A rundown of news and events from Fridley Public Schools · 2015-11-17 · current service “through my time in the military, I have internalized the importance of discipline, honor

Fridley Public Schools PHONE: (763) 502-5020

Communications Office FAX: (763) 502-5050

6000 West Moore Lake Drive E-MAIL: [email protected]

Fridley, MN 55432 WEB: www.fridley.k12.mn.us

A rundown of news and events from Fridley Public Schools

SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT NEWS

FRIDLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR VETERANS

Fridley Middle School held its 30th

annual Veterans Day Program on

November 11, 2015. The program

was created to celebrate and com-

memorate the men and women past

and present who serve in the mili-

tary.

This year’s guest speakers were

former Fridley resident and veteran

Stan Kowalski, an 89-year old

WWII veteran who in his speech

said that “caring will be the only

future the human race has, and kids

are living messages we sent to a

future we will never see … Ameri-

ca is free because we helped do

what was needed to make that hap-

pen.”

Army Capt. Michael Griffis, the

other guest speaker stated about his

current service “through my time in

the military, I have internalized the

importance of discipline, honor and

integrity. I live a life committed to

helping others and selfless ser-

vice.”

Student speakers included 8th grad-

ers Chloe Cantlon, who honored

her great-grandfather, Sgt. Ernest

Carlsrud; Ruby Richard, who intro-

duced her grandpa, Vietnam veter-

an Navy Seaman Mike Richard (in

attendance); and McKenzie Swartz

-Porath, who talked about her

neighbor, Sgt. Matthew Birr. Birr

was a fifth grade student at Fridley

Middle School when the September

11, 2001 terror attacks occurred.

Prior to 9/11, not many schools

commemorated Veterans Day be-

yond a mere mention, according to

Principal and 12-year military vet-

eran Matthew Boucher. “The

events of 9/11 really brought to

light the value of service. Up until

then, people recognized a person

had served in the military, but it

wasn’t truly viewed as ‘service.’”

The program concluded by the re-

tiring of the colors performed by

VFW Post 363 Color Guard Bob

Dykof (Desert Storm veteran),

George Arnold (Korean War veter-

an), Randy Byrne (Auxiliary) and

Jesse Rundle (Auxiliary). Veterans

present and their families and

guests were treated to a light recep-

tion afterwards.





FRIDLEY STUDENTS ATTEND “WE DAY”

News and events from Fridley Public Schools

Fridley Public Schools has been selected to host

the 4th Annual EdTechTeam Minnesota summit

featuring Google for Education.

The Summit will be held on January 30-31, 2016

at Fridley High School, and will focus on deploy-

ing, integrating, and suing Google Apps for Edu-

cation (and other Google tools) to promote student

learning in K-12 ad higher education.

For more information, visit:

http://mn.gafesummit.com/2016

FRIDLEY SELECTED TO HOST STATE SUMMIT

RLS INTRODUCES CODE CAMP

With the debut of Code Camp, Stevenson Ele-

mentary School has become one of a select few

elementary schools in the state to offer such a

computer program.

The classes are taught after school by Stevenson

teacher Dianne Rae. “We have 13 students in

second grade who have signed up for this pro-

gram,” said Rae. “We meet twice a week after

school.”

The program lessons are run through Code.org,

an organization that exists to provide opportuni-

ties for computer literacy to schools with an

emphasis on creating more interest and oppor-

tunity in computer programming among women

and minority students.

The students currently participating in the cod-

ing camp will complete their basic introductory

courses by the end of winter, and new students

will begin the program toward the end of March

2016.

38 Fridley High School and 30 Middle School students

attended WE Day at the Xcel Energy Center on Novem-

ber 3. The event is a “celebration of youth making a dif-

ference in their local and global communities.” Students

learn compassion and tools to formulate positive change in

society, including volunteer work in their communities.

18,000 students and educators packed the arena for a full

day of speeches and musical performances by such celeb-

rities as Chelsea Clinton, Henry Winkler and Ciara. Frid-

ley students who attended were able to do so in recogni-

tion of their contribution to community action services

over the past year.

Fridley middle and high school students attend WE Day on No-

vember 3, 2015. Photos: Jessica Baker and Alexa Bailey.

http://mn.gafesummit.com/2016






PARENT WORKSHOP

Know Your Child’s Selfie!

Stress... Anxiety... Low self-esteem...

Depression... Anger...

Is your teenager stressed? Find out

how you can help. Join us to learn

more about helping your child manage

teenage stress and raise their confi-

dence.

