ESK Hires New Lower School Director

     When the K-8 Episcopal School of Knoxville opens its doors for class in the fall, two new leaders will meet the students.
    Long time second grade teacher Nancy Laurence will step up as the school’s new Lower School director. The Rev. Kirk LaFon, a May graduate of The School of Theology at the University of the South at Sewanee, will be the school’s first full-time ordained chaplain.
    The Lower School director will be a point person for Lower School parents and oversee curriculum and professional development, said Headmaster Jay Secor. (The school has had a Middle School director since 2002.) He said the Rev. LaFon will strengthen both the spiritual and community service aspects of the school.
    Secor said these two positions will allow him to focus on strategic planning and other tasks related to an expanding population. This fall ESK will open the new 22,000 square foot Brewington Family Lower School Building now under construction. The student population will increase from 295 to 310. Projected capacity of the K-8 school is 372.
    Laurence, a teacher at ESK since 2001, is well-known on campus for such initiatives as leading school wide recycling, having second graders dissect cow eyeballs, and helping oversee the second graders’ School Store, where the children buy inventory, sell products, and even tithe on the profits of their enterprise.
    “I see myself helping teachers and parents connect,” she said.
    In one innovation of her new job, Laurence will lead a parents’ book club focusing on child raising issues. She holds BS and MS degrees in Early Childhood Education from the University of Tennessee and recently earned a Reading Specialist’s degree at UTK.
    The Rev. LaFon, who previously taught religion and led community service at The Webb School of Knoxville, will teach religion and ethics, conduct daily chapel services for all Lower and Middle School students, and oversee community service at ESK at all grade levels.
    Community service is a priority at The Episcopal School, where each grade level performs service each year, such as food and toy collections for needy families and working at Volunteer Ministries and Second Harvest. This spring, the fourth grade conducted a Walk-a-thon to raise money for Nashville flood assistance, which they then delivered in person to St. Luke’s Community House in Nashville.
    The Rev. LaFon holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s from Virginia Theological Seminary.
    The SAIS/SACS – accredited Episcopal School of 950 Episcopal School Way will begin its 13th year in August. ESK is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and offers a faith-based environment but actively seeks students of all backgrounds.