Interim Experiences

Cost: $4,800
Chaperones: Cassie Bates, Corri Calandra, Clifton Kaiser
March 4-11

Spend your interim outdoors exploring the rainforest by ziplining and hiking. Explore Mayan archaeological sites and learn about their culture. Make Mayan tortillas, learn basket weaving and Mayan dances. Visit a local NGO to learn about conservation and community development. Visit a sustainable farm to learn about how agricultural practices are linked to reef health. Participate in a variety of activities like pruning cacao trees and seeing how chocolate goes from bean to bar. Visit a marine reserve to contribute to an underwater transect survey and observe marine life while snorkeling. Help local scientists monitor the manatee population. Support biodiversity during a reforestation project, which helps to stabilize riverbanks, decrease erosion, and improve water quality. At the end of the trip, you’ll snorkel along the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. While snorkeling, you will partake in a reef cleanup activity and record your findings.

Cost: $4,384
Chaperones: Cecilia Moix, Bill Zepeda
March 2-12

Experience the many facets of Spanish life as you participate in hands-on cultural activities across Spain with Señora Moix and Mr. Zepeda. A traditional Moroccan tea house, a local olive farm, a salsa lesson, a flamenco show, a meeting with local students—from Malaga to Granada to Seville to Madrid, and finally Barcelona. We will uncover a new layer of Spain’s diverse traditions, culture, and rich heritage. Visiting famous universities, the birthplace of Pablo

Picasso, the Alhambra (the oldest castle built by the Arabs), riding the AVE (bullet train) from Madrid to Barcelona, and finally visiting the most famous unfinished construction (started in March 1882 and programmed to be finished by 2026) in the world – La Sagrada Familia.

Cost: $4,250
Chaperones: Andrew Stacy, Stephanie Feyes
March 2-11

As JRR Tolkien reminds us, “Not all those who wander are lost.” To visit the United Kingdom is to go back in time and live once more the dramatic events of history that have influenced us in remarkable ways. To explore the lands that produced chivalry, trial by jury, and our own magnificent language. To see geography through the eyes of poets. To understand our country’s freedoms much more for having discovered their foundations in England and Scotland. Students will have no idea how much they are learning and how much they are broadening their horizons, because they will be having too much fun to notice.

Cost: $4,150
Chaperones: Caitlin Maguire, Kris Climer
March 5-15

Students will retrace the footsteps of one of the world’s greatest generals, Hannibal, who left his home in north Africa and set out on a mission to invade Rome by land. We will start our 11-day adventure in Barcelona, travel across the south of France, and cross the Alps into Italy where we’ll end in Rome. This trip will bring to life the history and culture of the ancient Romans and their neighbors. Students will better understand the interconnectedness and diversity of the ancient world as they experience changing terrain, climates, and languages, and will examine history not just from the perspective of the victors.

Cost: $2,850 per student
Chaperones: Brandon Albright, Sarah Moore, David Gallagher
March 4-10, 2023

The purpose of this experience is to provide students the opportunity to grow in their faith and see what God is doing in the world by partnering and serving with organizations and ministries across the world. In the context of this trip, to allow students to see what God is doing through Heart2Honduras and in the lives of Hondurans in and around El Progreso. Hearts2Honduras is a mother-and-son-run 501c3. Rhonda Wicks, who worked at FRA for 13 years, and Shelton Wicks, an FRA Alumnus, started Hearts2Honduras over 12 years ago with the simple purpose of helping educate children in Honduras. After 12 years they have built villages, churches, and even wells, but have really grown by focusing on education. They have over 150 kids from elementary to college in educational programs, including the first educational program for children with Down syndrome in the country.

