Fredericksburg Parent

26 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • November 2022 Ask the Expert a sk t h e e x p e rt WRITTEN BY EMILY FREEHLING Fredericksburg Academy was founded in 1992, after years of hard work by a group of area parents who saw a gap in the region's educational offerings and wanted to bring the student-focused experience of an independent school to Fredericksburg. Thirty years later, the school continues to find new ways to help students develop a life-long passion for learning about the world around them. As our November Expert, Fredericksburg Academy Head of School Karen Moschetto talks about what makes FA a unique educational offering in the region. Q: Why was Fredericksburg Academy created, and how does that impact how the school educates students today? The story of Fredericksburg Academy starts with what I like to call the found- ing parents. Without them questioning why this region did not have an inde- pendent school, we would not exist today. They really spearheaded the effort to figure out what needed to be done, and then people started jumping in and getting to work, making connections and building a coalition that could make it happen. It's a great lesson for anybody, that if you want something badly enough, there is a path to making that happen. It ties in so nicely with what we tell our stu- dents, that if there is something you want to do at FA, we'll help you find a path, and you can take action to make it happen. I think the pioneering spirit of our founders is still very much in place today. Q: What is a good example of that spirit? Just this fall, Lower School Head Patricia Estes had the idea to incorporate our Outdoor Program—which offers summer and after-school opportunities in paddle sports, mountain biking and other adventures—into the school-day curriculum for fourth and fifth grades. She had a conversation with our Director of Auxiliary Programs, Chris Stec, and the grade-level teachers, and all of a sudden, the idea came to life in a matter of weeks. For five Fridays this fall, our fourth and fifth graders spent most of their school day learning to kayak and paddleboard on the Fredericksburg Quarry and the Rappahannock River. These field experiences were full days of learning, with teachers traveling to facilitate outdoor school on shore to enhance units of study such as land and water, regions of Virginia, indigenous people, creative writing, plants and cells and more. This is a great example of how we operate at FA. When we get these great ideas, we can incorporate them very quickly, because we have the freedom to deliver our curriculum at the pace and in the manner that will bring the highest benefit to our students. It really just takes an idea. You act on it and then you see it through. You see it throughout Middle School, where students have the opportunity for overnight field trips, and in the international trips we make available to our Upper School students. 30 years after parents launched the region's only independent school, Fredericksburg Academy's student-focused approach continues to innovate It Really Just Takes an IDEA

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