The Caldwell Regional Career Center will have a new principal next year with the retirement of Randy McCarty, who has served in that position for the past five years.
For McCarty, it was difficult to make the decision to retire.
McCarty was born in Clay, Kentucky in Webster County into a coal mining family. The family moved to Greenville while he was a child for employment for his father and McCarty graduated from Greenville High School. He was offered a basketball scholarship from Belmont University where he attended and played ball before transferring to Western Kentucky University to continue playing basketball.
He joined the workforce in the sawmill and trucking industry before graduating from WKU. After graduation, he started teaching and coaching basketball at Muhlenberg South. He later became the assistant principal, athletic director, and then principal of the school. After the consolidation of the Muhlenburg County high schools he became the principal of the alternative school and later the Superintendent of the Muhlenburg County School system.
He would later serve as Interim Superintendent for Caldwell County Public Schools. While serving in that position he became interested in the local career center and that brought him to apply for the principal position to help students become prepared to join the workforce.
He said it had been a journey that included a total remodeling of the building, operating out of the high school, and COVID-19 and the restrictions resulting from it.
He is proud that even with those conditions this year’s seniors graduated with 82 percent obtaining certifications for employment in various careers.
McCarty offered words of encouragement to students attending the career center about the current availability of jobs.
He is pleased the image of technical and vocational training has improved over the years and the programs are now full of students.
McCarty is not sure what the future will bring but is praying for direction as he moves into the next phase of his life.
Retirement for McCarty will officially begin July 1, 2023. The Caldwell County Regional Career Center serves students from Caldwell, Crittenden, Lyon, and Trigg County schools, as well as the Dawson Springs Independent School District.