Cost: $2,950
Chaperones: David Tucker, Lisa Zenner, and Chris Schmoke
Dates: March 5-10

Costa Rica is one of the top surfing destinations in the world today. During this experience, students will have the opportunity to learn from professionals at Avellanas Surf school. Local surf instructors will lead sessions on mastering sand technique, paddling, reading shorelines, currents, and wave breaks. Students will learn to interpret characteristics of the shorelines, seabed, and coral. The week will culminate in a service project with a local school and an opportunity to gain exposure of Costa Rican cultural traditions. There will be time to grow in community with daily devotions.

Please note that while surf expertise is not required, strong swim skills and comfortability in open water is a pre-requisite for attending this interim experience.

Cost: $2,300
Chaperones: Ross Bolen, Kelly Huddleston, Rod Jones
March 5-9

Go west, young students...This year the photography interim will be heading out west to see and take pictures of some miraculous sights. The trip will begin in Phoenix, where we will get a chance to see major league baseball in action, and we will continue on with a train ride into the Grand Canyon, with additional stops at Antelope Canyon and Zion National Park. We will end our trip at the famous Hoover Dam and head back to Nashville via Las Vegas. You will learn an array of photographic techniques, including a chance to take night shots in the desert, plus many more exciting skills involving landscape, color, and travel photography. For anyone interested in learning how to take better photos, or those who just want to experience the beauty of the Arizona desert, this is the trip for you!  

Cost: $2,599
Chaperones: Chad Sandford, Meaghan Berry, Jon Wilson
March 6-9

Students will visit New York and Boston for the purpose of learning more about the rich history and culture of these great cities. They will experience New York by visiting Wall Street/Financial District, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, the Empire State Building Observatory, National September 11 Museum and Memorial, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, National Museum of the American Indian, Central Park, and Times Square. A cultural highlight of the New York segment will include attendance at a Broadway performance. Students will experience the history of Boston through visits to the Bunker Hill Monument and Museum, Boston Common, Freedom Trail Foundation Walking Tour, and Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. They will experience some of Boston’s best shopping at Fanueil Hall Marketplace, with its unique tradition of pushcart vending, and take in the history of Boston sports by attending a Boston Celtics game against the Portland Trailblazers. In short, this whirlwind tour of two of the most historic cities in the United States will leave students with an introduction to what some of the finest cities on the northern Atlantic Seaboard have to offer.

Cost: $200
Chaperones: Christina Theodoru and Michael Bartha
March 6-9

Students will live out FRA’s mission of giving back to the community by traveling to Appalachia to provide critical home repair to families in the region. No prior experience or skill level is required because all students will be learning on-site. By completing this experience, students will earn the opportunity to gain service hours and experience parts of TN that may be unfamiliar. Lodging and meals are included in the cost of the experience. 

Cost: $850
Chaperones: David Dawson, James Weeks, Kaylee Shackleford
March 6-9

Students will explore the art of fly fishing in Middle and Eastern Tennessee. All levels of fishermen and fisherwomen are welcome. This experience will provide a great chance to enjoy the great outdoors, enjoy some fellowship, and learn fly-fishing on some of Tennessee's great rivers.

Cost: None—students must transport themselves to their host job site each day.
Chaperones: Jackie Cascarano and Courtney Gilreath
March 6-9

Students will shadow a professional in the local community. Students may choose to job shadow almost any profession, provided that the professional does not work at FRA and is not a family member. Students will fill out paperwork, and FRA faculty members will check in on each shadow placement throughout the week. This experience will start with a SAGE-sponsored breakfast at FRA for all participants with a welcome speech by a community professional.

Cost: $100
Chaperones: Josephine Kelso and TBA
March 6-9

Students will learn the basics of interior design, identify their personal design style, and complete several room design concepts of their own which they will present and receive feedback on. They will meet a successful Nashville-based interior designer and learn about her path to this career and professional experience.

