Southern Hancock Superintendent Lisa Lantrip
NEW PALESTINE — It’s not often a district superintendent isn’t clued in on the happenings at a school board meeting, but the Southern Hancock School Board surprised superintendent Lisa Lantrip recently, in a good way.
The board presented Lantrip with a special letter, recognizing her for a recent honor earned from Indiana University as the recipient of the IUSAA Outstanding Contributions to Ed Leadership Award.
Lantrip, along with two other Indiana University education graduates who officials say have made lasting contributions in the field of education were given the award in early December 2022 at a special conference. However, Lantrip didn’t want to make a big deal of the honor and wanted to let it slide by without acknowledgement. When school board district officials got word of the award they decided to surprise Lantrip recognizing her career-long achievements and contributions to education.
School board president Dan Walker said the board extended their heartfelt congratulations to Lantrip on being awarded Monday, Jan. 9 during the first meeting of the year. Walker read from a letter during the meeting as a surprised Lantrip sat quietly and smiled.
“This is such a well-deserved honor, and we are thrilled to see you being recognized for your exceptional work,” Walker said. “As a teacher and school superintendent, you have dedicated your career to improving the lives and education of students in the communities in which you have served. You have consistently demonstrated the ability to inspire and guide others, and we have no doubt that the positive impact you have made will continue to be felt for years to come.”
Lantrip, who has never been one to toot her own horn noted she was humbled and grateful to receive this award from Indiana University.
“I am also appreciative of our board and my colleagues for surprising me with a celebration at Monday’s board meeting,” she said. “When you are surrounded by talented and committed educators, these kinds of awards are also a testament to their dedication to improving the lives of children.”
Board officials believed the lifelong achievement award in education was too important to not acknowledge Lantrip, even inviting her husband to attend the board meeting to her surprise.
“I wish I had known you were going to do this — I would have fixed my hair better,” she said to the board while laughing.
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Katy Eastes said Lantrip has had a distinguished career and has shown outstanding leadership to the district and deserved the acknowledgement.
“Dr. Lantrip meets all the criteria and many more,” Eastes said. “It’s not often an honor is earned by a superintendent, so we want to pause and recognize her for her outstanding career in Southern Hancock.”
