Clubs and Organizations
FRA is more than a school - we are a community. We encourage our students to be involved in all areas of school life and to participate in multiple activities. We have a variety of club offerings in each division, and we hope our students will hone their crafts and maybe even discover passions they didn't know existed.
Lower School Clubs and Enrichments
Clubs
Destination Imagination
Students work in small teams of three to six students and are inspired and equipped to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. They prepare and compete with local, state, and international teams in seven standards-based challenges, as well as instant challenge events. Student teams creatively use techniques in design thinking, engineering, improvisation, and problem solving.
Marathon Team
This group trains for and participates in the annual Kids Rock Marathon together. It is open to kindergarten - grade 4, and the team begins "training" together two to three afternoons a week from March through the end of April. The runner log 25 miles during practice/training, and the final event takes place on the last Sunday in April at Nissan Stadium. The kids run their final mile with runners from other elementary schools from Middle Tennessee, and they each earn a medal for competing.
Robotics After-School Club
This popular club/class meets once every two weeks and is open to students in grade 4. Children are exposed to a basic understanding of robotics using several platforms such as the Vex and Ozobot robotic system. In this club, students learn about how robots work and basic coding.
Robotics in STEM Lab
Students in kindergarten - grade 4 have the opportunity to learn the exciting hands-on work that goes into building and coding robots. Two robots are used to teach coding, which is used to control the robots to move in different directions, while another group of bots focuses on an engineering platform, allowing students to snap different robotic pieces together to create various machines and tools - objects such as cars and catapults.
Enrichments
- Dance
- Explorations in Art
- Jr. Aerospace Engineering
- Karate
- LEGO Adventure Club
- Multi-Sports Enrichment
- Pre-Building Blocks
- Praise Team
- Scrapbooking for Beginners and Scrapbooking
- Small-Group Guitar Lessons
- Tennis
- TechKidz - Stop-Motion Animation
- SPACE Camp
Dance
Lower school dance classes are offered from August - April. Students will learn ballet, tap, and jazz technique, and classes meet once a week for one hour. All dancers will perform in the recital at the end of the year to showcase what they have learned.
Dance Times:
- Grades 1 - 2: Mondays at 3 p.m.
- Pre-K - K: Wednesdays at 3 p.m.
- Grades 3- - 4: Thursdays at 3 p.m.
Explorations in Art
A variety of techniques and media will be utilized to challenge young artists. Great masterpieces will be explored while learning how to create purely individual projects. Young artists will continue to utilize fine motor skills by working with and applying patterned paints with small brushes. Exploring a wide range of textures will allow children the opportunity to stretch their imagination further.
Jr. Aerospace Engineering
These classes introduce youngest engineers to six weeks of fun, creativity, and of course, engineering! Students are introduced to the fundamentals concepts of aircraft and spacecraft design. Through open and focused exploration, students explore and construct airplanes, rockets, hot air balloons, and more.
Karate
In this class, children are taught much more than self defense. They are taught success skills such as respect, confidence, discipline, perseverance, and self control; their concentration and focus will be improved; and they will work on coordination and flexibility. Conrad Jones, owner of two martial arts schools in Williamson County, makes this class fun for everyone.
LEGO Adventure Club
This class is designed for students kindergarten - grade 4 who are building LEGO sets independently with instructions. Themes for the class include: CITY, Star Wars, Nijago, Alien Conquest, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Atlantis, Monsters, and more! Students will learn useful LEGO building techniques that will help their minds grow and expand. Group projects, as well as individualized building, will be encouraged, and students will display weekly creations for parents to view.
Multi-Sports Enrichment
Lil Sports Academy enrichment classes provide an introduction to soccer and baseball/softball fundamentals. Using a professionally-developed curriculum, Lil Sluggers and Kickstart Soccer, students are taught age-appropriate skills in a way that builds confidence and is fun. Class sizes are small and grouped by age so children receive lots of individual attention.
