After a search which involved candidates from across the United States and several international schools, Valley Christian has selected Mark Perry as the school’s first junior high principal. Mark will oversee grades 6-8 at Valley Christian’s new junior high school that will open in 2018-19 in Tempe. Mark will be joining the Valley Christian staff this summer.
Mark has extensive experience in Christian education. Prior to joining Valley Christian, he has led junior high and high schools in Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, and Alaska.
Mark Perry on joining Valley Christian:
“It is really exciting to be able to use all of the different things I’ve learned and use them to build a new school. The fact that it is attached to a school that has been as successful as Valley Christian, and one that is as distinctly Christian as Valley Christian, is very exciting.”
“When I was down interviewing, everyone I met at Valley Christian had a very clear understanding of Dan’s vision for the school and is on-board. I know how rare that is in a school, so that’s something I’m really looking forward to joining.”
Dan Kuiper on Mark as the junior high principal:
“Mark possesses the vision, experience, and personality we were looking for in a principal to build and lead our junior high. He has a passion for excellence, well-roundedness, and creating value in Christian education. Our search committee felt very confident in his abilities to build and lead our junior high while working alongside our high school team and administration to deliver an unparalleled Christian education option for students in grades 6-8. We’re looking forward to getting Mark on board and for our families to get to know him.”
More about Mark Perry:
Mark received his B.A. from Western Washington University and his M.Ed. in School Administration from Columbia International University. Over the course of his career in Christian education, he has served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, principal, and superintendent of schools.
Mark holds an All-Levels Principal Certificate from ACSI, as well as a teaching certificate from the State of Washington and an administrative certificate from the State of Ohio. He received the C.R.E.A.T.E. award for teaching excellence from the Anchorage Municipality, and as an administrator, his high school was named the Southern Oregon Chamber of Commerce non-profit corporation of the year. Mark has served ACSI as the Alaskan representative for the Northwest regional board and has also served on the Corban University education consortium.
Mark’s wife, Julie, is a professional counselor who has spent most of her career working with children and families. They have one son, Jonathan, who graduated from Northwest Christian High School (WA) in 2017. Mark has a passion for driving down a road he has never been on before and visiting historical sites.
Important Dates for the junior high:
August 2017 – Admissions information made available
October 2017 – Open House
November 16, 2017 – Enrollment opens