Diocese has four new principals at its Catholic schools
Globe staff report
Posted August 15, 2002

Four new principals will guide Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City this year. Three other current administrators at diocesan Catholic schools are taking on new positions.

New principals are: Father Paul Deyo, Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City; Kristy Liechti, Danbury Catholic Grade School; Penny Miller, Kuemper High School in Carroll and Steve Shanks, Gehlen High School in Le Mars.

Father Deyo most recently served as the Dean of Students and associate principal at Heelan. He brings additional experience in school administration having served as the associate principal at Assumption High School in Davenport.

He has taught at St. Mary's High School in Clinton, Notre Dame International in Rome, Italy; and Regina High School in Iowa City. He has also served as an administrator/pastor at the following parishes in the Diocese of Davenport: St. Mary Church in Davenport, St. Peter Church in Cosgrove, St. Mary Church in Oxford and St Wenceslaus in Iowa City.

"As this is my first experience as a principal, I am grateful to Bishop DiNardo for the opportunity to serve families and students in the Heelan community," said Father Deyo.

He earned his bachelor's in English from St. Ambrose University, completed theological studies at St. Thomas Aquinas and received his master's in educational administration from Northeast Missouri State - Truman University.

Liechti served as a risk tutor for students in sixth- to eighth-grade, was a K-8 talented and gifted coordinator/instructor and was an elementary school principal.

"I am very pleased to join the Catholic family of educators as the elementary principal for Danbury Catholic," she said. "I have been very impressed with the warm welcome that has been given to me by the Danbury staff, parish and Sioux City Diocese."

Liechti earned an associate arts degree from the Des Moines Area Community College, a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Buena Vista in Storm Lake and a master's in educational leadership from Iowa State.

"I am looking forward to the 2002-2003 school year at Danbury Catholic, especially considering our enrollment is up by 16 percent for the upcoming school year," she said.

Liechti and her husband, John, have two children: Kevin, a high school sophomore; and Jay, a seventh-grader.

Miller served as a 6-12 principal at South Page School in College Springs, Iowa. She also served for 16 years as a special education instructor in Shenandoah, Iowa, and served there as an alternative high school coordinator.

"I have been given a very unique opportunity to serve the staff and students at Kuemper," she said. "I look forward to participating in the education process within a Christian atmosphere."

Miller earned a bachelor's degree at Morningside College in Sioux City and a master's in ed specialist/superintendency from Northwest Missouri State University.

Her husband Edward is an ordained deacon for the Diocese of Des Moines. They have two children: Elizabeth is a junior at Morningside and Andrew is a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa.

"Kuemper Catholic High School has a long standing tradition of academic excellence and I'm proud to now be a part of that process," said Miller.

Shanks will serve as the 7-12 principal at Gehlen Catholic. He has been the associate principal at East High School in Sioux City for the past two years. From 1995 to 2001 he served as head varsity baseball coach at East. He taught at East Middle School in Sioux City from 1993 to 2000 and from 1986 to 1993 taught at Eastwood Junior High in Cushing.

"Catholic schools, to me, have a great sense of purpose, a great sense of pride, and a great spirit," he said. My wife and my kids and I decided that we wanted to be a part of that."

He is a graduate of St. Edmond High School in Fort Dodge and Iowa State University in Ames.

Shanks and his wife, Michelle, have three children: Adam, 12; Nolan, 9; and Cara, 6.

Three other administrators already working for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City take on new positions this year.

Brenda Ferrie will move from assistant principal at Sioux City Sacred Heart Grade School and St. Michael Grade School to principal at St. Michael.

Marilyn Blum will transition from principal at Sioux City Sacred Heart and St. Michael to principal at Sacred Heart.

Ron Olberding, principal at Sacred Heart Grade School in Spencer, will take on additional responsibilities as the principal at St. Mary's Elementary School in Storm Lake.