DAVENPORT, Fla. — Polk County is honoring an educator with over 50 years of experience teaching in the county with induction into the district's Hall of Fame.

Ralph Frier graduated from Kathleen High School in 1964. Today, he serves as executive director at Ridgeview Global Studies Academy charter school in Davenport.

Frier said he had a wonderful experience at Kathleen High. He was involved in many school activities, including the Latin club and school plays, and was salutatorian of his class. 

He said a poor relationship with his stepfather motivated him to spend lots of time at school and to excel.

“My stepfather was mean,” he said. “He told me I was worthless. I would never amount to anything.”

But Frier’s teachers at Kathleen loved him and he them.

“I had some of the best teachers in the world at Kathleen," he explained. "Other schools too, but especially at Kathleen. They left an indelible mark on me.”

Frier’s positive experience at Kathleen motivated him to become an educator. He returned to Kathleen as a teacher after college.

He had a number of other stops along the way, including serving as principal at Lakeland Highlands Middle School. 

Frier was also a long-time principal at Evangel Christian School in Lakeland. He fondly remembers the class of 1979 graduation, when student Sam Johnson pulled a practical joke while shaking Frier’s hand and receiving his diploma. 

Johnson had a buzzer in his hand.

“The buzzer goes off and everybody starts laughing,” he said.

Frier didn’t hold the incident against Johnson, who is now his principal at Ridgeview. 

Ridgeview recently included a collage of pictures of Frier’s 51-year education career in its yearbook.

He said he has countless great memories of his students and coworkers and is very humbled by his Hall of Fame induction. 

Frier is one of four inductees in the Class of 2019. For a full list of this year's inductees, click HERE.

 

(Courtesy of Ridgeview Global Studies Academy)