A Calling Close to Home: Principal's Journey Back to Wisconsin

Joshua Peel, an Appleton native, saw God plant the seed for something life-changing on a chilly winter morning.

Josh visited his in-laws at their church in Mequon. They told him that Kris Austin had visited their church a few weeks ago. They explained that Kris, after 35 years of running Ozaukee Christian School, would be retiring after this school year. And there was no principal to take her place.

That got Josh and his wife Mary’s attention. At the time, Josh was working as a principal at a Christian school in Illinois. And although Josh loved it there, he felt God pulling him and Mary back to Wisconsin.

“Could this be our opportunity to move back home?” he wondered.

Josh and Mary had begun dating when they were teaching at a Christian School in Oshkosh. She was a music teacher, and he was a math and Bible teacher.

“I loved teaching math and the Bible,” said Josh. “I was able to integrate Christ’s world into math, and it was changing lives.”

Josh held degrees in youth ministry and Bible education from Moody Bible Institute. He was so inspired by what God was doing through him that he decided to add a bachelor’s in math and a master’s of science and math education to his resume.

He and Mary were married in 2022, and Josh began working his first principal job in Illinois.

When Mary’s parents moved to Ozaukee County, the Peels wanted to visit. And that is how Josh found himself presented with an unexpected opportunity from God on that chilly winter morning. Josh applied for the position of principal at OCS and was accepted.

Now he and Mary — with their two-year-old son and a baby girl expected to arrive any day now — are moving to Saukville to be close to OCS and Mary’s family.

When asked how he would help to ensure OCS’s future success, Josh said, “Step one is reliance on God! Paul told us about the church in Corinth. He planted, and the disciples watered, but God provided the growth! I want the students to keep their hearts open to the work of the Lord. I am just here to prepare the soil."

Josh emphasized that he has no intentions of rushing in and making changes; he wants to “learn the culture” to determine how to best serve OCS and its families.

“My goal is to learn. I have my own leadership tendencies and personality, but we have the same mission of cultivating the next generation to impact the world for God’s glory,” said Josh. “I am passionate about making sure that students receive an education that is excellent and God-glorifying."

Josh explained that the school board’s decision to “split” leadership responsibilities into the roles of principal and head of school is something that will continue to evolve as he and Chris Bergstresser, the next head of school, settle in.

Josh said, “I will be working more closely with the teachers, students, education, discipline, and the community. Chris will be working more on the long term goals.”

Josh added that he is excited to get to know the OCS community. He looks forward to meeting everyone and learning from them.