In charge of leadership this year for the Osage Indians are Mrs. Brunnert and Mr. Coffelt. Mrs. Brunnert became head principal of OHS after being the assistant principal for two years. New at the assistant principal position is Mr. Coffelt, who came to Osage from Camdenton. He taught seventh grade math.
Mrs. Brunnert has been in the educational field for eighteen years. She was principal at Climax Springs for two years. She previously worked at Osage Middle School and taught history there for thirteen years. When asked why she switched from classroom teaching to administration, she explained, “When I was in school to become an administrator, I didn’t know if that’s what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to go back to school.” She further explained and said that the sound of flipping a school that’s struggling, whether it be academically, behavioral, or anything else just sounded incredible. Mrs. Brunnert also stated that “I really became fascinated with the idea of having a bigger influence on students than what I could have in the classroom.”
Mr. Coffelt is in his twelfth year in the field of education. He has taught at many different school districts. His most recent was Camdenton. In addition, for three years he worked as the high school principal at Crocker.
When Mr. Coffelt was asked why he chose the educational field, he responded, “I chose to be an educator because I wanted to influence the next generations of leaders and help students to recognize and realize their potential.” He says he became a principal to give a wider influence. In the classroom I might influence thirty kids, but as a principal I can influence around seven hundred students.”
