Freedom Area High School's Student Newspaper

FHS Press

Freedom Area High School's Student Newspaper

FHS Press

Freedom Area High School's Student Newspaper

FHS Press

Coennen named new gym teacher

After Mr. J.C. Summers’ resignation, Freedom Area High School needed a new physical education teacher. The chosen replacement is Mr. Christopher Coennen. Coennen has a daunting task ahead of him. According to principal, Mr. Timothy Dadich, “We need someone who could come and essentially revamp the [physical education] program.” In order to do this, Coennen’s goal is to, “allow everyone to have fun and get the benefits of physical fitness.” Coennen is planning on coordinating heavily with veteran gym teacher, Mrs. Lisa Woods. “While working with Mrs. Woods, we are going to focus on improving everybody’s physical fitness level,” Coennen said. Coennen’s ambition comes with a strict philosophy. Defined in one word, Coennen simply wants everyone to try. “All I ask from my students is that they give me their best effort,” Coennen said. It is his belief that this philosophy is what won him the position. Dadich, one of the primary interviewers, agrees. Dadich was mainly pleased with Coennen’s sincerity. “You tend to sense an authenticity about a person hearing them talking,” Dadich said. “[this authentiity] exuded from him.” These qualities set Coennen apart from the 40 other original applicants. “We narrowed it down to three that we felt were right for this position and would get the job done.” The final three had to be looked at even closer. In this part, “students had a very big voice,” Dadich said. Coennen and the two other applicants had to create a mock gym class. After which, the three were interviewed a third time while the students completed a survey in the gymnasium.