Fridley High School Seniors Named MSHSL Triple 'A' Award Recipients

From Fridley Public Schools:

Posted 02/28/2020

Congratulations to Fridley High School (FHS) 2020 Minnesota State High School League Triple “A” (Academics, Arts, and Athletics) Award winners seniors Jada Probasco and Adam Johnson! The award is given to one male and one female high school senior who is a standout, exemplary student in academics, fine arts, and sports.

Both Probasco and Johnson have enjoyed challenging themselves academically at FHS while also maintaining extensive track records of extracurricular activities. The students will be recognized at this year’s Lions Club Scholastic Achievement Banquet to be held in May in the district auditorium.

In addition, Johnson was selected as the Triple “A” Region 5AA representative. He was selected to represent the entire region among other student male candidates from Maple Grove, Anoka, Centennial, Columbia Heights, Osseo, Blaine, Irondale, Mounds View, Rogers, Champlin Park, Mounds View, Park Center, St. Michael-Albertville, Coon Rapids, Spring Lake Park and Totino-Grace high schools. Johnson will now advance to the statewide competition, where he is a candidate among eight Minnesota high school Triple “A” Award recipients who are vying for the state title and scholarship opportunities. The winner will be announced during an on-court recognition during the state boys’ basketball tournament on Saturday, March 21, 2020.

Jada Probasco

A highly-involved, standout student, Jada Probasco has excelled throughout her FHS career. Proud to claim FHS as a second home, Jada shares strong bonds with many teachers, staff members and fellow classmates. From helping with school work to personal matters, she said Fridley has shown her an immense amount of support and guidance.

Academically, she enjoys challenging herself and has taken advantage of multiple International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) higher level classes.

“The coursework is definitely preparing you for college classes,” said Probasco, who is also taking con-current classes at Bethel University through the Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program. In addition, she is enrolled in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), a college preparation program at FHS that she has participated in since freshman year.

“AVID has been so helpful in pushing me to do my best,” Probasco said. “Our teacher, Mr. (Dan) Nalepka, has had us for all four years and knows us on a personal level. He goes that extra mile to make sure that we are all on track.”

Since her participation in Early Bird Choir at Stevenson Elementary, Probasco has found a love for singing. She took part in FHS choir during her freshman and sophomore years, but has further developed this interest through her involvement in choir groups at Redeemer Lutheran Church and Emmanuel Christian Center in Fridley. She recently auditioned for and earned a $20,000 music scholarship at Bethel, which is awarded to high-potential students who are passionate about musical performance.

Athletically, Probasco said she’s always played sports for “the love of the game.” While in high school, she has focused on varsity volleyball and softball, consistently living up to leadership responsibilities. She is also a member of ‘Become Worth Following,’ an FHS activities and athletics leadership program which focuses on character-building, leadership aspects and self-discipline.

Probasco has also been involved in Youth In Government (YIG) and Link Crew, a mentorship group that facilitates orientation and activities for 9th grade students. Both groups have helped her to develop public speaking and leadership skills.

According to Probasco, she is proud to have earned the Triple “A” Award, feeling it serves as a reminder to herself that she has worked incredibly hard throughout her high school career. “For me, it’s been a really big pat on the back. I’ve been through a lot and sometimes it’s difficult to take a step back and realize that I have worked so hard and gone above and beyond. I am thankful for this recognition.”

This fall, Probasco plans to attend Bethel University where she will begin her studies in social work. In January 2021, she will participate in a six month missionary trip, during which she will spend three months in the United Kingdom, and three months in either Greece, Uganda or Albania.

Adam Johnson

A senior with an impressive array of activity involvement, Adam Johnson has seized multiple opportunities throughout his high school career. This includes pursuing the full International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP), a rigorous college-preparatory course of study offered at Fridley High School, an IB World School.

“Being a full DP student is probably one of the hardest things that I’ve ever done,” Johnson said. “But it’s definitely worth it. The workload is fast-paced; it has a more difficult curriculum; and there are lots of additional requirements like the Extended Essay, community service hours and IA’s (Internal Assessments). It forces you to manage your time wisely. Without a doubt, this path is preparing me for college.”

A talented musician, Johnson has been playing saxophone since he was introduced to the instrument in 4th grade at Stevenson Elementary. Johnson still recalls his instant connection with the instrument. “Music is weird like that, some people play certain instruments more naturally,” he said. “I love playing the saxophone because it’s a great way to express yourself, and it is also relaxing and therapeutic.”

Currently, Johnson plays in concert band, jazz band, and jazz combos, a student-led jazz group. Additionally, he is a member of Minnesota Youth Jazz Band (MYJB), an organization that consists of some of the top jazz students in the state.

A three-sport athlete, Adam is a member of the varsity football, wrestling, and track & field teams. “My experience in sports at Fridley has been great,” said Johnson. “You can tell that all the coaches care about you. They care about developing all their players and doing everything they can to make sure we are performing at our best.”

Johnson is also involved in ‘Become Worth Following,’ a character-building FHS activities and athletics leadership program. “I think the program has shaped me a lot as a person,” Johnson said. “Before you can lead people, you need to know yourself and strengths. We focus on leading by example, and my biggest takeaway has been learning self-discipline and mental toughness.”

His favorite aspect about FHS is the amount of opportunity available. “There is a huge variety of clubs, classes, sports, and activities to take advantage of, and we have a small school size so you can get involved in all of them,” he said.

According to Johnson, he is still grasping the idea that he is among the top 8 statewide finalists for the Triple “A” Award. “I am proud of myself and just really honored to have received this award,” he said.

Johnson has received acceptance letters from University of St. Thomas, Iowa State University, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and North Dakota State University, but has ultimately decided to major in civil engineering at St. Thomas, and minor in music. He said he chose civil engineering because he is passionate about the environment aspect, and hopes to mitigate the impacts of climate change through his future career.

This press release was produced by Fridley Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.