FA's Transition to Remote Learning

Remote Learning. It’s the latest trend that has changed our world in response to the global health crisis— challenging schools, universities, and colleges to rapidly navigate new tools and technologies and shifting to an entirely new way of instruction. Video conferencing providers like Google Hangouts Meet, Zoom, Microsoft and WebEx are seeing a surge in use. And, according to recent statistics this past month, Zoom was the number one downloadable app, followed by Google Classroom and Google Hangouts Meet.
 
What all of these online applications have in common is video conferencing that enables faculty and staff to communicate via their smart devices with students and each other. Coupled with a “virtual classroom” offered by the platform,  Google Classroom, FA students can communicate with teachers or peers through chat or email, review upcoming assignments, and post completed assignments directly to their classroom pages.

"I think what I'm most impressed with is the fact that our school was able to launch our remote learning plan early," says Head of School Erin Mayo. "We've been employing online instruction for three weeks, beginning the end of March, ahead of many peer schools.” 

All of these technologies are crucial for many schools like Fryeburg Academy to keep the continuity of learning for their students. However, remote learning does not come without some shortcomings. Two most recent challenges addressed by the Academy were the inaccessibility of wifi for some families and the difficulty of creating an online course schedule that could best accommodate international students in various time zones. 

“By shifting online courses on Wednesdays from the afternoon to morning slots, we were able to accommodate our international students," says Joseph Minnich, assistant director of studies. "This simple change allowed more of our students in different time zones to attend online classes in the morning and helped them to stay more connected with their peers and their teachers. Maintaining this connection and engagement is important for our students to feel supported."

Additionally, Spectrum and other internet providers have stepped up to offer free wifi for families, while the school has provided over 200 Google Chromebooks for students in need.

In the coming weeks, the Academy, like so many other schools across the country and around the world, will need to continually adapt and innovate as we navigate these powerful learning tools and learn new methods of engaging our students. Our hats are off to our FA faculty who continually rise to meet these new challenges —seemingly overnight. We also acknowledge our IT staff, Bruce Hall and James Grondin, and  FA’s technology integration coordinator, Dave Sartory, who have all paved the way to train, support, and roll out FA’s remote instruction plan with remarkable results.
 
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List of 5 news stories.

  • Fryeburg Academy Fall 2023-24 Honors/High Honors Roll Recipients Named

    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
  • Academy Students Earn Silver and Bronze at the National FFA Convention

    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. 
  • FA's Falls Sports Assembly Honors Student-Athletes

    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:
     
  • Joseph R. Manning Installed as the Academy's 55th Head of School

    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. 
  • FA Students Earn Letters of Commendation in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program

    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

FRYEBURG ACADEMY
745 Main Street
Fryeburg, ME 04037
p. (207) 935-2001      
f.  (207) 935-5013      
admissions@fryeburgacademy.org
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.