Our Principal

Meet Mrs. Joanna Eichner

Mrs. Eichner has been principal at St. Matthew’s School since Fall 2009.  She began teaching here in Fall 2001.  Over the next few years she taught several subjects including upper grades religion, reading and language, and math.  She also student taught in Helena and Butte.  She earned a B.A. in Sociology and her Elementary Education (K-8) Certification both from Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA (Go ZAGS!!), and an M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Montana (Go Griz!!).

Mrs. Eichner loves to read and play the piano, but since her family consists of three
children under the age of 5, she is usually spending her free time with them.  They love to hike, camp, float the river, and play in the outdoors.  Her favorite saints are St. Theresa of Avila, St. Dominic, and St. Catherine of Sienna.  Her favorite school lunch is tomato soup and cheese tortilla (white tortilla, not wheat).  In fact, the best part of her day she says is lunch time!  But it is not just the soup and tortillas.  She has cafeteria duty every day from 11:30-12:35, and really enjoys this opportunity to visit with all the students during that time.

The thing Mrs. Eichner likes most about St. Matthew’s School is seeing all the smiles. She’s convinced that no other school has this many smiling faces.  ”Everyone who is here is here because they want to be, and it shows!”

Mrs. Eichner loves to teach, and said she knew without a doubt, when the dismissal bell rang on her first day in the classroom, that this is what she was meant to do.  She believes in children and in the power of knowledge.  ”Education is the first step toward success. The rest is a lot of hard work.  I believe anyone can do anything they set their mind to – it is just a matter of writing down your goals and working toward them.  Never give up!”