LOHS Welcomes New Administrators to its final chapter
New Assistant Principal, Kent Green
Principal Houser, ready for a new year of leadership.
Photos courtesy of www.mccrackencountyschools.net
Kendall Greene
Staff Writer
This year we see another shift in administration and an assistant principal who isn’t quite new to Lone Oak. Both are bringing with them a lot of devotion and experience to their new jobs.
Matthew Houser has been appointed the new principal of Lone Oak High School. Mr. Houser has become a welcome leader around the school through his previous position as assistant principal. Many students also know him from their time spent at Hendron Lone Oak Elementary School, where Houser taught 5th grade math for five years. Principal Houser is a sports junky who loves to watch and compete in all sports and is “very competitive.” When not helping students or watching the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats, his favorite way to spend time is with his family. Mr. Houser says that “the most important thing on the planet is to be a good dad and a good husband”.
Our new principal didn’t just end up at LOHS by mistake. There were many factors that lead Mr. Houser to where he is today. He originally majored in Agriculture Science and Business Administration at Murray State University. After working in sales, Houser came to the realization that “If you’re going to work a job for forty years, it should be something that you love”, and who he really has a passion for are students. Houser re-entered school and earned degrees in Elementary Education and School Administration. Houser said that he’s always had a passion for kids, while interested in the administration side of school as well. For Mr. Houser, who graduated as Valedictorian at Reidland High, working at a McCracken County school was ideal. Mr. Houser said that the staff at LOHS made his transition to high school leadership “easy” and “warm.”
Principal Houser has a refreshing approach to education and leadership. Houser states that his door is always open and “not closed to anybody”. Mr. Houser says he is very relationship-based and always willing to talk to students. He says that he’s open to suggestions from students on all issues, from pep rallies to senior trips. He also pointed out that all of Lone Oak’s administrators and counselors are always willing to help and talk to any student. Our administration cares about students and their futures, and this helps in Mr. Houser’s belief that “students respond when they realize how much you care about them.”
As another year rolls in we also welcome one more devout leader to our administration. Mr. Kent Green, a graduate of our very own Lone Oak High School (1995) welcomes his new position with great expectations. With his Bachelor’s degree in History (Murray State) and Master’s in History (Western Kentucky University), nine years of teaching World Civ and U.S. History have proven Mr. Green to be a good educator. This year won’t be Green’s first year in school administration. Last year he served as Union County’s A-School principal. Assistant Principal Green is glad to be returning to his high school and to see that we have such “top notch students”. Being a LOHS graduate, Green realizes the large amount of senior pride and supports all of Lone Oak’s current students, saying that “now, we are Lone Oak”. Mr. Green realizes that it is important to celebrate our last year as Lone Oak, and not to just prepare for the new school merger. He says that he is open to any ideas that benefit Lone Oak’s students.
Assistant Principal Green’s approaches to education and discipline are straight-forward and fair. Mr. Green believes that “if you do what is best for the student, you are doing what is right.” Green takes a student-considerate view on education and discipline and likes to look at the overall effect that decisions have on students. He also notes that students want “fair, direct, and consistent” actions from teachers and administration. Assistant Principal Green believes in all students being treated fairly and equally, with no special or harsh treatments. Mr. Green says, “You need to treat student A the same as student B.”
This year offers us many new opportunities to have our ideas heard by administration with open-door policies and open minds. We should be excited to be able to celebrate our “Final Chapter” at Lone Oak with leaders who are devoted to the success of every student.