Dr. Jay Dostal

Dr. Jay Dostal, principal of Fayetteville High School, has been named the 2021 Secondary Principal-of-the-Year by the Arkansas Association of Secondary School Principals.

Dr. Dostal, who is in his third year as principal of Fayetteville High School, was presented the award at a surprise ceremony at Fayetteville High School this morning.  

“Dr. Dostal has provided incredible leadership to the students and staff at Fayetteville High School.  With the continued pandemic, the 2020-2021 school year presented challenges,” said Superintendent Dr. John L Colbert. “Dr. Dostal led his team to meet those challenges, and they have had an extraordinarily successful year of school. This recognition is well deserved for an outstanding job.  Dr. Dostal likes to say ‘Own your epic,’ and he is certainly leading by example!”

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award from my peers around the state,” said Dr. Dostal. “I am blessed to work with an incredible team of educators at Fayetteville High School, and we are united in our focus to meet the needs of our students. Those great kids are the reason I come to work every day.”

In making the presentation, Dr. Mike Martinez, the executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators noted that “Dr. Dostal has worked to create a school culture that values the voices of students and staff and includes them in the decision-making process by establishing a variety of leadership teams, including a Faculty Forum focused on school culture and increasing staff morale, an Equity Team focused on the needs of students, and a variety of student groups highly involved in shaping the school. He oversaw development of visual data dashboards to inform staff and parents about school progress and has focused on ensuring that all students have equitable access and support to excel in personalized learning experiences and to meet academic challenges. Through conversations on grading, school culture, social and emotional learning, and restorative practices, he strives to address building practices school-wide to place an emphasis on growth and consistency so that all students can succeed.”

Dr. Dostal formerly served as the principal for Kearney High School in Kearney, Nebraska and as assistant principal for Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska. He has also served as a teacher of English and Physical Education, assistant coach for varsity and freshmen football, and assistant coach for varsity and jr. varsity girls basketball.

Dr. Dostal was the recipient of the 2016 Nebraska State Association of Secondary Principals (NSASSP) Principal of the Year award, as well as the 2013 National Association of Student Councils Principal of the Year award. 

A former college football student-athlete, Dr. Dostal earned his Bachelor of Arts in education degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. He earned both his Masters of Science and Doctorate of Education in educational administration degrees from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.