Bluffton’s Cross Schools names new leader, begins to expand to high school in the fall

Texas administrator Peter Laugen has been named the new Head of Bluffton’s Cross Schools as the private Christian school prepares to expand to high school.

Laugen currently serves as middle school principal at The Woodlands Christian Academy, a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school outside Houston.

He’s previously worked as a teacher, coach, head of school and as an interim superintendent at Christian schools across the country, according to a Cross Schools press release.

Laugen’s predecessor, Brad Shultz , was hired at Cross Schools in 2017. Shultz started work Monday as the new Head of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville.

John Parker, chairman of Cross Schools’ board of trustees, said Laugen was hired in part due to his extensive experience with K-12 Christian schools across the country.

“He’s a professional educator who has dedicated himself to growing Christian children’s education,” Parker said Thursday.

Currently, Cross School has over 500 students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.

In the fall, it will welcome its first ninth-grade class, with the goal to eventually expand to a pre-K-12 school.

“Right now, we have 24 registered for our ninth grade class, which we’re very excited about,” Parker said. “We expect to add a few more over the summer.”

The school has also expanded its physical footprint in recent years.

According to previous reporting by the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette, Cross Schools completed construction of a 10,000-square-foot gym and a new school wing in 2019, and dedicated a new 500-seat chapel in February.

Shultz told the Packet and Gazette in 2019 that the school has another 40 acres available for building behind the campus and plans to build sports fields and an aquatic center in the next two years.

This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 2:46 PM.