Prince of Peace principal retires
May 23—Prince of Peace Catholic School Principal Joe Brown will retire with the end of the current school year. Assistant Principal Stephanie Burke has been chosen to fill his vacated position.
"She'll be terrific," Brown said. "She's got a much stronger academic teaching background than I do."
Originally from Lyons, Brown left Clinton in 1971 and spent 1979-1985 in the Iowa Senate.
In 2022, he returned to Clinton after 51 years. He was eight weeks into retirement from his previous positions in Minnesota.
He heard of the school's need for a principal and decided to apply for the position which he accepted with the intent to fill the role for only a single year.
In November, Brown neared the end of his second year as both principal and high school government economics teacher and made the decision to retire.
"I'm 73 years old," he said earlier this week. "I've just got other things I want to do."
He plans to take on the rehabilitation of a Lyons neighborhood home.
"I'm thankful to Mr. Brown for all of his mentoring, guidance, and encouragement over the last two years," Burke said.
Burke first started teaching at Prince of Peace Catholic School in a long-term kindergarten substitute position in 2011. She then joined the staff full-time as the middle school math and science teacher in 2013, before spending the last two years as the assistant principal.
She earned a bachelor of arts in elementary education from Ashford University in 2009 and a master's degree of education from Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, last year.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead Prince of Peace Catholic School next school year," Burke said. "My goal is to continue to build a positive, respectful culture that celebrates student success in all areas, is rich in Catholic traditions, encourages students to share their faith, and also allows them to grow academically, socially, and spiritually."
