Dowagiac Middle School principal Matt Severin will soon be joining the ranks of the Brandywine Bobcats as the newest Merritt Elementary School principal.

On Monday night, the Brandywine Board of Education appointed Matt Severin, of Eau Claire, to the position during a school board meeting. Severin will start the role next school year.

Severin has served the Dowagiac Middle School for the past seven years, so changing school and communities was a difficult choice. However, Severin said the time and place were right. Merritt Elementary School is the only place Severin applied.

“It just seemed like a really good opportunity for me at this time,” Severin said. “I am always looking to grow and be better at what I do. It is not about leaving Dowagiac, it is about joining Brandywine and doing something new.”

Severin will be taking the place of Karen Weimer. The current elementary school principal was selected to lead Brandywine Community Schools as the superintendent. Severin said he looks forward to the prospect of being part of the Brandywine Community Schools team, while returning to his roots, leading an elementary school.

“I light up when I think about working at the elementary level again, and I think about the kids that I get to be a part of and I think about the school district,” Severin said. “I think that is an indicator for me that I am making a good decision.”

Severin earned a master’s degree in educational leadership at George Mason University  in North Virginia and was certified to be a teacher through Pennsylvania State.

Severin has 20 years of experience in the education system.

He first started teaching in Virginia, serving as a high school and elementary school teacher. He later moved to Michigan, and taught science and special education at Coloma Jr. High School. 

Severin started his career in Dowagiac Community Schools in 2008, when he was hired as the principal of Sister Lakes Elementary School. In 2010, he was named  principal at Dowagiac Middle School, where he has served for the past seven years.

Throughout his time as a school leader in Dowagiac, Severin said he worked with many talented people, who showed him how to delegate.

“I think I big part of what I have learned is to step back and let me team grow and lead what is happening in our building,” Severin said. “There are some phenomenal leaders in our building [Dowagiac Middle School], people [who] really step up throughout the ranks, from the custodial office to teachers.”

As the newest principal at Merritt, Severin said he would seek to improve communication between the school and parents. As a parent himself, with two elementary school children in the Eau Claire School system he knows the importance of this communication, he said.

“We teach our kids all the skills they need to be successful in school and I think sometimes we forget to do that with our parents,” Severin said.

For the Dowagiac school district, many opportunities still lie ahead, including work with the 2015 $37 million pair of school bonds. Crews recently broke ground with the renovations to Dowagiac Union High School, with construction on the first phase of improvements to Chris Taylor Alumni Field expecting to begin following commencement next month.

“That is really exciting,” Severin said. “I [work with] a lot of great people who I know will take care of everything in Dowagiac. It is bitter sweet.”

Dowagiac Union Schools Superintendent Paul Hartsig, who was a colleague of Severin’s for several years as Union High School principal before becoming his boss in 2014, praised the outgoing administrator for his intelligence and diligence.

“We are sad to see him go, but we understand he was looking for a different challenge, in a different setting,” Hartsig said. “Brandywine is very fortunate to have him, as they are getting a very good person and a very good leader. We wish the best of luck to Matt and his family.”

Hartsig said that DUS leaders will be posting the middle school principal job opening in the coming days, both internally and statewide. The district hopes to have a recommendation for Severin’s replacement by late June, Hartsig said.

In addition to his service to the district, Severin has been a member of the Dowagiac Optimist Club for nine yeas. The club has helped to give back to the community in a number of ways, including hosting a Halloween parade and distributing scholarships to deserving students.

When Severin starts the new school year next semester, he said he looks forward to meeting the students and administrators and participating in the Brandywine traditions.

Dowagiac Daily News Community Editor Ted Yoakum contributed to this story.