“The Blue Ribbon’s kind of the icing on the cake,” Knost said.
All in all, Knost feels good about his time at Lewis Central and his years in education.
“I am so thankful for my countless experiences over the years as an educator, and I cannot adequately express how much I enjoy being a part of Lewis Central,” he said in his message to parents. “As I have navigated each year of my career, I have learned that even with precise planning and meaningful intention, change remains yet another constant factor in our lives.
“I have enjoyed every one of my 34 years, and my final three with LC will always be special to me,” Knost said. “I am sure there will be much unnecessary speculation over my decision, but I kindly ask everyone to trust what I have stated in this communication regarding my reasoning. While there have most certainly been some challenging circumstances to tackle these last few years, I have never shied away from challenges. In fact, it has always been the challenges that attract me to this work while pushing me to be a better leader. Regardless, I believe family must always be a priority.”
Knost became superintendent of the school district on July 1, 2019 after the retirement of his predecessor, Mark Schweer. He was previously the superintendent of Rockwood School District in St. Louis, the third-largest district in Missouri with about 21,000 students. He has also served as superintendent and deputy superintendent of Mehlville School District and began his career in education as a band director for Windsor School District in Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music at Webster University in 1983, a master’s in educational leadership from Lindenwood University in 1997 and a doctorate in education administration at St. Louis University in 2002.