For the first time in its 43-year history, Cypress Christian School has won the 2020-21 Class 4A Henderson Cup, a prestigious title awarded by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
More than 200 schools across Texas, with over 25 schools in 4A, competed for the annual title, which names the best overall private school in the state by considering achievement in athletics, fine arts and academic competitions. Head of School Dr. Jeffrey Potts said he believes the school’s highly intentional and deliberate approach to executing its mission of academic excellence and biblical values can be attributed to the win.
“The first thing in our mission is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ in everything we do,” he said. “The success we’ve had—the credit goes right there.”
The Henderson Cup champion is determined by measuring a school’s co-curricular offerings and the number of total points earned in co-curricular state tournament finishes and playoff berths during the school year for each classification. Cypress Christian School earned points in 13 of the 19 TAPPS co-curricular event categories offered by the school.
In addition, the school earned 69 academic All-State Awards, which are given to junior or senior athletes who have qualified for a state tournament in lifetime sports, or have been voted first or second team All-District, all while maintaining an academic average of 90% or better.
Not only is the Henderson Cup title notable for the Cypress Christian School community because it was the first in school history, but also because it was won during the pandemic, Potts said.
“That means, in my estimation, that our staff, faculty, kids and parents really excelled during a time of adversity,” Potts said. “That’s one of the things I’m proudest of.”
The title is not isolated to excellence in athletics alone, although the school does boast two state champion track titles and individual state championship athletic awards.
“Equally important, we have state champions in Spanish, math, photography, and computer rendered art for example,” Potts said. “It’s an award that requires a well-rounded educational experience.”
Almost 100% of high school students at Cypress Christian School participate in at least one co-curricular program. Additionally, a majority of the students do and are encouraged to participate in a broad range of activities at the same time.
“You may have a cheerleader who is also a volleyball player, or a soccer player who is also a state runner-up on an academic team,” Potts said. “As opposed to some places where students are asked to hone in on one specific skill, ours have a broad range of co-curriculars.”
The ability to focus on co-curricular competitions in addition to academics helps the school achieve its mission and serves as a tool in building Christian character, discipline and learning how to face challenges in a positive way.
“We have tremendous families who are intentionally developing young Christian leaders who aren’t going to be subject to the culture; they are going to create the culture wherever they go when they leave this place,” Potts said.
The following Cypress Christian School students received All-State Awards during the 2020-21 school year, helping lead to the Henderson Cup win:
State Champions (First Place):
Spanish (High School Academic Team) – Ana Sofia Navarro
Math (High School Academic Team) – Ben Hensley
Photography – Sports – Ana Morales
Communication Design (High School Art) – Abigail Sanders
Computer Rendered Art (High School Art) – Brittany Hough
Boys Track & Field Team
Girls Track & Field Team
Girls 4 x 100 Meter Relay Team - Mariana Van Dyk, Sophia Swanton, Riley Fox, Abbie Hirth
Boys 4 x 100 Meter Relay Team - Will Hotchkiss, Jackson Owen, Cody Andrus, Jackson Braun
Girls 4 x 200 Meter Relay Team – Mariana Van Dyk, Sophia Swanton, Riley Fox, Abbie Hirth
Girls Discus Throw – Mariana Van Dyk
Girls Pole Vault – Paige Jackson
Boys Pole Vault – Andrew Smith
State Runners-Up (Second Place):
High School Academic Team
High School Art Program
Photography – Cityscape & Architecture – Ana Morales
Communication Design (High School Art) – Abigail Sanders
Varsity Football Team
Boys 100 Meter Dash – Jackson Owen
Boys 4 x 200 Meter Dash Relay Team – Cody Andrus, Jackson Owen, Andrew Smith, Jackson Braun
Boys 300 Meter Hurdles – Blake Stovall
Boys 4 x 400 Meter Relay – Will Hotchkiss, Coleman Mabry, Jalen Young, Price Shultea