You have probably heard the name Ms. Frias more than once from multiple people for a variety of things and that’s because she tackles more than 10 things at once. Her role includes the management of many aspects of student-life.
“I have a pretty large role here at John Dewey as an assistant principal [of multiple roles]. I am in charge of school-wide attendance… A part of the position also includes two nights until 7 o’clock every Tuesday and Thursday … I’m the assistant principal of social-emotional learning [SEL] in the building … we have created programs that include: peer meditation, SEL program, the Legacy Project, Council for Unity, [etc].
I am also in charge of all student activities and after-school programs in the building, [including] clubs. Anything that happens during the day that’s outside of academics, and anything after-school and trips, etcetera, that falls under me: COSA, senior activities… graduation and awards, and collecting service hours. I also supervise the guidance counselors.… And then the final thing I’m in charge of is programming … that deals with all of the students’ schedules,” Ms. Frias said. She ultimately supervises every aspect of a student’s day-to-day performance.
“This is my 31st year in the Department of Education… Here at John Dewey, I think I was put here for a bigger mission… And it makes me feel really happy that I handle all these different pieces of a school that allows each student to be able to graduate with that whole picture of being like a full-on student,” Ms. Frias said.
Giving your best in the things that you do can inspire those around you, and Ms. Frias is a great example of that. “There was a woman, her name was Betty Sterling, and she was the head dean at Canarsie High School [back when] I worked in Canarsie…
She was a very strong woman…loved the students, and she put her all into making sure that students were safe, but also that the students had everything they needed to succeed in high school. I looked up to her… She taught me by me being able to just watch her and learn from her… She influenced who I was as an educator, and I made sure I honored that through the rest of my career.”
“I always try to listen, and I feel like if you listen to people and you work with them based on what they need from you, then you’re making an impact,” Ms. Frias said. Just like people say, ‘communication is the key to success’, taking into account the needs of others allows people to make changes.
The efforts of teachers, staff, and community members who work ‘behind the scenes’ at John Dewey can get undervalued especially when the students don’t actively see them working. “I don’t think that people realize that I don’t take a break throughout the whole day… Like my 100% is given every minute of the day. Sometimes I’m really exhausted, and I need a break, and … I just don’t even realize I didn’t eat.
I have seven people that work in this office alone, and without them, I can’t do what I’m doing… Everyone that’s sitting in this office [167] has the same drive that I do, and they want to make sure that we get it right because if we don’t, we’re only failing the kids, and we don’t want to do that,” Ms. Frias said.
Advice that Ms. Frias, Ms. Savino and Ms. Rosenblum give to young women, as well as everyone else, is to be confident in yourself, and to pursue your dream and dedicate your all to it, and if it doesn’t work out, “it’s okay,” Ms. Frias said.
“For someone to recognize the work that’s being done, yeah, I think that many women definitely need to hear that a little bit more, especially in today’s world because a lot of times, like they don’t realize that we all have families too. So when we [the adults] go home… we have our family to take care of, after … being like the ‘mom’ here. So a thank you or something sincere would be awesome,” Ms. Frias said.
Many women at John Dewey High School have been at the school for many years and even several decades. They play a huge role in shaping student life, academics, performance, and enthusiasm, and their efforts should be put to light and appreciated. So in honor of International Women’s Day and International Women’s Month, let’s all say “Thank you for the work you’ve done!”
