FRA Viewbook 2023

MISSION STATEMENT: Franklin Road Academy provides a challenging educational experience in an inclusive Christian community with an unwavering commitment to develop leaders of integrity and purpose.

AT FRA, WE KNOW WHO WE ARE… A co-educational, independent school providing students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 with a challenging academic experience within an inclusive Christian community - all on one campus.

BIG ENOUGH, SMALL ENOUGH FRA OFFERS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. We’re big enough to provide students opportunities to lead in an environment where they are challenged to discover and pursue their passions while small enough to know our families and their stories.

We foster healthy student experiences with intentional class sizes that allow students to fully engage in the classroom while competing at a high athletic level or perfecting an art form.

Our faculty members are more than teachers - they are mentors, role models, and friends. Because of these relationships, our students feel safe to take risks and are celebrated throughout their FRA experience as they discover their unique roles in our community and around the world.

INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FRA NURTURES THE EXTRAORDINARY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND FACULTY BY INVESTING IN EXCEPTIONAL SPACES. The Weicker Center for Student Life is the hub of our campus. Whether gathering over a meal in the dining hall, grabbing a smoothie in the café, or spending time together outside of the classroom in the student commons, the Weicker Center is a place for our entire community to come together.

Dynamic spaces such as our DNA Lab, Innovation Lab, and lower school STEM Lab allow students to hone their collaboration, communication, and problemsolving skills as they become critical thinkers in pursuit of excellence.

LOWER SCHOOL WE FOCUS ON INSTILLING A LOVE OF LEARNING IN OUR STUDENTS. In the lower school, our students learn more than just the content in their textbooks. We teach to the whole child through age-appropriate play and hands-on, experiential learning in imaginative and innovative environments.

Through our enrichment program, even our youngest students are able to participate in a STEM lab, learn a foreign language, and develop technical skills such as coding and robotics.

Our students sit at tables to encourage dynamic conversations and opportunities for collaborating to find solutions. They also use iPads, laptop computers, and interactive white boards to learn the power of technology.

Your child will develop a sense of purpose and concern for others as they participate in daily devotions, weekly chapels, and service projects throughout the year.

Our goal in the lower school is to instill a love of learning in our students and equip them with the technical and leadership skills they will use to be successful in the middle school.

MIDDLE SCHOOL OUR CURRICULUM EMPOWERS STUDENTS TO BE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS, COLLABORATORS, AND PROBLEM SOLVERS. Our middle school serves as a crucial experience in your child’s educational and personal development. Middle school is a time of growing – socially, emotionally, and academically, and our teachers prepare students for upper school while providing meaningful support as they transition into the teenage years.

We believe influence begins with relationships. Our advisory program creates intentional time to foster student-advisor relationships, and faculty members are encouraged to foster growth and instill confidence and courage.

Throughout the middle school experience, our students establish their voice by becoming confident self-advocates, learning to ask good questions and taking ownership of their academic experiences.

Our middle school students are encouraged to pursue their passions and engage in a life beyond the classroom. Our goal is to help them see who they are, the talents they have, and their roles in our community. By the time they enter the upper school, they are comfortable in their skin and have a greater sense of who they are.

UPPER SCHOOL FRA FOSTERS AN ACTIVE, ACADEMIC CULTURE WHERE STUDENTS ARE FULLY ENGAGED. Students enter our upper school from a variety of backgrounds. What unites everyone is the welcoming FRA culture, centered on relationships where students are known, supported, and inspired while growing as learners.

Our talented faculty members are master teachers, who are able to connect their subject matter to the lives of our students. We foster an active, academic culture where they are engaged in small groups, class discussions, and individual time, allowing them to think critically, communicate effectively, and ask challenging questions.

Our dedicated college counseling team begins working with our students freshman year and works with them throughout their upper school experience.

Our students feel coached and supported to go to a college that fits them best one where they are able to thrive.

FRA graduates are well-rounded, confident individuals, prepared to go out into the world and fulfill their own unique purpose.

THE ARTS FRA STUDENTS ARE INSPIRED AND SUPPORTED TO DISCOVER AND PURSUE THEIR ARTISTIC PASSIONS. Arts is an integral part of the FRA student experience, serving as a creative outlet to let students’ minds solve problems in unexpected ways.

