It’s a perfect fit! These words can certainly be used to describe the combination of David Brainerd Christian School and its Headmaster Dr. Tom McCullough, and in some ways it is difficult to separate the two.
Dr. McCullough began the journey to David Brainerd Christian School (DBCS) at Red Bank High School, where he graduated as a member of the Class of 1965. At the University of Tennessee, he earned his bachelor’s degree, and then began his teaching and coaching career at East Ridge High School. His mentors along the way encouraged him to continue his own education, which led to his master’s degree and an assistant principal’s position at Hixson High School. Dr. McCullough spent 17 years at Hixson High, becoming principal in 1982.
“I am glad for the opportunity I have had to influence both students and teachers,” Dr. McCullough says. His influence is evident in the achievements of that school and in his own life. While Dr. McCullough was at Hixson High, the school received national awards from The Carnegie Foundation and from the U.S. Department of Education. During this time, he also earned his doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University. The focus of his doctoral dissertation was teacher morale, and his own findings became a guiding principle in his career. “If you trust teachers as professionals, give them the freedom to do what they know is right for students plus the support to do it, and involve them in the decision-making processes, the school will be successful,” he emphasizes.
The next stop on his path to David Brainerd came when Dr. McCullough was named Dean of Instruction for Chattanooga State Technical Community College, a position he held for eight years before moving to Georgia to become superintendent of Chattooga County Schools and later the Early County School System. “My work at Chattanooga State provided good training for being a superintendent,” he says. During his tenure as superintendent, Dr. McCullough instituted changes that were not always popular, but in every instance he defends his decisions as being those that were best for students.
In the years that Dr. McCullough was in Georgia, a group of parents in Chattanooga began the process that would lead to the establishment of David Brainerd Christian School. Parents whose children attended Brainerd Baptist School wanted a similar environment beyond the fifth grade. For a while, Brainerd Baptist expanded to accommodate sixth and seventh graders. Eventually, however, the school decided to focus on kindergarten through fifth grade, and David Brainerd Christian School was launched in 2002.
While the school’s name in some ways identifies its roots in Brainerd Baptist School, it is not an extension of that school. An introduction to David Brainerd Christian School’s namesake reveals the basis for the school’s mission. During a short life of 29 years, David Brainerd left a lasting legacy to his Christian faith. He began his missionary work with Native Americans in New York in 1743. Although he never came to Tennessee, David Brainerd’s influence as a Christian missionary and proponent of establishing schools, combined with his own writings, continued to inspire others. Not only were the middle and high schools here in Chattanooga named in his honor and memory, but Yale University Divinity School’s Brainerd Hall is named for him as well.
Dr. McCullough was tapped as the new headmaster of David Brainerd in 2004, following John Green, who first held that position. He quickly identifies two advantages he has at DBCS, the first being the ability to hire a staff that uniquely fits the needs of the school and students. In addition, he points to class size at the school as an advantage for both students and teachers. The current enrollment at David Brainerd is 220 students in grades six through twelve, and the staff, including part-time staff, numbers 30.
In talking about the school, Dr. McCullough returns time and again to its strength as a college preparatory school. DBCS’s high school students study English, math, science, and history in all four years and take the PSAT and/or ACT through the junior year. Every member of the three graduating classes to date has gone on to college. “Our graduates report to us that they are fully prepared for the rigors of college academics,” he states.
In addition to an increasing enrollment, David Brainerd has added to its sports program, and now offers 14 varsity sports. Dr. McCullough, a former athlete and coach himself, explains his belief in the importance of sports by quoting General Douglas MacArthur who said, “On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days and other fields will bear the fruits of victory.” In his own words, Dr. McCullough says, “The determination that sports requires carries over into all aspects of life. In middle school, our students take P.E., but in high school they must all participate each year in at least one sport for one season.”
Dr. McCullough’s enthusiasm for his school is obvious, as is his pride in providing what he describes as a “prep school within a Christian environment.” He looks forward to some of the challenges ahead, including building traditions for David Brainerd. “It takes time,” he says, “to create those traditions that become cherished, and it takes time to reflect on each step that is required to establish them.”
These opportunities and challenges also explain why, after so many years, Dr. McCullough remains so excited about working in the field of education. “It’s still too much fun to retire,” he laughs. But when asked to reflect on his own legacy, Dr. McCullough says that he hopes both students and teachers will say that he listened and that he was fair. “I hope that I inspired them with a larger vision, and then turned them loose to accomplish that vision,” he says.
Dr. McCullough’s wife of 39 years, Faye, a counselor in the Hamilton County School System, was with him during his interview for headmaster of David Brainerd Christian School. Listening to the job description and the school’s mission, Faye said excitedly, “This is just what you’re looking for!” Evidently, she was right. David Brainerd Christian School and Headmaster Tom McCullough are a
perfect fit.