The leader of Bowling Green High School’s freshmen LEAD Academy has been tapped to become the next principal of Bowling Green Junior High School.

Students gathered in the school’s gym broke into cheers Wednesday when Robert Lightning was announced as the candidate selected for the job by the BGJHS school council. He will replace current Principal Cynthia West, who will retire at the end of the school year.

“This school district means a lot to me,” Lightning told reporters after a school assembly announcing the decision. “It’s filled with people that’s very passionate about making sure that our kids get the best education possible.”

Lightning is currently an assistant principal at the district’s high school overseeing its freshmen LEAD Academy, working to help students make the transition into high school life, according to a news release.

Prior to having served in that position for the past four years, Lightning spent two years as an assistant principal at Todd County Middle School and 10 years as a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary School.

“I just love working with this age group of students,” Lightning said, adding that working with the middle school’s faculty and staff “is a great opportunity.”

Asked about his priorities for the middle school going forward, Lightning said he wants to get to know school staff, students and parents and understand their needs.

Chandel Shanklin, the school’s choir teacher, had a vote in picking Lightning for the job as a member of the BGJHS site-based decision-making council.

“He has worked at all levels of education and been successful at every level that he’s been at,” Shanklin said.

“I believe he is the tie-in that we need between the elementary schools, the high school and our superintendent,” to be successful, Shanklin added.

Superintendent Gary Fields also praised Lightning in the news release.

“Robert Lightning’s experience over a decade as an elementary teacher and most recently as an Assistant Principal at Bowling Green High School makes him uniquely qualified to lead our middle school,” Fields said in the release. “His ability to leverage the strengths of our students, as well as our outstanding school staff will enhance the link between our elementary programs and our high school programs.”

Lightning has a bachelor of science in elementary education, a master of arts in educational leadership, principal’s certification and a mathematics specialist certification from Western Kentucky University.

Lightning officially starts the job July 1.