After 25 plus years of service, Mr. Gene Matsook, middle school gym teacher, will be retiring from Freedom at the end of this school year. 

“Whether it was on the track and field or an assembly in the gym, Mr. Matsook was always there dancing and singing with the kids,” Mr. Ryan Smith, Freedom Middle School principal, said. 

Matsook is sure to be missed by all of the teachers and students that knew him personally and spent any amount of time with Matsook. Mr. John Mohrbacher has stepped up to a long-term substitute position and plans on closing out the year as the gym and health teacher. 

Matsook will officially retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year. 

“Mr. Matsook was an amazing teacher – my goal isn’t to fill his shoes, but provide opportunities for students to have fun and an outlet for positive mental health,” said Mohrbacher. Mohrbacher started out the year as a long-term substitute for Mrs. Gaertner, elementary school gym teacher, but when Matsook decided to retire, he stepped up and took the position. 

“Since filling in for Mr. Matsook I’ve had some fun health days where we watched kids wrecking on swing sets or wiping out on water slides, to work on our mental health.  I really believe laughter is good medicine when it comes to dealing with this difficult school year,” stated Mohrbacher. There is a lot to love about being a gym teacher. Mohrbacher definitely makes his job fun at all times! 

“What I love most is that I get to be a part of students having the opportunity to get rid of stress and just play, run, and move,” said Mohrbacher. He certainly is trying to make physical education fun for everybody and so far he’s doing a pretty great job. 

“This year has been tough for everyone but we have to keep finding ways to move, laugh, and encourage!” exclaimed Mohrbacher.

Although it’s been a difficult year, Mohrbacher is doing his best to make physical education as fun and as interesting as possible.