Bank Forward News
Thursday September 28 2017
Bank Forward Supports Hi-Liner Pride T-Shirts
Valley City, ND – Fridays are changing for Valley City Public School kids. Fridays are all about pride; Hi-Liner Pride that is. From kindergartens to seniors it’s going to be clear who’s a part of this exclusive club and that is exactly what Superintendent Josh Johnson wants.
“This year our staff has a goal to improve Hi-Liner Pride with our students,” Johnson explains. The first step toward reaching this goal was designating Fridays as Hi-Liner Pride day where students were encouraged to wear Hi-Liner gear each week.
“We soon realized that not all students had Hi-Liner gear and we wanted to make sure those families faced with financial challenges could send their students to school proudly wearing Hi-Liner gear,” Johnson says “That’s when Bank Forward stepped up to fix this problem.”
As part of the Bank Forward’s 90th Anniversary Pay it Forward campaign, Josh Kasowski, Market President of Bank Forward Valley City, saw the opportunity to build a sense of belonging within the Valley City Public School community by providing over 1,300 Hi-Liner Pride t-shirts for students and staff.
“For 90 years Bank Forward has been committed to making a positive impact in the communities we serve,” Kasowski says. “When Mr. Johnson brought up the idea of the Hi-Liner Pride t-shirts, it was something we definitely wanted to make a reality.”
Johnson sees the t-shirt as far more than just the words printed on the front and back. “These t-shirts will allow our students and staff to come together as one school district and one Hi-Liner,” Johnson says. “When someone owns this t-shirt and puts it on…they understand and accept the privilege it is to be a Hi-Liner. This initiative, Hi-Liner Pride, may seem small to some, but we believe that having pride is the foundation to a successful school and will lead to many wonderful opportunities and experiences for our students at Valley City Public Schools.”
Friday, September 29th at approximately 2pm all students in grades K-12 will fill the Hi-Liner Activity Center for the Homecoming Pep Rally and they will each get their t-shirt. One of those recipients will be Kasowski’s kindergartener. “I’m glad my son is on the ground floor of Hi-Liner Pride,” Kasowski, a former Hi-Liner, says. “Our schools are the heartbeat of our communities and at Bank Forward we are honored to be part of something that’s goal is about building respect, unity, and pride. I’m excited to watch Hi-Liner Pride grow for years to come.”
“Bank Forward has been awesome to work with throughout this whole process and we are so thankful for the support we receive as a school district from our community and organizations,” Johnson shares. “For our less advantaged students, this t-shirt will represent a sense of belonging. Because of Bank Forward, the invisible line of separation between Hi-Liners is eliminated while they wear this t-shirt! We cannot put into words our appreciation for Bank Forward making this possible.”
#HiLinerPride
About Bank Forward: Bank Forward has operated as an independent community bank since 1927. Bank Forward operates under one charter with twelve bank offices, eleven insurance agencies and two tax offices with locations in North Dakota and Minnesota. The bank offers a complete line of personal and commercial financial, insurance and tax services.
Attached Photo (l-r): Josh Kasowski with Bank Forward and Valley City Public School Superintendent Josh Johnson.
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