Helping students build a relationship with God is an important part of Samantha Kaufman’s new job as the site administrator at St. Pius X Classical Academy.
Through her years teaching in Catholic schools, Kaufman said, she has “come to love the process of building the whole child; watching them grow up and teaching them not just the academics, but those values and morals that are important to the faith.”
Building the whole child, Kaufman said “also means building up that relationship with God, impressing on him or her that no matter what you do, He will be there with you.”
Kaufman takes over leadership of St. Pius X, located at 2750 Tucker Road in Nashville. The school, with an enrollment of 65 students, is one of the smallest in the diocese.
Kaufman is experiencing “young, fresh, new ‘vibes’” at the school. “I hope – among other things – to bring more kids into the school,” she said. “I have a lot of energy,” and in her previous teaching roles at a Catholic school would happily and enthusiastically engage with the students through sports, pep rallies and other activities.
“I look forward to being able to do things with an entire school, and here we go to Mass every day,” said Kaufman.
Kaufman comes to Middle Tennessee from the Los Angeles area where she was a teacher at St. Pius X School in Santa Fe Springs, California.
“I taught a variety of subjects, including fifth to eighth grade social studies, math, physical education, and even coached and taught soccer,” said Kaufman, a former college soccer player.
Kaufman and her family moved to the Nashville area after her husband took a new job here, she said. “Our family is from Northern Virginia, and along with my husband already taking a new job here, this was a chance to be closer to home as well,” said Kaufman.
She at first applied for a teaching position, but after hearing about the site administrator opening at St. Pius X, decided to pursue that position instead.
“I earned my bachelor’s degree in physical education at the University of Arizona, and later a master’s degree in education from Loyola Marymount University in L.A.,” said Kaufman.
Kaufman has already experienced the close family connections to her new school. Grandparents of the current students, some of whom graduated from St. Pius X themselves, recently hosted a hot-dog cookout for the school community.
The school can be a way to evangelize by introducing the Catholic faith to non-Catholic students and their families, Kaufman noted. “And we have learned that a lot of parents are clearly supportive,” she said.
For more information on St. Pius X Classical Academy, visit www.stpiusnashville.org
