By: Ayla Valone

Here at Eisenhower, we recently said goodbye to one principal and hello to another. Our “new” principal came to Eisenhower with experience from teaching at Frewsburg, where she was a high school Social Studies teacher.  However, she decided to make the move to Eisenhower because she preferred the administrative aspect of education.

The Squire sat down with our current principal, Mrs. Alm, to ask her how she is enjoying her new job as head principal at Eisenhower.

The Squire: How different is your current job compared to your previous job?

Mrs. Alm: It seems busier. There are a lot more things, little things you don’t know about or consider prior to taking that position. We do a lot more in this position then the other in terms of the budget area, looking at the finances in the school, making decisions to know what to buy, what’s best for kids and what’s not. I will say that Mrs. Berry has been very helpful, as she has taken a lot of the discipline, so I haven’t seen that as frequently as I had prior. So, that piece aside, the other pieces fill in those gaps.

TS: Why did you choose this job?

Mrs. Alm: I was a teacher and I was considering getting my administration degree. I realize that I have really always liked business.A part of me has always wanted to be in the business field. But, when I lived in Philadelphia, I worked for a life retirement place. It was a cubical job and I hated sitting in a cubical, I very quickly realized that sitting in a cubical just typing on a computer was not for me. So, the administration side lets you put all those together: loving the education side, considering what’s best for education, and also the interest in business.

TS: What is the most difficult thing about your job?

Mrs.Alm: I think the difficult part is everybody has their own personality; everybody has their own things going on. Not everybody knows what’s going on in people’s lives and so sometimes you want to react to people one way but you have to really pay attention. Kids, teachers, everybody, even myself – sometimes you know you’re hoping to get one reaction and you get another. You don’t know why and you don’t know where the miscommunication is. I think it’s just being understanding and trying to really slow down and understand that everyone is coming from a different place.

TS: What are your goals working here at Eisenhower?

Mrs. Alm: Well, my ultimate goal is to ensure that the students are getting their best education and that we, as a staff, are pushing the students to the limits so that you walk out of here after graduation and you’re prepared. So you go into workforce understanding what the workforce is going to expect out of you guys and also, if you choose to go to college, making sure that we are making you are prepared for the work load and what some the expectations are so that you’re not going in blind.

TS: How many places have you worked before in this occupation?

Mrs. Alm: I have only worked in two districts. I was a teacher in Frewsburg and then the administrator here.

TS: Where do you see your job in five years?

Mrs. Alm: Hopefully just right here. Working with everybody and making Eisenhower the best it can be.

TS: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Mrs. Alm: It’s great to see successes with the students; it’s fun to see it. To see them get excited about the things you’re excited about, you get excited for them. It is really rewarding.

The Squire encourages students to stop by and visit Mrs. Alm. As you can see, Mrs. Alm feels she is in the right place and she is excited to be where she is. We also all want to wish her the best of luck here at Eisenhower!