JN Fries Magnet School
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| J N Fries Middle School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Information | |
| Established | 1989 |
| School district | Cabarrus County Schools |
| Principal | The reader's mother [1] |
| Number of students | 69 [2] |
| Website | www |
J N Fries Middle School is a magnet school offering the STEM program. It is a part of the Cabarrus County Schools system, serving students in the Concord, North Carolina area.
History[edit]
JN Fries originally opened in 1990 with a designed capacity of 900 students.[3] It was a regular middle school named after the late Dr. Joseph Nelson Fries. He served as CCS superintendent from 1977 to 1988 and led the county through many transitions. By 1995, the school had over 1230 students.[3] The original middle school fed into Central Cabarrus High and at its peak (before it became a magnet) had 1542 students. The mascot was named the Knight, often referred to as the Noble Knight. It has been named a School of Distinction for many years in North Carolina.
In the 2011–2012 school year, JN Fries reopened as a magnet school, housing the STEM and International Studies program. Since it was considered a magnet school, students who resided in Cabarrus County could apply to attend JN Fries. Students who met the academic requirements were then placed into a lottery if there were no slots available.
Principals[edit]
The magnet school (after its reopening) has been headed by three principals:
- Dr. Kecia Coln (Dr. Coln opened the magnet program at Fries and left the school for the CCS Human Resources Department during the 2014–2015 school year. She was also Principal of the Year that year for the school system.)
- Dr. Jim Williams (Dr. Williams served as an interim principal at JN Fries through the end of the 14-15 year.) He was also at the time principal of the Performance Learning Center, which is located on the campus of Fries. After the appointing of Kristy Bullock as principal, Williams went back to serving as principal at the PLC.)
- Mrs. Kristy Bullock[1] (Mrs. Bullock arrived at the beginning of the 2015–2016 school year. Until then, she was principal at C.C. Griffin Middle School, also in Cabarrus County Schools and a former rival of JN Fries.)
The current STEM Coach is Megan McNutt. The current API is Micah Thompson and the current AP is Germeka Ugandapo.
Clubs[edit]
Several different clubs are offered at JN Fries, including Odyssey of the Mind, Quiz Bowl, Forensics Speech and Debate, Science Olympiad, VEX Robotics, Battle of the Books, and Math Counts. The J.N. Fries Quiz Bowl team placed second in the region and sixth at states and moved on to the national competition in Dallas, TX in May 2017. The J.N. Fries Vex Robotics team won the state championship and they moved on to the national competition in Louisville, KY in April 2017.
Dr. Joseph Nelson Fries[edit]
Dr. Fries was born Aug. 16, 1927 in Rowan County, to the late Joseph Abram (Jack) Fries and Nellie Penley Fries. He graduated from Boyden High School, earned his bachelor's degree from Catawba College, completed his master's studies at Appalachian State University, and received his advanced administration certificate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was awarded his doctorate degree in education from Duke University. During World War II he voluntarily served in the United States Army, Btry. B 3rd BN. 1st Regt. R.T.C. final station, Okinawa, Japan.
Dr. Fries devoted over 39 years of his professional career to public education in North Carolina, having served as superintendent of Cabarrus County Schools from 1977 to 1988. He encouraged everyone to continue their education. Following his retirement, J.N. Fries Middle School was named to honor his commitment to the children of Cabarrus County. His uncle Channing Hilliard Fries, Jr. first hired him as a teacher and coach in Nashville. After moving to Concord, he taught sixth grade at Clara Harris School. He served as the first principal of Beverly Hills School from 1954 to 1965.
He was a member of numerous professional organizations and boards. He was a member of the Cabarrus County Fair Board and the Rotary Club. He served as president of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators, the Concord Kiwanis Club, and the Cabarrus County Retired School Personnel of NCAE.
An avid golfer who loved all sports, Dr. Fries played American Legion Baseball in Salisbury and briefly for Catawba College. He enjoyed traveling and playing bridge with faithful friends. Having spent much of his childhood on his grandfather's farm, he always had a summer garden.
Married for over 63 years, he is survived by his darling wife and sweetheart Betty; brother, John Fries and wife Gail; daughters, Nancy Faggart, Jean Beasley and husband Fuller; granddaughter, Christine Lovelace and husband Nicolas; grandsons, Robert and Joseph Beasley; and several nephews, nieces, and cousins.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "New principals named at C.C. Griffin, Beverly Hills". Cabarrus Independent Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ↑ "PS PMR DataServer Reporting Tool" (PDF). Cabarrus County Schools. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The space question: a few solutions". The Charlotte Observer. 1995-09-17. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
External links[edit]
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