Our newest assistant principal, Amanda Mann chose to make the move here when she got some advice about her life from a friend.

“One of them said we should make the life we want to live.  So, I decided I wanted to live here with my friends, so I moved in July,” she said. “The job for Rider came open, and I couldn’t be happier anywhere else.”

She comes directly from Walters Elementary in Oklahoma where she served as principal, but has previous experience in high school as well.

Coming from Oklahoma, Texas is quite similar in terms of how the school handles discipline. She hasn’t been here long, so many of the laws are still new to her, but she is learning them. In terms of education, at least in the classroom, Mann believes in student involvement, so she tries to share some different teaching strategies if the teachers need it.

“A lot of teachers do that [student engagement] really well already, but sometimes I might have a different strategy for them to share, so I work on that, whether it’s Oklahoma or Texas,” she said.

While she hasn’t been here at Rider for long, Mann is thankful for her helpful admin team and the students. She even  enjoys bus duty because she gets to greet the students. Mann likes to socialize with students as well, which is evident during lunchtime.

“I’ll stop and just sit at a table and talk to the different students. I think sometimes they think it’s odd when I do that, but I’m just trying to get to know the people,” she said.

Overall she is a big advocate for students, and Mann tries to be there for any student.

“If you need help with something or if you have an issue, come to me because I want to make things right,” she said. “I think school should be a place where you want to come, and it’s fun to learn.”