For most students, the administration can come off as daunting and scary, but they are all here to help guide students on their journey through graduation. Their careers are vital for students and staff support in order to provide a safe and welcoming environment for learning. As the new year started, our school and community gained a new face in leadership. Coming from St. Louis, Dr. Chris Daughtry brings a new light to Lewis Cass School Corporation.
With the disconnect of administration from the student body, many kids forget these leaders grew up just like them. Coming from a large high school in Kentucky himself, Dr. Daughtry comments, “I was part of a graduating class of almost 500 students. I was a pretty quiet student that was fairly average.” Like many students here at Lewis Cass, Daughtry enjoyed playing sports, including basketball and tennis. With his school’s large size, playing multiple sports was a struggle, and eventually, he chose tennis as his main focus. Connections with teachers can be hard within a school of such a large size, but Daughtry found an important one, saying, “I really only had one teacher that I connected with, which was my tennis coach” and admitted, “I never really took my academics as seriously as I should have.”
After high school, Daughtry completed active duty training with the Air Force and attended the University of Kentucky. He would then transfer to Purdue University to graduate with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Dr. Daughtry would eventually receive his Master’s Degree in Education while attending Indiana Wesleyan University. He would also earn an Education Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership. To cap off these many degrees, he received his new title as Dr. Daughtry with a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Oakland City University. During this time, his family would move to Wabash, Indiana, and Daughtry would serve at nearby Grissom Air Force Base as a reservist. His familiarity with the area is what drew Daughtry to Lewis Cass, with many friends and family residing in North Central Indiana.
Dr. Daughtry’s experience in large schools motivated him, and his love for teaching grew as he moved up the ranks through principal and eventually superintendent positions, stating, “I always really enjoyed working with students and you get a little further away from that as a superintendent.” With his arrival at Lewis Cass, Dr. Daughtry is excited about being a part of our community and notes that “The thing that I really heard over and over about Lewis Cass was really the pride that the community takes in the schools, the kids, and the programs.” He admires the investments the corporation has made into the athletic and band programs, which help students succeed for years to come. His goal is to help the corporation increase and keep our enrollment numbers steady by attracting students with an academically competitive environment where kids can engage in many activities and extracurriculars.
While these goals and aspirations seem firm and serious, Dr. Daughtry is a caring and fun guy at heart. He says, “I spend a lot of time with my four girls and wife. I play tennis in my spare time and still like going to the gym and shooting baskets. I also picked up playing the guitar about ten years ago, and even though I am average at best, I enjoy playing the guitar.” Along with these hobbies, Daughtry’s other passion is sports. From collegiate to pro, he has favorites from all different stages of his life. Growing up in Kentucky, Kentucky Wildcat football and basketball sit close to his heart, but he follows many locals with some Boiler blood in him as well. Dr. Daughtry also grew up watching many Chicago Cubs games, and he would form a lifelong fandom to. As he grew older, he became an avid soccer fan, stating, “I started watching the US Men’s National Team and then got into the Premier League. I cheer for Everton Football Club based out of Liverpool England and St. Louis City SC (soccer club), which is a Major League Soccer team” He became a season-ticket holder with St. Louis and started a supporter’s club for Everton, where they would meet on Saturday mornings to support their squad across the pond.
Our new superintendent fits in with our Lewis Cass community and is a brilliant addition to our administration. The mint chocolate chip and Bruno’s pizza enthusiast is a true representation of leadership for our corporation. Dr. Daughtry has a bright plan for our school and has the experience and care to execute it. Our new king is in the castle and is the perfect guy for the throne. It’s good to be a King!
