When reflecting on his years in grade school, Dr. Matthew Kralevich can remember a few special educators who positively influenced him as a child. As the new principal of Dexter Elementary, Kralevich said he hopes to be that kind of person for the students who will start school Aug. 7.
"It truly is a magical profession," he said, "to be a positive role model day in and day out. While many of our lessons and activities are planned, quite often they are not scripted. You never know what's going to happen on any given day that will leave a positive lasting impact in the memories of students."
Previously, Kralevich served as a principal of Memorial Intermediate School in Texas for two years. He takes the reins at Dexter from Dr. Renee Mallory, the principal of Wilson, who oversaw both schools last year.
From his earliest days as an undergraduate, Kralevich knew that the field of education was for him, he said. He completed his graduate and doctoral degrees in educational administration and educational leadership, respectively, while working as a teacher and assistant principal.
"With education, a lot of people really start out with that internal flame, I call it, where they have a strong desire to hold the future in their hands and to really know that what they do on a day-to-day basis will impact children for the rest of their lives," he said. "The role of a teacher is not only for instruction. We also need to be role models for students ... to inspire them to know what opportunities are available to them."
When Kralevich visited Fort Benning in May, he was struck with the history and sense of community.
"It's something I wanted to be a part of," he said. "I've always had a profound respect for the military. And to be able to work alongside them in this capacity, I felt the opportunity was right. I've spent my entire career, both academic and professional, working to this point. I don't think it can get any better than where I'm at right now. It's outstanding."
Kralevich said he still has a lot to learn about the military - particularly the acronyms - but he looks forward to building strong relationships between the community, staff, students and families. Meanwhile, he offers an open invitation to meet parents and others who would like to drop by.
"Come on by," he said. "I really want to get to know as many people as possible. I'd be happy to introduce myself, but more importantly, I'd like to get to know them."
Dr. Dell McMullen, Fort Benning schools superintendent, said she knew after meeting Kralevich he would be a good fit for the school.
"I'm delighted Dr. Kralevich will be at Dexter," she said. "It was evident in our interview that he is warm and very collaborative. He is eager to talk with teachers and staff about what's working well at Dexter and garner their ideas for how to make a great school even better.
"If I had to choose the one thing that struck me about Dr. Kralevich, it's that he's a servant leader. He truly believes he is here to serve the children, parents, teachers and staff, not the other way around. That's what leadership is. I look forward to seeing Dexter reach even greater heights."
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