Forcey Christian Middle School

Infobox Private School
name = Forcey Christian Middle School


motto = "Education for Eternity"
established = 1995
type = Private junior-high school
head_name = Principal
head = Ezekiel Wharton
city = Silver Spring
state = MD
country = USA
enrollment = 113
faculty = 14
athletics = Basketball
conference = ACSI
colors = Navy and Gold
mascot = Bobcat
co-ed = Yes
homepage = [http://www.myfcms.org/ www.myfcms.org]

Forcey Christian Middle School, or FCMS for short, is a private school located in Silver Spring, Maryland that provides Christian education for students in grades 6 through 8. Its mission is "to help middle school students become more fully-devoted followers of Christ."

History

FCMS was founded in 1995 under principal Timothy D. Rockafellow. The first year consisted of only 7th grade students and the building was a trailer in the rear of Forcey Christian Elementary School's building.

In 1996 the school expanded to 7th and 8th grade with 55 students enrolled. The building moved to Calverton Baptist Church's building facility.The staff included:
*Vicki Fanara - Physical Education Aide
*Joel Gilbert - Music
*Karin Griffith - Bible, World History, Drama, General Math
*Jeremy Marsh and Jay Morrell - Physical Education
*Lori Regier - English, Literature, Spanish
*Timothy D. Rockafellow - Algebra, Pre-Algebra, U.S. History
*Tonya Salo - Science, Health, Computers
*Jacki Warchol Snook - Administrative Secretary

The bobcat and the school colors navy and gold were chosen by members of the student council.

In 1997, Susan Moraz was added to the staff as a Social Studies and Bible teacher after teaching 4th grade at Forcey Christian Elementary school for several years. The current Bible teacher, Rob Clark, also joined the staff. The school grew to 60 students total, and the first yearbook was published and distributed in the Spring of 1997.In 1998 the student council was disbanded.In 2003, the school expanded its facilities to include a computer lab with 19 workstations. In 2004, the school expanded to include 6th graders.

Current faculty

*Ezekiel Wharton, Administrator (employed 2001)
*Suzanne Marchetti, Secretary (employed 2002)
*Bonnie French, Art (employed 2001)
*Carolyn Kennedy, Language Arts, Drama and Physical Education (employed 2003)
*Sandy Ritsema, Bible and Language Arts (employed 2006)
*Kristy Jones, Science (employed 2003)
*Mark Wellman, Math (employed 2006)
*Lindsay Morrill, Technology (employed 2006)
*Jean McDonald, Spanish and Math (employed 2001)
*Rob Clark, Bible and Physical Education (employed 1997)
*Susan Moraz, History (employed 1997)
*Susan Taylor, Math and Science (employed 2004)
*Sharon Holloway, Spanish and English (employed 2005)

Philosophy

FCMS's philosophy of education is based on a three-point system, focusing on the importance of the church, school, and home as illustrated by the school's logo.
The logo is also illustrative of the concepts of "education for eternity" and excellence of character.

Sports

The boys and girls basketball teams were formed in 1996. The original boys' coach was Jeremy Marsh, and the girls' was Jamal Woodson. After much disparaging but friendly talk about game records on the girls' part directed at the boys' team, the first annual Boys vs. Girls game was held at the end of the season. The boys' team was victorious by a generous margin and the event was discontinued.

Extracurricular activities

FCMS extracurricular activities include a baseball team, basketball team, a soccer team, a quilting group, drama club, book club, worship club, and a chess club (discontinued in 2004 but revived by Mr. Mark Wellman in 2006).

External links

* [http://www.myfcms.org FCMS official site]
* [http://www.forcey.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=663 More Information from the Forcey Church]