By: Alyssa Wismar 

     Eisenhower’s golden spotlight is currently shining on the beloved principal, Mrs. Alm. She has been a principal at Eisenhower for about seven years now, and to help students and staff get to know her better before she leaves, The Squire has moved the spotlight over to her for this spring issue. Keep reading to learn more details on her past, present, and future career, as well as her memories here at Eisenhower.  

The Squire: What was your favorite part of being at Eisenhower?  

Mrs. A: There are a lot of really great parts of being at Eisenhower… I’ve seen a lot of changes come about over the course of seven years. The staff is tremendous, and they all really care about the community and this building and keeping Eisenhower what it is, all it is on its own, which is really nice and it’s fun for me to be a part of that. Seeing the older kids work with the younger kids, it’s really special for me to be able to witness. I think that, coming from a big school and thinking about some kids ‘I’ve never seen you before,’ you don’t get that here. The teachers know every kid. Most of the kids know every kid. And it’s really nice. There’s almost a safety net there that a small school brings.  

TS: What made you want to become a principal? 

Mrs. A: I really enjoyed teaching, and I did some of the extracurricular activities. I was a girls’ soccer coach and I coached track, and I just loved working with kids. I’ve always had an interest in business, so it kind of helped mesh the two, because a principal has a lot of business side roles to it that a lot of people don’t see. So, I got to fulfill my one passion with another passion combined with it.  

TS: What are some of your favorite memories of being a principal? 

Mrs. A: I’d have to say the day after the passing of Mr. Clough. Watching this building come together on that day was so special – to see all of the teachers and students put down their phones and go outside, and just play together like you’re six again. You see that in the elementary, but you don’t see it up here as much.  

TS: What is some advice you would give to students?  

Mrs. A: I think some advice is that life’s challenging. And it is going to give you challenges, but, as hard as the moment might be, you have to understand that if you work hard to get through it, there’s going to be a brightness on the other side. Continue working hard and challenging yourself and be willing to make mistakes and keep moving forward. 

TS: What or who is your biggest inspiration?  

Mrs. A: It has probably always been my mom. She’s worked hard, she’s had a lot of success, and she’s probably my biggest cheerleader, other than my husband and kids. But she’s always been there and had many challenges, and she’s come out on top, from starting as a secretary to running four hospitals for UMPC. She’s shown me the success of hard work and to not let anything stop you. To me, that’s always been an inspiration.  

     That’s all for our interview with Mrs. Alm. The Squire hopes that this interview helped everyone get to know her better. Make sure to say hello in the halls, and wish her luck in her future endeavors, seeing as this is our last year with Mrs. Alm, and she will be moving on to being the principal of the Virtual Academy at Central Office! The Squire also thanks Mrs. Alm for making time in her schedule to answer these questions for us!