There are a few words synonymous with Church Farm School.
Shreiner.
Greystock.
Pageant.
If one mentions the Kistler family, almost every CFS graduate between 1968 and 2018 fondly recalls Jack or John Kistler, a father and son who spent a combined 70 years in service to the school as administrators, teachers, coaches, and mentors.
Jack came to CFS from Episcopal Academy and said about his transition, “The kids at Episcopal had everything and knew everything. I felt I could do so much more here.”
John, CFS’s former athletic director who also ran the school’s longtime summer camp, was eager to follow in his father’s footsteps. He left Perkiomen School for CFS and never looked back. His impact on the athletic program, in particular, was remarkable — bringing multiple teams to KSAC (Keystone State Athletic Conference) Championships, introducing new sports at CFS, helping oversee the construction of the Founder’s Pavilion in 1996, and co-founding the Wrestling Invitational with his father in 1989.
In addition to their long tenures at CFS, the father (who died in 2016) and son received many accolades from the school. Both are in the CFS Hall of Athletic Honor, and John was awarded the school’s prestigious Newt Disney Service Award in 2018.
The extended Kistler family has been omnipresent at CFS, too. Jack and his wife, Beckie, who received the J. Tyler Griffin Award for Ambassadorship in 2024, raised their family on campus, bringing them to many athletic competitions and the Pageant each year, as did John and his wife, Marilyn. John’s sister, Padgett, is married to 47-year teacher, coach, and administrator Arthur Smith (who just announced his retirement at the end of this school year). Padgett’s brother, Chapman, and sister, Kelly, and all of their children and grandchildren are common, friendly faces at CFS.
To honor their contributions, CFS has created the Kistler Family Endowed Fund. A generous alumnus will match all gifts to this new fund up to $62,500, and the school hopes to announce the completion of fundraising during Alumni Weekend 2025.
Learn more about the Kistler Family Endowed Fund at Church Farm School.
