Pifer new high school principal at Concord Christian School
Nathan Pifer has been named the new high school principal at Concord Christian School.
He and his wife, Angie, are returning to Knoxville from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he served as men’s soccer head coach for the last nine years.
Pifer assumed his duties as principal at CCS Thursday,
July 6.
“I’m really happy to return here,” he said. “I’ve been in higher education for 29 years. I did a stint at CAK for three years and that’s where I learned to love to work with high school students. This is an opportunity to be a part of a school that values their walk with Christ and a Christ-centered education.”
Pifer said most of his work has been in coaching.
“I really think what I’ll do as principal is a lot like coaching,” he said, “in the idea of mentoring and teaching kids and helping them along to the next step, which is college or wherever God’s calling them.
“I really want to provide an effective Christ-centered opportunity for our students to grow in their faith and have an excellent education,” he added. “I want to get the high school growing and eventually move into our own facility. We are working toward that.”
Pifer graduated from Covenant College in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. In 1989, he earned his Master of Arts in education degree from Western Carolina University, and in 2008 received his education specialist degree in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Technological University.
Pifer has 16 years of teaching experience in higher education and prior experience as the
assistant high school principal at CAK. He also has had a successful coaching career that spanned 32 years.
“Over his career, Nathan has a proven track record of success in building successful teams,” CCS Head of School Mark Kelly said. “He has been a mentor to young people and created trusting relationships with both students and their families. He possesses a wealth of experience working with the challenges that come from working with students, be it academic, spiritual or behavioral. He is excited to serve each of you as we faithfully serve our Lord.”
Pifer and his wife, Angie, have been married for 33 years and have two married sons. Christopher and his wife, Erin, are
youth directors at Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church in Farragut. His son, David, and wife, Kara, live in Texas, where David is a professor at Texas Tech.
When he’s not at work, Pifer likes to golf [he has a 7 handicap] or hike in the mountains with Angie. He said last summer the whole family hiked in the Canadian Rockies.
The community is invited to meet the new principal at the Back 2 School Kick Off, which begins at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 4, in the sanctuary.
“It’s loud. It’s fun,” said Stephanie Mason, admissions director at CCS. “It’s WWF meets ‘The Price is Right.’ It’s a school-wide pep rally with lots of spirit and enthusiasm. Our head of school, Mark Kelly, will be the keynote speaker.”
At deadline there were still a few spots open for high school students, Mason said, but warned, “definitely don’t delay.”
