Janaskie named FLCHS principal
FOUNTAIN LAKE — Frank Janaskie has been named the new Fountain Lake Charter High School principal.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity. This is my 32nd year here in Fountain Lake. I’ve had the opportunity to serve as band director, assistant principal, middle school principal and now the high school principal. So, watching the transition and moving from the classroom teacher to the high school principal has been a long journey, and I’m really excited about the opportunities,” Janaskie said.
When moving from a middle school to a high school, school officials begin to talk with students about credits.
Educators at that point are “trying to make sure that they’re staying on track for graduation, you’re trying to make sure that they have some pathways into their future now, what roads they choose to take … but we’re trying to open as many doors for kids as possible so that they can look to the future,” Janaskie said.
Students are constantly hearing the words college and career ready. Many of the FLCHS students choose to go to National Park College, he said.
“I want them to also understand that there are other colleges out there. They may not like school to the point where they want to pick a vocation. I think we’ve opened the door for some of our kids to be welders. We also got them at National Park in the (medical professions), so they need to know what is out there and what they’re interested in. You don’t want to be in the (medical professions) and not like blood,” Janaskie said.
Janaskie feels he was selected because he was “the most qualified candidate” for the position. Also, he believes that the work that he and his teachers did got him the position.
“I am a graduate of the Master Principal Institute here in Arkansas. I completed my phase three courses. I guess it was 2014 when I finished through the program, which allowed me an opportunity at that point in time; if I choose to designate as a master principal in Arkansas, I would have that opportunity. I’ve taken teams to the Leadership Academy, I have sent teachers to the Arkansas Leadership Academy, I think building capacity within the building that I’ve worked in the past, provided me the opportunities to get here,” Janaskie said.
With Janaskie being the new principal, he will be able to help guide kids and teachers to be better prepared when they leave Fountain Lake.
“As a parent, that is the one thing that I wanted for my child. I wanted to make sure that when he graduated high school, opportunities were based on what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go, and I wanted to make sure that the high school that he was in provided those opportunities,” Janaskie said.
Janaskie credits his parents for getting him involved in education.
“My father was in the Air Force. He made sure that each one of his kids went to college and got a degree,” he said.
Janaskie’s father bought bonds every time he received a pay raise, which helped Janaskie and his five older sisters pay for their education.
Also, Janaskie credits his success to Lynn Janaskie, his wife.
“She is my stable ground. … She is my color to my black and white. She really helps me look at things on a different level and make sure I look at things through different lenses, and then that’s always very important as you’re trying to make decisions that affect kids. She’s probably my biggest push, and family is always important. It’s always important for them to be supportive,” Janaskie said.