Students introduce reconstituted Fargo Youth Initiative; superintendent reports grant and accreditation progress
Loading...
Summary
At the Fargo Board of Education meeting, student leaders from the Fargo Youth Initiative introduced themselves and described goals around access and youth voice. Superintendent reported a $710,709.50 state grant award for Carl Ben Eilson and positive preliminary Cognia accreditation feedback.
Members of the reconstituted Fargo Youth Initiative (FYI) introduced themselves to the Fargo Board of Education on Tuesday evening and described plans to expand student voice and access to school resources.
"I am vice president, and I've been involved for about one or two years," said Manu Babinghi, a senior at Fargo South, introducing herself and saying FYI exists to "give youth a place at the table for decisions that are affecting them." Other new members — including Ashley Sue (Davies), Gabriella Wong (Fargo North), Ingrid Briggs, Mia Hosak, Rhianna Quia, Helen Wu and Violet Niebitho — spoke about priorities such as volunteering, increasing access to food and transportation, and ensuring student perspectives inform school and community decisions.
Nicole Crutchfield, director of planning (representing Deputy Mayor Denise Kolpak), read a message from the deputy mayor congratulating FYI on its next chapter and noting expanded partnerships among Fargo Public Schools, the city, the park district and the Boys & Girls Club of the Red River Valley.
Superintendent Corey Stonner clarified a recent discussion about a proposed partnership with Sanford by saying the district’s three high schools each offer human performance classes and that students generally do not have to travel to another building to participate. "Our human performance class is a shining star throughout the district," he said, praising Fargo South’s program and recent hires that enhanced the curriculum.
Stonner also reported two district items of note: a state CLIMBS grant award of $710,709.50 to Carl Ben Eilson to advance science-of-reading work at the middle level (interventions, family engagement and literacy transitions), and a recent Cognia accreditation visit that returned positive preliminary feedback citing strong culture, data-informed decision-making and recommendations for deeper learner-centered practices.
Board members welcomed the students, encouraged them to participate in future meetings and asked about FYI’s meeting cadence (students said monthly, sometimes twice a month). The board took photos and applauded before continuing with business.