When: November 17, 2015

Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Where: Fridley Middle School

(Cafeteria)

Agenda

5:00-6:00 Resource Fair

5:30-6:00 Free Dinner

6:00-6:45 Managing Teenage Stress presented by Bridge for Youth

6:45-7:00 Closing remarks

All parents and teenagers are wel-

come!

Sponsored by Fridley Middle School

and Fridley High School.

To give back to its communities and celebrate public education, Educa-

tion Minnesota is organizing a statewide Week of Action November 16-

20. The Week of Action gives local organizations the opportunity to

show statewide unity and to give back to communities that support edu-

cators and public schools.

The theme this year is “Giving Back.” In Fridley, the FEA Executive

Board is supporting this initiative by collecting non-perishable items in

each building which will be donated to SACA (Southern Anoka Com-

munity Assistance).

So how can we help?

Collect non-perishable items in each building – making it a friendly

competition to see which building can collect the most, Novem-

ber 16-19.

Building representatives will send out reminders throughout the

month of November and also set up a collection box.

Items collected will be delivered to SACA on Thursday night with

representatives from the FEA.

The building that collects the most items may even get their picture

in the news.

What to collect?

Non-perishable food: canned goods, boxed meals, boxed potatoes,

condiment items - maybe think of possible items that families

might want to make a Thanksgiving meal.

Personal items: diapers, toothpaste, personal bath items.

Below is an example of what $10 buys at a local grocery store and a

regional food bank.

FRIDLEY 2015 WEEK OF ACTION FOOD DRIVE






FRIDLEY SENIORS APPLY FOR COLLEGE DURING COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE MONTH

Senior Evan Ryd adds his name to the list of students

who completed an application during College

Knowledge Month.

Class of 2016 Dean Carrie Wrona assists a student

in filling out an online college application.

October was College Knowledge Month, and Fridley High

School Dean of the Class of 2016 Carrie Wrona made sure eve-

ry senior knew about it.

“Around 90% of our seniors filled out applications. At the be-

ginning of the month, I went into their English classes and

talked about different ways of exploring for colleges, how to

start that process and then letting them know I was going to

come back and help them do their actual applications. It start-

ed with giving them websites they could look at and do their

research and then, finally, three weeks later, apply,” she said.

The benefit of taking part in College Application Week is the

application fee being waived for MnSCU schools, most private

schools (Macalester, Hamline, Gustavus, St. John’s), and all

community colleges.

Most students thus far are planning on staying in Minnesota,

though about 10% indicated to Wrona they wanted to attend

school elsewhere, including as close as North Dakota and as far

as California.

Does Wrona see any trends between four-year universities and

technical schools? “I still see four year. Some students are

realistic and some are not at this point. The majority are still

signing up for four-year colleges. I did have a good amount

apply to Anoka Ramsey, MCTC, and Hennepin Tech.”

When asked how much of an issue financial aid is to making a

decision, Wrona said, “It’s huge. They are really concerned.

‘What is the cost? Can I afford this? Will I be able to get

scholarships?’ Some of the students have already looked into

how many merit scholarships are out there. ‘I don’t want to

have too many loans. I’m not taking out loans.’”

Senior Luca Patrick Vescio Schreiner, who applied at St. Cloud

Tech for its automotive services program, agreed. “Definitely.

The cost is important, and the location.”

Continued next page






Wrona added that “A lot of scholarships are out there

if they’re looking. Our kids, a lot of them economi-

cally are disadvantaged. So scholarships would help

their college tuition if they can get those or grants

from the state. The students might as well apply and

see what financial package they can get from the col-

lege and then make a good decision. Just looking at

the sticker isn’t always right.”

Senior Annika Paulson had additional criteria for her

decision, including size of the campus. “I’d like it to

be more medium – not too big. One of my problems

with the U of M is that it’s so big. But my top criteri-

on is the major programs they have. I want to go into

psychology, so if they have a good psychology major,

that’s a good thing. And also a good music program,

because I want to double major in music.”

Degree programs were also a consideration for Aaron

Neumeister. “My top school right now is North Park

University in Chicago. My second is Hamline. They

both offer non-profit management, and also they have

political science, which I want to minor in.”

Next year, according to Wrona, Jim Cummings, the

Dean for the Class of 2017, will be meeting with

those students to start the same process. As for what

students can do in the meantime? “We’d like the kids

to be more present with where their GPAs are, how

many credits they have and who can you reference so

that’s it’s easier to build that application when they

go through and have those questions answered.”

