When you think of Pitman, what do you think of? Do you have a clear vision of a line of trusted friends or even adults? Do you know who our principal is? If not, then you’re in luck..
Mrs. Freeman is our current school principal as of today. In 2018, Mrs. Freeman was asked to take up this role and she agreed to it without hesitation. During her interview she spoke about the hardest era of being a principal was getting students through Covid-19.
“We wanted students here but we couldn’t have them here due to guidelines.. Could you imagine being a freshman at that time starting high school on a chromebook? It was hard and I didn’t feel like we could do enough for our students. Everyone’s socialization was limited and you couldn’t have as authentic a relationship on a screen”.
After that, I asked if she thought Covid-19 left an effect that still plays a part into our school now, and she agreed. She went on to talk about how there were so many activities, dances and rallies that our seniors missed out on in their freshman year. After Covid, she stated, it was hard to talk to people since everyone was quiet and it was hard to talk to people.
Before becoming an administrator, she was an elementary school teacher. For a little while, she taught at Crowell, which is a full circle moment since she, as a kid went to Crowell. After, Crowell it was Medeiros and then an elementary school in Keyes.
“Are there any messages to the students that you wanna share?”
“Gosh, I have all sorts of messages! I say this in every graduation, life is full of mountains and valleys, the highs and the lows and you just need to surround yourself with people who can truly pull you out of the valleys, the lows when you wanna be in the mountains. Another piece i’m a very strong believer in is being resilient, knowing today might be a bad day but you get to choose your attitude for how you´re going to be tomorrow or even in an hour. As you guys are choosing your career in life, choose something that you love. Do what you love and love what you do. I love my job and that’s because I’m around really great adults and kids”.
“What’s coming for us in the future?”
“I can’t say a lot because I can’t spoil it but we have a lighting ceremony on Wednesday. Our lights near the field cost roughly 12-15 million dollars so it’s a big deal we’re turning them on and we’re excited about this”.
I asked her what it takes for us to have bleachers.
“Roughly 6 years ago our field used to be turned in the wrong direction, so now it’s facing the right way. Getting a turf field was extremely expensive so that was step one. The next step we got put in there was our booster club and local donors who helped us build our barbecue pit on site and that was a big deal. Next was the lights, currently we’re working on building a snack bar, then we need bathrooms, a ticket-booth, our bleachers and a press-box. If we have a coach in a wheelchair we’re looking at an elevator to the pressbox to comply with ADA requirements. These things don’t happen overnight, there’s a progression to get there but I think we have a good chance. It will be a few years before it happens. Approximately 6 years ago, our district went to talk to the community about the safety measures we wanted to put in place for our students and so our community rated what was super important to them, to have this tax money go to things such as fencing and vape detectors which is why we didn’t put bleachers then. Our plan is to ask for another bond in around 2-4 years”.
I also asked Mrs. Freeman some random questions like what her favorite thing to cook is,
“For dinner, on christmas I got a black stone grill and I love cooking stir fry on it, i’ll have all my vegetables out in a colorful assortment, onions, garlic, mushroom, meat. I use a lot of onion and garlic. I use montreal seasoning for mainly everything and I like it spicy. For breakfast, I love an omelet bar and I’m pretty good at making crepes”.
I asked Mrs. Freeman about her biggest achievement and she went on to speak about her kids. She’s incredibly proud of them and knows many teachers who are too, “It’s really the teachers who made them who they are”.
“Do you have any special messages for our seniors?”
“Enjoy every moment, because you blink and it’s over. Value and cherish every moment you can, even friendships. When you graduate and go to college you’re gonna stick to a small group of friends so cherish every memory you can. The counselors and Mrs. McBay hold pride times to help you with college/career, so as a senior, take advantage of every opportunity you can.”
“What is your favorite part of Pitman?”
“This might sound corny, but I love our pride. People are really proud to be here as I am really proud to be and be part of a community that’s just a great place to be. I love all the various student groups we have and all the clubs we have”.
I also asked her, “Dogs or Cats?” and she said dogs.
“How did you feel about losing Harvest Bowl?”
“It’s always a pit in my stomach when we lose, it makes me sad. I have a lot of faith. Every year I’m always like it’s a fresh start, we can work hard, we can do this! I’m an optimist and I really do believe in choosing your attitude”.
During our interview, Mrs. Freeman and I talked about various things. She is incredibly easy to talk to and a great principal.