Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Frake
Not only as a teacher but also a role model, Mr. Bill Frake ’05 is always personable with his students and really takes the time to get to know everyone. He is willing to work with any student on troubles inside and outside the classroom. Most importantly, he cares about what kind of person you become.
Mr. Frake started teaching at CBA in 2009 and currently teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, and AP Calc AB.
I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Frake and ask him some questions about CBA, what made him want to teach here, and how CBA has impacted his life.
Q: What was it like to be a CBA student back in the day?
A: I’ve always thought that in many ways, it wasn’t that different to be a student at CBA back when I was here than it is today. When I was a student here, I loved going to sporting events. I rarely missed a basketball game, I went to pretty much every baseball home game, and I used to go to the hockey games down at Jersey Shore Arena. I also used to go on community service trips like the LaSallian Youth trips to Asbury Park. When I was a student, I tried to get as involved in the campus community as possible, and I encourage all the students to do that today because it’s what I remember most about CBA.
Q: What made you want to become a teacher?
A: I’ve always been interested in finding a way to have a positive impact on the lives of the people around me, and that takes different forms for everyone. For me, it was the chance to not only stand up in front of a room and talk about math but also to be involved in the lives of the students outside of class. When I was younger, I wished I had a role model in my life that I related to on a personal level, and that’s what I try to be in my teaching career.
Q: What made you want to teach at CBA?
A: I had a great experience at CBA, and the teachers in our school always did a lot for me and went out of their way to help me. Since I was so grateful for everything that CBA did for me, both academically and personally, I was very thankful for the opportunity to come back to CBA and take all the lessons that I learned here and pay them forward to the students who are currently here.
Q: When you became a teacher here at CBA, did you expect to become the leader of one of the biggest clubs, that being Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)?
A: I was in SADD when I was a student at CBA, and at that time the moderator was a guidance counselor named Mr. Brennan. Mr. Brennan was my guidance counselor during my junior and senior years, and he had a strong impact on me throughout my time at CBA. He built SADD to be what it eventually became, and I was proud to take it over when he retired and do my part to continue the legacy that he created. One of the things I enjoy about being a teacher is that things don’t necessarily go in a direction you “expect”. Whether it be a discussion during class or an event run through SADD, you always have to be on your toes and be able to adapt to new situations, and that is a valuable skill that I’ve learned through my time here at CBA.
Q: Did CBA open any opportunities for you beyond the classroom? How did these opportunities impact you?
A: It’s always had a strong impact on me to observe the bonds that CBA creates among people. To meet people that I never had the opportunity to know when I was a student here, and to be able to form a connection with them based on the fact that we had CBA in common is a special thing that I don’t think exists at a lot of schools. It’s something the current students will notice more when they leave CBA and they’re on their own in the world.
Closing with SADD and the impact CBA had on himself, Mr. Frake added a message that he wants to share with everyone in the CBA community:
“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to work with all of the students at CBA. Whether I have you in class or not, anyone in our school is welcome to stop by and see me any time if they need math help or if there’s something else I might be able to help with. My door is always open.”
