Knightly News

“You keep doing it because you’re really alive when you’re doing it.” Nancy Griffin, 4th grade teacher

As long as there’s been an Episcopal Lower School building, fourth grade teacher Nancy Griffin has been inside leading young learners. When she walked onto campus as one of the first fourth grade teachers, Father Hancock was Headmaster and the baseball fields, Frazer Hall, Visual & Performing Arts Center and current Middle School building were not yet built. Now, Nancy is retiring after 36 years as a Knight and 46 years as an educator.

It's powerful to look back on life and see the path that God has created for you, and after all this time, Nancy is still in awe of her Episcopal journey. “This was the perfect place for me to have found a job,” she says thoughtfully. “It’s a miracle that it happened.”  When Nancy speaks of being part of the Episcopal community as both a teacher and a mom, there is a sense of love, pride and immense gratitude.

When they relocated to Baton Rouge, Nancy and her husband, Greg, knew they wanted their children, Patrick ’00 and Julia ’03, to attend an independent school. The Griffins are strong in their Episcopal faith, making Episcopal School of Baton Rouge an ideal choice. Nancy was ecstatic to be chosen as one of the first fourth grade teachers, and the Griffins bought a house in the neighborhood. Patrick and Julia were initially enrolled at St. James School, but as Episcopal added more Lower School grades, they joined Nancy on Woodland Ridge Boulevard. Having Nancy and the children together on one campus was a dream come true.

It was a joy for Nancy to be on the Episcopal campus while her children, Julia and Patrick, were students.

Patrick and Julia grew up with the Episcopal community, and Nancy is grateful to have been a part of the experience.

Teaching at Episcopal allowed Nancy to meld her love for education with her desire to be near her own children. She had the opportunity to watch as Patrick excelled in gymnastics, swimming and Mu Alpha Theta, and served as head of the Honor Council. She enjoyed watching Julia succeed as a High Stepper, artist and vocalist. In addition, both Griffin children played the French horn in the band and completed Honors Theses. 

Nancy’s Episcopal family also includes her fellow teachers. She values the friendships and experiences they have shared as they raised children together, watched students grow and witnessed the transformation of Episcopal. 

While new buildings have been erected and campus has changed, one thing remains the same. Nancy loves her students and has continued teaching for so long because it makes her feel alive. “It’s a really good career,” she says, reflecting on life as a teacher. “It’s wonderful to challenge children and extend their thinking.” Remarkably, Nancy remained in the fourth grade classroom throughout her Episcopal tenure and says there’s something special about nine and ten year olds. “It’s a perfect age at which children have a lot of curiosity,” she says. “They can really take off. It’s the ideal year.”

When she’s not teaching, Nancy enjoys creative pursuits like dancing and singing. In fact, Nancy met her husband of 47 years in a creative setting. Nancy and Greg both grew up in southern California. (Nancy graduated from high school inside the Rose Bowl Stadium.) She enrolled at the University of California, Irvine as a history and dance major. While doing graduate work at Occidental College, she was asked to participate in a Cal Tech musical production because the university needed more female voices. During a rehearsal break for “Kiss Me, Kate,” a student named Greg noticed her reading a book. Greg and Nancy eventually married and nearly five decades later, the two continue to share that passion for singing. Locally, they have performed with the St. James church choir and the Baton Rouge Symphony Chorus. They’ve even learned to sing in several languages.

Nancy will retire this year, but she has no plans to slow down. The Griffins love to travel, and Nancy has plans for new adventures. She’s already visited 49 of the 50 states, with Oklahoma the only state left on the list. She’s also visited several countries in South America, China, Japan and Europe. Now she has her hopes set on Iceland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Patagonia and Australia. She will also spend time with family back in California.

After such a long and rewarding career, Nancy has had a tremendous impact on the lives of many, and her Episcopal family will miss her. She has been a part of the community since the early days, and we are grateful for her dedication to Episcopal students.

Join us in wishing Nancy well. Share a message with her in the comments section below.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.