Cost: $50
Chaperones: Natalie Scruggs, Kyle Strazzeri
March 6-9

This experience will create opportunities for students to learn about and serve alongside Nashville area non-profit agencies. Students will partner with non-profits and build on relationships established through our Turner Fellowship Program. In completing this experience students will gain exposure to Turner Fellowship partner organizations, get a taste of what it would be like to work as a Turner Fellow, and discover causes they are passionate about. Students will visit parts of Nashville that may be unfamiliar to them and truly learn what it means to “love your neighbor.”

Cost:$50
Chaperones: Ben Suitt
March 6-9

Sequential art has been a part of the human experience since cave paintings thousands of years ago. They appeared on clay pots in ancient Greece, and they appeared in tapestries through the Renaissance. Today, sequential art finds its most persistent home in comic books and graphic novels. During this interim experience, students will investigate the genre's origins while creating a comic book from scratch. We will discuss how to write a comic script and draw a comic successfully. All levels of original ideas and art capabilities are welcome!

Cost: $50 + Lunch Daily 
Chaperones: Stacey Banks-Houston, Hayden Copeland
March 6-9

Students will explore local social enterprises in Nashville that strive to make a social impact in the community. Students will get the chance to work in teams to tackle challenging social issues in Nashville and create their own social enterprise. They will then have the opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of graduate students from Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management. 

Cost: $150
Chaperones: Sonia Higdon and Shawn Allen
March 6-9

Students will be challenged to consider the fun, hard, intriguing, and maybe lesser-known sides of Nashville’s history and how that history has shaped the Nashville we know today. We will spend our days off-campus exploring the northern tip of the Natchez Trace, discovering the Jefferson Street Sound as we consider the history of race and civil rights in Nashville, diving into Tennessee History at Bicentennial Mall, and much more. Our adventures will be supplemented with a daily exploration of Nashville’s culinary offerings. All students curious to learn more about the city we call home are welcome!

Cost: $150
Chaperones: Jodi Troutt
March 6-9

Founded on the principles of Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this course will teach students reality-based self-defense along with situational and social media awareness. The goal is to foster a sense of community among students while equipping those students with the knowledge to protect themselves. This experience will include de-escalation and prevention techniques along with Krav Maga and Grappling training.

Cost: $100
Chaperones: Jeff Wiser, Jay Salato
March 6-9

Students will explore the inner workings of a criminal trial, not only observing parts of a criminal trial at the Davidson County Courthouse, but also meeting with a prosecutor, defense attorney, and a Criminal Court Judge. Furthermore, students will visit the Davidson County Jail, the Nashville Police Academy, the Nashville Crime Lab, and a paintball exercise at Royal Range. The goal is for each student to gain a new perspective on the Criminal Justice System and an appreciation for the challenges of law enforcement.

Cost: $200 + cost of 2-3 lunches off campus
Chaperones: Allison Hammat, and Carly Schneider
March 6-9

February is a stressful month filled with gloomy weather, long assignments, sleep deprivation, and sniffles. Come rejuvenate and recharge with Ms. Hammat and Ms. Schneider as we check out delicious, life-giving foods, restore our bodies with gentle movement, and explore different strategies to reconnect and renew our souls. Smoothie bowls, cat yoga, and even aerial yoga are all potential activities!

Cost: $550
March 6-9

Students will expedite the process of getting a learner’s permit and/or driver’s license. Brentwood Driver Training (BDT) offers a convenient, affordable option for students of all ages to receive classroom training, driving simulation, and insurance benefits. BDT will also help schedule on-the-road driving and make sure students are prepared for driving tests.

Cost: $50 + the cost of 4 lunches off campus
Chaperones: Maggie Waxter
Dates: March 6-9

Lacrosse can sometimes be viewed as an inaccessible sport. In this Interim experience, members of FRA’s Lacrosse team will help schools without Lacrosse programs learn more about the game and offer an opportunity for their students to learn and practice basic lacrosse skills/ clinics. Our team will travel to different schools during PE and/or after school programs to teach lacrosse and team-building activities. The aim of this experience is to share our love of the game and encourage a broader appreciation for the sport.