Kathy Minor will be filling the principal position at Harlan County High School following Edna Burkhart’s recent retirement. Minor’s appointment is effective Aug. 30, making her the third principal since the school’s opening in 2008.

Minor was selected for the position during a special-called site-based council meeting at the high school on Monday.

“I appreciate the confidence of Mr. Brent Roark (Harlan County School District Superintendent) and the site-base council have in me and for allowing me the opportunity to serve their children and all the students at Harlan County High School,” Minor said.

Minor added it is was an honor to be selected to lead the students, faculty and staff at the school.

“I anticipate a smooth transition in all aspects,” Minor said. “We have great kids, great teachers and I am looking forward to working with them and for them. I believe we share the same vision, to be the best we can be, to continue to grow and excel.”

Minor said her two daughters, Macie and Morgan Napier, graduated from HCHS as part of the Class of 2018. Morgan Napier is now a sophomore at the University of Kentucky and Macie Napier is a sophomore at Morehead State University. Minor said she also has a stepdaughter currently attending the school and a son that will attend in the coming years.

Minor began her teaching career in 1995 at Evarts High School as a chemistry teacher. She went on to serve as an assistant principal at the high school, beginning in 2004, for the next four years before acting as the dropout prevention supervisor at HCHS for an additional two years.

Minor then became an HCHS assistant principal in 2010, serving until her appointment on Monday to be the school’s new leader

Minor is a graduate of Evarts High School, where she played basketball and earned valedictorian honors. She also coached varsity girls basketball at the high school for two years.

She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Minor holds advanced degrees from Union College, including a master’s and the planned sixth-year program. Minor performed her student-teaching at Dixon High School in Holly Ridge, N. Carolina.

Minor is the daughter of Ernest and Julia Vanover, of Evarts, and is married to Luke Minor.