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At Freeman Academy, we believe that personal, one-on-one advising of high school students is essential to both academic excellence and personal development. Since our goal is to ensure care for the whole student, advising topics cover a wide range:
As a former Freeman Academy student, did you ever think of returning to teach?
I never thought I’d be a teacher but God had other plans. And I didn’t think about teaching in Academic Support until the school asked me to. Now I love it. It fits my skill set and even some of my spiritual gifts. Besides one-on-one academic support, I also have opportunities to foster spiritual and emotional growth.
Seeing progress in all these areas is very rewarding.
What does the Academic Support include?
I wear a lot of hats. With international students, I focus on English skills and acclimating to American culture. For grades 1-12, I work with students who struggle in a class or content area. I also coach students who need help with study skills like organization.
Why do students thrive at Freeman Academy?
There’s great value in the social-emotional side of learning here. With small classes and being able to bring faith into the classroom, it allows students to be more authentic and real with each other. Academically, Freeman Academy students have high expectations for themselves. That is reflected in the culture here. When the rest of the class cares about studying, it rubs off.
The families are also very engaged. I appreciate the strong relationships we have with parents. It’s like a triad – parents, students and teachers working together. Because of the strong relationships, everyone is willing to work harder to see students do well. A lot of those strengths come down to size and our caring community.
What’s your history with the school?
Freeman Academy born and raised! My grandparents, my father, and then my siblings attended here. I graduated in 2008. I returned part-time in 2015 and the position slowly grew from focusing on international students to directing Academic Support and helping all students.
Now you help prepare students for college. Reflecting back, what was your college transition like?
Academically, I was very ready for college. Also, because of the wide variety of experiences the Academy provided, I was comfortable being involved in a variety of activities in college and later in my church community. In high school I learned a lot about being a member of a team and building community together.
Freeman Academy is known for its fine arts program. How did that impact you?
Musically the Academy was an amazing experience. It gave me a heart for music early on that carries on today. When I was in college, I didn’t have a solo voice but I was one of the few students who could sight read and play the piano so that gave me many opportunities. Freeman Academy’s music program was a great foundation for college that in time became a way to express my faith and also a method for self-care. After not playing in band since high school, I even jumped back into band my last year of college to play the bass clarinet once more. I don’t think about the value and depth of my high school experience often enough. I take it for granted until I meet someone who has had a very different school experience.
This fall the science room holds Biology 2, Earth Science, Physical Science, Computer Science and Chemistry, but quite often, the room just isn’t big enough for Stastny’s experiments. On a calm day, the junior high earth science class headed for the Arboretum and let the sun’s heat excite air molecules in a 50-foot solar balloon until it floated above their heads.
Another day, cheers echoed through the halls when physical science students successfully sent HotWheels cars rocketing down two flights of stairs on curved race track – a fun twist for calculating velocity. “That took a lot of teamwork and communication,” Stastny said. “Everyone takes a part, pitching in to find a solution together.”
Stastny is known for letting students customize their experiments. “When possible I allow them to explore their ideas. There’s a lot of discovery involved in that. We want to keep curiosity going,” she said. An example: Styrofoam, tape and tissues piled up on lab tables as each student engineered a container to insure their raw egg had a safe landing after a two-story drop.
Cabinets on the back wall hold slides of mold spores, rock samples, and bottles of chemicals. Generous donations from alumni classes have helped add new equipment including microscopes, KNEX building kits, and robotic kits that teach computer coding. “These new resources allow students to dive in and learn,” Stastny shared. “We’re very thankful for them.” 
As the new English teacher, what reflects your Language Arts style?
One is taking a “publishing” approach to major papers. High school students will “submit their papers for publishing” which can happen multiple times as I provide direction for improvements. The main point is for students to do their best work and be proud of it. It also stimulates real life experiences. Writing needs to meet a certain standard for many positions.
Then there’s Tea Time Tuesday which is part of the Free Reading component in my classroom. During the last 10 minutes of class, students read what they want, learning about topics they are interested in. Students might not like novels but they might enjoy looking up internet articles on topics they are passionate about. Free Reading not only fosters a love of reading but also a love of learning. Once a month we’ll have Tea Time Tuesday where we’ll drink tea and discuss the different Free Reading topics students have chosen.
Strings of lights provide great atmosphere in your classroom. What kind of learning atmosphere are you aiming for?
One of the big things for me is developing trust and a sense of belonging in the classroom. Learning can’t really happen until that is established. Good relationships and mutual respect are very important.
748 S. Main St.
Freeman, SD 57029
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Brad (Braden) grew up in Wichita, Kansas, part of a family of educators. He earned a BA in Political Science/History from Wichita State, at which point he worked as a quality assurance manager for aviation-related companies in Wichita. Discerning a call to academics, he then completed a MA in Political Science from the University of Kansas. After reading Anabaptist theology and political thought, Brad shifted his focus to theology, earning a MA and PhD from Marquette University, with a focus on Theology and Society. He went on to teach courses at the college level in theology, ethics, and politics, as well as work in academic administration, non-profit program direction, and private consultancy. He is the author of Chosen Nation: Scripture, Theopolitics, and the Project of National Identity, as well as journal articles on Christian nationalism and biblical interpretation. Brad came to FA in 2017, teaching high school Bible and Social Studies, and serving as Assistant Head of School and then Academic Dean. He began as Head of School in July, 2022. Brad is married to Elizabeth, with whom he shares three children: Benjamin (FA ’21), Madelyn, and Katelyn. He enjoys piano and arranging music, reading fiction and history, watching movies, playing strategy games, and conversation and laughter with friends. The Andersons are active at Salem Mennonite Church, southeast of Freeman.