Mr. Freeman - Vanquisher of Vapes
This article was last updated on March 5th of 2021.
The infamous image of him brandishing an assault rifle in a Williamston sweatshirt. Estimated to be from around 2010. According to some this was taken at a shooting range trip with other staff, but we'll never know for sure.
"I have no idea who would want to be a teacher in this day and age."
- Mr. Freeman in an interview from March 2019.
"I don't like smoking, I don't like vaping, because it hinders education big time."
- Mr. Freeman on "vape culture" in an interview, May 2019.
Background
Mr. Michael "Mike" Freeman, born in May of 1962, is one of those strange few who grow up in Williamston and stay there throughout most of their life. He apparently has an alias of Michael "X" Freeman and "MC Freeman". He is rumored to have attended police training at some point in the '80s or '90s. He was the longest serving vice principal of WHS, and was well known by the students and staff alike. In June 2019, he retired and was replaced by Mrs. Deb LaFleur. The current WHS Vice Principal is Mr. Armour.
Vice Principal of Williamston High School
Mr. Freeman was the vice principal of Williamston High School for 17 years. In 2019, he prosecuted members of Willemstan for the System folder and associated actions. He became vice principal at the start of the 2002 - 2003 school year, and then retired at the end of the 2018 - 2019 school year. Mike Freeman's position as Vice Principal was replaced by Mrs. LaFleur.Behavior
Like most staff, his behavior has gotten him mixed results in terms of likability. It is speculated that although he was friendly with the other administration, the phasing-out of old staff members was something he did not agree with, and he disapproved of the newer school employees in the administration department. According to students, punishments were heavily swayed by charisma - when he talked to you punishments could change if he liked the conversation or not. In his personal life, he is apparently an active member of the community and friends with many.
Mr. Freeman was also known as the face against the school district's campaign against vapes, or e-cigs. As Vice Principal, it was his job to make sure the students of WHS were not vaping. Every time he got a vape from students, he would store it in a drawer in his desk, forming a massive stash. As of 2019, he had 15 confirmed vapes in his collection. However, some say he took it to far. He was known for visiting boys' bathrooms and busting into boys' locker rooms unannounced. There were often jokes and rumors about the lengths he would go to catch a student who was vaping. This would include rumors of him hiding in bathroom stalls in the boys bathroom, waiting for a group of kids to start vaping, where he would then suddenly announce himself by opening the stall door and catching them red handed. Some say he has even gone as far as watching kids over the stall divider as they use the bathroom, and crouching on the toilet to further conceal himself. Again, there is probably not much truth in those rumors.
System I
Main article: System I.
Mr. Freeman, the man himself, prosecuted those responsible for System I in his office. He let Sean Kavanagh off for being a "nice guy".
Paycheck
During 2015 and 2016, Mr. Freeman made $87,673 annually as vice principal. During 2018, Mr. Freeman made $87,095 annually as vice principal. During 2019, Mr. Freeman made $90,567 annually as vice principal.
Retirement
His retirement was a bit suspicious, as he retired the year that the gun photo became quite popular (thanks to members of Willemstan of course). He also retired at the age of 56 years young. Due to his fat administrator paycheck, this shouldn't have been much of a suprise. In all likelyhood, is retirement was pre-planned for at least one year, as Mrs. LaFleur was spotted in the building the same year undergoing training and supervising many classrooms.
An art piece at WHS dedicated to Mr. Freeman.
Sources
| 1. FastPeopleSearch.com | 2. Spartan Newsroom - Local schools see vaping epidemic, confiscation increases of e-cigarettes and vaping devices | 3. Williamston Community Schools Website - Administration Page |
| 4. Personal accounts from students of Williamston High School. | 5. GovSalaries.com - Williamston Community Schools Salaries | 6. Michigan State University School of Journalism - Williamston Schools faculty hope for change with new governor |
| 7. Capital Area District Libraries - Hornet 2007 |