Friends of Frontier shall consist of all people who wish to partner with the schools and the foundation for the betterment of the lives of Frontier students. We seek to draw on the enormous pool of people in our community to assist Frontier students. The core of this group includes: current and former directors of both boards, Frontier faculty, potential employers, students and faculties of local and regional educational institutions, retired professionals, local religious and charitable organizations, and Frontier alumni.

Frontier Schools was conceived with the idea of bringing outstanding STEM education to the disadvantaged children of Kansas City so that they would be able to participate fully in the community’s life and achieve their academic and career aspirations. For decades the students of the city had suffered from a poor educational system that left many unable to read at grade level upon graduation. Employers need the unique skill sets that STEM students have and graduates of our schools need to pursue their collegiate careers in pursuit of the jobs of the 21st Century. Since its founding in 2006, Frontier has provided a great education, starting with the first eighty students and growing to now over 1600 per year. An expansion now underway should see this number grow to over 2000 by 2023. In 2021, over three hundred students graduated from Frontier, whether pursuing higher education, joining the military, becoming an entrepreneur, starting a family, or entering the workforce. The boards of directors of both the Frontier Schools and its sister organization, the New Frontier Educational Foundation (NFEF) recognized in 2016 that our students’ needs don’t end at graduation, even though the schools’ mandate does. Students of the inner city develop tremendous GRIT to get through their early lives. They need the support of their families, teachers, counselors, and other caring individuals to maximize their chances of success in life. For many, the support network required can be substantially enhanced by caring individuals who wish to boost them further, to sustain and encourage them.

Former Frontier Board President, Rev. Eugene Augustine, was fond of saying that we need to be friends with and support our students, who deserve the very best in life. He was a great example of an inspirer of people, especially Frontier students. Both Boards of Directors take every board decision with one clear aim in mind – how will it enhance and support Frontier students. This legacy has helped make Frontier the largest charter organization in Kansas City since its founding. Gene wanted Frontier to become not only a great springboard in life for aspiring students but to form a core of volunteers who would help them on their way. The needs, dreams, endowments, and aspirations are as diverse as the student population itself, each requiring different approaches and resources.

Greg Rieke, Frontier Schools founder, and NFEF founder, and the first president has often stated that Frontier wants to address the whole student experience, not just the academic student. Through active mentoring, students have access to caring adults who wish to encourage, guide, and help them even beyond their years at Frontier. Frontier graduates also need encouragement, mentoring, and sometimes financial assistance to achieve their dreams. Our mentoring program will help Frontier students, who have successfully worked hard to graduate, a bridge through their college years and into the job force or career field of their highest aspirations. We know that they can because they have consistently proven that they can. Every student deserves adults in their lives who are “irrationally crazy” about them and want to help them when such help is valued and desired. Mentoring is a two-way street and must be fulfilling to both mentor and mentee.

Friends of Frontier is a joint effort of the Frontier School Board and the New Frontier Educational Foundation. Although not a legal entity, it is a creation of both organizations to support the academic and career goals of
Frontier students, before and after graduation. While the school’s principal responsibility is the education of students, a role defined by state and federal regulations, the mission of NFEF is slightly different. Together, both boards aim to address the whole student. The activities of Friends of Frontier are clarified in the Memo of Understanding between the school board and the foundation, as it is amended from time to time. Its activities are the joint responsibility of both board presidents working in close cooperation with the school superintendent. Both organizations are not-for-profit 401(c)(3) organizations, with differing organizational goals, accounts, and governance structures.