Thursday December 27, 2018
Fridley
Public Schools held a special meeting on December 12, 2018 to interview
three candidates who applied for a school board position currently held
by Board member Kim Sampson. At the completion of the interviews, the
Fridley School Board unanimously voted to appoint Mr. Abdisalam Adam to
complete the remainder of Sampson’s term.
Sampson, who has served on the School
Board for 18 years, announced during the November 2018 board meeting
that she would be resigning from her board position effective December
31, 2018. She cited growing commitments at her workplace over the next
year as her reason to step down from the Board.
Adam has lived in the Fridley community
for 18 years. His son graduated from Fridley High School in 2014. He
said that the school board vacancy appealed to him as it represented an
opportunity to give back and strengthen his involvement in the
community.
“It is an honor and privilege for me to
be selected to serve on the Board of Fridley Public Schools and I am
very grateful to the School Board members for giving me this
opportunity,” said Adam. He added that quality public education is the
cornerstone of our representative democracy in producing responsible
citizens. “As a member of the Fridley School Board, I will
strive for equity in governance and work hard to ensure that the
students of Fridley Public Schools receive a world-class education that
meets the challenges of a global work place,” said Adam.
With 23 years of experience in
education, Adam currently serves as an assistant principal at Highland
Park High School in the St. Paul Public Schools district. His previous
work experience includes teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at
St. Paul Public Schools, and interim principal and social studies
teacher at the Al-Amal School in Fridley. His teaching career has also
included teaching ESL at Central High School, Como Park High School,
Parkway Elementary School, Boys Totem Correctional Program, Washington
Middle School, and Highwood Hills Elementary School.
Adam has served on boards of various
civic and educational organizations including the Al-Amal School Board,
Neighborhood House, the Islamic Civic Society of America, and the
American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa. He has also participated
in advisory committees for the Minnesota Department of Education on EL,
Special Education, Bilingual Seal, and the Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA).
“Mr. Adam brings with him broad
community involvement both in Fridley and beyond our borders,” said
Fridley School Board Chair Mary Kay Delvo, adding that Adam’s previous school board experience adds
to his wealth of knowledge on the collaborative role and function of
school boards. “On top of his strong skills and experience, as a career
educator, he will bring a valued lens to Board discussions on our
priority work of supporting increased achievement and opportunities for
all our students,” said Delvo.
Adam received his Bachelor of Education
in Teaching English as a Second Language from King Saud University in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He earned his Master of Science in Curriculum and
Instruction from St. Cloud State University, and his K-12 principal
license from Bethel University. He is currently a Doctor of Education
(Ed.D) candidate at Bethel University.