The FRA varsity golfers started the postseason with a bang as both the girls and boys captured the TSSAA Division II District Championships at Riverbend Country Club in Shelbyville on Tuesday.

The girls have won all four district tournament titles since the TSSAA Division II realignment in 2015. This year they were led by junior Tzunami Polito who beat teammate Emily Wilson by one shot with a five foot putt on the last hole.  Polito shot 75 to Wilson’s 76, and the 151 total was good for a 41-shot victory over CPA. 

The boys captured their first district title with a narrow four shot victory over BGA. The defending region champs were led by juniors Aidan Call and Timothy Pinkston, who both medaled with scores of 74. Alex Mick added a 76, and Aaron Schierbaum rounded out the scoring with an 84. 

Both teams will be back in action next Monday at Riverbend as they look to continue their quests to a State Championship.

At FRA, we believe service has an incredible power to transform lives - both those whom we serve as well as our own - and service life is woven into all parts of our school.

Students have the opportunity to serve others locally within our community and the greater Nashville area and globally through mission trips, and we hope these experiences will develop skills, leadership qualities, and passion for others that will last long after graduation.

Because of this, FRA has partnered with Bethlehem Centers of Nashville at Bethlehem Garden for the last three years. This part of Nashville has a rich history. It is also classified as a food desert. Produce from the garden is shared with Learning Academy Day Care Center, Meals on Wheels, and Bethlehem Center community members.

The varsity girls golf team continued its dominance of the Father Ryan Invitational by winning its third championship in four years on Thursday. Junior Tzunami Polito carded a 75 to win the individual title, and sophomore Emily Wilson scored a season best 79 to finish sixth. The ladies beat a field of the best teams in Division II, a pool that included Baylor School, Ensworth School, Brentwood Academy, Father Ryan High School, and Christ Presbyterian. This was the Panthers' first title of the year and second individual title of Polito's career. 

The boys had another strong showing after their Patriot Classic Championship outing by placing sixth with a score of 317.

The varsity boys golf team shot a season best 316, topping Division I-AAA powerhouse Dickson County by a single stroke to win the 2019 Patriot Classic. The Panthers were led by junior Aidan Call, who finished third overall with a score of 73. In his first appearance of the season, junior Paul Sposato carded a score of 86, proving to be a difference maker in the Panther win. Timothy Pinkston and Alex Mick also had great showings, shooting 78 and 79, respectively. 

On the girls' side, the Panthers finished third in their defense of the 2018 title. Junior Tzunami Polito came in fifth place individually with a score of 80, and sophomore Emily Wilson shot an 87 for FRA. 

This summer, seniors Summer Vo and Campbell Jeffrey and juniors Caleb Huddleston and Olivia Maki got the opportunity to spend a week in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sitting in on classes taught by current Harvard students and professors at The Academies at Harvard.

Summer attended the pre-med academy, Campbell learned about coding, and Caleb and Olivia were both in the politics cohort. Their groups worked on projects that included topics of mental health, minimum wage, and disease case studies.

On Sunday, Franklin Road Academy unveiled its new 38,400-square-foot student life center with a naming dedication ceremony. The Weicker Center for Student Life, named by FRA’s capital campaign lead donor, The Cal Turner Family Foundation, for beloved teacher and coach George Weicker, features a dining hall, spirit store and coffee shop, collegiate-style formal and informal academic spaces, innovative classrooms, school-wide offices for the director of diversity, inclusion, and community, spiritual life, and the Center for Philanthropic Studies.

We are excited to welcome outstanding new faculty to our community. These exceptional educators bring experience, education, and a passion for FRA's mission to provide a challenging educational experience within an inclusive Christian community.

Congratulations to seniors J Ross, Tashinga Vhumisai, and Brogan Wilson, who signed their letters of intent to play college athletics on Thursday. Ross will continue his baseball career at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky; Vhumisai has signed to soccer at Sewanee: The University of the South; and Wilson will be playing football at Austin Peay University in Clarksville. 

If you attend the 78th Iroquois Steeplechase event this weekend, you'll likely see the artwork of FRA eighth grade student Mimi Fuller, who was selected as the official student artist of the race.