FBRA Blog
How tackling hard things benefits us all, by Tricia Chan Tricia Chan is the program director for girls at the French Broad River Academy, an independent middle school in Asheville. She has more than 15 years of experience working in education and curriculum design, and integrating nontraditional instruction with student development and transformational field experiences. […]
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ASHEVILLE, NC — French Broad River Academy, an independent middle school with dual programs for boys and girls, announces plans for construction of a new academic building for its girls program on its South Campus in Asheville. The project will establish an expanded and permanent home for FBRA’s Girls Program on the 3.3-acre riverside campus just […]
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This trip was more than just an adventure – it had been a journey of discovery, of connection, and of profound appreciation for the wonders of the natural world. Ellie Busse This past November my husband, Joe, and I embarked on an epic adventure with a wonderful group of friends. Our itinerary promised adrenaline-packed kayaking […]
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By Lexi Chaize, Boys Program Science Teacher Experiential learning has been a cornerstone of the FBRA curriculum since we opened our doors in 2009. The 7th Grade Science Fair is one of the many ways we encourage our students to be creative, think independently, and actively engage with concepts, materials, and environments in order to […]
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As most of our community knows, music is a key component in our instruction at FBRA, and musical moments abound! All of our students learn to play an instrument and perform with their bands at school assemblies and in concerts on campus or at the Orange Peel. Frazier Worth, retired Boys Program teacher and now […]
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By Katherine Saul, Girls Program Academic Director Imagine the scene: you’re walking your dog in Montford Park on a sunny November day, and you come across a group of 25 neon-clad adolescents, engaged in enthusiastic swordplay and rambunctious stage fighting led by professional actors and directors on the Montford Players’ stage. They cluster in groups […]
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By Will Yeiser, Executive Director & Co-Founder From the day I started teaching middle school in 2002, I knew I had to create an international travel and immersion experience in a Spanish-speaking country that went beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. Most people wait until high school or college for some type of study […]
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By Stiles Rader and Sam Iatarola, FBRA Heads of Community Engagement Service learning is an integral part of our mission at French Broad River Academy. We intentionally build opportunities into our weekly field lessons to fulfill our mission of building character and integrity for a lifetime of learning, service, and leadership. We independently clean waterways […]
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I’ve had a fascination with traveling for as long as I can remember. Going to Costa Rica with FBRA is most likely what started it though. I met new people each year and lived with different families, which gave me a chance to see their different ways of living. FBRA pushed me out of my comfort zone for the three years that I attended. Many of my teachers repeated the phrase, “You can do hard things,” and although it was repetitive then, I still repeat it sometimes. Because of the time I spent with host families in Costa Rica, I wasn’t nervous about living with a Finnish host family.
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By Will Yeiser, Executive Director & Co-Founder This year the French Broad River Academy (FBRA) celebrates its fifteenth year of building character and integrity for a lifetime of learning, service, and leadership. FBRA at 15 has served over 1,100 students and families since we opened our doors in 2009. Whether we are in the classroom, […]
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