St. Mary's Catholic School-Moscow

Dear St. Mary’s Families,
As you know, we at St. Mary’s Catholic School recently embarked on the process of hiring a new principal. As the chair of the School Board, I had the privilege of working with many people throughout this process and, now that we have found our new principal, I would like to share some of my experience with the community and thank all of those involved. I would also like to give our new principal, Greg Ahmann an opportunity to share with you more about himself.

To begin, I want to thank Mrs. Sandy Izzo for all that she has done for the school over the years, and I am so grateful that she will continue to serve our students as a teacher in our school. I know she is loved by many and will continue to make a positive impact on the school.

Regarding the process of searching for a new principal; whether through your volunteer efforts, your official duties, or through your prayers for the school, it has truly been a collaborative effort. To all members of the board, the staff, and other volunteers who provided input and worked to make this effort successful, you have my deepest gratitude.

I am thankful to Tammy Emerich, our superintendent, and Father Benjamin, our pastor, for their wisdom in helping us through the process; to ensure that we were following diocesan policies throughout, for screening initial candidates, and for helping to form a solid interview team to do a final evaluation of all qualified candidates and give our recommendation to the diocese.
Thank you to our interview team consisting of Father Benjamin (Pastor), Tammy Emerich (Superintendent), Tom Ristine (Board Chair), Peggy Quesnell (Staff), Danette Swam (Teacher/Parent), and Denise Hammrich (All Saints Catholic School Principal). Your efforts helped us to do a thorough evaluation of the candidates and I am so pleased on the unanimous recommendation that we made to hire Greg Ahmann as our new principal.

I know you will find, as we did, that Greg is faith-filled and ready to push forward the mission and Catholic identity of the school. He is a leader who can make positive change in the school, build support in the community, and ensure that the school continues to grow and operate with vitality. Greg has a demonstrated track record of successful leadership in his lengthy career and has offered numerous references from former superiors and peers that confirm the positive impact he has had on the organizations that he has been involved in. I am so grateful for his decision to come out of retirement and pour himself whole-heartedly into our school to ensure its success well into the future. 

Sincerely,
Tom Ristine
St. Mary’s School Board - Chair
 
 
Letter from Greg Ahmann:

Hi, my name is Greg Ahmann. I am so happy to announce that I have been selected as the new principal at Saint Mary’s Catholic School. 

A few friends asked me to apply for this position and my first thought was “no.” But I began to pray about it and, one morning as I was reading “Imitation of Christ”, I was struck to the heart by Jesus’ words to take up my cross and to follow him. I clearly felt Jesus calling me to move beyond my retirement and my projects to embrace this school with His heart of love. 

With Jesus’ and Mary’s guidance, I plan to build upon the great things that are happening at Saint Mary’s Catholic School and to set the bar even higher for our children. I’m walking into a wonderful support team. I plan on following national standards and benchmarks for effective Catholic elementary schools. Our school will be a place where our Catholic identity invites young people to a relationship with Jesus Christ, inserts them into the life of the Church, and helps them see the role of faith for the rest of their lives. We will provide curriculum which is academically rigorous, relevant, and infused with Catholic faith and traditions. We will offer sports and extracurricular activities.

I have 28 years of experience in administration and leadership. This I acquired through experiences as an Officer in the Air National Guard, where I even did a short stint as a pilot, as a Fire Lieutenant and Lead Investigator for the City of Yakima, as a negotiator for the firefighter’s union, as a property manager for North West Warehouse Leasing, and in my 40 years as a successful business owner. More importantly I’ve raised five great kids with my best friend and wife Brenda, whom I’m still happily married to. 

I ask for your support and prayers to make Saint Mary’s Catholic School a place where Christ is King, Mary our patron, and you, our community, our greatest advocate. With God’s grace we will make Saint Mary’s Catholic School a place where all Catholic families would be proud to send their kids. I’m looking forward to meeting and serving you.

God bless you! 
Greg