Pre-Building Blocks
This class is designed for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students who are not yet building LEGO sets with instructions independently. Through the use of LEGO bricks and other materials, children will engage in activities such as obstacle courses, construction centers, group games, circle time, and more. These diverse activities will help children become more able builders. Activities will increase spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, and hand strength. This class is taught by an occupational therapy graduate student from Belmont University and contains new, exciting, creative, and fun-filled activities.
Praise Team
Panther PAWS is open to students in grades 3 and 4 who want to use their leadership and music skills during Spiritual Emphasis Week, chapels, and other special events on campus. It is very important that students attend all rehearsals unless they are sick or there is a family emergency. There is no class cost, just a material fee to pay for T-shirts, CDs, and other items that will be used during rehearsals and/or performances.
Scrapbooking for Beginners and Scrapbooking
Small-Group Guitar Lessons
This course is a great way for kids to express themselves and stretch their minds in new ways. Reading and playing
music activates all regions of the brain, while studying music encourages self discipline and diligence. Studies show that learning music early significantly improves spatial-temporal scores that are useful for math and science. These are all traits that lead to effective study and work habits! Students are welcome to join John Jackson, talented professional musician, for fun guitar lessons that will have a lasting effect.Tennis
The United States Tennis Association Kids Club of Tennessee is teaming up with FRA to offer exciting and affordable after-school tennis sessions! Students will learn the basics of tennis using specially designed equipment suitable for young players and will learn in a positive and fun environment. Sessions will aim to improve overall hand-eye coordination and create a desire to live a healthy life, while learning and enjoying a sport that lasts a lifetime. No prior experience or equipment is necessary.
TechKidz - Stop-Motion Animation
SPACE Camp
Middle School Clubs
Middle School Robotics
The after-school robotics club for middle school students offers an exciting opportunity to explore the world of robotics and engineering. Participants in this engaging program work in teams to learn to design, build, and program robots using VEX IQ technology. They collaborate, problem-solve, and have the chance to compete in thrilling VEX IQ competitions, showcasing their STEM skills and creativity.
Math Club
Stem Squad
Students will use KIWI KITS to explore STEAM TOPICS each week.
Checkmates: Chess Club
Checkmates is open to students of all abilities, from beginners to advanced players. Each club meeting will feature a classic chess move or strategy, and there will be an effort to either attend or host a Nashville area chess tournament this school year.
International Travel Club
Spend time "traveling" to different countries around the world and learning about their cultures through music, art, food, language, and more.
Never Bored Playing Board Games
Join "Never Bored Playing Board Games" after school! Discover epic adventures, make new friends, and unleash your strategy skills. Challenge your pals to games like Clue, Monopoly, The Set Game, and more in the library. Snacks and laughter included.
Mockumentary
Students will work as a team to create our own movie. We will begin by coming up with what our movie will be about. Create vision boards and scripts for the scenes we want to film then end with editing and finalizing our film. Our final product will be shown in devotion!
Calligraphy
Learn the art of calligraphy
Library Assistants
Calling all future library superheroes! Do you want to be a part of something amazing? Dive into the world of books and organization. Check-in books, create eye-catching displays, and bring your creative ideas to life. Imagine sharing your favorite reads, discovering hidden gems, and helping your fellow students find their perfect book. Plus, you'll learn valuable skills and have a blast while doing it!
No Bake Baking Club
Making easy and delicious treats! No oven necessary!
Crocheting Club
Community of people who love crocheting. You can be an expert or a novice. We will learn together.
Bracelet Making
Learning to make different types of bracelets
Service Club
Service club will learn about and organize/complete service activities for the school and/or approved outside organizations.
4 Square Club
Learning, enjoying, and competing in the game of 4 square! ZERO skills needed, just a great attitude and teachable spirit.
Art Club
Do you like to create art and are you interested in entering art competitions? This club will allow you to work toward entering an art contest and getting your work displayed publicly.