Vescio Shreiner feels College Application Week is

valuable. “It’s definitely helped spread awareness. I

would’ve definitely applied, but it would’ve been

later on. I would’ve had to pay; I wouldn’t be here

for the free application that they had.”

Aboubacar Toure and Breezy Rucker sign their names on

the college poster.






FRIDLEY KEY CLUB UPDATE

Every year, the first week of Kiwa-

nis Family Month is an excellent

opportunity for Fridley Key Club to

show the community who they are.

From November 2-6, Key Clubbers

all over the school showed their

Key Club spirit!

On Monday, November 2, Key

Clubbers made sure to wear their

club shirts and pink flamingo head-

bands to grab fellow students’ at-

tention and to get them to ask about

the club. This brought in new

members who were eager to sign up

for such a fun service club! Tues-

day was “Kudos to the Key Play-

ers.” It takes many people to have

a successful club, and it’s not just

advisors, so this year Key Club sent

“Messages in a Bottle” to the prin-

cipal, vice principal, athletic direc-

tor, communications specialist, and

four advisors, to thank them for

their support of the club.

Many people also attended We

Day, the “movement of our time”

that kicked off another year of ser-

vice in our school. Wednesday’s

theme was “Dare to Care.” Key

Club made over $50 for Eliminate

from a successful Hat Day as one

event for “Dare to Care.” Also,

during lunch, any student was invit-

ed to stuff dolls and dogs to send to

orphanages in Africa, which con-

vinced many of them to join Key

Club. As students walked through

the halls Thursday morning, it was-

n’t uncommon to see little cards

taped on lockers and desks. Thurs-

day was “Random Acts of Kind-

ness,” so Key Club taped Pass It On

cards around the school where they

encouraged students to do the ran-

dom act of kindness on the card and

then pass it on to another student.

There were lots of cards passed

around Thursday, enhancing a feel-

ing of inclusiveness and caring

throughout the school!

The final day of Key Club week

was “Connect the Ks” day, where

Key Clubbers are encouraged to

celebrate the whole Kiwanis fami-

ly. Fridley Key Club invited the

Builder’s Club at Fridley Middle

School and the Columbia Heights/

Fridley Kiwanis Club to an ice

cream social where all could inter-

act and discuss what was all going

on in their different clubs. With

plenty of frozen custard donated by

Culver’s, the party was a hit and set

a great tone for Kiwanis Family

Month.

All in all, the week was fun and

everyone had a blast sharing and

bringing attention to all the great

things Key Club does!

Article by Abby Ladwig and Kati Stevenson. Photos by Mary Bowen











NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENT

Fridley High School Prinicpal Renee Van

Gorp announced that Parker Brady and Erin

Larson have been named Commended Stu-

dents in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship

Program. A Letter of Commendation from

the school and National Merit Scholarship

Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the

program, will be presented by the principal to

these scholastically talented seniors.

About 34,000 Commended Students through-

out the nation are being recognized for their

exceptional academic promise. Although

they will not continue in the 2016 competi-

tion for National Merit Scholarship awards,

Commended Students placed among the top

five percent of more than 1.5 million students

who entered the 2016 competition by taking

the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit

Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/

NMSQT).

“The young men and women being named

Commended Students have demonstrated

outstanding potential for academic success,”

a spokesperson for NMSC said. “These stu-

dents represent a valuable national resource;

recognizing their accomplishments, as well as

the key role their schools play in their aca-

demic development, is vital to the advance-

ment of educational excellence in our na-

tion. We hope that this recognition will help

broaden their educational opportunities and

encourage them as they continue their pursuit

of academic success.”

FRIDLEY STUDENTS COMMENDED IN 2016 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Parker Brady

Erin Larson

Fridley Public Schools November

2015 Employee of the Month is Su-

san Treuchel, a paraprofessional at

Fridley Middle School (FMS). Su-

san works throughout the school

year as a paraprofessional support-

ing many students with significant

disabilities.

In this role, she strives to make the

school experience positive and pro-

ductive for all students. Her com-

mitment to assisting students and

staff comes from her heart. Fridley

Middle School Principal Matthew

Boucher said that for Susan, this is

not just a job, it is a calling.

Susan is a community member and

parent who is committed to making

Fridley schools the best they can be

for the benefit of all students, staff

and families. This extends into the

summer when she works with the

custodial staff to get the building

ready for the upcoming school year.

