Wins and losses may define a season, but organization, leadership and tough decisions define the job of an athletic director. John Parke, our athletic director at LHS, has been here since 2024. Prior to taking the job just a few years ago, Parke was still involved in our community and school district.
He was an assistant principal at Lake Oswego Junior High and at LHS during the 2000s. Then he came to LHS in 2012 and worked with Mrs. Jennifer Schiele, who is now the superintendent. In 2019, a position opened up about safety and security.
“That’s when we made a lot of jumps while improving our safety system. There wasn’t a lot of security so I had to learn how to manage all of that while making sure the school was safe,” said Parke.
Parke had missed being in the building and connecting with the kids, so when the athletic director position opened up, he was interested.
“I had to learn what to do, how to do it and then actually do it,” said Parke. “I show up and have 200 emails a day.”
There are two kinds of days, days with games and days without, and both start the same for Parke. The emails he receives vary between companies wanting to sell important products, others are parents asking questions and others are schools and other athletic directors verifying information.
It’s a constant stream of kids, teachers and coaches with issues looking to solve. John appreciates the job even though it comes with early mornings and late nights, even though he is staring at the computer most of the day he knows that is not his most enjoyable part of the day.
“I enjoy watching the freshman athletes improve as the years go on. I love the coaches and relationships I have,” said Parke. “Seeing athletic growth is amazing and seeing it happen is very gratifying. People say the hours and ask me how I work so much, if it wasn’t for that it would be too much.”
Ultimately, Parke’s job is not defined by the scoreboard, but by the relationships he builds, the growth he witnesses and the steady leadership that keeps LHS athletics running every day.
