JN Fries Magnet School

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.

J N Fries Middle School
Location
Concord, North Carolina
Information
Established1989
School districtCabarrus County Schools
PrincipalKristy Bullock[1]
Number of students640 [2]
Websitewww.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/fries

JN Fries originally opened in 1989 [3] as a regular middle school named after the late Joseph Nelson Fries. He served as CCS superintendent from 1977-1988 and led the county through many transitions. 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.

Because of its excellence that year, Fries was granted the Honor School of Excellence Award (even though current school ratings have been trending downward). In the spring of 2013, the International Studies program, at that time headed by Angie Wood, was proud to announce that it had been accepted by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva as an IB World School, and it offered the IB MYP Program. from 2013 through June 2017. At that time, the IB MYP Program was relocated to Concord Middle School, and beginning the 2017-18 school year, Fries returned to being a full STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) school. This change was due to the expansion of magnet programs. The school's website mentions: "Due to the expansion of the magnet programs, the International Baccalaureate program is being relocated for the 2017-18 school year. J.N. Fries is transitioning to an entirely S.T.E.M. middle school, welcoming students from a community attendance zone as well as students who apply to the S.T.E.M. program."[4] The "STEM Squad" is the name of the most popular 8th grade team in JN Fries, though this claim has been highly contested by other Teams and Groups.

J.N. Fries

Biography

Dr. Joseph Nelson Fries was born in 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 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 1977-1988. His colleague, Dr. Ed Tyson said, "He had a very large role in bringing about what turned out to be a very smooth and peaceful integration of schools in contrast to others...He did that by being fair to all people,” Tyson said. The other major change Tyson recalled was the 1983 merging of the Cabarrus County and Concord City school systems when Fries was superintendent. 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 1954-1965.[5]

Dr. Fries passed away on March 15, 2013. He had been married to his beloved wife, Betty Barrier Fries, for over 63 years. Dr. Fries was known as a family man. He and his wife had two daughters: Nancy (Faggart) and Jean (Beasley). They had three grandchildren: Christine Stiles Lovelace, Robert, and Joseph Beasley.

Accomplishments as Superintendent
  • Construction of Northwest Middle School and additional rooms at Northwest and Central High Schools, gymnasiums at Northwest, Mt. Pleasant, and Royal Oaks, and a multi-purpose room at Beverly Hills School
  • Secured 10-year $50 million funding program, financed with state funds and $25 million approved by Cabarrus County voters overwhelmingly
  • Merger of Cabarrus County Schools and Concord City Schools in 1983
  • Achievement of a uniform assignment in the schools

Quotes

"We don't want to become a system of testers and not be teachers." December 4, 1988

"There's one rule of thumb I have always tried to keep in perspective: the schools belong to the people and they are going to be what the people wish for them to be." December 4, 1988

Principals

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 2014-15 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 2015-16 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 David James.

Clubs

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. JN Fries has consistently done well at regional competitions. The J.N. Fries Quiz Bowl team placed 2nd in the region and 6th 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.

Teams

Each grade level is broken down into jurisdictions called Teams, with a set of core teachers to rotate between. Each team can choose a school-appropriate name to represent them at the school. Team pride is often apparent and encouraged.

Ethnic Diversity

J.N. Fries Middle School is an ethnically diverse school. The following listed are examples of some ethnicities represented in the school, and the affect they on the school's general population.

Indian Students

There is a sizable Indian population at J.N. Fries Middle School. Though they are almost always hardworking and A-earning students, they find ways to obtain the spotlight of the school. The Indian population continues to fascinate (and sometimes horrify) those not of Indian descent, with their songs, food, and religion. These Indians are referred to as "ABCD's" (or American Born Confused Desi). Most of these alien-like creatures were born in the United States and thus have mixed Indo-American personas and attributes, sometimes to the point where they are not recognized as having Indian ancestry.

Noteworthy School Quotes
  • "Tech Support is here" - Ayush Paul, Student, 2020
  • "Hey Diddy" - Soumik Baral, Student, 2020
  • "I don't care about grades" - Kenneth Macon, Teacher, 2020
  • "Only I have the meatiest calves" - Justin Metcalf, Teacher, 2020

Controversial School Policies

Dress Code

(Why the policy is controversial)

Backpack Ban

(Why the policy is controversial)

Metal Water Bottle Ban

(Why the policy is controversial)

References
  1. "New principals named at C.C. Griffin, Beverly Hills". Cabarrus Independent Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. "PS PMR DataServer Reporting Tool" (PDF). Cabarrus County Schools. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  3. http://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/fries. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "History and Background / Overview". JN Fries Middle. Schoolwires. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  5. . Independent Tribune http://www.independenttribune.com/community/longtime-educator-fries-fondly-remembered/article_c8cddea5-e103-52d5-9e52-4bc8ece1535e.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)

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