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Salamanders wrap-up 2012/13 year!

2012-05-15T02:15:12Z

This week salamanders are digging into end-of-year testing as they wrap-up the 2011/12 academic year. All grade levels will complete their appropriate grade-level ERB Assessment in Math and Language Arts, while the 8th graders will complete the North Carolina End-of-Course exams for Algebra 1 and Biology 1.

Salamanders in the 8th grade also completed the Asheville High School Spanish I and II placement exams earlier this month which will allow many of them to start in higher-level Spanish classes at the high school next year.A reminder from Mr. Martin's Language Arts classroom

“We believe in testing here at FBRA,” says director Will Yeiser. “While we measure and value other forms of assessment, standardized tests are one of the few quantifiable outcomes we can use to measure student growth over the course of their time at FBRA.”

Next week, students will depart for their end-of-year trips to the wild and scenic Chattooga River, as well as the French Broad river. The academy will graduate its founding class of 2012 the following Thursday evening.

Salamander Band and Override set to take the stage!

2012-05-02T00:58:37Z

Tickets are available for purchase from band members, as well as online. Please note, you must have a ticket for entry into the show.

Salamanders wrap-up another successful Pura Vida trip!

2012-04-11T00:58:43Z

Students and staff successfully completed another international field-experience trip in Costa Rica with all three grade-levels. Check-out the video to see some highlights from the trip. This was the third trip for the academy and the fifth trip for FBRA co-founder and director Will Yeiser.

"The work we have accomplished as individuals, grade-levels, and as a team is impressive. This has been by far the best trip in terms of accomplishing our goals and fulfilling our mission and vision thanks to my incredible staff, " explains Will Yeiser.

Students and staff returned to work this week to complete the final seven weeks of the 2011/12 academic year.

Salamanders migrate south this week for Pura Vida 2012!

2012-03-22T01:51:10Z

Conner Tate meets his host student at Nueva Esperanza campusStudents and staff will spend the next week in Costa Rica for their annual international field-experience. All sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students will arrive in San José this week for the Pura Vida 2012 trip. While each grade level has a separate theme, focus, and goal, the three consistent components that connect the Pura Vida experience to all participants are learning, service, and adventure.

“That’s what the trip has always been about…ever since the original trip back in 2007 when I was teaching Spanish at Asheville Middle School,” explains Director Will Yeiser.

Sixth graders will be able to apply their recently acquired Spanish vocabulary by presenting a multi-media presentation about themselves in Spanish to a Costa Rican audience at the host school.

After studying Costa Rican poet Isaías D’Oleo Ochoa for the past week in Language Arts class, seventh graders will get to share their original poetry in both Spanish and English with the poet that inspired them! Isaías will host a poetry workshop with both FBRA and Costa Rican students when he comes to Nueva Esperanza for the day.

The eighth grade experience is heavily centered on service learning, as well as application of their three years of Spanish language study. Eighth graders will be travelling to a remote part of the Sarapiquí region to work with current Peace Corps members. Salamanders will be tutoring local elementary school students in Spanish, as well as helping construct and maintain local trails. Students will stay with local host families and will have to rely upon their Spanish skills to communicate and interact with the local community.

“I am extremely excited about leading this trip with the eighth graders, “ says Will Yeiser. “We have a unique opportunity this year to go ‘narrow and deep’ on the service component with the Peace Corps. I can’t think of a better experience for this pioneering group as they prepare to transition into high school, college, and the increasingly interconnected global economy.”

The eighth grade group will also experience and learn about local culture during a series of workshops hosted by the local village. Harvesting, preparing, cooking, and presenting local vegetable dishes along with how to play the marimba (a traditional Costa Rican instrument) are just a few of the experiences lined up for the eighth grade salamanders in the community of Otoya.

Science program pushes the envelope at FBRA!

2011-11-09T10:28:05Z

Parent volunteer Dr. John Ende (a physician at Asheville Radiology) assists 8th grade students in a "classic" biology lab activity--a fetal pig dissection.Eighth grade students at FBRA are partaking in a scientific experiment this year--they are all taking high-school level biology. Taught by former Asheville High biology teacher and FBRA founder David Byers, the students are now immersed in high-school level biology lectures, homework assignments, laboratory activities, and high-school level biology tests.

"The goal of this course is to have all the 8th-graders take and pass the North Carolina end-of-course (EOC) standardized biology exam at the end of the school year in May", said Byers. "That's a new challenge for both the students and teacher, as it is a course designed for students in grades 9-12. The students will all have to push themselves to learn all the new and complex biological vocabulary they'll need to know to pass the EOC, as well as fully grasp all the biological concepts covered throughout the course."

