The investment that Brittney Fries has shown each day for students at North Dayton School of Discovery has clearly paid off.
Fries, a fifth-grade language arts teacher, is part of a team that does so much for students throughout the school year in so many ways. They stay connected with parents through weekly newsletters and are available practically anytime by phone or messages. Special events such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Night or the wax museum for Black History Month keep students engaged while stimulating their minds.
“Every day is a new day to make an impact, and we are definitely given the freedoms and the choices to make an impact,” she said. “I love how involved our school is with our kids and our community. We do so much for these kids and for their families and I just feel like it's the best place to work at. I'm making a difference and making an impact for the kids and especially our community.”
For her efforts, Fries was named an Excellence in Teaching winner this year as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) Excellence Awards. She came to North Dayton six years ago looking for a place to make an impact and has done so. This was clearly evident by her students from last year being part of the award announcement by telling her how much she had helped them.
“It was really awesome to see all the hard work and dedication for the last five years pay off,” she said. “It’s a little nod on the back that says, ‘OK, what I'm doing is, being acknowledged’ and not just me, but I couldn’t do what I do without my team. Me winning is like our whole team winning because we all just constantly are supporting each other and our kids. It doesn’t matter what grade level they’re in, they are our kids, and we’ll do what we need to do to help them.”
Fries prides herself on helping students develop into active members of the community through NHA’s Moral Focus Virtues. All she asks in return is that they give her their all, whether it’s reflecting through social emotional learning their academic success, which has helped North Dayton outperform the district. Even if they go through some growing pains, they appreciate her efforts long after they have left her classroom.
“It’s all because they know that I'm never going to give up on them,” Fries said. “I’ve had kids leave our school after eighth grade and they'll come back to visit me, and they'll show me what they're doing in high school because they know that I still care no matter where they are. That, to me, is success. They know that no matter where they go, they can always find a home at North Dayton.”
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Fries!
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About North Dayton School of Discovery
North Dayton School of Discovery is a tuition-free, public charter school in Dayton, Ohio, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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