CYNTHIANA, Ky. (LEX 18) — Jenny Lynn Hatter was the assistant principal at Harrison County High School for years. Now, she's the district's chief academic officer. During her time at the high school, she says she remembers what a special student Caleb Conley was.
She says, "He was an officer in FFA, he was in our Air Force ROTC program. He was phenomenal, and he wanted from the time he was a little boy — his mother told me this last night on the phone — he wanted to be a police officer, that was his dream, that was his goal."
Hatter says over the years, she and Conley stayed in touch and were always around for big life moments. Even after graduating in 2006, she says he always wanted to know how he could mentor or help students in classes behind him.
Hatter says, "There was never a time he didn't ask you if somebody needed something. Did a kid need something? Did somebody not get to go on a field trip? And that was from a young man on."
Hatter says Conley was a rare student in that he was very driven about what he wanted to do from a very young age. She says that he always aspired to go into law enforcement to be a protector for his community.
"He achieved that, but he was very intentional about it, every step. He went from the military, and he did some different types of security and different types of service so that he would be well-rounded. And then he went to the academy, and then he became a deputy sheriff with Scott County,” says Hatter.
This school district was proud. He was very active in school and in his community after returning home from his service in the U.S. Army. Hatter says one of the most rewarding parts of being an educator is seeing how far students go and in this case, the transition from student to friend.
She explains, "We do a tough job, really everybody does if you take it seriously, but in education, your payback is seeing that student like Caleb live his dream, live it out and get to do what he dreamed of doing."
During this difficult time, Hatter says Conley would want those he loved to stay tough and remember their best moments.
