Who Was Katherine Koonce? Biography Of Nashville Shooting Victim

Dr. Katherine Koonce was an experienced American educator with decades of experience in her field who was tragically killed in the 2023 Nashville shooting.

Koonce was the headmistress of The Covenant School, a Presbyterian private school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, when she was killed in a mass shooting.

Katherine Koonce reportedly died protecting her students from the shooter.

In this article, Nigeriabombshell.com presents Katherine Koonce’s biography.

Katherine Koonce Biography

Katherine Koonce was an experienced American educator with decades of experience in her field who was tragically killed in the 2023 Nashville shooting.

Konce was 60 years old and a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

She had two kids prior to her demise at the Covenant School on March 27th 2023.

Early Life and Education

Katherine Koonce had her education in her native Louisiana. Koonce started her tertiary education at Louisiana State University in 1981 but transferred to Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 1982, starting her lifelong affiliation with the state.

She completed her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education.

Her education continued with her Master’s Degree, also in Education, at the Georgia State University in 1995, specializing in learning, behavior, and attention difficulties.

She then proceeded to the Trevecca Nazarene University, where she received her Doctor of Education in Research and Professional Practice in 2015.

Career

Prior to joining the Covenant School where she met her untimely demise, Katherine Koonce served for a distinguished 15 and a half years at the Christ Presby Academy in Nashville.

Starting as the Director of Learning Services, she held that post for nine years from 2000-2009, with duties including reviewing admissions information for all student applicants with learning difficulties and, as a member of the admissions committee, working with principals in each school regarding entrance and placement decisions.

She also helped evaluate the testing and professional diagnosis information related to students in need of individual learning strategies and facilitated the development of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) appropriate to meet the students’ educational needs through modifications and accommodations.

Koonce further met with families of students in the Learning Services Program to review and interpret educational testing, explain how an ILP will be implemented within school’s curriculum, and made recommendations for utilizing additional home and community resources.

Other duties included: Managing the Learning Services Department staff members and coordinating with teaching faculty in the implementation of student ILPs, evaluating their educational effectiveness, and updating as needed, as well as collaborating with each school administrator to coordinate the functions of the Learning Services faculty within the structure of each individual school.

In 2009, Katherine Koonce was promoted to Academic Dean, in which position she carried out duties such as…

School-wide network of committees to facilitate the Academy’s Continuous Improvement Plan
Year-round teacher in-service training, preschool through 12th grade
Annual curriculum review and vertical alignment of curriculum
Leader in adoption of the professional learning community model
Programming for advanced students including the Summer Scholars at CPA
Faculty curriculum mapping using Atlas program
Oversight of campus-wide instructional technology programs and policies
Specialized learning programs for students with learning needs
Teacher supervision and evaluation

In July 2016, she joined The Covenant School, a Presbyterian private school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee as Head of School, a position she held till her death.

Katherine Koonce was also an accomplished author.

Her books included titles such as Parenting the Way God Parents, and many others.

Katherine Koonce Husband and Children

Katherine Koonce had two kids, according to reports. Her husband is Richard Koonce.

The couple live with their two children in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Katherine Koonce Profile

Katherine Koonce is a child development and learning specialist working with children, teens, and families.

She served as the head of School for the Covenant School in Nashville.

Previously, she was the director of learning support services at Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

She earned her Master’s degree from Georgia State University, specializing in learning, behavior, and attention difficulties.

For more than eighteen years, she has worked in private practice with families, as well as in a variety of school and community settings. Katherine is a compelling speaker at conferences for parents, professionals, and teachers.

Nashville Shooting

On March 27, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian private school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Six people—three children and three staff members—were killed.

The shooter, identified as 28-year-old former student Audrey Elizabeth Hale, was killed by responding police officers.

The Covenant School is a private Christian school located in the Green Hills neighborhood. It educates students from pre-kindergarten to the sixth grade.

It was founded in 2001 as a ministry of Nashville’s Covenant Presbyterian Church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, and its enrollment is about 200 students.

Hale sent a message to a former teammate at 9:57 a.m CDT, saying an earlier message was “basically a suicide note” and that he planned to die today.

