Patrick Frey accepted the Idaho Conference call to be its next education director as of July 1. Frey finished his master's in educational administration at Walla Walla University in July. He and his wife, Mary Kay, arrived in Idaho in August.
Frey comes well-qualified to lead the conference education department. His teaching experience ranges from rural one-teacher schools in Wyoming to a 110-student junior academy in Yakima, Wash. Idaho has several one-teacher schools and two larger schools, plus Gem State Adventist Academy in Caldwell. A go-getter from the start, Frey has teaching endorsements in general science, biology, chemistry, English, health, religion, algebra and photography. He enjoys bringing technology into the classroom to help make learning fun and relevant.
The third of four boys, Frey was raised in Nevada, Iowa, in a mostly non-religious home. During his freshman year in college, a student of Oak Park Academy (now closed) in Nevada, Iowa, shared her faith with him, which sparked an interest in the God of the Sabbath. Frey's college days were interrupted by a stint in the Army. But, while in the military, he accepted Christ as his Savior and met and married his wife.
After leaving the service, Frey attended Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Mass., where he gained a Bachelor of Arts in education and two children, Todd and Katie. The Freys enjoy camping, sailing, remodeling houses and horses (especially Mary Kay), and they are the proud grandparents of Patrick and Jake, sons of Todd and Sarah, who live in Spokane, Wash. Katie is married to Bruce Beerman, and they also live in Spokane.
Frey's initial goals in the Idaho Conference are to help young people to develop a saving relationship with Jesus, to give them an intelligent understanding of the role of the Adventist Church, and to help them acquire a quality Christian education. Knowing that school and church are only part of the equation, he would like to focus on the families of the students, to minister to their needs as parents in a challenging world.
Patrick and Mary Kay Frey are enjoying their new assignment to the Idaho Conference, where Patrick now serves as education director. (Don Klinger)
