DPS recently announced a partnership between Northfield High School (NHS) and the Stapleton Foundation that will fund critical student needs, expeditionary and global education opportunities, and the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme for all students. Funding will also support athletics, activities and the arts.

The Stapleton Foundation supports schools across Stapleton and neighboring communities, according to Landri Taylor, its CEO. Their goal is to help schools “achieve excellence,” and the collaboration with NHS is in line with their mission.

Students at IB schools are responsible for paying IB registration and testing fees. At a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse school, Taylor noted, “there is a need to support families that may not have the financial means to pay for the IB curriculum,” and that is what the Stapleton Foundation will provide. These are not fees DPS pays but instead fees that are usually paid for by parents or guardians.

Principal Amy Bringedahl said, “We’re very excited about it and just thrilled that the Stapleton Foundation is supporting the vision of the school.” Bringedahl and her staff are currently working to provide the Stapleton Foundation with some figures, as 95 students have signed up to pursue the IB Diploma program, and some of those receive Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL). Registration fees and exam fees for the diploma program will average around $900 per student, said Bringedahl, and even some students who choose not to pursue the diploma but instead take the two required IB courses will incur exam fees of approximately $116 apiece.

This support will not diminish DPS’s support for NHS and its IB program, emphasized Bringedahl, who said, “We are working with DPS right now to secure funding for IB materials … It’s a significant amount of money, anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000. DPS is deeply committed to helping us fund the materials for students.”

The Stapleton Foundation is also exploring ways to support students in the arts and athletics at the high school “If kids want to participate in the types of programs offered at Northfield High … we want to make sure that students are not disadvantaged simply because there is a fee attached to providing an excellent experience for them,” said Taylor. The precise outlines of the collaboration are still being defined, but it promises to be an excellent source of support for the school and its diverse student body. “We welcome the partnership,” said Bringedahl.