Staff profile: Mr. Pierce

A man of much wisdom, when prompted for his hot take, he states ‘“Boneless wings are just chicken nuggets for adults. “Flats bone-in wing” is the way to go.”’

Those lucky enough to know the interior of his cached classroom love him; others surely recognize his inspiring presence roaming the halls. Nonetheless, Mr. Pierce is a much-valued teacher and coach here at Eagle Rock High School.

Now in his 18th year at Eagle Rock, Mr. Pierce continues to contribute to our school, teaching 7th Grade Magnet Health, Physical Education, and coaching the shot put section of Track and Field. Up until recently, he proudly coached our football team (for a total of 12 years!), a player himself throughout high school and in his early college years.

Mr. Pierce was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but moved to a small town in Dublin, Ireland, at the age of 1. His parents worked for the Cru, an international Christian church and he grew up attending the Protestant school, St. Bridget’s, in the suburb of Mount Merrion outside Dublin. At around 11 years old, his family moved to South Pasadena, where he transferred to the Monterey Hills Elementary School.

Mr. Pierce attended three colleges: first at San Francisco State University for a year, then after the football program was discontinued, transferring to Cal State Northridge, before finishing his master's at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Mr. PIerce holds a master's degree in kinesiology and pedagogy, which remains relevant to his teaching career at Eagle Rock.

Outside of school, Mr. Pierce holds many passions. He values time with his family and enjoys the challenge of cooking. His favorite cuisine is Mexican food, mentionably tacos. Upon guiding him through purchasing a condo, fellow teacher Mr. Aguilar gifted Mr. Pierce a traeger smoker, allowing his experimentation for smoking different meats. Mr. Pierce enjoys a variety of movies, shows, and books. His latest read was Coaching Legend Curt Cignette by James Caldwell. He loves classic Western movies like Tombstone and, a fan of Taylor Sheridan, loves the shows Yellowstone, 1923, and Landman.

Raising them as a single father, Mr. Pierce is very proud of his three children, and now married, with another stepchild, only continues to care for his family. With his kids now adults, he has more time to prioritize himself– amazingly reporting his commitment to exercise, where he holds an over-500 day streak for at least an hour of cardiovascular exercise each day. He “want[s] to have a long life with [his] kids and [his] wife.

Currently, Mr. Pierce is working on his “administrative potential”, exploring further career options within the teaching profession. For now, we’re simply grateful for his role at Eagle Rock. Mr. Pierce notes the students themselves as his greatest motivator to his career, as well as his valued colleagues in the sports department.