LAMORINDA WEEKLY | New principal to take the helm at St. Perpetua


Karen Goodshaw

After 14 years at St. Perpetua Catholic Elementary School in Lafayette current principal, Karen Goodshaw, will be joining the Oakland Diocese as an Associate Superintendent for Leadership. Goodshaw leaves St. Perpetua in a very strong position with enrollment increasing by over 20% during the last two years. She also successfully collaborated with the Lafayette City Council to make the school safe for all community members in the neighborhood with the installation of a new LED crosswalk path on Hamlin Road. Goodshaw concludes her tenure at St. Perpetua after assisting thousands of students, teachers and parents.

Molly Gotchet will become St. Perpetua's new principal for the 2022-23 academic year. Gotchet comes to St. Perpetua from Ecole Notre Dame des Victories in San Francisco where she has been the Director of Student Life. In addition to her experience at Ecole Notre Dame, she has an extensive teaching background including working as a third-grade teacher at Our Lady of Grace School in Castro Valley. She also worked for the Oakland Unified School District as a Special Education teacher.

Gotchet completed her undergraduate studies and a master's degree at Saint Mary's College, and a master's degree in special education from Loyola Marymount University. She is also a current Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership candidate in the prestigious Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program for Catholic School Leaders at the University of Notre Dame. The St. Perpetua community is eager to welcome Gotchet onto its campus and is looking forward to her arrival in July.