Raider Report Issue 19 by Fryeburg Academy

March 4th, 2026

Raider Report

“The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword.”— Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Students Visit the Statehouse

By Serena Di Nucci '27 & Benedikt Arnason '27

With the Maine State Elections just around the corner, an assembly of Fryeburg Academy students traveled to the State House in Augusta to represent the school at Maine Independent Education Day and get a glimpse into legislative procedure.

The Maine State house is a sight to behold, with politicians bustling everywhere, constant bells ringing and the never ending promise that something is about to happen, though no one knows exactly when. Nine students, including junior members of the student council had the privilege of being in on the action. With the Maine state elections just

around the corner (November 3rd) and current Governor Janet Mills running for a seat in the US senate, there was a lot to witness. Students sat in the gallery, and were exposed to legislative procedure at an incredibly fast pace. A standard ceremony featured a… special… rendition of the national anthem by the one and only David McIntyre guitar was more fit for a stadium than the State House. It kicked off a rollercoaster of procedure as the Speaker of the House and the Clerk began to rattle off bills simultaneously. It was so fast and overwhelming students were left scrambling, trying to decipher terms like nonconcurrent matter, and the process

Cont. School Life 1

STUDENT LIFE

Preparing for the Peru Trip

By Olivia Stacy

This August, an opportunity to do research in Peru is being presented to the students at Fryeburg Academy! The organization the Academy is partnering with is known as Earthwatch, and students will be staying in Peru for about 8-11 days during the month of August. Accommodations, food and any other research related aspects of the trip will be covered.

Cont. School Life 2

The Maine State House (Photo- Serena Di Nucci '27)

'27

SCHOOL LIFE

Continued from front page: Students visit the State House

where proposed bills are passed by both house and senate, but vetoed by the governor and sent back to the house before being voted on again. Students had the privilege of witnessing multiple bills be passed, including one protecting the rights of nurses and healthcare workers. They were formally recognized as the guests of Republican Representative Nate Wadsworth of district 82 (Fryeburg’s district).

After quite some time listening to the rapid proceedings, the students were led out of the chamber, and reflected on a tour led by Mr. Wadsworth. He joined the students in a long conversation, where he told them about the many wonders of the state legislature. They discussed current

issues, including the Right to Repair Act, which Wadsworth advocated for on behalf of many local mechanics. Students hoped to meet Senator Bennett, Fryeburg’s Senator, but, unfortunately, he was very busy campaigning for the upcoming gubernatorial elections. However, Mr. Manning did get a chance to meet the senator. Mr. Wadsworth took the students to see the inside of the dome, past portraits of former governors, and into the Maine State Legislative Reference Library. They walked by lobbyists advocating for current causes and politicians interacting before the House convened. Mr. Wadsworth and an assistant gave a brief history of the old roots of the building, such as the hand laid marble tile in the Hall of Flags. The students went on to the floor of the House and Senate Chambers, and got to bang the same gavel they later saw the Speaker of the House use. Once they arrived at the

main floor, their responsibilities for Maine Independent Education Day began as they represented Fryeburg at a table along with local colleges and some other Maine town academies. They were also treated to an enjoyable variety of bagels and cream cheeses.

To conclude the visit, FA, along with other independent schools competed in the first ever inaugural Rock-paper-scissors state championship, Fryeburg’s very own Serena DiNucci’27 won the competition, meaning FA is by far the most superior independent school in Maine. The visit was an engaging experience for the students to understand more about what goes into making the decisions that affect their everyday lives. Students were honored and pleased to represent Fryeburg and learn more about the state legislature, and meet some of Maine’s top elected officials.

Inside the Maine State House (Photo- Serena Di Nucci '27)

Math Team

By Anton Liesnoi '26

After former Math Team advisor Mr. Morse left the school, Ms. Genest became the new club leader. The club continued meeting as usual, and several students took leadership roles to help run the team.

The FA team competes in MAML (Maine Association of Math Leagues) and is one of the top schools in the state. It is currently ranked sixth in Maine and first in the Pi-Cone North region. Our mathletes also have strong individual results, including holding first place statewide.

There is one meet left in this competition, scheduled for March 4th in Leavitt. The ten highest-performing students will qualify for the MSMM (Maine State Math Meet) on April 7th, where they will represent FA and compete against over a thousand students from more than one hundred schools across the state.

