Friday, May 17, 2024
Van Collins, Principal of Gatesville Primary School is hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year.
Gatesville Primary School announced Van Collins as the new principal for the upcoming 2023 to 2024 school year. Collins has served at Gatesville Independent School District since 2010.
He has spent 12 years at Gatesville High School donating his time to the math department as chair for two years, sponsored the National Honor Society for 10 years, and taught upper-level math courses. As well as taking the position as an assistant football coach for nine years, and a soccer coach for 12 years.
Recently, Collins served as the assistant principal at the Gatesville Intermediate School and will continue in administration as the Principal at Gatesville Primary School.
“I have taught, coached, and been a leader in Gatesville for 13 years now,” Collins said.
Mathematics and coaching are what brought Collins into the world of education.
“I loved math and some of the most influential people in my life have been coaches,” Collins said. “What has kept me here is the positive impact educators can have on their students, athletes, and the community as a whole.”
It has always been Collins’ goal to move into a leadership role so the transition into administration was natural for him. He explained that as a leader, you can impact more students and families due to being accessible throughout the day. Of course, there is a learning curve in any new position and with the help of colleagues, he picked up most of the new responsibilities very quickly.
“I am a very energetic person by nature and love welcoming students and staff into the building,” said Collins.
As a new leader on campus, he is going to work to build relationships and support the staff.
Collins’ goal for the new school year is to immerse himself in all the academic programs and learn as much as possible.
“Educational leadership starts with building relationships and supporting your staff, both of which come naturally to me,” Collins said.
“I have been in contact with some of the teachers and staff throughout the summer getting their ideas on what is working and what is not,” Collins said.
He has been putting in a lot of hours getting everything just right before the first day of school and Meet the Teacher.
The Meet the Teacher event for Prekindergarten will be held on Monday, Aug. 7 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Kindergarten will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
“I find it very important to get feedback from your staff before making the big decisions that will affect everyone,” Collins said.
Gatesville Primary School has 15 teachers and another 30 staff members who support the campus in a variety of ways. Collins was impressed with how hard the teachers work and how much extra time they spend on the campus. All summer long, teachers and other staff members have been coming up to the campus to prepare for this upcoming school year to make it as special as possible for the students.
“I am constantly moving around campus giving high fives, fist bumps, and the occasional hug,” Collins said.
He explained how it is important for students to feel welcome and know they are cared for.
“Nothing makes me happier than students smiling at me when they see me in the hall, lunchroom, or classroom,” Collins said.