At 10:13 a.m., police received a call about an active shooter. They later said Hale drove a Honda Fit to the school, parking it in the lot.

He shot through a side door to enter the building, armed with two rifles and a handgun. He walked across the second floor of the school before opening fire.

Officers arrived at the school at 10:24 a.m. One talked to a teacher who told him the students were locked down and two were missing.

Police officers began evacuating the first floor and searching through rooms for Hale. They heard gunshots coming from the second floor.

Five Metro Nashville Police officers went upstairs and saw him firing through a window at arriving police vehicles. Two of the officers fired eight rounds, killing him at 10:27 a.m., 14 minutes after the initial 911 call.

Six people—three children and three staff members—were killed. Five were pronounced dead at a hospital and one at the scene.

They were the students Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, who were all 9 years old. The substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, custodian Mike Hill, and head of school Katherine Koonce were all victims of this shooting.

Nashville Transgender Shooter

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who also went by Aiden, was identified by the police as the shooter. He was a 28-year-old Nashville resident with no criminal recordwho had attended the school at an early age.

Police initially identified him as a woman but later said he was a transgender man, assigned female at birth and used masculine pronouns.

He was an illustrator and graphic designer who graduated from the Nossi College of Art & Design in 2022.

A neighbor said he lived with his parents.

Police Chief John Drake said Hale was under care for an emotional disorder at the time of the shooting and had legally purchased seven firearms, including three recovered from his body, between October 2020 and June 2022.

The Metro Nashville Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting, assisted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A search of the Hales’ house found two shotguns, one sawed-off, and other evidence.

Investigators also found a detailed map of the school with potential entry points and a manifesto.

Hale is alleged to have undertaken reconnaissance before committing the attack.

Police said he had originally considered targeting another location but had decided not to carry out the attack due to the level of security there.

Katherine Koonce was a hero

New reporting following the Nashville shooting revealed Katherine Koonce was a hero who died doing what she’d done her whole life – protecting children.

The headmaster of the Nashville Christian academy slain in Monday’s massacre reportedly “headed straight for” the school shooter before she was gunned down, a city councilman said, according to the New York Post.

Katherine Koonce was in the middle of a Zoom meeting when gunshots rang out shortly after 10 a.m. at the Covenant School, Nashville City Councilman Russ Pulley told Fox News.

The 60-year-old headmaster, who was among six victims killed by shooter Audrey Hale, immediately jumped into action to help protect her young students,

Pulley said. “It is my understanding from a witness at the school, that Katherine Koonce was on a Zoom call when she heard the first shot. She immediately ended the call, got up, and headed straight for the shooter,”

“She did what principals and headmasters do: She protected her children,” Pulley, an ex-FBI agent, told Fox News.

Pulley did not have details about any confrontation that might have happened between Hale, 28, and Koonce.

But Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during a Tuesday press conference that he is “sure” there was a confrontation because of the “way she was lying in the hallway.”

“It’s very possible the head of the school could have done that, I can’t confirm that one way or another,” Drake said when asked if Koonce approached the shooter. “I do know she was in the hallway by herself. There was a confrontation, I’m sure.”

Peers of Katherine Koonce also shed more light on the type of person and educator she was.

Marianne Sperry, a speech and language pathologist, met Koonce 18 years ago when she worked at Christ Presbyterian Academy.

“She treated everyone like they were the most important person in the room,” Sperry said.

Sperry said Koonce was an advocate for children with learning disabilities. Sperry said Koonce accepted some into school despite lower test scores. She said the mother of one of those students called her after the shooting.

“I talked to his mom yesterday,” Sperry said. “She said he graduated from college from a business school that is well-respected, and I just hope Katherine knew that,”

Joseph Fisher, another former CPA student with learning disabilities said Koonce pushed him to reach his full potential.

“The world needs more people like Katherine Koonce,” Fisher said.

Nashville Shooting Body Cam footage

Officials in Nashville release body cam footage from the Nashville Shooting which killed The Convenant School Head of School, Katherine Koonce, and five others.

Watch the Nashville Shooting Body cam footage below…