After nearly three decades in education, Meadow Lands Elementary School Principal Kevin Lowe will retire at the end of the school year, closing a 27-year career with Daviess County Public Schools.
Lowe has spent the past 17 years leading Meadow Lands Elementary, helping guide the school’s academic growth while building a culture centered on relationships, community involvement, and student support.
“Meadow Lands has never simply been my workplace — it has been home. These years have shaped me in ways I could never fully express,” Lowe said.
Lowe began his career teaching special education at Highland Elementary School after interviewing with longtime educator Anita Newman while living in Louisville. He spent six years in the classroom before moving into administration, serving as assistant principal at Highland for several years before becoming principal at Meadow Lands.
Lowe said Newman was one of the mentors who encouraged him early in his career to pursue school leadership.
“She pretty much tapped me on the shoulder and guided me through many things — many failures as a teacher and administrator as well — and said, ‘This is kind of the path if you want to take it,’” Lowe said.
Under Lowe’s leadership, Meadow Lands Elementary developed a strong reputation for its focus on student support and school culture. The school has earned Gold status for its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program, which promotes positive behavior and social-emotional development alongside academic achievement.
Lowe said the success of the school has always come from the people inside the building.
“It doesn’t matter what in the world needs to be done, the staff that works here will take care of anything and everything,” Lowe said. “A lot of it goes behind the scenes. I probably only know half of the things they do just to make sure kids are taken care of, and people are taken care of.”
He said one of his guiding principles has been putting people first.
“We always tried to make sure we take care of people first,” Lowe said. “We take care of kids first, and then we take care of our employees by making sure their needs are met. If they’re not taken care of, then it’s not going to be a place people want to work.”
Over the years, Lowe said some of his favorite memories have come from the everyday interactions with students.
“My favorite part of every single school day has always been greeting students as they step off the bus or climb out of their parents’ cars,” Lowe said. “Those first few seconds tell you everything — a high five, a smile, sometimes tears already rolling down a child’s face.”
Beyond the daily routines, Lowe said the school created countless memorable experiences for students and families.
Taking 5th-grade students on trips to Washington, D.C., dragon boat races on the Ohio River, fall festivals, school dances, book fairs, and the annual Water Day and Field Day celebrations were among the traditions he said helped create a strong sense of community.
“Movies on the grass, evenings out in the fields, families gathered on blankets under the stars,” Lowe said. “Emotional Veterans Day assemblies that left few dry eyes in the gym. High-energy pep rallies where belief and school pride shook the walls.”
Lowe said many of the most meaningful memories involved the relationships built with staff members over the years.
“Perhaps my favorite memories aren’t events at all, but moments — laughing with staff members so hard we cried, sharing meals, praying together,” Lowe said. “Walking through funerals and heartbreak together, celebrating weddings, births, promotions, and victories together.”
Serving in the same school community for nearly three decades also allowed Lowe to see generations of families come through the building.
“I have watched students grow from elementary to middle school, to high school, to college and careers,” Lowe said. “I have welcomed their children — and even grandchildren — into our building.”
As he prepares for retirement, Lowe said he and his wife, Amy — who also works in the school district — are looking forward to spending more time together and with their family.
“We’re just looking forward to spending time together and being with our kids, supporting them and taking them wherever they need to go,” Lowe said. “I don’t know if I like being off and not doing something, so I’ll probably stay busy somehow.”
While Lowe said academic accomplishments and test scores matter, he believes the true legacy of a school lies in the people it serves.
“The awards matter. The accomplishments matter. The scores matter,” Lowe said. “But what matters most are the people — the students who trusted us, the families who partnered with us, and the colleagues who became lifelong friends.”
Looking back on his career, Lowe said the daily interactions with students are what he will miss most.
“For 27 years, I have had the honor of standing at those doors saying, ‘Good morning,’” Lowe said. “Now it is time to go home a little earlier — and say it there, too.”
