Luke to move up to WMS principal

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WORTHINGTON — When Worthington Middle School Assistant Principal Jeff Luke starts his new position this summer, he won’t have to move far.

Luke’s contract as the school’s next principal was approved Tuesday by the District 518 Board of Education. He replaces Clete Lipetzky, who has served as the interim principal for about a year.

“I think he and I have very similar styles. We don’t get worked up,” Luke said. “We go to the source of the problem … I think problems get solved faster that way.”

Luke looks forward to his new position and taking more of a management role, having greater influence on decisions made within the district and working more with the school’s budget. His time as principal may take him further away from his current disciplinary role, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stop working with students.

“I want to continue that contact with the kids,” he said.

When he came to WMS this school year, he had already served as assistant principal at Prairie Elementary for six years and knew many middle school students and their families. Getting to know the teachers will continue to be his challenge.

“Teachers are the experts as far as the curriculum,” he said. “I want to help them be leaders at the school as well.”

Shortly after graduating from Augsburg, he landed a job in Farmington, where he taught third and fifth grade for 14 years, also coaching ninth-grade basketball in the district and organizing student trips to Whitewater State Park.

Luke and his wife, Mary, have three daughters — Julia, Katherine and Elizabeth — and he keeps busy coaching their sports teams and trying his hand at golf. He serves on the board at the Worthington Area YMCA and also enjoys working on home improvement projects.

“Our house was built in the 1930s, so there’s always plenty to do there,” he said.

When he’s not repairing, coaching, or disciplining, Luke is left to prepare for his new position, which officially starts July 1. And though much of his experience has been in working with elementary students, he’s enjoyed his time with a slightly older group.

“It’s been a surprisingly good year. I’m happy with the staff and how they treat the kids,” he said. “I think the middle school is a great place to work and to go to school.”

Luke, a Hutchinson native, has a career in education spanning more than 20 years. He did his undergraduate work in elementary education at Augsburg College, later earning his master’s degree in elementary administration from the University of St. Thomas and his K-12 principal certification from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

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