Marie Lippe always had a clear vision for her life: she wanted a big, loving family, a strong connection with God and a career dedicated to helping others. As a mother of four and a seasoned educator, she’s achieved all those dreams. “God had a plan to bring me back here,” shared the new principal of St. John XXIII School in Port Washington.

— One of nine kids, Lippe grew up in Newburg and studied education at Concordia University in Mequon. At Concordia, she also earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and her Reading #316 license.

— She has taught in the West Bend School District, Milwaukee Public School District, Port Washington School District, at Concordia University, and at St. John XXIII School in Port Washington for eight years, where she just assumed the role of principal for the 2024-25 school year.

— She and her husband, Jason, have been married for 26 years and are the parents of four children, all graduates of St. John XXIII.

Did you always know you wanted to be in education?

Early on in my life, because of my competitive nature and love of horses, I thought I wanted to be a jockey, but my mom told me, sadly, that I was too big. So, at a young age, I needed to rethink my dream job. I’m one of nine children, so I always knew in my heart of hearts that I wanted to be a mom, have kids and help others. So, I quickly gravitated toward being a counselor, but after just two classes, I changed my thinking to education. Once I took my first couple of classes and got into the classrooms and was able to see how impactful this career was, I realized this was definitely the career for me.

Not many little girls dream of being a jockey. Were you a horse lover?

I grew up on a little hobby farm, and I loved animals. I remember for my First Communion, I got a goat and I named him Peanuts, and it just progressed from there. My mom would always take in animals or dogs that needed a loving home, to teach us responsibility. My mom is just a saint because she is incredibly positive, sees the good and truly wants to help everybody. Once we took in a thoroughbred polo horse with no teeth and each kid could pick an animal to raise. I was so fortunate that I was able to bike down to a small stable and work, which is how I earned $200 to buy my first horse at age 11. Her name was Desert Dawn, and I trained her to be a gaming horse and competed at horse shows all over barrel racing and ring-spearing. Riding her was kind of like my therapy — when I had a really bad day, I would just jump on horseback and I would just go ride.

How did you come to teach at St. John XXIII?

All four of my children attended St. John, but at the time I was teaching in the public school system in West Bend. My nephew passed away, and it caused me to feel like I needed to recenter myself and reprioritize my life. We went to Tennessee on a family vacation, and we went hiking up in the mountains of Gatlinburg. And I had the most profound moment of my life. The sun had hit the top of the rocks and there was just this moment, this sense of (God saying), “I’ve got you. Everything will be OK.” After that hike with my family, I got a call from a parent at St. John that said, “Hey, one of our teachers is retiring, and we think you’d be great at that role.” I was hired within weeks as the middle school English Language Arts teacher, teaching fifth-eighth grade in my first year.

You played soccer and basketball in college — is your family athletic today?

My husband and I feel like there are so many wonderful, valuable lessons to be learned in team sports, so the kids have always been very involved in football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. But the rule was one sport a season. Having four of them in under six years, it’s like we’re constantly at sporting events, but we loved it. I have two boys that are playing collegiate football now and my daughter is playing collegiate volleyball, so yes.

What is the coolest place you’ve ever traveled?

The rainforest of Costa Rica. The beauty of God’s creation there — no picture does it justice. My husband and I went for our 25th wedding anniversary.

Who is someone you admire?

My parents are at the top of my list because they’re so strong and faithful. Having seven natural children and then adopting two and bringing them into our family, they live a life of love and adventure, and now there are 32 grandkids. All eight of my siblings live within 30 minutes of each other and we get together regularly. Some of my best memories are with all of them. I admire them for teaching me that love of family and that love of faith. But next on my list (who I don’t know) that I admire to be like is Immaculee Ilibagiza (survivor of the Rwandan genocide and international speaker on forgiveness and faith). Her forgiveness and the joy and grace of God that she brings into other people’s lives is just incredible.