A 35-minute conversation turned the next 35 years of Dan Lane’s life into a completely different direction.
Well, maybe not completely different. Lane graduated college thinking most of his life’s work would be in ministry. Instead, he’s been doing a different kind of mission work by molding students.
“An education degree seemed like a good fit for the mission field,” Lane said. “My intention was to get a degree, teach a few years, then go to seminary.”
Lane graduated from Louisiana College and stayed in Rapides Parish, teaching at Alexandria Junior High. After his first year, the principal Mr. Kenneth Allen called him into his office.
“I was terrified I was in trouble,” Lane said. “He sat me down and he goes, ‘I don’t want to get between you and your relationship with the Lord. I understand you want to go to seminary. Is that still your goal?’”
Lane said yes, but the next part of the conversation changed his perception on how he could serve others. In that first year of teaching, about half of Lane’s students were in unstable homes.
“He (Allen) said, ‘You don’t have to go halfway across the world to be a missionary. It’s arguable with America and our affluence, it may be the hardest mission field there is,’” Lane recalled.
Allen encouraged Lane to stay in education, and if he did, he should look into administration. The seed was planted, and Lane started classes the following fall to get his Master’s and teaching certification. He spent five total years at Alexandria Junior High and started taking on some administrative duties, in addition to teaching. He then returned home to Richland Parish and became assistant principal, and later principal, at Rayville Junior High.
“Most everyone in Rayville thought it was the worst and toughest school around,” Lane said. “It really was not as tough as some people thought, but it did need some structure, and we did great things there.”
With Lane’s leadership, Rayville cut its discipline referrals in half and nearly doubled its test scores in the 4 years he was principal. He came to West Monroe in 2002 under then-principal Buddy Reed, and he’s never left. He married former Miss West Monroe and Homecoming Queen Jennifer Worley, and two of their three sons are now at West Monroe, with the youngest at West Ridge Middle School.
“I feel like I’ve been here forever just about, but I think being from the outside gives me an appreciation for what we are, and what we can be,” Lane said. “We need to know what makes us strong and build on that.”
Lane identifies what makes West Monroe High School so strong. He points to the sense of ownership that alumni and the community have to keep the largest high school in the district at the top.
“They’re willing to invest their time, their money and their attention to support it – these programs and its growth and its well-being,” Lane said. “When you lose that – whatever kind of school you are – when you lose that, you rarely get it back. To keep it, you’ve got to build on it. You can never take it for granted. You’ve got to be intentional about keeping that ownership.”
For the past 20 years, Lane has witnessed that ownership first-hand from the students and faculty. So when the chance came to become the principal and to continue that mindset of West Monroe, it was a no-brainer.
“Why would a principal not want to be principal of a school that has so many resources to do so many awesome things?” Lane said. “It’s never a question of to what level are we going to do the things we choose to do. There’s always one standard. We’re going to be excellent, and we want to compete.”
Lane commits to excellence in his everyday life too, calling himself a servant. Then, there is his outward appearance, which he is also intentional about. It is not often you find Lane without a bow tie on.
“I think a tie is a great statement to students – my principal takes his job seriously, and that’s someone they can trust,” Lane said. “I think a tie says that, but I think a bow tie is actually kind of like a smile. A regular tie says I’m all business but does not necessarily have a smile.”
It is welcoming, and that is what Lane wants to bring to his new role as principal at West Monroe High School. However, one thing he is not doing is moving to the office of head principal. It’s a little further away and more isolated than his current office, and Lane wants to stay in the middle of the action and be visible.
“My door opens to the hall,” Lane said. “For a school this big, I think a principal needs to be really engaged in what’s going on in the classrooms, what’s going on in the hall, guidance and student services and the nurse. I think that suits my style. I just want to be all eyes and ears. I want to know first-hand what the pulse of the school is.”
THE LANE FILE:
1989-1995: Alexandria Junior High
1995-1998: Rayville Junior High, Assistant Principal
1998-2002: Rayville Junior High, Principal
2002-2023: West Monroe High School, Assistant Principal
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