Bill Thorpe, along with several of his family members, grew up in Marshall County. He became the school district’s superintendent on July 1. Submitted photo
No matter where life has taken him, Marshall County has been home to Bill Thorpe and he is excited to be returning as the Marshall County superintendent.
“It’s just an awesome, awesome experience to come home,” he said.
Thorpe didn’t always plan for a career in education. After high school, while he was moving a friend into college on a Saturday before school started on Monday, he thought that college seemed like a good fit for him. That, he said, is when he decided he was going to college – two days before it began.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Murray State. Thorpe started as a business administration major, but his love of sports pulled him to education. “I like the idea of being around young people and really kind of staying young, staying fresh and so that’s what brought me in,” he said.
Thorpe enjoyed sports when he was in school and thought teaching and coaching would be a good way to pursue his love of sports. With that, Thorpe became a teacher, starting his career at Livingston Central High School (Livingston County) before teaching at several other middle and high schools.
He taught for 11 years before going into administration. Thorpe explained that his wife worked at the local health department with a former superintendent who gave Thorpe the idea to pursue administration. He told Thorpe that coaches made good administrators and convinced him to go back and take classes in administration.
“I’m glad he talked with me because it’s been a wonderful experience,” he said.
Thorpe started in administration as the principal of Lyon County Elementary in 2012. He said the district’s superintendent, Quin Sutton, taught him a lot about being a teacher and an administrator.
When he left the position as principal, Thorpe moved back to Marshall County and became assistant principal at the high school in 2014. That was followed a year later by him becoming director of pupil personnel. He left Marshall County again in 2020 to be superintendent in Trigg County, where he served for four and a half years.
Now he is back in Marshall County. Thorpe started as superintendent of Marshall County on July 1.
“This is home. This is where I grew up. This is where I went to school,” Thorpe said. “This is where my children went to school. This is where my mother and my grandmother and my great-grandfather all went to school – in Marshall County.”
Thorpe said the people in his district are incredibly supportive and he expects that to continue. He explained that everybody has the same goal: to have students succeed and take them to the greatest heights that they can.
His goal is to work hard on meeting the needs of the individuals in his district. Thorpe wants everyone to have what they need to succeed.
“My main goal is to continue the good work and improve what needs to be improved,” he said.
Thorpe believes the district pushes students to be the best they can be by guiding and instructing. Whether success for a student means the military, the workforce, college or a trade, he wants to get that student to their goal. He said Marshall County has resources for each student, ensuring every student will be prepared when they walk out the doors of Marshall County High School.
“We’re going to work as hard as we need to work,” he said, “and then we’re going to work harder.”
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