Plans for the establishment of Dickson Academy began in early 2009. After considerable preliminary research (coupled with a lot of prayer), it was determined that it was feasible to pursue the goal of opening an accredited Christian middle and high school in Dickson County. A group of families dedicated to the vision of a Christ-centered, academically excellent upper school to serve Dickson and surrounding counties began meeting in earnest in the early fall, and things have progressed rather quickly from that point. We were recently granted a charter as a non-profit corporation by the State of Tennessee, and we are in the process of obtaining federal 501(c)(3) status. The original board members of Dickson Academy are Brooks Duke, David Faulks, and Jim Roth. The members of our leadership team presently include David and Heidi Faulks, Jim and Emily Roth, Brooks and Missy Duke, Scott and Lisa Benton, Nathan and Anita Russell, and Justin and Leslie Robbins.
We are in the last stages of finalizing our facilities for the fall of 2010. It appears that we will initially be leasing space from Eastside Baptist Church in Burns, Tennessee. Though we are not affiliated with Eastside Baptist, they have been exceedingly gracious and accommodating as we seek to share space that will be conducive to school activities. Roy Williams, our architectural consultant, has been extremely helpful as we have gone through the process of filing zoning requests with various agencies. We are thrilled with the possibility of using this space for a few years (it has a gym, a music room, great classroom space, and plenty of usable outdoor space), with our ultimate goal being to have our own campus with outstanding academic, fine arts, and athletic facilities.
Clearly, there is still a lot of work to be done (and it is being done, probably as you read this...), and we realize that there is a significant amount of risk attached to an overwhelming task such as starting a school. There is risk for the founders, for the faculty, for the financial backers, and for the prospective students and their families. However, we firmly believe that the potential reward (a school committed to producing excellent students prepared to serve God and the people around them) absolutely makes this worth the risk. We are excited about what God has in store for the future of Dickson Academy, and we hope that you will consider joining us as we move forward.