the realization of this dream, and plans began in earnest. A local physician, W.W. Alexander purchased and donated the land. M.S. Killen and Charlie Morris provided the school's equipment and fleet of buses. Irven Lee served as the school's first president.
The doors of Mars Hill Bible School opened to students on September 15, 1947. This first new class included 13 seniors, 18 juniors, 25 sophomores, 24 freshmen, 35 eighth graders, 42 sixth graders, 30 fourth graders, 25 second graders, and 50 first graders, for a total of almost 400 students in its inaugural year.
The Alabama State Department of Education accredited the school in its initial year. The year also brought the school's first play, “Lavender and Old Lace"; its first chorus program, conducted with over 50 members; first church presentation, held at the Poplar Street Church of Christ (now Wood Avenue); and first yearbook, ''The Mizpah''.
Mars Hill Bible School has continued to build on the legacy established in these formative years. Though over 750 students currently attend Mars Hill for preschool through grade 12, the mission of Mars Hill Bible School remains unchanged. Over 140 years later, The school still abides by the powerful words once spoken by T.B. Larimore: “We loved one another, and love ruled the school.”
Academics
MHBS has been awarded the "Excellence in Education Award" on 3 separate occasions. In 2016 the school received an overall score of 306.15 from Cognia which is a national school accreditation agency. Their score was above the agency's network average of 278.34 The Honors Diploma, one of 4 offered diplomas, requires 28 credits that include Bible, English, Social Studies, Humanities, Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, Foreign Language, Health and Physical Education. To receive this diploma, students must maintain a 90.0 or higher cumulative average.
The Dual-Enrollment program in partnership with Northwest-Shoals Community College allows students to take college classes on the MHBS campus. This is possible because MHBS offers a block schedule that mimics college schedules and allows time for juniors and seniors to take college classes while still in high school. MHBS also offers the Early-Scholar Program which allows students to take courses at the University of North Alabama during the day. The timing of the block schedule and the close proximity to the UNA campus allows students the time to commute. The school also conducts ACT preparation for their high school students.
A strong spiritual emphasis is placed on academics with daily Bible class being part of the mandatory course load for all students. Daily chapel attendance is also required to begin each day where the students sing worship songs, read scripture and hear short devotional talks. The schools seeks to give students a Biblical worldview which is described on the website as "a comprehensive educational paradigm that reflects the truth of God, predicament of mankind, and hopeful destiny in Christ."
Athletics
Mars Hill competes in the Alabama High School Athletic Association in the 2A classification. Their nickname is the "Panthers". The school has won 18
Alabama High School Athletic Association
The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), based in Montgomery, is the governing body for interscholastic athletics and activities programs for public schools in Alabama.
The AHSAA is a member National Federation of State High School ...
championships, with five in baseball (including 1977, 1978, 2010, 2012 and 2019), seven in girls' basketball, one in boys' golf, two in girls' track and field, one in girls' softball, and two in football. The Panthers' Football program began in 2009 and was built into a Varsity program over the period of a couple of years. On August 21, 2014 Mars Hill played their first varsity football game against the Sheffield Bulldogs. After making their way into the 2A Playoffs in the 2017-18 season, the Panthers defeated the
Linden Patriots at
Jordan-Hare Stadium to claim its first state championship in Football.
*Men's sports
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Football
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Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
**
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
**
Cross country
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Forensics Squad
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Golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
**
Soccer
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Tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
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Track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
*Women's sports
**Basketball
**Cross country
**Forensics Squad
**Golf
**Soccer
**
Softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
**Tennis
**Track and field
**
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
Notable alumni
References
External links
Private School ReviewNational Forensic League
{{Authority control
Christian schools in Alabama
Preparatory schools in Alabama
Schools in Florence, Alabama
Private elementary schools in Alabama
Private middle schools in Alabama
Private high schools in Alabama
Nondenominational Christian schools in the United States
Educational institutions established in 1871
1871 establishments in Alabama