Don't miss the Fridley High School spring play, The Wall, on April 24-26, 2019 at 7 PM in the Fridley District Auditorium. Please note: this production is recommended for mature audiences only.

Over 40 Fridley High School (FHS) students attended the Westminster Town Hall Forum in Minneapolis on March 19, 2019 to hear from activist David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He is among twenty Parkland students who founded Never Again MSD (Marjory Stoneman Douglas), a gun control advocacy group, and is a founding member of March for Our Lives, one of the largest youth-led movements around the world.

Students who attended the field trip are part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Theory of Knowledge (ToK) class. The Westminster Town Hall Forum is a frequent field trip for ToK, as each speaker provides dialogue on key issues impacting our society.

“David Hogg’s passion for student activism was inspiring and he is a great example of the power that students have to impact the world,” said ToK teacher Tim Leistikow. “It was also exciting for students to see and hear Hogg speak because he is a 2018 high school graduate, a peer to all our students who attended.”

FHS senior Audrey Zeleny was incredibly inspired by Hogg. “The most important thing we can do as a society, especially as young people, is to educate ourselves and educate others,” said Zeleny. “David Hogg talked about being open-minded to all sides, and to never be seen as someone who doesn’t have a stance on an issue or that you don’t care. It’s important to make your own opinions, know the reasons why, but also learn from and value other perspectives.”

According to FHS senior Eli Paton, David Hogg emphasized the importance of learning from different perspectives.

“Gun violence can affect anyone, and we need to spread more awareness about it,” said Paton. “He talked about not wanting to try to take away weapons, but just to make better laws.”

The forum fit well into lessons in the ToK class, an IB class that provides students the opportunity to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and how “we know what we claim to know.” Students benefit by gaining a greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions, as well as developing an appreciation of the diversity and richness that are different from their own.

Purchasing products with “market money,” excited Hayes Elementary School third grade students bought and sold their homemade wares at the school’s annual Market Day on March 27, 2019. Market Day is a culminating International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) project for the school’s third graders that teaches students entrepreneurship, production and consumption, and the laws of supply and demand.

Teaming up with their classmates, students came up with their own ideas for products to sell, which included slime, book decorations, hand warmers, calming jars and more. Students also learned how to market products effectively through different advertising avenues, such as commercials and posters. This year, with the help of Hayes music teacher Andrea Orem, students created a jingle for their products in music class.

During the event, products were purchased with “market money,” which was handed out to all third graders throughout the course of the unit. The money was earned through good behavior. Students also learned how to manage their money by paying “rent” for their store space or purchasing “supplies” for their products. Students had the opportunity to work in the store to sell their handmade products, as well as shop around to explore the different products made by their fellow students.

The IB PYP challenges students to explore local and global issues, as well as learn from opportunities in real-life contexts. The purpose of Market Day is to bring real world experiences into the classroom in a fun and engaging way, while teaching students about the economy and global markets.

“Students love Market Day and look forward to it every year,” said Hayes third grade teacher Heidi Hall. “We run a Market Day preview the day prior to the event, when our second graders visit to purchase goods. This allows our third graders to practice running their stores and using their marketing strategies, and our second graders get a chance to see what Market Day is all about.”

Hall added that this method of teaching is effective because it allows students to work hands-on while practicing group work skills and communication skills.

“It’s also transdisciplinary, as they write about their products during writing time, create jingles in music, create logos in art, and work as a team in the classroom during production,” said Hall. “They learn through real-world lessons and spark early interests in marketing and entrepreneurship.”

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From left to right: Puwch Cham, Alissa Marquardt, Malina Om, Samira Dabarani, Jasmine Crohn and FHS art teacher Cheryl Burghardt.

Congratulations to the five Fridley High School students who earned awards at the annual Minnesota State High School League Visual Art Competition on March 30, 2019, held at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley.

Overall, the students received 14 Superior Awards, which is the highest rating, and one Excellent Award. Additionally, two FHS students, Puwch Cham and Samira Dabarani, earned the Judge's Choice Spotlight on the Arts awards. Each competition judge selects their choice of "best in show" artwork from over 130 submitted works. The Judge's Choice Award winners from across Minnesota will be exhibited at the Perpich Center on May 11, 2019. The students' art pieces were on display in the Fridley High School media center from April 8-10, 2019.

Congratulations to the following students:

Jasmine Crohn:
STOP -   Superior Award
Disconnected - Superior Award
Daydream - Superior Award
Pleaser - Superior Award

Alissa Marquardt:
Cat Tail - Superior Award
Concealment - Superior Award
Two Worlds Collide - Excellent Award
Starwishing - Superior Award
Imagine - Superior Award

Puwch Cham:
Dream Catcher - Superior Award - Judge's Choice Spotlight on the Arts Award (Pictured below, left)
Liberty in Chains - Superior Award

Samira Dabarani:
Fear begets Fear - Superior Award - Judge's Choice Spotlight on the Arts Award (Pictured below, right)
After Dark - Superior Award
Hideaway - Superior Award 

Malina Om:
Serendipity - Superior Award