Cole named new Lutie principal

The Lutie School Board has announced that Kathalee Cole will be the new Lutie K-12 principal for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Her duties as principal will begin July 1. 

“As principal, one of my many goals will be to challenge students and staff to dream big and believe in impossible dreams and goals. The school is the bedrock of our community and should be a source of pride for all who work here and for students that attend school here,” Cole said. “Through hard work and dedication to success from our staff, students, parents and community members, we can accomplish any goal we, as a school district, set for ourselves. I look forward to working with students, staff and parents in the coming year to ensure the ongoing success of the school district.”

Cole, who has been employed at Lutie for three and a half years, now serves as Lutie agriculture teacher and guidance counselor. 

In a Times A+ teacher feature published in January, Cole said she plans to stay at Lutie until she retires. 

“Simply put, this is home for me,” she told the Times then. 

Cole comes from a long line of educators. Her father retired after serving as an ag teacher for 38 years. Her sister is currently a high school ag teacher in Arkansas, and her mother taught school for two years as well. 

Following a varied career in which she served as both a child sex abuse investigator and child support enforcer, Cole says she’s found her real purpose working with students in schools. 

She earned a master’s degree in agriculture education from Arkansas State University in 2001. She is currently pursuing an educational specialist’s degree. 

Cole replaces former Lutie principal Amy Lane, who left the district this spring. 

“I’m looking forward to her leadership and compassion as the new principal,” Lutie superintendent Scot Young told the Times Monday. 

Cole, who lives in Thornfield, has two adult children, William Cole, who splits his time between Ozark County and a family farm in northern Missouri, and Trevor Mansker, who is currently in naval boot camp. 

Ozark County Times

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