FBRA Blog
By Sara Valentine, FBRA Girls Program Staff All summer long, you’ll find FBRA staff exploring rivers and sharing adventures that fuel our passion for the outdoors, and that often means heading west on a US Forest Service river permit. With tens of thousands of lottery entries for these coveted river permits and only a handful […]
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By Jeff Edmonds, FBRA Boys Program Staff We are fortunate in Western North Carolina to be surrounded by wonderful places to mountain bike. There are renowned steep and challenging singletrack trails to be had, and there are plenty of places that are appropriate for beginners and for families with varying ability levels to ride together. […]
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By Will Yeiser, Executive Director & Co-Founder The 2025–26 school year is off to a wonderful start, and a big reason for that is one of our most cherished traditions: Induction Week at FBRA at Camps Green Cove for the Girls and Mondamin for the Boys. At first glance, Induction Week might look similar to […]
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While teachers and students enjoy a much-needed summer break, the work of FBRA continues during the “off” months of June, July, and August. From construction projects to summer camps to professional development, summer 2025 has provided a time for us to keep our community engaged and energized. Summer Construction Projects That beautiful slab at our […]
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A Year of Growth, Resilience, & Great Memories By Will Yeiser, Executive Director & Co-Founder As we wrap up this outstanding 24-25 school year, we pause to reflect on the challenges we’ve overcome and the triumphs we’ve celebrated — moments that have made this year truly unforgettable. The resilience and growth of our community reached […]
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By Alex Black, Boys Program Dean of Students We’re sitting, two teachers and twelve 7th graders, in a circle just a few steps off of the trail we’ve been hiking on. One student, who has been chosen by his peers to be today’s “Speaker Keeper,” looks around at the class and asks if anyone has […]
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By Tricia Chan, Girls Program Director “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Eleanor Roosevelt Twice each year after a fall of paddling and a winter of skiing, we shift into what we lovingly call “Place-Based Learning Season.” This is when our field lessons get even […]
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FBRA Rocks the Tropics at the Spring 7th/8th Dance Well, that was fun! Seventh- and eighth-grade Salamanders came together this past Friday night for their annual co-ed dance. Decked out in colorful Hawaiian shirts and shorts, floral leis, and shades, the students played games, shared snacks, hung out, and hit the dance floor. Thanks to […]
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By Felix Dowsley, Boys Program Director I’m writing on behalf of Will Yeiser, Tricia Chan, and our staff to celebrate our triumphant return to paddling this week. I want to especially thank Nora Randolph and David Clarke for their tireless planning and strategizing to get us back out there safely. We are also grateful to […]
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At French Broad River Academy, every student travels to Costa Rica each of the three years they are at the middle school for this incredible immersion experience. Each year’s trip builds on the prior one and is in a different area of the country. Year in and year out, the Costa Rica trip is what […]
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