As many of you know by now, Luke Lutterman has taken the position of Triton's Superintendent. Most people know Luke from one of his previous positions at Triton, which began in the 10th grade! Luke grew up here, in Wasioja, and attended Triton School for his entire K through 12 education. As a 10th grader, his title was Community Education Recreational Assistant, and he went along on field trips, etc. He graduated in 2000. In his summers between college years he was one of the custodians at the school.
After high school, he attended St. Cloud State University for Health and Physical Education, and received his Master's degree in curriculum and instruction. From 2005 until 2010 he taught Physical Education and Health in St. Cloud at Stride Academy and was also the activities Director. From 2010 to 2013 he was given the opportunity to be the Principal and Athletic Director at Rushford-Peterson He was also the Activities Director at Sauk Rapids-Rice from 2013-2016. As you can see, education runs in his blood!
Nineteen years ago, he met and married his wife, Jill and they now have 2 children. Aidan is a 17 year old junior and Bella is in 8th grade, both at Triton.
I asked Luke what made him decide to go into the field of education. He replied, "I always wanted to have a positive impact on the lives of others. A number of teachers and coaches at Triton had a big influence on my life, and I wanted the same for others. My mother Cindy Lutterman worked at Triton, and seeing how she affected the kids and coworkers in a supportive and meaningful way made her a great role model."
He moved back to Dodge Center when he was offered the position of Principal of the Middle School. He worked in that position for 3 years, and for the past 6 years, he has enjoyed the position of Principal for grades 6 through 12. In the spring of 2024, Craig Schlichting, the current Superintendent, announced he would be retiring, and the job was posted internally to see if there was interest. After a lot of thought, Luke decided to apply, and now you know the rest of the story!
When I asked him if he could share some of his ideas and visions for his current position, his face lit up as he shared some of his thoughts. "I was a part of an operational levy in 2019 under Superintendent Schlichting, and we now have before us a Capital Projects Levy. I hope to educate each township in our district as to what this entails. I want to make sure our taxpayers have the information they need to make an informed decision. I would like to see the school continue to improve in all areas. I intend to build and maintain relationships with the citizens I serve and strive to be as approachable to the community as I can. I encourage everyone to talk to me about any issues they see as pertinent to educating our children, and want people to know I am available, and that my door is open to everyone, be they student, parent or a part of my administration."
I asked him what he saw as the most important piece of getting the job done consisted of, and he answered, "To create structures and systems where the professionals who work here have the support they need to transform the lives of their students, and doing so in a way that aligns with our community's vision of education." Well, that's a mouthful, and one I see as an intrinsic part of his current focus. I would say Triton School has a Superintendent who has a vision for the future of education in our children's lives and is very capable of getting the job done! Welcome, Superintendent Lutterman!!!
