When Eli Mitchell was in Staples High School last year, he admired John Dodig.
The principal said hello to him every day, asked how he was doing, and made him feel good.
Eli is out of high school now. Dodig retires next month. So, in honor of the principal — and to raise money for a Staples Tuition Grants scholarship in his name — Eli had an idea.
He’s spent the past few months designing his “Fret” (plural: “Fretz”). He patented them as “personal expression banners” — his generation’s replacement for buttons, stickers and patches. Each has a logo or message, and attach easily to anything — backpacks, for instance. You can add them to the strap, like guitar frets.
Eli created a set with the Staples “S,” and the words “Class of 2015.” He asked Dodig to sign some. The principal autographed 100.
Eli hopes to sell them all — to graduates, parents of grads (for gifts), and anyone else. The cost is $10; of that, he’ll donate $7 to the scholarship set up in Dodig’s name. (You can donate more to the fund, of course.)
An autographed “Class of 2015” Fret.
Eli’s business is just getting off the ground. He’s planning to add colleges, sports teams, flags and other designs to his “Fretz.” He hopes this 1st set will become collectibles — and that they’ll add a nice chunk of money to a fund named for Eli’s (and Westport’s) beloved principal.
(To order online, go to www.fretzdesigns.com)
Eli Mitchell, with a roll of Fretz.
All 3 of her kids had gone through Westport schools, from kindergarten through 12 grade. None had ever requested financial assistance. But each took on the task of filling out financial aid applications — including applying for 
Since World War II, Staples Tuition Grants have helped Westporters pay for college.