Normand named new Lipan High School Principal

Lipan's new high school principal Dr. Jonathan Normand is a man of decision who left behind a basketball coaching career to seek a doctorate, although the path he initially chose changed.

The veteran coach decided to hang up his whistle in 2015 to "work on his doctorate and be a professor one day."

It wasn't a lack of success that drove the career change.

Arriving at Stephenville in 2012 from Godley, Normand instantly turned around a program that won four district games over three seasons and won back-to-back league titles with a 16-0 mark.

That 16-0 run almost overshadows Normand's first two seasons in Godley, where he was 27-1 and hoisted gold balls with the Wildcats, too.

In 2015, Normand's decision to leave basketball and concentrate on his future was fueled by a growing family that saw the arrival of twins Jonah and Jett the year before. The pair swelled Normand's family to six, counting his wife, Carrie, and older children Cole and Carsyn.

There was a driving need to be with his family and the longing to continue his career working with high school students.

"I had always heard as a coach that when you start looking at your watch because you're ready to be home with your kids, rather than everyone else's kids, it might be time to look at hanging up the whistle," Normand said. "I am talking about the extracurricular hours. I'm not talking about my teaching position at school. I was just ready to be home with my kids more than I was as a head coach."

Teaching has always been a passion for Normand, and courses like advanced quantitative reasoning, math models, algebra and more give him a chance to work with students one-on-one solving problems.

At a crossroads in his life, Normand went back to school to study toward being a "college professor" or maybe a "principal." While he was studying for an advanced degree, being a high school administrator won out.

"I wanted to do more than just teach math. I wanted to mentor teachers and help them become better at what they do every day," Normand said. "As an administrator, I have a greater influence and opportunity to do that. I see it as I'm still a coach, and I get to coach teachers because I'm part of a team."

After leaving his teaching position in Stephenville, Normand has served the past three years as an assistant principal at Weatherford High School. He has gotten experience in mentoring math teachers there.

Normand is replacing current principal Jodi Overton who will be moving to take over the position of Director of Special Programs.

Lipan superintendent of school Dr. Ralph Carter is pleased with his district's new hire.

"I'm excited about the addition of Dr. Normand. He came very highly recommended, and he was the unanimous choice of the selection committee. He is a man of high character and ethics, which makes him a perfect fit for Lipan," Carter said.

Carter also recognizes Normand brings a unique skill set to the table.

"As a former coach, he has a heart for kids. He is a team-builder and collaborator. He will do great things here," Carter said.

While he made some tough decisions in deciding his career path, Normand is confident he has made the right choices.

"In an administrative role, I've worked it out where I'm going have that closeness of working with both adults and kids," Normand said. "The Lipan community is smaller and tight-knit, and I see it as a great opportunity to influence kids on a smaller level number-wise but have a bigger impact on those kids."

Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231