Two Catholic schools thank retiring administrators, name new leadership

January 19, 2022

As the second half of the school year begins, two longtime leaders in Catholic education in the Des Moines metro area prepare for retirement while two new leaders are getting ready to step up.

Ellen Stemler, of St. Theresa Catholic School in Des Moines, was baptized at St. Theresa Catholic Church, educated at Holy Trinity Catholic School and Dowling Catholic High School. She began her career teaching at St. Theresa, and retires from the school after having introducing and supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs.

Gretchen Watznauer has been named the new school administrator. Watznauer brings more than 25 years of experience in education, having served as an assistant administrator at St. Francis of Assisi, a classroom teacher for Des Moines Public Schools and Waukee Community Schools and a program coordinator with the Iowa Department of Education. You can learn more about her here.

Also retiring is Mary Jo Kever, of St. Pius X School in Urbandale. A product of Catholic education and a graduate of Dowling Catholic High School, Kever has spent her career working in Catholic schools. This is Kever's fourth year as principal at St. Pius X. She previously served as the assistant principal at Sacred Heart Catholic School in West Des Moines and served at Holy Trinity School in Des Moines. 

Alex Baranosky will be the new school administrator. He brings more than a decade of experience in education as a classroom teacher at Dowling Catholic High School and assistant administrator at St. Pius X School. You can learn more about him here.

The Diocese of Des Moines is grateful for the many years of dedicated service to Catholic education by Stemler and Kever and we wish them well on their future endeavors.