Gregg A. Pinick, executive director of Orange Lutheran High School, Orange, Calif., will begin serving July 1 as head of school at Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) in Shanghai, China.
The 13-year-old CISS — which provides a Christian education to the children of expatriates living and working in China — serves students from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. The school recently completed a comprehensive building plan with award-winning facilities and outdoor learning spaces.
It is one of three international schools owned and operated by The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. The others are Hong Kong International School and Concordia International School Hanoi.
Pinick succeeds Dr. Jim Koerschen, who plans to retire at the end of June after five years in the post.
As head of school at CISS, Pinick is charged with building upon the school’s “significant accomplishments” and ensuring the “continuing excellence of all aspects of the school’s operation and international reach.”
Working in conjunction with the CISS executive board and administrative staff, Pinick’s duties include “champion[ing] teacher excellence and scholarly pursuits, ensuring a stimulating, collegial and well-managed environment that empowers faculty to be creative and effective members of a supportive learning community.”
Pinick, 53, is a 1980 graduate of Concordia Teacher’s College (now Concordia University Nebraska), Seward, Neb., and earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration in 1991 from Cal State University, Fullerton, Calif.
Pinick has served the past 15 years at Orange Lutheran High School — for 11 years as principal and since 2008 as executive director. He will leave that post June 30.
“CISS is impressive, and I believe a school that will make a great impact on mainland China in the years to come,” Pinick told Reporter. “The vastness of the country and the demand for an excellent American-style education are prime targets for the program that CISS offers. I see great potential in how education can be delivered to many people who could be allowed access to a school community like CISS.”
The school’s students, he added, “have the ability to take the Gospel message taught at CISS to every part of the world. They will only be limited by their courage as to where God places them throughout their lives.
“To me, that is exciting and invigorating, and it brims with potential,” he said. “To be a part of helping a great school get better — get to the next level — has always been an appealing challenge for me.”
Posted March 28, 2012
