Principal Matt Brungardt has accepted a new job as the principal of Salina Central High School and will be leaving LHS next year, he announced in an email to staff today.

Brungardt will serve out the remainder of his contract which expires in June. Brungardt has held the principal position at Lawrence High since 2009.

“Last night I accepted the principal position at Salina Central High School,” Brungardt said in the email. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Lawrence High School and I am proud of so many of our accomplishments together.”

One of the main reasons for the move is Brungardt’s deep ties to the Salina area.

“I grew up in Salina, I graduated from Salina Central High School, my parents have lived their forever, my dad grew up in Salina, and it was one of those things where you have the opportunity to go home, kind of return to your school,” Brungardt said. “There’s not many schools I would leave Lawrence High School for. There’s one or two, and that just happened to be one of them.”

Brungardt said he is proud of what he and the LHS staff have accomplished these past 10 years.

“I think the best thing was when we got the graduation to 90 percent because with the diverse population we have and the diverse economic backgrounds and all the challenges there I felt like that was the best thing we did,” Brungardt said. “The other thing I’m really pleased about is getting the AVID program up and running here. I think that has made a huge difference for a lot of students and helped them out.”

What Brungardt will miss most is not the building, but the people of Lawrence High.

“The thing I’m going to miss the most is the staff and the students,” Brungardt said. “You have an incredible teaching staff here. They work hard,- and they are just great people to work with on a daily basis.”

The next step for administration will be selecting a new principal. Junior Raymond Lesmana is looking for a principal who will reach out and communicate with students.

“I’m looking for a principal that cares about their students,” Lesmana said. “One that would communicate with their students more and be more outgoing.”

On top of communication, junior Keaton Hoy would like to see a principal who works with students and takes an interest in what they do.

“I’m looking for a principal who would be willing to work with students and teachers to facilitate positive change that students push for,” Hoy said. “I’d like a principal who seems to have an interest in the programs, student groups, and different activities of students of all varieties from Lawrence High School.”