A self-described hard worker who enjoys working with students more than he does adults, Tom Freeman is the new principal at Suncrest Elementary School in Orem.

But it wasn't until he was mentored and coached by then-Cedar Ridge Elementary principal and friend Steve Cherrington that Freeman realized the amount of good he could do as an administrator.

"He was an example to me of someone who cared and he put kids first though he took a lot of heat for it," Freeman said. "He showed me it was possible to ... make a difference."

Over a year ago, the Ridgecrest, Calif., native enrolled in Brigham Young University's Leadership Preparation Program for educators seeking to earn a master's degree and get into school administration.

"It was a 14-month brain drain," Freeman joked, adding that the hands-on internship at Lone Peak High School, Lakeridge Junior High School, and Santaquin Elementary was truly an eye-opener.

Since arriving at Suncrest Elementary, Freeman has been impressed with faculty members' teamwork, sense of family and their commitment to their students.

"It's easy to get further and move to another school, but these teachers are dedicated to these little kids and driven by that," he said. "If you have to spend the day with a group of people, what better place than with dedicated people."

He was also struck by the school's sense of community among parents and the idea that Suncrest parents want to help all children at the school succeed, not just their own kids.

When Freeman attended his first student assembly at Suncrest last spring, he brought along several of his teenage daughters who thought they remembered attending the school when the family lived in Orem years ago. He corrected their memory.

"You never went there," he told them, "I brought the kids to play here. We kind of lived by Trafalga."

Freeman plans to carry over many of the traditions and programs of his predecessor, John Patten, who accepted a district position last spring with the Alpine School District.

But that doesn't mean he won't add his own touches and insights including placing a greater emphasis on students who are getting left behind and providing more support to them. He would also like to welcome a wider cross-section of Suncrest parents and the nearby community, many of whom are Latino, to be more involved with school projects and activities.

"It's not just a school," Freeman said. "It's kind of a community center."

Enrollment at Suncrest Elementary this fall is expected to be at approximately 470 students, he said.