The club meets weekly on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM in MB202. There are student-led prep lessons, practice problems, and lots of snacks. There’s no grading or judgment of one’s math abilities –the goal of the club is to spark interest in mathematics and give everyone a chance to test their knowledge in competitions.

Even though there is only one meet left this year, feel free to stop by and practice. The community is friendly and welcomes new students. Introducing yourself to the club now will help you get familiar with it before next year.

In order to raise money for this trip, Mrs. Yannelli held a film showing, a raffle for skis, as well as lift tickets at the Academy, which had a small yet sustainable turnout! The two pairs of ski’s raffled were Liberty twin-tips and a pair of Black Crows! The film was produced by a company known as Moonrise Media, and it just so happened to be the second film in the series. The first film is called “Advice for Girls,” and Mrs. Yannelli remembers seeing this particular film with her daughter Liv in Bethel. She thought that it was an amazing film and remembers thinking, “Why aren’t we showing films like this at FA!?” With that, she got to work planning this wonderful film fundraiser that took place on the 22nd of this past January. Films, of course, cost money to show; with lots of careful planning Mrs.Yannelli got three fantastic sponsors to help cover over half the cost of the film. These sponsors were the Four Seasons Service (a property service in Lovell who's owner is a ski tech), Good

RAIDER REPORT STAFF

President and Manager of Publication: Holym Han ‘26

Vice President and Manager of Writing: Lilia Vishnyakov ‘26

Layout Designer and Assistant Manager of Publication: Serena Di Nucci ‘27

Visual Media Director: Sy Stevens ‘27

Senior Editors: Will McDonnell ‘26

Arthur Osborne ‘26

Aspen Hazlewood '26

Club Advisor and Publication Supervisor: Ms. Ayer

Earth Gardening (who does landscaping at the Academy and has been skiing her whole life), and finally Skihot shop!

The film that was selected to be shown was called “Girl Winter,” which consisted of many short films both produced by and featuring all women. Whether it was women sharing skiing moments with their kids and family, or a divorced woman who found herself through skiing, this film was produced with the goal of highlighting diversity and bringing to light that not every humorous, storytelling narrative must be about or produced by a man. One of our beloved teachers at Fryeburg Academy, Ms. Murphy has even skied with one of the skiers in this production!

This fundraiser may have already happened, but don’t worry, Mrs. Yannelli assures that there will in fact be more fundraisers for the trip come this spring, so please keep your eyes peeled. If you wish to know further information about the Peru trip, please contact Mrs. Yannelli.

Continued from front page: Preparing for the Peru Trip

Anton Liesnoi '26 in action at the whiteboard (Photo- Christina Genest)

Students at work during the competition (Photo- Christina Genest)

Math Team team photo (Photo- Christina Genest)

Raging Robots: The Robotics Team Prepares for Battle

By Jacob Palestrant '27

In late May of 2025, the new Vex V5 2025-2026 game was released; the game “Push Back” consists of two robot alliances, made up of two random bots, against another two random bots. The teams need to work together to effectively score red and blue blocks corresponding to their team color in three different scoring tubes, trying to score more than the opposing alliance. The game is fast paced, lasting only two minutes, including a 15 second autonomous period where bots must function entirely off of code. The Fryeburg Academy robotics program consists of three teams this year, Z - Caesar, C - Michael, and G!norm. The teams recently competed at Yarmouth Highschool, where team Z finished with an overall ranking of 5th, losing only one match throughout the qualification matches, leading team Z to qualify for the Maine state championship in March. Team F also had an impressive standing, finishing in 10th, with Team G following behind in 15th place. These teams look forward to their upcoming competition on Febru-

A Riddle from Elise

I roar without a throat, I whistle without lips.

I build white walls in minutes

And erase familiar trips. I’m colder than the moon. When I arrive uninvited,

The world turns white too soon. What am I?

Answer: A blizzard

ary 14th. The robotics program is a highly unique Fryeburg Academy club: there are no required times, meetings, or lessons to follow. The lab is open for the members to come in whenever best suits them. This fosters innovation, student-initiated communication and unique bots stemming entirely from student engagement and discourse. Each team can be broken down into two main parts, the software and hardware. The hardware section is responsible for designing and building the bot, while the software section codes and prepares the robot for the next competition. Competitions are quick-moving events, forcing teams to efficiently repair their bots and communicate with other teams, all to prepare for the upcoming match. At the end of the afternoon, once all qualification matches wrap up, teams line up from highest ranking to lowest in order to form permanent alliances. These permanent alliances will compete in a bracket like tournament, the last match of the day being the final. Once the afternoon matches are complete, awards are distributed and teams head home.

