For the majority of his early life, Frank Hernandez did not like school; however, this mindset changed when he became a sophomore at Ambridge Area High School and many of his teachers began to have a positive influence on his life, including his U.S. History teacher and football coach, Mr. Neil Tkatch.

“[Tkatch] made school and learning fun and spent time talking to us about our lives, which I appreciated. He really inspired me to want to do the same things,” Hernandez said. After graduating from Ambridge Area High School in 2002, Hernandez attended Geneva College and received his degree in Secondary History Education in 2006.

Hernandez’s first experience at Freedom was when he student taught with Mrs. Mary Kay Ross at FHS. After Ross retired at the end of the school year, Hernandez received her job as a social studies teacher in August 2007.

From 2010 through February 2013, Hernandez was the head football coach. In 2012, the team had a record of 4-5 in the regular season and made it to the first round of playoffs. Additionally, Hernandez participated in Freedom’s productions of “The Music Man” in 2012 and “The Wizard of Oz” in 2014.

“The interactions that I had in each of these roles and the relationships that I formed while doing these activities are among some of the things that I enjoyed the most at Freedom,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez then completed his Master of Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012. In the fall of that year, he became the FHS assistant principal after shifts in FASD building principals opened the position. He then went on to become the middle school principal in February 2014 after Dr. Darlene Corris resigned.

According to superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, Hernandez focused creating relationships with the students and faculty and improving academic progress and teaching practices during his time as middle school principal.

“He did a really nice job establishing relationships between the students and with the staff to continue making good progress at the school,” Fuller said.

After working as middle school principal since 2014, Hernandez resigned on Aug. 4 to become the principal of West Allegheny Middle School. While Hernandez did gain experience through principal internships at Beaver and Moon and a superintendent internship at Upper St. Clair, he has not worked at any other district besides Freedom, making his new job at West Allegheny his first outside of FASD.

“I have genuinely come to see the students, staff and community members that we work with as extended family members. After spending over nine years in the district, I built many relationships with people from Freedom that could be best characterized by respect, trust, a caring attitude, mutual admiration and rapport. Coming to realize that I will not see these people on a daily basis is difficult,” Hernandez said.

According to Fuller, Hernandez plans to become a superintendent one day, and varied experiences in different school districts is necessary to fulfill that goal.

“It was very clear from the first time that I met him that he was going to be moving places in the world of education,” Fuller said. “It was our loss, and certainly West Allegheny’s gain, but we’re very proud of the work that Mr. Hernandez did and the impact he had on our community.”

As of Aug. 25, Mr. Ryan Smith, who was previously the assistant principal at FHS, is the interim principal at Freedom Area Middle School. Mrs. Misty Slavic, director of special education and director of curriculum and instruction, is fulfilling Smith’s duties at the high school. According to Fuller, candidates for the principal position are being interviewed, and he hopes to have a candidate approved by the Sept. 8 board meeting.

At West Allegheny, one of the bigger projects Hernandez will be working on is rewarding and recognizing the achievements and positive behavior of the students and staff. Additionally, plans are underway to implement Rachel’s Challenge as a “positive behavior support and intervention program,” according to Hernandez.

Hernandez expressed that he enjoyed his experiences with the students, staff and Freedom community, which he will always consider a second home to him. Although he will be working in another school district, Hernandez still plans to attend games and events at FASD.

“I would like to tell my students that I will miss them greatly, and I am very proud of what they accomplished during the time that I knew them,” Hernandez said. “I want them to know that if they ever need anything from me, they should ask one of their teachers to get in contact with me and I will help them in any way possible. I also want them to know that I have learned it is very important in school and life to set goals, to work hard towards achieving your goals and to learn from your mistakes or from when you do not always get what you want, as that is how you develop as a person. Finally, I hope that they continue to be kind to one another and to every student at Freedom Area Middle School as together they can do great things.”