This past March, the Space Raiders purchased a 9.25” refractor telescope with a computer-controlled motorized “go-to” mount and camera adapter. Thanks to the generous donations from the Perloff Family Foundation, The Lucas Spencer Passion Fund, and Sally and Jim Gibson of Fryeburg, the purchase was possible. The telescope purchase helps to further our mission for viewing and astrophotography of the planets, stars, galaxies, nebula, and comets. We will be having open viewing events on campus and at the OLRC barn as weather and schedules permit.
Fryeburg Academy’s Space Raiders Club was founded in 2018 by physics teacher Dr. Warren Ziegler for astronomy and space science students. Dr. Ziegler is currently engaged as a Space Scientist with the University of Southern Maine and continues to mentor students from Fryeburg Academy’s Space Raiders Club. He is now working with Mr. Tyler O’Keefe ’14 who has joined as a faculty co-advisor. Despite the pandemic, the Space Raiders have many successful activities and events to report. The Space Raiders contributed to a successful NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) proposal to have a Maine-built satellite launched into orbit by NASA (MESAT-1). The Raiders contributed sections on remote sensing, telemetry, and attitude control to the overall proposal. A small satellite launch is worth as much as $100,000, so this is a significant award. The Space Raiders will have an experiment included in MESAT-1, which will carry cameras that will image the earth in different colors. By doing so, it will be able to assess the state of the waters around Maine. For example, the ratio of reflected green light from the water surface to reflected infra-red light indicates the presence of plankton and the number of solids (turbidity) in the water. MESAT-1 is scheduled to be launched into a polar orbit in April of 2022.
The Space Raiders proceeded to the next phase of the University of Southern Maine’s CubeSat Competition with the team's design submission that was launched on a high-altitude balloon from the Lewiston campus of the University of Southern Maine on June 26th. The balloon reached an altitude of 22 miles when it burst, the CubeSat payload descended safely to earth on a parachute and was tracked and recovered in Wiscasset later that same afternoon. The CubeSat was brought back to the lab at USM, which had successfully recorded data on atmospheric pressure, altitude, magnetic field, and acceleration. The launch was facilitated by Professor Richard Eason of the University of Maine and funded by NASA through the Maine Space Grant Consortium. Due to the post-school year timing, logistics, and COVID, we were not able to have FA students present at the launch. Space Raiders will have videos, photos, and data to analyze this Fall.
Additionally, this past November, Space Raider’s member Andrii Obertas created a unique Venus Rover design that entered a NASA challenge. The challenge was to design a rover that could maneuver around obstacles using mechanical sensors and minimal electronics as the high temperatures at Venus’s surface are detrimental to electronic components; Andrii’s design involved using a wheel at the end of an articulated boom connected to the rover body. This was an open competition for all ages. Andrii’s entry was very clever though it did not win overall, still a significant achievement given that he competed against professional engineers and scientists from around the world.
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.