Caeser MK10 Titan built by the robotics team (Photo- Jacob Palestrant '27)

Scenes from one of last year's competitions (Photo- Mike Dana)

ARTS

Fryeburg's Students Participate in Movin' on Fusion

By Peter Priestman ’29

On January 30th at Kennett High School, artists of all varieties came from across the Mount Washington Valley area and performed to benefit the Kennett High School project graduation. This gaggle of artists included dancers, painters and musicians. Being hosted at Kennett, most of the members came from either Kennett High or middle school, but there were five Fryeburg Academy students that each had a significant impact on the show. These students were dancers Emma Williams ‘29, Solana Manning ‘28, Serena Di Nucci ‘27, and musicians Peter Priestman ‘29 and Ezra Houghton ‘29. The show started off with the act “Stomp” which featured all the musicians and other artists dancing to the tune of Stomp by Quincy Jones, Coolio and a host of other rappers and producers. This act has been included since the original Movin’ on Fusion event twenty years ago. This year's edition had over 100 people in attendance and raised close to

$2,000 for Kennett High graduation. These funds were raised not only by ticket sales but also a silent auction of cakes, merchandise and other items. One of Fusion’s strengths is in the variety of its great acts. One of the house favorites was a rendition of King of the World by First Aid Kit featuring Serena DiNucci ‘27 from FA, and Jenna Burrell ‘27 from Kennett High. The duo went on stage completely acoustic and delivered a downright haunting performance. The night ended with another long-standing act headed by Ed Fayle, an English teacher at Kennett, consisting of a group of eight musicians all performing Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the Wind”. This act featured Fryeburg students Peter Priestman ‘29 and Serena DiNucci ‘27, as well as 6 Kennett students and staff. In adherence with tradition, Ed Fayle put out his guitar case to accept further donations. At the end of the night, the graduating students participating in the event were given an ovation. This year's only graduate was Theo Gray, who was featured on one act as a solo piano player. Overall, the night gave the community a great set with many entertaining acts, and shaped up to be a lucrative fundraiser.

Student Galleries

By Wasp Harlowe

“It’s that time of year again!” is a phrase heard everywhere, all the time. It’s far from uncommon. In this particular instance, though, it's to announce the hanging of the new student art gallery! While the space itself has been used as a gallery for a few years now, every year around this time all the pieces are switched out with newer pieces, so everyone in the Fryeburg Academy physical arts program gets a bit of the spotlight. At the time of writing, everything is still in the process of being hung, but it will hopefully be all put together by publication. For those who don’t know, the student art gallery is located in the hallway left of the auditorium entrance in the Performing Arts Center, past Mr. Barnaby’s room. Additionally, more student art is being displayed at Gallery 302 again, opening on Sunday, March first. The address of this gallery is 112 Main St. in Bridgton. Please pay either gallery a visit to see all the lovely art there!

‘26

Peter Priestman '29 leaps during a performance (Photo- Joseph Meier)

Serena Dinucci '27 leads dancers (Photo-Joseph Meier)

Katy Laracy '28 sings "Desperado" (Photo- Josoph Meier)

Student Maria Cornett '28 showcases her art at the exhition (Photo- Ardelle Buck)

Full Fryeburg Academy art showcase (Photo- Ardelle Buck)

As Alpine Ski-Racing comes to a close, Fryeburg skiers are given the opportunity to compete at a higher level at both Western Maine Conference Championships and States. On Thursday February 12, 12 racers from each discipline on Fryeburg took on top racers from a multitude of schools across Maine at Western Maine Conference Championships, taking place at Pleasant Mountain. Haley Spofford ‘26 describes the races, saying there was some “immense effort.” Some notable racers from Western Maines’ include Ella Dean ‘26 and Merrik Iacozili ‘26, who both went home with first place plaques. According to Haley, other impressive performances came from skiers “Oliver Dean ‘28, Tucker Barnaby ‘26, Brennan Slosberg ‘27, and Valentina.” Overall, Western Maines’ can without a doubt be considered a huge success for the Alpine Team. Team member Brady Chappell ‘26 previously told us the team came “so close” last year to top plac-

