This past year, the Freedom family has grown as many of the staff and faculty start families of their own. Mrs. Maria Porter, Mr. Nate Langelli, Mrs. Danielle Barr, Mrs. Kaylee Haggerty, Mrs. Heather Giammaria and Mrs. Catherine-Noelle Schultz all had a first child this year. Assistant principal Mr. Frank Hernandez has had a little more experience.

“Having one [child] is a heck of a lot different than two,” Hernandez said. Currently, Hernandez has two young daughters: Annalise, who is almost two, and Roslynn, who is only six weeks old.

“It gives me a different perspective because everyone here is someone’s baby,” Hernandez said.

“I’m always asking myself, if my daughter was here, would this be good enough for her?” Hernandez said.This helps Hernandez make many crucial decisions involving the Freedom school district.

On top of that, it would seem that being a new parent should greatly affect a job as a teacher. Some, like Haggerty and Schultz, currently have long-term substitutes until they can return. Mrs. Brandi Burger had a long-term substitute for the majority of last year due to the birth of her twins.

Mr. Nate Langelli, an upperclassmen history teacher, has one daughter named Lilyanne. She’s seven months old.

“It’s a lifestyle change but I wouldn’t trade her for the world.” Langelli said. He agrees with Hernandez that being a new father gives him a better perspective on life. “It reminds me that time is short.”

Giammaria loves to enter her ten month old son, Jasper, in online photo contests that, according to her, he usually wins.

“It’s a game changer.. very busy, but a lot of fun. You’re never alone, but you’re always entertained,” Giammaria said.

Then, Mrs. Andrea Niedbala and Burger both had twins earlier in 2014. Niedbala’s twin boys, named Luke and Brett, are four months old and they were born on June 6, the last day of the 2013-2014 school year.

“It is hard to leave the boys in the mornings, but once I am here at school I am happy to focus on my students and my classroom,” Niedbala said.

Many of the teachers agree that their children are a part of the expanding Freedom family.

Even though these children are too young to attend our school district, they still are a part of the student body in the sense of family and will just continue to grow with the staff and students.