For the first time in five years, Sam Adams Elementary has hired a new teacher.

Frannie Semrinec, a 2008 Niles High School graduate, has been hired to help reduce class sizes at Sam Adams.

According to DeeAnn Melville-Voss, director of curriculum and instruction for K-6, through the district’s Title I funding, Semrinec is being added as a kindergarten teacher.

“Our class sizes were at 29, 29 and 17,” Melville-Voss said. “What we are finding through tracking the data is the kids aren’t able to be as productive. So what I am trying to do is look at benefiting the kids and the teachers so that they can make the appropriate progress.”

Semrinec attended Western Michigan University where she graduated in December with a teaching degree. She did her student-teaching at Northside Elementary in Niles.

Semrinec interviewed for the Sam Adams position right after New Years and what officially hired the week of New Years.

“It was pretty crazy,” Semrinec said. “You graduate with a teaching degree in December and you kind of hope for a long-term sub job or just subbing in general. Here I am lucky enough to have a job. Education isn’t one of those fields where are you can just graduate and start working.

“I was banking on finding something in the fall, but I mean I am kind of lucky enough that hopefully it won’t have to be that way. I am beyond ecstatic. Everyone here has been so friendly and welcoming.”

Semrinec said one of the biggest surprises was all the technology that Sam Adams has and that she will be able to use in her teaching. She will be teaching math and language arts. She added that eight or nine students will be coming from the two larger classrooms to create her room, which will have approximately 17 students.

They will go back to their classrooms in the afternoon and she will then work a smaller group doing math intervention with the other grades.

“I am excited to get a chance to work with other kids and older kids,” Semrinec said.

Melville-Doss said that Semrinec will go on to first grade with that same group of kids.

Right now Semrinec is going through three weeks of shadowing, working with schedules and working with the kids’ data.

“I think that she is going to do a fabulous job,” Melville-Voss said. “She came in having worked in kindergarten as a teacher and she’s fresh from college, so she is going to bring lots of energy and lots of new ideas to the district.

“It’s very exciting to me because most schools are having to let people go. We were able to get somebody. I worked on trying to get somebody since September when we saw our numbers. Our numbers just continue to grow in kindergarten, which is fabulous because most districts are going backwards because of the economy.

“Sam Adams’ numbers are starting to go up and our kindergarten’s high and if we can provide the best classroom scenario for them, that’s what I want to do.”