By Sami Lachgar, News Editor

It is an average late afternoon and you are dragging your feet to your next class, counting down the seconds until the end of school. Suddenly, the smiling face of new Assistant Principal David Friedman comes out of nowhere and finds a way to brighten your day with a quick joke or just a simple “hello.”

Since making the transition from Reynolds High School history teacher to assistant principal, Friedman has been able to engage in a more involved interaction with a broader range of students, and he seems to have made a personal bond with each one. In a school where most students rarely interact with the administration, Friedman is able to provide an important link between the groups, strengthening ties between students and the administration.

“Mr. Friedman really seems to care about his students,” junior Dustin Sneed said. “I’ve never had his class, and yet he says ‘hey’ to me when I pass.”

Friedman first became excited about a career in education when he observed the enormous difference that a good teacher can make when he was sitting in on a class on education at UNC Chapel Hill. He then attended Fayetteville State University before diving into his first teaching job.

“It was going OK. It’s one of these professions where there is so much to it and the training so often comes so much on-the-job,” Friedman said of those early years. “After a couple of years it started feeling very natural and I felt like I was able to do more and more as a teacher.”

Friedman is particularly enthusiastic in the opportunity to tap into the strengths of the student body, the teachers and the administration.

“We are trying to make sure that people that are coming into this school are a good fit to this culture that we have,” Friedman said. “The diversity within our student population is incredible and I want to make sure that we keep looking for ways and improving on how we’re able to provide a sound, basic education that leads to a great education, ideally for every single student.”

However, Friedman’s absence as a teacher will be felt. For example, his stretch as history adviser for the academic team will come to an end with this move to assistant principal, which came following Saundra Scales’ retirement before spring break.

“Now I’ve got to find a new social studies coach,” science teacher Tim Scott said. “I wish him nothing but the best, and I hope the transition is smooth for him as well as us.”

In his path to becoming an assistant principal, Friedman enlisted in a program with Appalachian State which allowed him to pursue a Master’s degree in school administration. Many of the tasks that he has pursued so far as an assistant principal were already responsibilities that he dealt with as a teacher, such as communicating with parents and dealing with disciplinary issues.

“We’re very lucky that we have an administration with Mrs. (Freda) Smith and Mr. (David) Small that are working with me and assistant principals that have done it for a while, who are interested not only in making this school great, but in helping me understand my role in that,” Friedman said.

The rest of Friedman’s classes will be taken over by his student-teacher, Audrey Hite, until the end of the year; however, his presence in the History Building will be missed by many.

“I think the change was definitely a good opportunity for him,” history teacher Cris Wiley said. “I think it was a good choice by the selection committee. He is someone who really knows the school and the students, which is invaluable in his new position.”

Although Friedman’s rise from teacher to assistant principal could lead to different relationships with his colleagues, the abrupt shift is not that complex.

“I think that the working relationship changes because I think he has a lot more responsibility, authority even here at the school,” Wiley said. “But rather than seeing that as any sort of a hindrance or losing a colleague, I think what we really gained was an advocate for teachers, someone who knows us who is in a position to help us move forward as a school community.”