The Fridley Schools Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports Fridley Public Schools, will host its third annual Black & Gold Gala on Thursday, January 30, 2020, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at Jax Café, 1928 University Avenue NE, Minneapolis.

The Fridley Schools Foundation aims to raise more than $25,000 at the event to fund teacher innovation grants and student scholarships. Fridley teachers can apply for the innovation grants to spend on educational activities, field trips, items for classroom use and more. Student scholarships will be awarded to graduating Fridley High School seniors at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Last year, the Foundation was able to award over $125,000 worth of scholarships to students.

The Gala will include a social hour, silent auction, followed by a fabulous Jax dinner and live auction. Auction items include tickets to various Twin Cities theaters and events, restaurant gift certificates, experiential activities and more. A full cash bar will be available, and dress is semi-formal attire.

Tickets are $95 per person or sponsor a table of eight for $725. Tickets can be purchased on the Fridley Schools Foundation website at www.fridleyschoolsfoundation.org.

“The Foundation is passionate about enhancing educational opportunities for our students,” said Fridley Schools Foundation President Renee Van Gorp. “This gala is our largest annual fundraising effort to fund educator grants and scholarships.  We hope to fill every seat and work together to show support of our school community through a night filled with fun for a great cause.”

Each year, the Foundation honors a Golden Apple Award recipient, an individual who has made significant contributions to the Fridley school district. This year’s honoree is Bob Barnette, a longtime Fridley High School teacher and school counselor, who dedicated many years of service to Fridley Public Schools.

ABOUT THE FRIDLEY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION:

The Fridley Schools Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation independent of the Fridley Public Schools. The Fridley Schools Foundation mission is to open doors to enhance educational opportunities for students in the Fridley Schools community. Since 1999, the Foundation has provided teacher innovation grants, awarded college scholarships and has served as a resource for active booster clubs within the district.

The annual Shop with a Cop holiday tradition continues to put smiles on the faces of Hayes and Stevenson Elementary students. On December 4, 2019, over 20 members of the Fridley Police Departments (FPD) partnered with 16 Fridley Public Schools Hayes and Stevenson students to complete their Christmas shopping at the Fridley Walmart store.

According to School Resource Officer Patrick Faber, an alumn of Fridley Public Schools, the purpose of the Shop with a Cop event is to foster positive interactions with police, while building trusting and engaging relationships.

“I always value this opportunity to spend time with students in our community,” said Faber, who has been participating in the program for more than five years. “I look forward to it every year. It’s a great chance for us to connect with students, have some fun, and show them that we are real people too.”

Students were partnered with a patrol, civilian officer, or Police Explorer - a young adult or student who is working hands-on with officers to explore a career in law enforcement. With the help of the officers, students thoughtfully selected gifts for their family members with gift cards donated by the Walmart store.

After the shopping was complete, the officers, Police Explorers, and volunteers from Hayes and Stevenson helped to wrap presents and label gifts. The students were also able to enjoy a meal with their police partners, courtesy of the Subway restaurant located within the store.

Fridley Public Schools invites the public to attend the December 17, 2019 school board meeting where current School Board chair Chris Riddle will be recognized for his years of service to the district. The recognition will take place during the business meeting which starts at 7:30 pm in room 109 at the Fridley Community Center. Riddle has served the students and families of Fridley Public Schools as a board member for 13 years. His current term on the school board will end on December 31, 2019.

Some of Riddle’s accomplishments as a member of the Fridley School Board include upgrades of aging facilities in the district, Hayes and Stevenson Elementary Schools’ expansions, and the addition of the Fridley Moore Lake Area Learning Center. He also supported the implementation of many programs and initiatives such as the district-wide transition to International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, all-day kindergarten for children, voluntary pre-kindergarten, and passing of operating levies, capitol bonds, and levy renewals. Riddle served as a Board representative on contract negotiations for various district labor unions, and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for the Fridley Schools Foundation, and School Board representative on the Northwest Suburban Integration District Board.

Written by Builders Club Publicist Aidan Andler

The Fridley Middle School (FMS) Builders Club had a busy fall season assisting those in the local community, and globally, through multiple community service projects. The Builders Club is a student-led community service organization for middle school students, where students work together to serve their school and community while developing leadership and communication skills.

In mid-October, members of the Fridley Middle School Builders Club, along with local community group Fridley Women of Today, passed out food bags to community members. Community members filled the bags with non-perishable food and other items. The following week, students collected the bags for a local food shelf, collecting over 2,060 pounds of food!  Compared to past years, this was a record amount of food collected for this event!

In late October, Builders Club members took shifts at Springbrook Nature Center to help with the annual Pumpkin Night in the Park, a Halloween-inspired community-wide celebration featuring pumpkins on park trails and educational and entertaining activities. Students assisted by lighting candles for over 1,000 of jack-o-lanterns, and kept them lit throughout the evening. In addition, students ensured that attendees were safe on the trails.

On Halloween night, Builders Club members collected money by Trick-or-Treating for Unicef.  The donations are used for a program called Eliminate, which helps prevent maternal and neonatal tetanus worldwide. The funds help save and improve lives for millions of children around the world by providing immunizations, education, health care, nutrition, safe water and sanitation, emergency relief and more.  By participating in this project, students gain a global perspective while their actions are able to benefit other children worldwide.

An additional annual project that students host to raise money for UNICEF is the teeter-totter marathon, held in November 2019. Builders Club, along with Key Club members from Fridley High School, participated in the event by keeping the teeter-totter moving for 24 hours. Overall, the Fridley clubs raised $414 for Eliminate!

In celebration of the holiday season, Builders Club members made door decorations for, not only their much appreciated teachers at Fridley Middle School, but also for residents at nearby nursing homes and senior homes to brighten their holiday season.  Paper “turkeys” filled with candy were distributed to teachers and residents in time for Thanksgiving.

Pictured above: FMS Builders Club members work on creating "turkey" door decorations for FMS teachers and staff, as well as residents at nearby nursing homes and senior homes.