By Stiles Rockey, Development Director
At FBRA, the first week of school looks a little different. Instead of beginning the year behind desks and diving straight into academics, our students start outside—living, learning, adventuring, and building community together.
The Girls Program begins and ends Induction Week at Camp Green Cove, while the Boys Program gathers at Camp Mondamin. For our 6th graders, camp becomes home for the week as they learn canoe skills, swim, spend time outside, build relationships with classmates and teachers, and learn what it means to be part of the FBRA community. For many of them, it is their first real introduction to the traditions, expectations, and spirit of FBRA.
Our 7th and 8th graders take their adventure a step further, leaving camp Tuesday through Thursday for whitewater paddling and camping trips. Away from the routines and comforts of home, students are asked to work together, take appropriate risks, solve problems, support one another, and step into leadership roles. They return to camp at the end of the week with shared stories, stronger relationships, and another adventure under their belts.
There is something incredibly powerful about spending the first week of school outside together. Before grades, homework, schedules, and activities begin to fill the calendar, our students have time simply to connect. They eat meals together, paddle together, sleep under the same roof—or stars—laugh, struggle, try new things, and learn how to be part of a community.
Induction Week also gives our teachers the opportunity to know their students beyond the classroom. We get to see who encourages a classmate when something feels hard, who steps forward to lead, who makes everyone laugh, who needs a little extra encouragement, and who discovers they are capable of more than they thought.
By the time students walk into the classroom for the first full week of academics, they aren’t walking in as a group of strangers. They have already begun building trust, friendships, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
That is the power of Induction Week. It isn’t simply a fun way to start school—it sets the tone for the year ahead and reminds us of something at the heart of FBRA: some of the most important learning happens when we get outside, take on challenges together, and discover what we are capable of as individuals and as a community.
