Joseph Gulino said his retirement from his position as principal at St. Peter Interparish School in Jefferson City was a calling from God.
"Walking the halls and being in the classrooms, I felt like my job was done," Gulino said.
Gulino served as principal of the Catholic school for 14 years. Before joining St. Peter's, Gulino was the director of graduate studies and teacher of clinical experience at Central Methodist University. He also was principal of St. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Boonville for 12 years and principal of Helias Catholic High School for two years.
"Not having to think about everything at all times is kind of nice," Gulino said of retirement.
Gayle Trachsel took over Gulino's position as principal of St. Peter's. Trachsel was previously principal of Our Lady of the Snows in Mary's Home.
Gulino said the biggest educational change at St. Peter's during his tenure was an increased focus on kindergarten readiness.
In October the year before a child will attend kindergarten, the school holds a parent meeting to outline skills needed to enter kindergarten and expectations of children in kindergarten.
"It's really about the things students should be progressing toward," Gulino said. "The greatest takeaway was to see the largest percentage of students in the classroom ready to learn."
He said the biggest religious change at the school was focusing more on the different aspects of Catholic faith.
Although Gulino is retired, he said he has plenty of activities planned for to keep him busy. He published a book in December and already has ideas for additional books in the series.
The book, titled "Principles of Fearless Leadership," highlights "understanding and adopting the principles of powerful leadership and implementing them."
Some of the leadership principles Gulino outlines in the book came from an online leadership course he taught at the University of Missouri. He said he would like to teach more online courses.
He also plans to spend time with his daughter on her horse farm in Michigan.
"I really plan on doing whatever I want," Gulino said. "I want to travel and visit a lot of friends."