Debate Club
Do you enjoy debating ideas with others? Would you like to improve your public speaking skills and use the tools of logic and research to your advantage? Then come join Debate Team! This club is for new and experienced debaters alike, and each club meeting will feature debate strategies you can use, as well as plenty of fun topics to debate in small groups.
Math Olympiad
Explore mathematical problem solving together and practice previous contests to prepare for international MOEMS Math Olympiad contests. We will meet weekly, the contests are once a month and the noncontest meetings will be purposeful practice of previous tests!
Quiz Bowl
Quiz Bowl teams are all about showcasing your smarts and competing against other schools in a fun and fastpaced setting. This high-intensity game allows you to put your knowledge to the test in a wide variety of subjects ranging from history, science, literature, and more. Join us!
Upper School Clubs
Alpha Omega
Once students reach the upper school grades, they are chosen as either an Alpha or an Omega. Throughout the year, these teams will compete for bragging rights in basketball, trivia, dodgeball, powder puff football, a cappella sing-offs, and many more events. May Day concludes the year of events and presents the trophy to the winning team after a fury of field day events. The winning team bears the trophy throughout the next school year and has their name engraved on the Alpha/Omega trophy.
Best Buddies
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
FRA offers a Best Buddies Promoters chapter. A promoters chapter empowers youth to become advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) by organizing and attending special events that promote advocacy and bring awareness to the disability rights movement. The FRA chapter hosts, organizes, and participates in Best Buddies events throughout the year, including the summer. The chapter has been recognized on the state and national levels as a chapter that goes above and beyond its call of duty. Chapters are offered from grades 3-12.
Competition Club
The upper school Competition Club consists of three teams which compete in the Tennessee and Georgia area. This club is coached by Dr. James Weeks.
Emerging Leaders
The Emerging Leaders Institute offers students the opportunity to apply their passions to real world scenarios while developing their leadership skills. The students identify an issue that could be specific to our community or a global concern and design and implement a project to address it. Through the process, students gain an understanding of their personal leadership styles, strengths, and opportunities for growth while developing essential leadership competencies to include critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making.
The FRAternity is the FRA student body! The sole purpose of the FRAternity is to support and encourage FRA athletes, thespians, artists, and academics. Students in the FRAternity are expected to support their classmates with class, dignity, passion, and enthusiasm. Whether it is a Friday night football game, a basketball tournament, or the opening night of the play, the FRAternity shows up in full force ready to cheer on their fellow Panthers!
Honor CouncilThe Honor Council is an important collaboration among the students, faculty, and administration of Franklin Road Academy to support the goal of academic integrity. Service on the Honor Council requires meaningful dedication and time commitment from all members. Strict confidentiality and personal integrity are essential requirements for participating on the Honor Council. In addition to providing FRA students an opportunity to promote academic integrity, the Honor Council exists to help educate students. Honor code violations, though regrettable, are also learning opportunities.
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in events pertaining to various scientific disciplines, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. There are 21 different events, and most students compete in three events during the year.
Student Alumni Association
The FRA Student Alumni Association provides current upper school students with the opportunity to interact with alumni and to form beneficial relationships with them. Students tour with alumni who are visiting campus, assemble college care packages, have lunch with the alumni board, participate in thank-a-thons and write thank you notes to alumni donors and guests, assist in the preparation for alumni events and alumni weekend activities, and attend alumni speaker events through the college counseling office's emerging leaders series.
The Student Council works to serve and provide leadership to the upper school student body. The members of this council help deliver the mission of the school to all students, Pre-K - grade 12, by organizing student events and promoting school culture. This council also serves as the voice of the student body, making suggestions and vocalizing concerns of the students, and bringing them forth to the administration in an organized, well-prepared fashion. Student Council is committed to the welfare and growth of student life at Franklin Road Academy, and all members of the student council are committed to promote school spirit, FRA values, and to act as stewards to the FRA Mission.