By Elise Dunn '26

Alpine

es, and that he knew they could “put something great together.” Brady’s intuition was certainly correct! Following Alpine’s exceptional performance at Western Maine Conference, the team has been training hard for weeks in preparation for States, which began Monday, February 23. Every year, the Alpine Ski Team brings 6 skiers from each discipline to compete against some of the most skilled skiers at the high school level state-wide. This year, States are taking place at Saddleback Mountain in Sandy River, Maine. Saddleback is quite a different environment compared to Pleasant, being over two-times taller and standing at 4,120 feet. This adjustment is never too much for the Alpine Team however, as Haley believes they “can acclimate to whatever we put our minds to.” Haley describes the new courses the team is adapting to, telling us, “they are on a steeper pitch and there is a crook or ‘dog leg’ on the trail so you have to make a large turn.” The competition will continue until Tuesday, February 24th, with races taking place between 9 am and 4 pm. Haley tells us some remark-

able performances have come from “Ella Dean, Merrik Iacozili, and Tucker Barnaby.” On Tuesday, after the last races, State Champions will be announced. Haley tells us it’s looking like “Edward Little and Falmouth are doing very well.” Both Western Maine’s and States are overall highly competitive, extraordinary opportunities for the Fryeburg Alpine Team to prove the skills that they have been working on for so long throughout the season. Thus far, the team has exceeded expectations, and this season has truly been one to remember. Haley describes the effort the team has put in all season, saying “everybody puts their best foot forward every race.” There’s only one day left to see if this team comes out on top but we know in our hearts they already have. As the season closes and senior athletes bid goodbye to their last sport at Fryeburg, or prepare for a final season in the spring, Haley says she will always remember this year’s Alpine Team, as she finds it very special that “everyone is friends.” Good luck to these racers! Go Burg!

Alpine senior boys post-race (Photo- Jen Stacy Bartlett '93)

Oona Davidson-Pullan between gates (Photo- Jen Stacy Bartlett '93)

Haley and Connor Spofford, both '26 (Photo- Jen Stacy Bartlett '93)

Indoor Track

Olivia Eveleth '29

On January 30th, track and field competed in their last regular season meet. The girls took third place overall, following Greely and Freeport. The boys had their first win, placing first overall and beating out Greely by twenty points! There were a total of 33 PRs at this meet. Every 4x200 relay team ran its fastest time of the season. Much of this meet’s success was thanks to the hard working athletes who placed first in their events. Congratulations to Jacob Eveleth ‘26 (55, 200), Eden True ‘26 (400), Avery Bariteau ‘27 (55m), Sam Jamison ‘29 (JR 400), and Ty Boone ‘26 (HJ). February 6th was the Western Maine Conference Championships, a big meet for the track and field athletes. Overall, the girls finished in 6th place and the boys came out in 4th place. There were 37 PRs at this meet! One of those being Avery Bariteau,

who beat her previous school record in the 200m (also taking first place). Fryeburg also had many athletes on the podium. Some highlights are: Jacob Eveleth grabbing 2nd place in the 55m with a new PR and getting 1st place in the 200m; Eden True placing 2nd in the 400m and 7th in the 55m; Ty Boone placing 1st in high jump and 6th in the 55m; Olivia Eveleth ‘29 placing 2nd in the Jr shotput, with a PR of over one and half feet; Alex Allain ‘26 placing 3rd in triple and long jump. Fryeburg's relay teams also did quite well, the Sr Girls 4x200 came in 3rd place overall, the Girls 4x800 came in 5th, Boys 4x800 came in 6th, Jr Boys 4x200 came in 4th, and Sr Boys 4x200 came in 3rd. Qualified athletes are now preparing for State Championships on the 16th of February at Bates College. Good luck to all those competing!

Helmet Fire

Benedikt Arnason '27

Oh No! The Helmets are gone! FA’s football helmets burned down in a fire. This means that Fryeburg will be getting new helmets, the cost is covered by insurance of course. But, the helmets they will be getting are the brand new Schutt F7’s which have a 5 star rating by Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings. Meaning, on-the-field safety will be lifted to another level. This is great news for the Academy’s football team. Alongside safety, these new helmets look pretty cool. But, they are really similar to the old ones. Hopefully, these new helmets will spark some excitement for next year and bring good luck to the team.

