Abby Glass, the new principal at St. Edmond Catholic School, has worn the green and white Gael colors before.

In the early 2000s, while Glass attended Iowa Central Community College, she coached eighth grade volleyball at St. Edmond.

“Joe Shanks (former athletic director) ended up keeping me for the whole year,” Glass, a native of Storm Lake, recalled. “They hired me and just in Catholic school fashion, they said, ‘would you want to do eighth grade girls basketball, too?’

Glass graciously accepted the offer.

“I was thrilled,” Glass said. “I had just got my coaching endorsement and knew I was going into education.”

And at the end of basketball season, Glass was asked if she would coach seventh- and eighth-grade track.

She once again accepted the opportunity.

“So I was there for the whole year,” Glass said.

St. Edmond President Mary Gibb announced the hire of Glass to be the school’s next principal on Friday. She replaces Linda Mitchell, who is retiring after 45 years in Catholic school education.

This time around, Glass won’t be calling plays for a sports team. She will be leading teachers and staff in grades K-12 and ensuring educational goals are met.

Gibb said Glass has “a proven track record in her passion for kids and education, her professionalism as she engages students and staff, and the life that she lives full of Catholic principles and practices.”

Gibb added, “Abigail and her husband have four children. She is extremely excited to join the St. Edmond family.”

Glass graduated from Iowa State University in Ames in 2004. She will receive her master’s degree in school leadership from Dordt University in May.

Glass, of Sac City, will begin her duties with St. Edmond officially on Aug. 1.

Prior to accepting the position, Glass served as a middle school language arts teacher at Kuemper Catholic School in Carroll. She taught there for nine years.

“Kuemper has been a wonderful place for me,” Glass said. “I owe a lot to Keumper as they have been like a family to me. But I feel like I’m ready.”

Glass has also taught at Sacred Heart School in Boone and at St. Augustin Catholic School in Des Moines.

“My heart has been in Catholic education since I started,” Glass said, “When I did my student teaching, I was placed in a Catholic school. I feel very comfortable in Catholic schools.”

Glass said she already feels at home among the Gael family.

“I can’t say enough about St. Ed and how welcoming they have been,” Glass said.

Glass said her experience as a classroom teacher will serve her well as an administrator.

“One of my greatest strengths is the 15 years I’ve spent in the classroom because I know what it’s like to be a teacher and I know students really well,” Glass said. “Having that understanding helps me connect with those two groups and even the families. To be a good leader, you need to know what’s going on in there and I’ve got that.”

The school setting has appealed to Glass since she was a child.

“I feel very blessed because I’ve known from a very young age that I wanted to be in education,” Glass said. “Some of my very first memories were playing school in my family’s basement.

“My whole life, I’ve been involved in education. I babysat and worked at day care centers — I’ve always gravitated toward working with children. I truly believe that from the beginning, that’s what I was supposed to be doing. It’s always seemed very natural to be in education and there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t been excited to go to school. Knowing that I’m doing what I think I was put here to do makes me extremely happy.”