Beginning in lower school, our students participate in visual, instrumental, and performing arts. Middle schoolers are offered the opportunity to try multimedia compositions, sculpture, concert band, choral music, and oil and acrylic painting.

In the upper school, students are able to hone their craft - from creating a masterpiece on the pottery wheel or discovering a talent in the choir or band to starring in a musical and developing an AP art portfolio.

ATHLETICS WE BELIEVE ATHLETICS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND AN EXTENSION OF THE CLASSROOM. Students in kindergarten through grade eight participate in physical education classes, where they learn the fundamentals of team play and instill habits of good health and nutrition. Our student-athletes train and compete to win, and they do so with a healthy sense of perspective. Most of our coaches are classroom teachers who are invested in our mission and develop teamwork and sportsmanship in our student-athletes.

Through athletics, we encourage students to take risks and discover passions. Beginning in middle school, students begin competing in conference play, and upper school teams compete in every sport sanctioned by the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association.

Our strong athletic tradition includes a long history of state and regional championships with our student-athletics garnering individual recognition at the region, state, and national levels. We currently have alumni competing at the collegiate level in football, basketball, golf, soccer, baseball, and track and field.

SPIRITUAL AND SERVICE LIFE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO GROW SPIRITUALLY AND SEE THE NEEDS OF OTHERS. At FRA, spiritual development is an essential part of a complete educational experience.

We recognize the importance of nurturing leaders who are guided by Christian principles and compelled to lead lives of compassionate global citizenship.

To deliver our inclusive Christian mission, we surround our students with faculty members who build strong relationships with their students and answer Jesus’ call to love God and to serve others.

All of our students are encouraged to grow spiritually and see the needs of others through devotionals and Spiritual Emphasis Week, and our middle and upper school students are offered courses on faith-based topics.

At the heart of our Christian mission is the Center for Philanthropic Studies, where students are encouraged to put faith into action. Service learning is woven into daily academic curriculum, athletic teams, and advisory program, and students also have the opportunity to participate outside of school in Service Saturdays and mission trips.

Think Critically and Creatively

Lead and Collaborate

Engage Globally

Demonstrate Resilience and Grit

Communicate Effectively

Live Out Christian Principles

PROFILE OF A GRADUATE Beginning in lower school, throughout middle school, and ending in upper school, we are cultivating a love of learning in our students where they’re encouraged to discover their passions and learn to lead while they are supported, encouraged, and nurtured along the way.

We value a well-rounded student experience, one where we are preparing our graduates to attend the finest colleges and universities around the nation, while also instilling a mentality that the world does not revolve around them.

THINK CRITICALLY & CREATIVELY Exhibit intellectual curiosity Seek innovative solutions and examine multiple perspectives

LEAD & COLLABORATE Inspire, empower, and support Contribute actively as team members

ENGAGE GLOBALLY Value and learn from different people and cultures Demonstrate cross-cultural understanding

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY Listen to and respect the viewpoints of others Speak and write with clarity and confidence

DEMONSTRATE RESILIENCE & GRIT Persist through difficulties Embrace challenges and approach setbacks as opportunities for growth

LIVE OUT CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES Seek opportunities to serve Treat others with honesty, kindness, empathy, and humility

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COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES & MATRICULATIONS Agnes Scott College Abilene Christian University Appalachian State University Arizona State University Asbury University Auburn University Austin Peay State University Baylor University Belmont Abbey College Belmont University Berry College Birmingham Southern College Boston University Bryant University Butler University Centre College Charleston Southern University Christian Brothers University Clemson University Coastal Carolina University College of Charleston Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University Columbia University Covenant College Denison University DePaul University DePauw University Eckerd College Elon University Florida Atlantic University Florida State University Fordham University Furman University George Mason University Georgia Southern University Gonzaga University Hampden-Sydney College Harding University Hawaii Pacific University High Point University Hofstra University Indiana Tech Indiana University-Bloomington James Madison University Lake Forest College Liberty University Lipscomb University

Matriculations Acceptances

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4700 Franklin Pike Nashville, TN 37220 615-832-8845 w w w. Fr a n k l i n R o a d A c a d e m y. c o m

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