FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM)-- Fayetteville High School's new principal said he plans to work on establishing relationships with teachers and students during his first year.
Fayetteville Public Schools announced Dr. Jay Dostal will take the role of principal at the high school starting in July.
Dostal and his family are from Nebraska and he said this first year is really about getting to know the community.
“I mean, I’m going to be a transplant, my wife and my two kids are going to be transplants," Dostal said. "I’m going to spend a lot of time this first year getting to know the people, getting to know the culture. You know establishing those relationships, that’s my biggest concern because that takes a lot of time.”
For Dostal, making sure students have someone to talk to while at school is crucial.
He said they don't need someone telling them what to do.
"What they do need though is somebody who is going to take a sincere interest in them and help them learn and guide them to the wonderful opportunities they have waiting for them down the road," Dostal said.
Dostal plans to make himself available to students and show a vested interest in their interests by going to various student events.
He continued to say that making this happen isn't just his responsibility, it's the responsibility of the teachers as well.
The school recently had a student who was arrested for making a threat online.
That student said what they did was just a joke, but Dostal wants to make sure students, who may be feeling down or may not know what to do to, have someone they can talk to while at school.
“I honestly feel in the bottom of my heart that every kid should have one adult in a high school who knows them better than anybody else," Dostal said. "It’s kind of their family away from home. Parents are sending us their prized possessions and we need to do our best to build a relationship with them.”
The new principal also had a message for parents which was that he wants them to advocate for their children.
That is what he plans to do and wants to work with parents to make sure the students at Fayetteville High School can receive amazing opportunities.
In the long run, Dostal said he is a big advocate for career and technical education and would like to further contextualize what students are learning in the classrooms.