Published: August 13, 2008 12:29 pm            

New at School

ALTAMONT — Jeff Fritchtnitch is the kind of guy who has never forgotten where he came from.

Even though Fritchtnitch, the new superintendent at Altamont Unit 10, has been a full-time administrator for more than a decade, he hasn’t strayed far from his professional roots.

“Even today, I consider myself a teacher,” he said. “I have the responsibility to teach everyone under me something. That keeps me grounded and reminds me of what’s happening in the classroom — teaching and learning.”

Fritchtnitch has traveled a circuitous route to his new job. The oldest of Jack and Sue Fritchtnitch’s three kids, young Jeff starred in football and track at Morris High School. He then played three years of football at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, before a cracked vertebra ended his football career.

After graduating from EIU in the fall of 1986, he returned to his home area to begin teaching at Coal City High School in January 1987. He taught physical education, as well as a class called “I Can,” in which students learned how to gain confidence in life.

Fritchtnitch was defensive coordinator on the Class 2A state championship football team in 1993 and also coached track.

He broke into the administrative ranks at Morris in 1994, where he was a combination dean of students, physical education teacher and coach. He assisted on the Morris football team that played in the state final game.

He went into administration full time in 1996 while still at Morris. Little did he know his football coaching career wasn’t quite over.

Fritchtnitch first became a principal at Flora High School in 1999. Almost immediately upon arriving, the head football coach left and he finally realized his dream of being a head football coach. The Wolves were 6-3 and beat Salem for the first time in 21 years.

By this time, Fritchtnitch had received both his master’s and his specialist degree, qualifying him to be a superintendent. So, he moved back to Coal City — this time as an associate principal at the high school with some districtwide responsibilities.

“I had this burning desire to be a superintendent,” he admitted.

He went to Thomson in northwest Illinois for his first superintendent’s job in the 2002-03 school year before he and wife, Julie, also a superintendent, decided they had to be closer to their families.

Julie got a job at a rural elementary district near Pontiac, while Jeff got a similar job at the nearby Tri-Point district based in Cullum.

Julie then got an opportunity to work in the family insurance business at Clay City, meaning Jeff needed to get a little closer than Tri-Point to make the move work.

“I tried to get a job near Clay City, and Altamont was the place,” he said. “It’s one of the most enjoyable moves I’ve had.”

Fritchtnitch said he was still evaluating Unit 10’s needs. He’s impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“What I do know is that I have some very good people to work with kids,” he said. “I see a passion that many other school districts wish they had.”

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.