OUR PRINCIPAL

An educator, musician and athlete, Oregon native Susan Friesen is principal of St. Mary of the Valley School.

Friesen assumed her duties in 2002 and led St. Mary of the Valley during a special year -- the 100th anniversary of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Campus Schools.

A former music teacher and cross-country coach, Friesen was born and raised on Dallas, Oregon and graduated from Dallas High School. She attended Willamette University, where she had a double major and received two degrees -- a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Bachelor of Music Performance.

As a performer, Friesen plays the French horn for the Salem Concert Band and the Capitol Brass Quintet. She is also a long-distance runner and cyclist who has run in the “Hood to Coast” relay 12 times, participated in 13 marathons – including Boston and New York City -- and has cycled from Jasper, Alberta to Yellowstone National Park.

Her first teaching job was in Roseburg, where she taught elementary music and band. Her desire to return to the Willamette Valley led her to Aumsville Elementary School, where she taught elementary band, music and choir.

While she taught, she took school administration classes at Portland State University. Her classroom and university experience led her to being named principal at St. Joseph School in Salem, with students in Kindergarten through sixth grade.

Friesen says the biggest surprise about becoming principal was "how fragmented your day is. How hard it is to find time to follow through since you're often pulled in all directions." The best part, she adds, is "getting to share in the accomplishments of the students."

Friesen believes that her experience as a teacher is a bonus as a principal since “I understand what teachers have to deal with every day.”

Friesen, who says she likes to be "visible and in contact with the students," taught band at St. Joseph School, advised the student council and started a conflict management program to help students resolve problems on the playground.

St. Mary of the Valley School is renowned for its strong music program, and all fourth graders are required to take violin classes. Friesen enjoys working with the school’s music department, which also offers orchestra, choir, handbells, and private music lessons. She has also been seen leading caroling and musical parades throughout the Sisters' campus.

Friesen hopes “to enrich the already strong offerings at our school.” She takes pride in having established a student council and the adoption of a school symbol -- the eagle -- and oath.

Friesen is a certified instructor in “Love and Logic,” a process which provides an approach to successful parenting, and will once again offer the program at SSMO's Bethany Center during the spring of 2005. First offered during the spring of 2004, "Love and Logic" is one of the most popular classes in the history of Bethany Center.

She is especially enthusiastic about her role in Catholic education. “This has been such a journey for me. My whole teaching career was in public schools. I appreciate the freedom in Catholic schools to teach, explore and grow in the Catholic faith. I just love the atmosphere.”