Max Fripp Strives for Safer, Healthier, More Active Schools

Max Fripp has been dedicated to making schools a safe zone for students since high school.  He joined the fellowship in 2005 to gain experience working in urban school districts.

“I loved being a member of a school community, but nonprofit work has some important answers and solutions to the issues we deal with at schools.”

As a Teaching Fellow, Max exercised his passion for making students feel “safe, included, and ready to learn,” and built connections with families, teachers, and students.  After the Fellowship, Max work with the National Network team at Citizen Schools in expanding our regions in Texas, New Mexico, and North Carolina.

Currently, as the Executive Director of Playworks, a national nonprofit that strives to “maximize recess to accelerate learning and physical health in low-income elementary schools”,  Max is responsible for growing school partnerships, helping the organization secure funding, and articulating the vision. He says that having an “inspiring and shared vision” as a means of engaging people from every level of an organization is something he learned on the at Citizen Schools.  In addition, his time at Citizen Schools gave him the opportunity to learn the importance of using data to make sure program quality is strong and to build a funder pool. His favorite part of the job, he says, is knowing that he is “part of a movement to use recess to change the way kids experience the school day.”

Playworks places full-time coaches in every school they serve to teach students the importance of play in terms of teambuilding, health, and creating a positive school climate. The organization is a highly rated part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative and recently hosted its National ‘Play On’ Conference that brought together pro-athletes and other experts to discuss how to integrate healthy play into youth development programs across the country.