Taking the reins

As Liberty Park Middle principal, Roger Dobnikar aims to build upon culture of success

When Liberty Park Middle School opened in 2008, Roger Dobnikar was part of the inaugural class of teachers at the new school.

During the school’s first semester, Dobnikar was in academic support before becoming an assistant principal.

Now, 13 years later, Dobnikar, who had served as interim principal since the spring of 2020, has been named the contract principal.

“This is something I’ve been looking forward to for a while now,” Dobnikar said. “It’s been very rewarding for me.”

Dobnikar said he knew early on that his calling was in this field.

“Education was always my goal from when I started college,” Dobnikar said.

After getting married, Dobnikar and his wife, a Birmingham native, landed in Birmingham in 1992. Two years later, he began working at Pizitz Middle School, where he spent 14 years as an English teacher.

Dobnikar said he wanted to teach English because of the literature. Being able to bring books, short stories and more into the classroom was something he took pride in. He said it helps students understand life through the perspective of others, something especially pertinent for middle school students.

Middle school can be difficult, Dobnikar said, as students are going through a lot of changes in their lives, and they need teachers and staff there to help them.

“I like working with those kids,” Dobnikar said.

Becoming a principal wasn’t originally on Dobnikar’s radar, he said.

“I thought I’d be in the classroom forever,” Dobnikar said.

But as he continued in his career, Dobnikar realized he wanted to work with teachers and help them be prepared, and to help them understand their students better so they could help them as best they could.

“We’re not here just for curriculum,” Dobnikar said. “We’re here to help them socially, emotionally and how to understand who they are and who they are becoming,” Dobnikar said.

Community support from parents and others in Vestavia Hills, Dobnikar said, plays a large role in helping the school be successful.

“I’ve seen that grow more and more all the time,” Dobnikar said.

With more than 20 years in education under his belt, Dobnikar has seen a lot of changes, including the schools becoming more student-centered, growing “leaps and bounds” in their technology and pushing critical-thinking skills on the part of students. These changes, he said, help students to take more ownership of their academics.

Liberty Park Middle in particular has some outstanding students, he said.

“The kids themselves want to work hard. They want to get the job done,” Dobnikar said. “That paves the way for teachers so much. They want to be leaders in the community.”

Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman said Dobnikar understands LPMS and its culture “really well” and led the school effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, dealing with all of the change and uncertainty that brought about.

“He’s done a great job of doing that,” Freeman said.

In a statement, Freeman said Dobnikar is committed to providing the very best learning experiences for students and working alongside his team of exceptional educators. 

While COVID-19 has been a challenge for everyone, including schools, Dobnikar said the school’s leaders have worked hard to continue providing a safe environment for students.

“It’s gone pretty effortlessly,” he said.

The hardest part is trying to persuade very social middle school students to maintain social distance, he said, because, “They want to be together.”

When students first returned to the classroom, Dobnikar said they were a little quiet at first, not sure how to respond or what school would look like with the “new normal.” But after time, they adjusted and went about their business.

As he becomes the contract principal beginning in the 2021-22 school year, Dobnikar said he has a few goals for the school, but mainly is hoping the pandemic continues to fade into the background.

“I’m just looking forward to hopefully returning to a normal school year,” Dobnikar said.

He also mentioned improving the quality of the school’s programs, and “pushing the limit” of what the school can do, both for students and educators. In all of that, Dobnikar said his goal is first and foremost to provide a safe and nurturing environment for students.