Girls' Basketball

By Peter Priestman ‘29

At the end of the season, the Fryeburg Academy women’s basketball team was winless. Despite the poor record, the season left onlookers with a good feeling about the team. The team was without a senior player and had very few juniors. This means that in future years the team will only get better without the threat of losing stars and key contributors. The roster carries the star trio of Presli Knapp ‘28, Addison Valente ‘28 and Bryleigh Gerry ‘28 into next year. Some promising freshmen that Fryeburg will retain include varsity player Emma Nagle ‘29, Brison Lounsbury ‘29 and Avery Jordan ‘29. Next year, solid contributors will come back including KP Forrest ‘28 and Brailey Sands ‘27.

Artist's rendering of a "helmet fire" (Graphic- Maks Bondarev '27)

Jackeline Guzman-Gonzalez throws a pass (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)

Brailey Sands '27 on defense (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)

Reagan Wilson '28 running hurdles (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)

Charlie Scott '27 throwing shot put (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)

Nordic Highlights

By Thomas Hubbell '27

With State Championships just around the corner, the Nordic team has had a great season so far. Their most recent competitions at the Maine Team Qualifiers and Western Maine Conference Championships yielded great results. At the Maine Team qualifying races, four Fryeburg racers made the team and one qualified as an alternate. Will McDonnell ‘26, Thomas Hubbell ‘27, and Sigurd Nyheim ‘26 all qualified for the Eastern High School Championships and Oren Monteith ‘27 qualified as an alternate (he will race if any of the top 20 skiers cannot). The team also had a U16 qualifier: Alda Dufilho ‘29. This was the best boys team performance at this annual race since its starting in 1991:

Boys' Basketball

By Emmet O’Brien '29

This season was less about the final scores and more about the guys staying locked in and improving. Even when things didn't go their way, the energy in the locker room stayed high. They had some solid highlights, from transition plays that clicked to defensive stops that kept them in the game during the fourth quarter. The team competed and put up a fight every game. It would’ve been easy to just stop caring, but the team kept showing up and playing hard every single game. Quinton Moore ‘26 was a huge part of keep-

placing second in the classic race and first in the skate race. These results have only amplified the excitement going into the last races of the season: Conferences and States. In the Conference Championships, the boys team came in second after racing two separate days, one classic race in Gray and one skate race on home soil at Stark’s Hill. The girls team was also able to field four racers this year, allowing them to score full points. It has been a fabulous year for these Raiders and with State Championships coming up over break, they plan to culminate all their training and racing with the opportunity of taking home first place in the Class A Nordic State Championships.

Wrestling

By Benedikt Arnason '27

ing that vibe alive. As a senior, and the only one on the team, he could’ve easily checked out, but he was always the one diving for loose balls and keeping the younger players focused. He didn’t just focus on the record; he wanted to play ball and make sure the team stayed together. His leadership was the main reason nobody gave up. It wasn’t the season they expected, or the season they hoped for, but seeing Quinton and the rest of the guys stay strong and putting in effort until the season ended was a win in itself.

Ice Hockey

By William McDonnell ’26

The Ice Cats will finish their regular season with a 12-6 record. They will play their first playoff game at NYA vs. Cheverus/Yarmouth on February 28. The Rams will finish the regular season with a 10-8 record. They sit in the 3rd position of 7 teams in Division South. Carlin Galligan ‘26 leads the South with 26 goals and 48 points.

Wrestling had their Senior Night on January 28th. They competed against Bonny Eagle and Kennebunk. The meet started with a special celebration of the graduating athletes: Oliver Nagy ‘26, Alimzhan Aitimov ‘26, Nomar Feliz ‘26, and Izaiah Chisholm ‘26. So, to commemorate our seniors, only their matches will be mentioned in this article. Alimzhan had a 1-1 win/loss record, beating the BE wrestler halfway through the first round. Izaiah Chisholm hoisted an undefeated record of 2-0, his earlier win against BE in the first round and the other one a forfeit from Kennebunk. Nomar Feliz had a 1-1 record with a forfeit win against Kennebunk. Oliver Nagy went 2-0, both wins were via forfeit. This gives the Senior Wrestlers a 6-2 record or a 75% winning percentage. Also, Fryeburg Academy held a State Duels Meet on January 31st. The Fryeburg Team did not compete. That meet had a staggering sixteen teams and lasted from 9am to about 4pm! FA’s gymnasium was filled to the brim with people and had a great atmosphere.

Isabel Brito '26 on the rink (Photo- Jen Stacy Bartlett '93)

Oren Montieth '27 during the WMC skate race (Photo- Jen Stacy Bartlett '93)