Mike Picciottoli, Head of School at TRA

Dear TRA Community,

Praise God for the opportunity for me and my family to become part of The River Academy Community! My wife Katie and I, along with our three children (Gabe, Jenny, and Eben), are beyond excited. Below is a brief history of what brought me to TRA. My entire family will be visiting TRA toward the end of April so that Katie and I can attend the yearly Gala. Then, Lord willing, we will begin driving out to Wenatchee (a 40+ hour drive!) around June 16th. 

Friday, June 9, will mark the completion of my 20th year in the educational field. Although God provided me with work in high school at a toy store, McDonald's, and a gas station, my first full-time education job was as a fifth grade public school teacher in New Jersey. For 2 years, I taught fifth grade; then for the next 7 years, I taught middle school history. (I love working with middle school students!) During these 9 years, I earned two master's degrees- one in educational technology and one in education leadership. 

For the next six years, I was a vice-principal in two different public schools. In the first school, I worked with students in fifth and sixth grades, and in the second school, I worked with students in grades K-5. During the last three years as a vice-principal, God also called me to be the board president of Trinity Christian School (TCS), the Classical Christian school where I am currently the Head of School. 

In October of 2022, an email popped up in my inbox about a HOS opening at TRA. At first, I opened the job description with the hopes of passing it on to a colleague or someone else that would be interested; but the more I read, the better this unknown place sounded. 

I can still vividly remember calling Katie and saying, “I think I should submit my resume for this Head of School job in Washington State. I seem perfectly qualified for this job and maybe God is leading us in this direction…” With each step in the interview process, God continued to make it more and more clear that He has perfectly suited me for TRA! And with each new interaction with someone from TRA - be it Mr. Salcido, Mrs. Griffith, Mrs. Hysom, Mr. Howat, Mrs. Harris, or any other person I meet - God continues to confirm that TRA is the new home of the Picciottoli Family.

The joys I have experienced and the relationships built here at TCS over the past five years will be missed, but as the old hymn goes “God moves in a mysterious way…” When this school year began, I would never have imagined what God had in store for the future, but how thankful I am that He has made it clear that TRA is the future He has planned for me and my family.

The Picciottoli Family is honored to become a part of this community. From my almost 20 years in education, it is crystal clear that TRA is something extremely special. May God continue to bless TRA, and I look forward to meeting everyone in person soon. 

In Christ,

Mike Picciottoli