Eagle Ridge Academy Executive Director Jason Ulbrich and Upper School Principal Erica Powell were recognized as Patriotic Employers by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) during their annual Veterans Day Celebration on Friday, Nov. 10. According to their website, the ESGR is a Department of Defense organization established to promote cooperation and understanding between Service members and their civilian employers.

US history teacher Daniel Clapero nominated Ulbrich and Powell for the award. Clapero has taught at Eagle Ridge for eleven years and is the spouse of First Lieutenant Elizabeth Clapero, Army National Guard. As ESGR representative Nick Swaggert presented the award on Friday, Clapero commended Ulbrich and Powell for the extended leave time they granted him to care for his young sons and visit Elizabeth Clapero while she was in training this past spring.

Eagle Ridge Academy is a Classical, college-prep charter school based in Minnetonka serving grades K-12. The school’s mission is to “provide students with a traditional, Classical education that demands their best in academic achievement, behavior, and attitude and challenges them to attain their highest potential” while also “foster[ing] an appreciation for the United States of America and her unique role in the world.”