ROBOTICS AND INNOVATION LABS
Shaping the Technological Innovators of Tomorrow
FRA's Innovation Labs embody a commitment to experiential learning, where students are encouraged to explore, create, and collaborate. By integrating technology with traditional education methods, these labs prepare students for future academic pursuits and careers in rapidly evolving fields. The goal is not only to teach technical skills but also to cultivate a mindset geared toward innovation and entrepreneurship.
Lower School
In the Lower School STEM & Innovation Lab, curiosity becomes creation. From pre-K3 onward, students explore the engineering design process through hands-on play that builds confidence as makers, problem-solvers, and creative thinkers.
In kindergarten through grade 4, students engage in dynamic, project-based experiences across engineering, science, entrepreneurship, and VEX robotics. They design, build, test, and refine solutions to real-world challenges while learning to think critically, collaborate effectively, and embrace iteration.
Across all grades, students develop resilience, agency, and an innovative mindset, understanding that ideas grow through experimentation and feedback. By the end of lower school, students are confident, capable creators ready to tackle complex problems with curiosity and purpose.
Middle School
In middle school, innovation is embedded into every student’s experience and becomes second nature. With an individual tablet PC in hand, students learn, create, and collaborate across all disciplines.
Grade 5 students build a strong foundation in digital literacy through daily Digital Discoveries, exploring keyboarding, coding, design principles, and creative tools such as Canva and Microsoft applications, as well as makerspace technologies. In grades 6–8, students deepen their computer science skills through enrichment experiences in digital design, computer programming, and artificial intelligence, applying their learning in increasingly complex and creative ways.
The Middle School Innovation Lab brings ideas to life through 3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl design, sticker production, and robotics, empowering students to dream, design, and create. It is also home to our competitive robotics teams, which have succeeded at the local, state, and national levels. From vinyl decals to robotic systems, students learn by doing, and by daring to think big.
Upper School
The Upper School Innovation Lab empowers students to think like engineers, designers, and innovators. Through immersive, project-based learning, students develop advanced skills in problem-solving, collaboration, and technical design.
Our 2,000-square-foot Innovation Lab is a state-of-the-art makerspace equipped for prototyping, fabrication, and invention using tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, robotics systems, and advanced manufacturing equipment. Students bring ideas to life by designing, testing, and refining real solutions.
Students may also pursue a multi-year engineering pathway that builds deep expertise and prepares them for college-level work and beyond. In the DNA Lab, students explore biotechnology through hands-on investigations using professional-grade equipment, gaining real-world insight into genetics and molecular science.
Across all experiences, students are challenged to innovate boldly, think critically, and apply their learning to meaningful, real-world problems.