In this role, she is very self-directed

and always looking for ways to im-

prove the overall appearance of

Fridley Middle School.

She works tirelessly to support staff

in their preparations for the upcom-

ing school year, while consistently

looking for ways to improve the

physical environment and the stu-

dent, staff and community experi-

ence at FMS. Susan is truly com-

mitted to making Fridley Middle

School and Fridley Public Schools a

better place for each and every per-

son who engages with our schools.

“Thank you, Susan, for her steadfast

commitment and selfless service to

the students, staff and families of

Fridley Middle School,” said Bou-

cher.

TREUCHEL SELECTED NOVEMBER 2015 DISTRICT EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH






LADY TIGER GILREATH SIGNS WITH UW MADISON

Surrounded by her parents, David Gilreath Sr. and Susie Gil-

reath, and siblings, David Gilreath Jr., Davenna Gilreath and

Suzette Gilreath, Fridley High School senior Suzanne Gilreath

singed a letter of intent committing to University of Wisconsin

Madison. Gilreath, a star basketball player for the Fridley Lady

Tigers team, will join the Badgers team in the fall of 2016.

Gilreath has been a 4-year starter and Fridley High School’s all-

time leading scorer. She set the Minnesota State High School

record for 3 pointers made in a season.

Fridley Athletics Director Dan Roff congratulated her and her

parents on her accomplishments, noting that Suzanne’s hard

work was not just limited to the basketball court but in academ-

ics where she has also excelled. “Suzanne is a great role model

for kids,” said Roff.

Gilreath was the Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minne-

sota Sports Radio Network Athlete of the Week in 2014. Her

back-to-back 30-point games led the Lady Tigers to a two season

opener victory in 2014.

“I have no doubt that Suzanne will continue to have success both

at the University of Wisconsin and throughout her life. She is a

hard and an outstanding young adult,” said Fridley girls basket-

ball coach Erick Redepenning.

Top picture: Suzanne Gilreath, wearing a UW-Madison Badgers

sweatshirts smiles at her family and well wishers moments before

signing her commitment to join that university next fall.

2nd picture: The Gilreath family proudly witness Suzanne signing

her letter of intent which commits her to play basketball for the

UW Madison Badgers. (Standing l-r:) dad David Gilreath Sr.,

brother David Gilreath Jr. who is a member of the Seattle Sea-

hawks football team, Suzette Gilreath, Suzanne’s twin sister, older

silster Davenna Gilreath, and mom Susie Gilreath.

3rd picture: Gilreath (seated), l-r: Jolene Blood (assistant coach),

Erick Redepenning (head girls basketball coach) and Jim Miller

(assistant coach).

Last picture: Suzanne Gilreath and twin sister Suzette sit sur-

rounded by Suzanne’s friends from Fridley High School who at-

tended to celebrate the special occasion with her.






CONGRATULATIONS TO FRIDLEY HIGH SCHOOL OCTOBER 2015 STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Fridley High School is proud to announce its October 2015 Students of the Month! Teachers and staff select up

to two students for the Students of the Month (SOTM) recognition. Students are selected based on their demon-

stration on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile traits: Inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, com-

municators, principles, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective.

Halah

Abbood

Emely Acosta-Hilario

Samira

Ali

Michael

Barrera Thanh

Beach

Darius

Berry

Samantha

Broadhead

Icis

Burgess

Emelyn

Campos

Gustavos

Juarez Chacon Vianka

Damas

Hailey

Deluca-Davis

Keith

Emmons

Bailey

Ellefson

Zachary

Fischer

Alisa

Forkpah

Thomas

Gowah Jilian

Guza






CONGRATULATIONS TO FRIDLEY HIGH SCHOOL OCTOBER 2015 STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Sawyer

Hoff

Amelia

Howard

Jamia

Johnson Terriann

Johnson Jabril

Leaks

Christine

Ludi

De’Jah

McCarter

James

Martin

Janessa

Millar

Jaylen

O’Neal

Sierra

Pacheco

Chloe

Rich

Edward

Riddle

Abe

Rizvi

Sandra

Salgado Hailee

Schalwig

Summer

Siedlecki

Syed

Sarwar

L-r: Christopher Vasquez

Ezekiel Walker

Cheng Xiong

Danny Yang

Justin Yang

Documents

A rundown of news and events from Fridley Public Schools · 2015-11-17 · current service “through my time in the military, I have internalized the importance of discipline, honor