Fryeburg Academy Builds Community Through a United Passion for Dance
It’s not often that one can bring together a community and a group of individuals —with vastly different backgrounds and nationalities—to unite for a common passion. But for one newly formed club at Fryeburg Academy, that’s exactly what happened.
This year, the Fryeburg Dance Club was formed in partnership with the Tina Titzer’s School of Dance, located at 519 Main Street in Fryeburg, ME. The formation of the club was spearheaded by Laurie Ferris, the club’s advisor, who also works for the Academy as the Administrative Assistant for Special Services.
“My daughter, Julia Ferris ‘20 who attends Fryeburg Academy, was interested in dance but didn’t want to perform competitively,” says Ferris. “There was some interest from other students in the community as well, so I worked with the administration to start the dance club this year in collaboration with Tina Titzer’s studio.”
Currently, the dance club has 11 members: five FA international students and three FA day students as well well as one student from Kennett High School and two students from the Molly Ockett Middle School.
“It’s amazing to see the diverse backgrounds of these dancers,” continues Ferris. “Participants range in age from 13-years-old to 18-years-old, come from several area towns and four international countries, and have an incredible mix of experiences that span from no prior dance experience to traditional Chinese, Korean hip-hop, and Latino dance! It truly is an opportunity to build a sense of community and connection amongst these students. It’s also a great way for our eighth-graders to learn more about the Academy.”
Students participating in the dance club mainly focus on hip-hop dance but are also instructed in traditional forms such as jazz and ballet by dance instructor Nora Fitzgibbons from the Tina Titzer Dance Studio. The club meets on Mondays from 3:00-4:30 pm at in the Ada Cram Wadsworth Arena and on Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Tina Titzer School of Dance on Main Street. The cost to participate per dancer is $60.
Ferris is determined to offer students the opportunity to join the club, however, regardless of financial barriers: “We recently held a fundraiser at the Human Horse Balance Ranch in Center Conway and raised over 100 dollars for the club. I see us continuing to fundraise and apply for scholarships for the dancers in the future so we can continue to grow and offer this unique experience for any student interested.”
To learn more about the Fryeburg Dance Club, you can reach Laurie Ferris at lferris@fryeburgacademy.org or visit the Tina Titzer School of Dance website at http://tinatitzerdance.com/.
We are pleased to announce the following students who have earned academic recognition at Fryeburg Academy for the Fall of 2023-24:
HONORS Grade 12: (Honors)
Charlotte Adamus Vittoria Bernardini Natalie Berry Dom Bond Jordin Booker Owen Burford Tori Butters Jilyan Byrne Lorenzo Catana Vallemani Jonah Densmore Vitoria Do Espirito Santo Teixeira Elle Dooley Austin Dorner Deniz Eroglu Manu Fandos Martinez Aidan Flanigan Amber Gagnon Mia Grandchamp Gal Hanan
Emily Hoosier Noah Jacobs Emma Keaten David Kim Joey Kim Kardelen Lacinok Helena Landry Margherita Lassini Leo Lee Celine Lee Ana Maillett Moss Marques Caroline Masterman Asher McKenney Ryan Meade Natalia Millan Arenas Mina Milosevic Tommy Morini Tasia Nason
Rachel Pizzo Grace Porcaro Abby Pratt Ashe Rabideau Winter Raymond Dustin Rhoda Gideon Richard Leah Rokes Margherita Rossi Gunnar Saunders Louie Shin Lamar Smith Hunter Tripp Tanner Tripp Gabby Udoto Logan Walton Kara Willette Connor Williams Mary Wing Kevin Zhou
From October 31 through November 3, five members of the Academy's FFA Chapter (Future Farmers of America) and faculty member Jennifer Solter Jones attended the National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
On Thursday, November 16th, Fryeburg Academy celebrated the fall sports season with its annual fall sports awards assembly held in the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center. The following student-athletes were recognized for their outstanding performance during the fall 2023-24 season:
Fryeburg Academy and the Board of Trustees announce the installation of Joseph R. Manning as the Academy’s 55th head of school. The Installation Ceremony was held on Friday, November 3, 2023, with members of the Fryeburg Academy community, the Board of Trustees, and former head of school Erin P. Mayo in attendance as a guest speaker. Manning steps into this new leadership role during the school’s 232nd year, following a long-tenured and successful career at the Academy spanning twenty years of service.
Fryeburg Academy seniors Tyler Bartick and Jiwon Choi have earned Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSC) for their performance on the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).
Fryeburg Academy is an independent boarding and day school, serving grades 9-12 and postgraduate. We invite you to explore our site and learn how students from around the globe find their place in the world through our exceptional academic, art, and athletic programs.