Will Yeiser and David Byers officially launched the French Broad River Academy in June, 2009. However, the story of FBRA goes far back to summers at Camp Mondamin in the early 1990s when David and Will were campers and later, counselors. The two stayed in touch over the years during their various outdoor endeavors in Chile, Jackson Hole, Switzerland, and they both segued into classroom teaching through the Teach for America and KIPP programs. They both ended up teaching for Asheville City Schools and began collaborating on international trips to Costa Rica for Will’s Spanish students at Asheville Middle School.

Will Yeiser also partnered with French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson and began taking middle school students on the French Broad River. The river and the surrounding watershed became the classroom. Whether students were conducting water quality testing, collecting tires, or building rain gardens, Will experienced the engagement, learning, and growth firsthand that comes with experiential learning.

Will became increasingly aware of the already established and successful all-girls middle school Hanger Hall in Asheville.  After researching the advantages of split gender education and reflecting on the impact of his all-boys summer camp experience at Camp Mondamin, he concluded that there was a niche and a need for an all-boys middle school program in the area.

He took his concept and ideas to the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he obtained his Masters in Education in School Leadership while designing the plan for the French Broad River Academy. After recruiting six families, securing a lease at an old tannery building in the River Arts District, and obtaining a donated Pontiac minivan, FBRA opened its doors in August of 2009.