Justin Dobbins

By TIM KRAKOWIAK ~ DAR Staff Writer

NEELYVILLE -- Administration in the Neelyville R-IV School District has been in a state of transition since Larry Graves retired as superintendent last year.

Former high school principal Brad Hagood was promoted to Graves' position. Frank Killian filled the principal post left open over the last academic year until he announced his resignation in April.

Now the school board has hired Justin Dobbins, who said he plans to follow in Killian's footsteps as the new high school principal.

"I think he paved a good path for me," said Dobbins, 29. "Mr. Killian set high standards and I respect the stern way he does things."

To help train Dobbins, Killian stuck around through June before he went on to his new job as principal of Malden High School.

Dobbins, a baseball coach for several years and most recently at Clearwater High School, earned a master's degree in administration from William Woods University in Fulton. Before he decided to expand his career, he received his bachelor's in physical education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

Along with taking the administrative position, Dobbins will coach varsity baseball for Neelyville. He admitted playing both roles will be a challenge, but he said the sport will provide him with some stress relief because it is what he loves.

"My goal is to gain the respect from the district by proving my work ethic, and that I will work hard for them to be the best administrator I can be," said Dobbins. "I always considered being a coach was like being an administrator on a much smaller scale. You're more than just a leader, you're a counselor to some of the kids."

Hagood, who also comes from a coaching background, said Dobbins has all the positive qualities the school district is looking for. "I think Justin was chosen because of his solid reputation," said Hagood. "We really feel like he's going to do a good job coming in."

The superintendent said the principal search committee reviewed about a dozen applications and cut the candidates in half during the screening process. The finalists were

narrowed down to two and the board ultimately chose Dobbins after conducting a series of interviews.

"You can tell by talking to him that he's got a lot of self-discipline, which is crucial for the role," said trustee Duke Hansen.

"You can tell he really cares," he continued. "He puts his heart into his work. He's young in his career, looking to set his feet somewhere and make a difference."

Dobbins attended the board meeting last week and said he noticed the board members and administration appeared to have a trusting relationship. As for his introduction to the students, Dobbins said they seemed well behaved during his first summer school experience, which ended on July 3.

Dobbins said his focus for the 2008--09 academic year will be to make sure the school's comprehensive plan is implemented so Neelyville meets its adequate yearly progress with Missouri Assessment Program testing through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"There are a lot of veteran faculty members at the high school which makes it easier for me to jump in and help give the kids the best education we can," said Dobbins. "My philosophy is if you make a difference in one person's life, you make a difference in society as a whole."

Dobbins lives a few miles away from the Neelyville campus and said he believes the job opportunity came to him as a blessing. He is married to Holly, a graduate of the Neelyville High School class of 1997. They have two young daughters, Delayni, 2, and Reese, 1.