Fossil Ridge rolls out new app

Fossil Ridge High School is rolling out an app called Ridge for staff and students.The app is designed to be a one place destination for all things Fossil and features a reward system for attending school events like plays, band concerts, and sporting events. Points can be used to buy items like EOS lip balms, restaurant discounts, and even a prom ticket in the rewards store. Points can also be earned when a staff member enters a promo code on a student’s phone as a reward for demonstrating R.I.D.G.E behavior. Also included is the Etched In Stone website, event streaming, and a social feed that streams twitter feeds and other social media run by organizations within Fossil. The app is sponsored by local businesses and the rewards are also donations from local businesses.

Students should note that when creating an account, they should be signing up with their student email address and need to create a username that identifies who they are. Amanda Jones, Dean of Students, wants students to know that, “The username is something that administration sees and is how you are able to redeem points.” It is best if the username is a combination of your first and last name.

To earn points from attending an event, students need to check in on the app when arriving at the event. They have a forty-five minute window to do so; the check in time begins fifteen minutes before the event starts. To check in at an event, go to the events tab and hit the check in button. Not all games will have points. Away games, when in conflict with home games will not have points for that game, but the home game will. Staff and students can both earn points by attending games. The promo codes are replacing “Cat Cash”. Cat Cash is awarded to students when they demonstrate positive R.I.D.G.E behavior.

The rewards store contains a wide variety of prizes that include granola bars, restaurant gift cards, courtside seats at a basketball game, and a parking spot in the staff lot for one week. The Reward store will be frequently updated with new rewards. To redeem rewards students need to go to the reward store, hit purchase, follow the instructions on where in the building they need to go to receive that award, and then have a staff member hit the “redeem”  button. It is crucial that the student does not press the “redeem” button because they will not be able to receive that award. It works similarly to the way Groupon does.

Jones says, “the goal of the Ridge app is to increase spirit and participation and have the school come together as one unit of Fossil Ridge, regardless of what you do or where you go.” The reward system is to encourage students to support each other in different sports events and activities, Jones says, “Its like a game, it makes it exciting. We’re hoping to create some excitement about what it means to be a Sabercat and to support each other. Jones also wants students to know that the administration is open to “reasonable and realistic” suggestions for rewards.

According to Jones, the idea for the app was born two years ago out of a Student Council student body leadership retreat. The idea did not come to fruition within Stuco due to funding reasons. However, two years later during the summer of 2017 Matt Johannsen, Physical Education teacher at Fossil, approached Dr. Chaplin and Jamie Menefee about using the company SuperFan to create an app for Fossil. The company is used by colleges and universities nationwide to help create apps that allow them to inform their student body quickly and efficiently.

Jones recalls that as she moved into the Dean role she began looking into something called “Positive Behavior Intervention and Support,” or P.B.I.S, and how an app could be beneficial to this. Students know P.B.I.S as R.I.D.G.E. The next step was finding businesses willing to sponsor or provide donations for the rewards store. They have now released the app to students via an email sent their personal email accounts. Jones hopes that students will take advantage of the app and help promote school spirit.