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Main Campus

Robert Burnside

Robert Burnside

Principal

Mr. Burnside has served as the principal of Lakota East High School since August 2021. An original Thunderhawk, he was an English teacher when Lakota East opened in 1997 before leaving the district to enter administration. He returned to Lakota East as the associate principal of East Freshman Campus prior to moving into his current role after a stint as the principal of New Richmond High School. His passion as an educator is to create a school culture where students feel excited about learning and attending and staff feel there is no other place where they would rather be, and he loves seeing #theEASTway evolve each and every day. Outside of school, he and his wife, Angelique, are the parents of 6 children. He enjoys reading, writing, hiking and traveling when he is away from school.

Matthew MacFarlane

Matthew MacFarlane

Assistant principal

Mr. MacFarlane has worked in the Lakota School District since 2014 and has been an assistant principal in charge of students with the last name L-Z at Lakota East since 2019. Before he started teaching in the suburbs of Chicago in 2007, he completed his undergrad from DePaul University and earned his master's from Concordia University Chicago. He is a fan of all things Lakota East and enjoys positively impacting the lives of others. 

Katrina Fugate

Katrina Fugate

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Fugate has been in education for 22 years as an English teacher and an assistant principal. She graduated from Miami University and Wright State. This is her first year at  Lakota East. In her role, she oversees students with last names beginning with A-K.

Doug Hale

Doug Hale

SRO

Deputy Hale began working in Lakota in 1995. He has been the school resource officer (SRO) at Lakota East since the school opened 1997.

Deputy Hale enjoys being around the students, building positive relationships with them and being able to assist them if help is needed. He enjoys seeing the students laughing and having fun, as school resources officers enjoy this as well.

Since 1985, Deputy Hale has worked with the Butler County Sheriff's Office on the road, in detectives, crime prevention and then as an SRO position for Lakota. He is a founding board member of the Ohio School Resource Office and now serves as president.

Deputy Hale takes his role as school resource officer very seriously and is committed to the safety and security of Lakota East. He encourages parents to reach out to him if they have a need, question or anything to report about their child or another student.

Dawn Hetterich

Dawn Hetterich

Office Secretary

Mrs. Hetterich worked at Ridge Junior High and Liberty Junior High for 3 years in the cafeteria and as an instructional aide before joining the Lakota East Team in 2019. She is responsible for attendance for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Mrs. Hetterich has 4 children who have all attended Lakota East.

Valerie Hobbs

Valerie Hobbs

Registered Nurse

Ms. Hobbs has been a nurse for 14 years.  She has worked for Lakota Local School District since 2018,  joining the team at Lakota East in 2021.  Ms. Hobbs graduated from Good Samaritan College and Ohio University.  In her role, she is the contact for all things medical in the building.  Outside of school, she enjoys watching her children in sports, traveling, and reading.

Susanne Linder

Susanne Linder

Office Manager

Mrs. Linder spent two years at Shawnee Early Childhood School before joining the Lakota East team in 2014. As office manager, she is responsible for school communication and purchasing for the building. She also works with the school substitutes, assisting with any concerns.

Mrs. Linder earned a BA in Communication Arts from University of Cincinnati and has an MBA from Xavier University. She has 3 children who all attended Lakota East High School.
 

Jill Meiring

Jill Meiring

Assistant Principal, Athletic Director

Ms. Meiring is beginning her first year as the Athletic Director at Lakota East, and her sixth year overall in the district. She was previously the Assistant Athletic Director and Facilities Manager at East and has extensive experience in athletic administration and coaching. As a former basketball coach, Ms. Meiring coached collegiately at Transylvania University and Marietta College, as well as Hamilton High School and Saint Ursula Academy. During her time at SUA, Meiring was also the head field hockey coach for one year and assistant Athletic Director.  Ms. Meiring is looking forward to a great sports season for all of our Thunderhawk student-athletes!

Keri Myers

Keri Myers

Office Secretary

Mrs. Myers joined the Lakota East team in 2018. She is the Main Office Secretary and is  responsible for issuing work permits and parking passes.  She has two children who both attended Lakota East High School.

Freshman Campus

Bill Brinkman

Bill Brinkman

Titles: Associate Principal
Email:
Biography:

Mr. Brinkman is entering his 32nd year in education.  He began his career as a high school math teacher, coaching various sports, in Indiana.  After spending 10 years in Indiana, Mr. Brinkman moved to Ohio and continued teaching.  In 2009, he began his administrative career as an Assistant Principal at the Lakota East Freshman Campus.  After 13 years in this role, Mr. Brinkman is excited to serve as the Associate Principal at East Freshman, leading the amazing staff and students to success.  He exhibits a growth mindset, valuing each and every student, while helping them to reach their full potential.

Bethany Noble

Bethany Noble

Titles: Assistant Principal
Email:
Biography:

Ms. Noble is beginning her first year as Assistant Principal at Lakota East Freshman Building. She served as a school psychologist for the past 11 years.