Warren County High School social studies teacher Anthony Lippe is hanging up his class roll book and moving into administration where he will be assistant principal in charge of the freshman academy for the 2022-23 school year.

Lippe says he is looking forward to the opportunity to impact young people in a different way with his new position. 

“You know, I’ve taught for 11 years,” Lippe says. “For me, I want to be able to affect more than just my classroom. I feel like I’ve got a lot more to give and being an assistant principal gives me that opportunity.”

Lippe is joining executive principal Chris Hobbs’s leadership team, which now includes Penny Shockley, Anna Geesling, Phillip King and Jacob Dunn. Lippe says, “As an admin team, we want accountability. We want accountability for students. We want accountability for teachers, and we want to build a culture that people love to be a part of. I know and understand that there’s going to be a learning curve. Of course there are going to be things that I have to learn, but one thing that I’ll never stop doing is finding ways to make our school better. I’m not going to let someone else outwork me in that aspect.”

Originally from Goodlettsville, Lippe came to Warren County in 2011 after marrying McMinnville native Laura Mullican. He started as a teacher at Warren County Middle School and coached the 5-6 grade boys basketball team that year. 

After that he moved to Warren County High School where he assisted girls basketball coach Erick Baird before joining boys basketball coach Chris Sullens’ staff. Apart from the 2017-18 school year, which he spent in White County, Lippe has taught and coached exclusively in the Warren County School System since his arrival in 2011.

Lippe sees himself being able to balance being an assistant principal with his other position as head coach of the girls high school basketball team. 

“As a teacher, you’ve got to understand that any time you’re a coach, your No. 1 priority is being a teacher — and basketball is extracurricular,” said Lippe. “I think as far as being an assistant principal and a head coach, principal role comes first. You’ve got to take care of that business first.”

Lippe attended high school and played basketball at Hunters Lane in Nashville before enrolling at Tennessee Tech, where he met his now-wife. He started as a civil engineering student before switching over to social studies secondary education. After he and his wife graduated from Tennessee Tech, they moved together to Warren County. Even then, he envisioned his stay in the nursery capital as a long one, and his mind has not changed on the topic. 

“I’m a lifer. I’m in Warren County. I’m going to stay in Warren County. I plan on having my career in Warren County and don’t plan on going anywhere else.”

The Lippes now have three kids: an 11-month-old girl named Caroline, a five-year-old named Caleb, and an eight-year-old named Emma Kate. They reside in Rock Island. Emma Kate plays basketball and soccer and competes for the McMinnville swim team. Caleb is a baseball enthusiast. “Caroline is too little at this point” for any sports, Lippe relates.

Because he was raised by a single mother who instilled in him the qualities that make a good person, Lippe knows the importance of good role models and tries to be one himself for his high school students. After all, the potential to impact young people in a positive way is why he went into the education field in the first place. 

“That’s always the goal,” he says. “I don’t think any teacher goes into this with objectives other than wanting to help young adults and young kids. That’s the rewarding aspect of it. The real reward here is being able to impact kids’ lives at an age where it’s very important.”

In addition to looking to his mother for guidance, as a youngster Lippe looked to his basketball, soccer, and cross country coaches. They helped him become the person he is now: someone who comports himself with class, does the right thing, gets along well with others, and is a good communicator. “I give a lot of credit to some of the coaches that I had in my life, where I did not have a male role model at home.”

Lippe remembers doing some soul-searching between his freshman and sophomore years at Tennessee Tech, a time in which he tried to figure out what exactly he wanted to do with his life. “I had to really sit down and figure out who I was. I knew a couple things. I knew I wanted to have some sort of impact during my lifetime, and I knew I wanted to help young adults. I wanted to coach some basketball, I knew I enjoyed that. So I decided I would switch my major to social studies. I knew that would also give me the opportunity to have some sort of impact in this world and be able to coach basketball.”