Get to Know: Angie Palmer
Get to Know…
Angie Palmer, principal at St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic School in Bellevue, Nebraska.
Q: How long have you been a principal and what is your favorite part about the job?
A: I have just finished my first year of being principal. The favorite part of my job is that I get to see all the kids in the school every day. I also love sharing my faith with others and being principal allows me to share that with so many people: teachers, students, parents, grandparents, parishioners.
Q: How would you describe the value of Catholic education?
A. There is a special place for Catholic education. Any school can have math and reading, STEM labs, and libraries. Only in a Catholic school do students receive something beyond the academics of education- they receive the spiritual foundation that plants seeds for a life of faith. The value of having Jesus in the center of everything we do is priceless.
Q: What are some ways in which you express your faith at work and at home?
A. I enjoy praying the rosary every day. It is part of my daily routine. I’ve also been reading “Bible in a Year” by the Augustine Institute this year. It has been a great addition to my faith journey to dig into the Bible a piece each day and understand it more. At school I express my faith by seeing Jesus in every single person I come in contact with to treat everyone as Jesus would. I hope that when people meet me, they will feel God’s love and spread it to others.
Q: Can you tell us a unique fact about yourself?
A. Well, I’m pretty unique, so picking just one unique fact is a hard task. The one thing about me that I feel makes me unique is that I have such a variety of life-experiences that I feel very well-rounded. As a teacher, I have taught every grade from PK-8. Growing up, I sang in the choir and played the flute in the band in addition to playing volleyball, basketball, and softball. I even played volleyball and softball in college and still coach volleyball and softball to this day.
Something unique I own: When I went to World Youth Day in Denver when I was in high school, each member of my youth group received a wooden cross to wear. Pope John Paul II asked all in attendance to hold up an item to be blessed by him. Several in my youth group, including me, chose to hold up our wooden crosses. That night when we were heading back to our hotel, one of our cars got in a bad accident. Several people from my youth group were injured. Those that were wearing their crosses were completely unscathed! I still own this cross and have it near my bed and bring it with me when we travel knowing the Saint John Paul II is helping keep us safe. Not a lot of people can say they own something blessed by a saint. I think that’s pretty unique!
Q: What is your favorite thing to do?
A. My weekly hour in Eucharistic adoration is my favorite hour of the week. Being in the quiet of God’s presence calms me from the craziness and busyness of life taxiing my three daughters every which way to thousands of sporting practices, games, etc. 🙂
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Thank you for your service to our schools, Mrs. Palmer!