RETIREMENTS AND MOVING ON….

As the school year ends, we say goodbye to staff who have earned the right to move on to retirements or reassignments or new adventures. We thank you for your hard work and support of Catholic education and ask that you stay in touch and know you will be missed!!

Kathy Cartee -- Retiring from Immaculate Conception, Mt. Vernon. Kathy has served as principal at Immaculate for the past 7 years. Before she became the principal, she served 24 years in ministry within the Archdiocese as Pastoral Assistant for Faith Formation at St. Cecilia in Stanwood and as a teacher at St. Mary Magdalen and St. Thomas More!

Stephanie Van Leuven – Retiring from St. Frances Cabrini, Lakewood. Stephanie has served the last 22 years as principal there. She was principal at St. Francis Assisi for 9 years prior to going to Cabrini and prior to that was principal at two schools in Spokane (Assumption School and St. Thomas More). Stephanie also taught in Spokane and my math leads me to a grand total of 49 years of serving in Catholic Education! Wow!! What a gift she has given to the many children and staff members she served!!

Sally Merriwether --Retiring from Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bremerton. Sally has most recently served the past 6 years as principal at Star. She has also been principal at St. Michael in Olympia (4 years), Immaculate Conception (3 years), and Assumption School in Spokane for a year. She taught at Queen of Angels for 13 years. She was awarded the NCEA Distinguished Principal Award in 2005.

Sr. Linda Riggers -- Retiring from St. Anthony, Renton. Sr. Linda has served the past 5 years as principal at St. Anthony. As a Sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, she has served as a principal at St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assisi in Spokane, and at St. Peter in Ontario, Oregon. She was a teacher at St. Anne School in Seattle and St. Frances Cabrini in Tacoma.

Francie Jordan -- Retiring from St. Patrick, Tacoma where Francie has served the past 10 years as principal. Prior to coming to St. Patrick, Francie served in the Tacoma Public Schools as the Early Childhood Program Specialist, Facilitator of the New Teacher Mentor Program, Specialist of Curriculum Development for Elementary Science and as a classroom teacher gaining 30 years of experience.

Sr. Joanne McCauley – Retiring from St. Mary Magdalen after giving a total of 53 years in service to Catholic education. She has served the past 19 years as principal at St. Mary Magdalen. She also served 22 years as principal at St. Luke’s where she earned her Doctorate Degree and began the program to support students with dyslexic language challenges. She has taught at St. Mary-Aberdeen, St. Benedict, St. Joseph-Chehalis, Perpetual Help in Everett and St. Francis of Assisi. She was awarded the NCEA Distinguished Principal of the Year Award in 1990.

Br. Dominic Murray – Retiring as principal from O’Dea High School after 18 years. He taught at O’Dea for 5 years, left to be a principal in California and then returned as principal in 1994. He will be enjoying a year of sabbatical and the Leadership team of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers will determine where he will be assigned at the end of the sabbatical year.

Agnes Jacobson – Retiring from S. John School where she has served as principal the past 12 years. She also served as principal at Our Lady of Guadalupe for 12 years and interim at St. Catherine. Her teaching in the Archdiocese included Our Lady of Lourdes–Seattle, St. George, St. Bernadette and St. Anthony! Agnes was awarded the NCEA Distinguished Principal of the Year Award in 2002.

We thank the following administrators who are moving on from their current schools in our Archdiocese to new adventures…
Rose Goeres from Assumption, Bellingham to the Diocese of Baltimore !!
Mike Sweeney from St. Nicholas, Gig Harbor to the Diocese of Chicago !!
Maureen Blum from St. Benedict to new adventures as a Grandma… and ???
Randy Peters from Holy Rosary, Seattle to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa
Joe Budde from St. Bernadette, St. Philomena and St. Therese who claims he is really retiring.


The Following are the Principals new to their positions next year.