Donald Frischkorn Steps in as New Cougar Elementary Assistant Principal

For Donald Frischkorn, 's new assistant principal, working in Manassas Park City Schools is something of a family affair. His wife, Rebecca, is a reading specialist at , and his sister is also a third grade teacher at the school. 

So it shouldn't come as much of suprise, then, that Frischkorn wanted to return to the school system where he spent six years teaching. 

"Manassas Park is just home to me," said Frischkorn, 31. "Manassas Park City Schools are home to me. It's a community that helps its students, parents and teachers grow."

Frischkorn, who lives in Bristow with his wife and son (a second is on the way), came back to work in the city this fall. Previously, he had worked at Manassas Park Elementary for three years, and the middle school for another three. In addition, he used to coach baseball at the high school. 

"Being in Fauquier was a great experience, but what Manassas Park has can't be duplicated," Frischkorn said. 

One of the best things, he said, is something that most educators rarely get a chance to see: how the kids they taught in elementary school progress over the years. The school system is so small that he can see how the kids he taught at the elementary school are now faring at the end of their high school careers. 

Frischkorn, who has a master's degree in education from the University of Virginia, taught math and reading at MPE, and history at MPMS. Before then, he attended Penn State, where he earned an education degree. He was inspired by his older sister, who started teaching during his freshman year of college. She was also the reason he found out about the job in MPCS, since she already worked here. 

"I moved down here after graduation and just fell in love with the area," he said. "I'm a Virginian."

Frischkorn found out about the opening at Cougar Elementary through friends in the school district. A big reason he wanted to come back was the family-style atmosphere, but he also liked the overall feeling of the school. 

"It has an energy, too," Frischkorn said. "During the professional development weeks, you could feel the energy" as teachers discussed strategies for the new school year. 

During the weeks before kids came back to school, Frischkorn and the staff worked on preparing Cougar Elementary for 265 new kindergarteners, putting together a parallel block schedule for 900 students, and placing individual students in the classes that would best suit their needs. 

Frischkorn said his current focus has now shifted to "learning Cougar Elementary School's culture."

"Right now I want to treat every day as a learning opportunity," he said.