Recently, the 8th graders conducted a "classic" high school biology lab activity: a fetal pig dissection. "We were so grateful to have the help and expertise of a real medical doctor during the pig dissection", said Byers. Parent volunteer John Ende--a practicing physician at Asheville Radiology--assisted with the fetal pig dissection. "Parent volunteers have added tremendous energy and momentum to our entire program here at FBRA. Thanks to their motivation, expertise, and donated time, we have been able to boost our students' academic accomplishments to a whole new level."

Dig the Du results!

2011-10-10T11:52:18Z

Runners take off at the starting lineThe inaugural "Dig the Du" (DTD) Duathlon was a huge success...thanks to race coordinator Daphne Kirkwood, the race committee, and all the volunteers for making DTD such a safe and smooth event! We look forward to "Dig the Du" in 2012. Click on the links below to see the race results:

DTD Age Group

DTD Teams

DTD All Overall

Salamanders wrap up another successful year!

2011-06-15T14:43:21Z

Year two at the French Broad River has concluded with a bang. Students, staff, and parents gathered at the End-of-Year Celebration alongside with incoming students and their families with musical performances, food, recognitions, and reflections on the 2010-11 year. The salamander staff is working hard this summer to prepare for the upcoming year but also taking in some due relaxation. With nearly full enrollment, new opportunities in Costa Rica, access to the Nantahala river, and countless other developments, 2011-12 is poised to be the best year yet!

Service Learning vs. Community Service

2011-05-03T13:12:59Z

Christian Mace measures the pH of water during a field-lesson at RiverLink.Many students across the United States participate in community service activities throughout their school years. These activities often include serving food at a local shelter for the homeless or picking up trash at a local community center. While these activities fulfill an important need in a community and expose students to issues and conditions that they might not otherwise experience, “community service” projects tend to be isolated experiences with no clear connection to a school’s mission, vision, curriculum, or purpose. There is little to no preparation to provide contextual understanding, and there is often very little follow-up, reflection, or recognition of the activity.

On the other hand, service learning involves a whole new level of commitment, planning, and overall effort. “It begins with preparation and learning about the particular problem area or context the service experience will address and, ideally, is linked to academic subject matter being studied,” according to Maurice Elias of Edutopia.Students examine a raised-relief map at the headwaters of the French Broad.

Simply by being enrolled at the French Broad River Academy, students immediately have exposure and multiple experiences on the French Broad River. At the French Broad River Academy, the entire academic curriculum, the outdoor education program, the physical location of the school, the weekly field-lessons, and just about everything we do is connected to the French Broad River and the surrounding watershed.

For instance, all 6th grade students paddle the entire French Broad River from the headwaters in Rosman to the North Carolina/Tennessee border over the course of their first year. The journey down the river combined with the science, math, language arts, and social studies activities over the course of the year provides a powerful, unique level of understanding that can not be replicated by a textbook or magazine article.

This sets the stage for a powerful service learning experience as students continue to build upon their knowledge and understanding of the challenges facing the French Broad River. 7th graders participate in a three-week long “water quality” course taught by Hayley Smith, education coordinator from RiverLink, visit the waste-water treatment plant, year by partnering with provide a deep, meaningful connection to this unique waterway.

8th graders are planning to partner with RiverLink and local river keeper Hartwell Carson to help construct and maintain a campsite which will be part of the French Broad Paddle Trail during the upcoming 2011-12 year as their capstone project.

“In addition to producing academically prepared young men for success in the 21st century, our students and faculty are very clear about our academy’s purpose. Whether water-related or not, we want our graduates thinking deeply about how will they contribute to the betterment of society,” explains Director Will Yeiser.

Salamanders in Costa Rica!

2011-03-28T12:00:27Z

Willy Kates and Rutledge Riddle dig into some coconuts.7th grade students from the French Broad River Academy are currently in Costa Rica as part of their 2011 international field-experience. In addition to staying with a Costa Rican host family, students will spend a week attending classes at a Costa Rican school, complete a service-project, visit local attractions, and make concrete connections to science, math, language arts, social studies, and Spanish learning objectives. Click here to see more pictures. ¡Pura Vida 2011!Drew Harrison meets his host student on the first day in Heredia.

Jammin' for Japan!

2011-03-16T16:27:45Z

French Broad River Academy and Hanger Hall raised over $200 funds for tsunami relief efforts in Japan. Music ensembles from both schools performed at Seven Star Studios, located at the south end of RiverView Station. Click here to see footage from the performances. If you were unable to attend but would still like to make a dontaion, click the following link: American Red Cross Disater Relief Fund for Japan.