Kenneth M. Staral has been principal at Ogden Elementary School since August 1996. As a new principal, he felt like an artist facing a blank canvas ready to create a beautiful piece of art. Ogden Elementary School has a sense of history and has been an integral part of the near north side community for over 140 years. Living and working in the Ogden community, he has learned firsthand about its rich heritage, diversity, and successful programs. He associated (and coined the phrase) "a community school with a worldly spirit." From this, he has been able to develop a vision for the school and establish expectations and objectives necessary to excel as a leader and academically advance the school's instructional program to improve student achievement.

As a school community, he has had the opportunity to synthesize the school's aspirations and create one vision for the school and its children. With parent and community input, he developed and established expectations and objectives necessary to excel as an instructional leader, thus embarking upon a renaissance in teaching, learning, and community outreach. As principal, he views his role as a resource provider, instructional leader, and communicator. Under his leadership, the school has refined and aligned the overall instructional program, updated the library and science laboratory, promoted quality professional development for all staff members, identified the school as a viable choice for neighborhood children, recruited community and parent volunteers to assist with school activities, and strengthened and established partnerships between the school and the surrounding community, thus providing support for the school and its educational initiatives.

Mr. Staral realizes the importance of working together to provide the best education to our students. He collectively established a vision and mission and believes that the role of a school is to provide a sound education ensuring academic success and becoming a beacon for community based activities that focus on the development of the child, family, and neighborhood. The Ogden School community believes that students must be provided a sense of education, community, and character.

Ogden has become a beacon for learning, extending its walls throughout the greater community and enabling students to acquire the intelligence they need. This will ensure they can establish values, gain insight of self and others, internalize a sense of responsibility to their community, and understand the importance of behavior as it relates to the advancement of society. Ogden students must sense a burning desire and a firm commitment to produce the resilience to face their challenges and realize their dreams, nurturing the gifts of hope and promise. It is critical for the students to find the necessary passion to attain their desires, mindful that passion is the vital difference between mediocrity and success. Ogden has provided Mr. Staral with the opportunity to create a most wonderful work of art, a work that is in constant motion and revision. As principal, it is his responsibility to keep this work ever changing and ever challenging to provide the necessary leadership to the student body and the community as a whole.

Before becoming principal at Ogden School, Mr. Staral was the Region Two Administrator assisting in managing the day to day operations of eighty-three elementary schools and ten high schools. Additionally, he was the District Five Funded Programs Coordinator, Instructional Coordinator and upper grades teacher at the Nathan Davis Elementary School, teacher of pre-school autistic children at the John V. LeMoyne School, and teacher of the Emotionally and Behaviorally Disturbed at Carl Schurz High School.

Mr. Staral obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees, in addition to post-graduate work, from Loyola University. Mr. Staral graduated from Thomas Kelly High School and Frank G. Gunsaulus Elementary School, both Chicago Public Schools. He is a native of Chicago and has a true passion for the city and its rich culture and diversity.