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Not a day goes by that Raul Olivares, assistant principal at Eastern Elementary School, isn’t greeted in the hallways with a high five, a wave, a warm hug or a “hello, Mr. O” by countless numbers of the 520 students who attend the school.

“I try very hard to build those connections,” said Olivares. “I don’t want them to see the assistant principal as someone you come to only when you are in trouble. I want them to know I’m here for them, positive or negative.”

Born and raised in California, Olivares had no intention as a child of becoming a teacher, though he admits his aunt was one, and he would often volunteer in her class and loved working with the kids. Olivares would also play teacher at home, with his siblings and neighborhood kids as the students. But, despite all of that, he still wanted to be a doctor.

“I started in college out in California as a biological science major,” said Olivares. “I did that for a year and realized I was lying to myself and that I really wanted to be an educator. During my sophomore year in college, we moved to Washington as my father took a job as the production manager at Pacific Seacraft. I then enrolled at East Carolina University, receiving my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. My first job out of school was as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for fourth and fifth graders at John Small Elementary.”

Olivares transitioned into teaching language arts, social studies, and math for five years. He moved on to Eastern Elementary, where he taught kindergarten, and had a vision of what he wanted to do. “I wanted to bring a new level of engagement with my students, and also let them know they were loved and provide a safe blanket for them while away from home – something I missed while in kindergarten,” said Olivares.

“If we were learning about the ocean, I transformed the classroom so it would look like they were underwater when they came to class, with fish hanging everywhere. If we were working on building and constructing sentences, I made sure the room looked like a construction site, complete with all kinds of rocks. They never knew what to expect and would always say, ‘What crazy idea does Mr. O have up his sleeve today?’ But I also made it clear that I had high expectations for all of them. There were cases when some students who came in were unable to tell me what their name was. By the time they moved on to the next grade, you were able to see their transformation academically and how their maturity and independence had grown.”

Olivares’ approach to engagement with his students caught the eye of his superiors, and he was soon developing lesson plans for his colleagues while teachers from around the district would come in and observe him in the classroom. “That was the push I needed to make me realize I wanted to take all of this outside of a single classroom,” said Olivares.

In 2023, Olivares graduated from ECU with a master’s degree in school administration and took on the role of assistant principal. A transition that now allows him to touch even more lives. “As assistant principal, I’m able to work with so many more students as I visit their classrooms and work with the teachers, providing feedback on their lesson plans,” said Olivares. 

But he also sees himself as a role model in his administrative role, which plays out in many different ways. “I see myself as a father figure to some who, for whatever reason, don’t have that at home,” said Olivares. “I also feel I have an impact on the Hispanic students in that they see someone of minority descent who can do something other than the stereotypical image of just working the fields. Not that, that is bad, but it helps them to see a Hispanic in a different profession. I also greet those students who speak little English in Spanish as they get off the bus, and it always seems to brighten their days.”

But for Olivares, his work as the assistant principal doesn’t stop with the students. Their parents are an important part of the equation as well. “One of the biggest issues we face is that the Hispanic parents feel they have no one who understands them,” said Olivares. “One of my goals is to make sure we are bridging the language gap so they feel as if they, too, are a part of the school, that they are welcome here, and we want them to be a part of their child’s education. One way of doing that is by having translators at our PTO meetings. In January, we will be starting a program with Beaufort County Community College in which free literacy classes will be offered to the parents and taught by ESL teachers. I draw great satisfaction in knowing that I’m impacting the lives of the parents and their children.”

Olivares also serves on the Washington Human Relations Council and is a Sunday School teacher at Mother of Mercy Catholic Church. “I just love helping the Hispanic community however I can.”