By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Okarche Public Schools has a new principal for the junior high and high school.
The board of education voted to approve Lisa Munson as its new leader.
Munson was the high school principal in Miami for the last 10 years but found herself looking for a job in central western Oklahoma when her husband, Eddie, took a job in Oklahoma City with Southern Shingle, a supplier for roofing contractors.
Munson had several interviews but something about Okarche won her heart.
“I was very impressed when I came to interview here,” she said. “I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma, so I’m a farm girl at heart. I think, from what I understand, it’s (Okarche) a tight-knit community with a lot of support for the schools.”
Other offers came her way, but Okarche was her top choice.
New leaders in any position can mean changes for those they serve, but Munson isn’t looking to make any major changes soon.
“My philosophy is to get to know the teachers, leaders, and students,” she said. “I think you have to sit back and see what the needs are. Technology continues to increase and we’ll continue to work with that. For me, it’s just (first) get to know the teachers, the school and the community.”
Superintendent Rob Friesen is pleased with the board’s decision to hire Munson.
“She brings a lot of experience and a lot of professionalism to the table, a quality person that really cares about kids,” he said. “She’s been a principal for a long time and knows the ins and outs of it.”
Munson started her teaching career at Mid-Del schools where she taught family and consumer sciences at Del City high school. After her marriage, the couple moved to her husband’s hometown in Miami.
Munson graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degrees in accounting and home economics and obtained her master’s degree in secondary school administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
The Munsons have four grown children and seven grandchildren. They do not plan to move to Okarche.
“We’re trying to stay somewhere fairly close to my husband’s work,” she said.
Munson replaces Andrea Magness who was hired two years ago from Shattuck. Magness has returned to that district but declined to comment about why she left Okarche.
