.png)
“Mr. Koehne has been my principal for three years now. After I heard that he wasn’t going to be principal this year, I freaked out because I thought he was leaving Valley Lutheran. Thankfully, that was not the case. Mr. Koehne is the Executive Director this year, which is awesome! I’m still glad I get to see him on campus every day and be blessed by his presence.”
This tribute was written by a senior student, who also specifically mentions the blessings of him knowing the name of every student at school, greeting everyone by name, wanting to know how everyone is doing, and teaching valuable lessons by his example and through his chapel messages.
Mr. Koehne was issued a call in June of 2009 to come and be the principal, but before that he worked in the area of social service at a residential group home for emotionally disturbed and behavior disorder children. From there he moved on to work at Walther Lutheran High School just outside of Chicago, which was the high school he graduated from. There he served in many capacities including teacher, guidance counselor, dean of students, registrar, football coach and basketball coach.
His professional education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Masters of Arts in Teaching, both degrees from Concordia University Chicago.
Mr. Koehne’s wife, Mia, is a singer and speaker who travels throughout the country speaking and worship leading at Aspire Women’s events. This fall she was in 31 cities between the middle of September and the middle of November. He says, “She is amazing at what she does and though I miss her while she is on the road, I know God has her doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing.” Their three children – Chris, Aaron, and Miriam – are all married and live in the Phoenix area. He adds, “Htai has been living with us since January and is a great addition to our family. We love having a teenager in the house and seeing him participate in everything Valley has to offer.”