Apply for the 2025-26 School Year Jan. 1st - March 31st! APPLY NOW

FSI News for May 21: Last School Events, Testing Schedule, Sponsor our Gym!

by

Good morning Franklin community,

This week we begin the State-mandated end of year testing – the final countdown to the end of the school year. As the year comes to a close, we have a few final requests from parents and guardians. 

First, the state education budget is now an urgent concern. The Governor and the House both passed budgets that included pay increases for teachers and school staff. The House budget did not keep up with inflation nor move North Carolina toward the state average in per student funding for education. The House budget does include important increases in teacher and school staff salaries, with a 7.5% across the board increase over the next two years. (By comparison, the current Cost of Living Adjustment, based on inflation, is 8.7% for this year alone.)  The Senate budget includes a similar total for education spending but pay increases are very different. Beginning teachers would receive pay raises of approximately $2000 each year, moving the beginning teacher annual salary from $37,000 to $41,000 over two years. Teachers with 14 or more years of experience would receive increases of less than $20/month. Increasing pay for beginning teachers is essential to increase the pipeline of teachers. As a state, we have seen a huge decrease in the number of college students pursuing education degrees. However, we also need to keep experienced teachers in schools. We can see first-hand the impact of North Carolina’s education budget on our school and our students. It is unrealistic to continue to ask North Carolina schools to provide a nationally-competitive education when we are funded at the very bottom of all states. We cannot recruit and retain highly qualified school staff when surrounding states provide significantly better pay. 

Please take time this week to use our School Funding Toolkit and urge our elected officials to invest in education. Our students and our communities depend on strong public education. Our School Funding Toolkit  makes it very easy. The Toolkit includes the following items:

Share the Toolkit with your friends and family! You can email it to them, put it on your social media – whatever you can do to make sure that our community lets our elected officials know that our children deserve better than 48th place in funding! 

The second request this week is much more local. Please continue to model respect for our school staff. Like schools across the country, we have seen an increase in student disrespect for our staff. This looks like students refusing to follow simple requests, such as returning to their classrooms when they are in the hallways, vandalism to our school property, students cursing at school staff members, and in some cases even threats or harassment directed at school staff. We have also seen an increase in parent or guardian disrespect for school rules and staff. This most often looks like disregard for rules at drop off and dismissal – driving in the wrong direction, making the left turn at the exit, and driving past our buses when they are loading or exiting our campus. These small acts model to students that school rules are not important. They also create unsafe conditions for our students and our staff. 

The majority of our students and families model respect all the time and we are deeply grateful for the community support. However, the actions of a few students and family members can take away from a positive school experience for everyone else. As we come to the end of the school year, please take a few minutes to talk with your students about what respect looks like and sounds like. Working together we can have a school where everyone feels safe, valued, and productive. 

Reminder! Wednesday is a FULL Day! 

Due to the end of year testing schedule, our last two Wednesdays are full school days. Students will be released at 3:15/3:35.

How can families support student success during testing? The most important things you can do include helping your student maintain a consistent schedule, get good sleep, and eat a healthy breakfast on the day of testing. While we all want students to do their best and show what they have learned, the tests do not measure intelligence or a student’s value. They are one measure of student achievement.

Here is a reminder of the testing schedule for the next two weeks

High School EOCs – week of May 22 – 26

Tues, May 23: English 2 (primarily 10th grade students – any student taking English 2)

Wed, May 24: Biology (primarily 10th grade – all students taking Biology)

Thur, May 25: Math 1 (all students taking Math 1 – primarily 9th grade & some 8th graders)

Fri, May 26: Math 3 (primarily 11th grade – any student taking Math 3)

Middle School EOGs – week of May 29 – June 2

Tues, May 30: Make Up Tests (high school and planned middle school absences)

Wed, May 31: Reading – all students grades 5 – 8

Thur, June 1: Math – all students grades 5 – 8, except 8th grade students taking Math 1

Fri, June 2: Science – all students in grade 5 and grade 8 (no test for 6th & 7th)

 

Wednesday, May 24 & May 31 are FULL days. Students are released at 3:15 and 3:35 due to end of year testing requirements

Pizza & Subway Sandwich Updates

Pizza sales for May 19 and 26 will support our middle and high school theatre programs (pizza sales are usually organized by athletic director Kim Burke to support our athletic program). There will be NO PIZZA on Friday, June 2. 

This week is the last week for our Subway sandwich program. There will be no Subway Sandwiches next week or the last two days of school. 

This Week’s Reason for Optimism

Did you know that our very own music director, Sandi Wilson, is a quarterfinalist for the 2024 Music Educator GRAMMY Award? We are not at all surprised!  The award recognized music educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education. The 212 quarterfinalists were selected from over 2,000 initial nominees. Whatever the outcome, Ms. Wilson is a winner in our world! 

Upcoming Events

Sun, May 21

  • 9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Mountain Bike State Championship Meet. Go Bolts! 

Mon, May 22

  • 6:00 – 8:00 pm: Open Mic @ Doc Brown’s BBQ! Open to ALL performers

Wed, May 24

  • 6:00 – 7:30 pm: Parent Workshop: The Third Talk – How to Protect Your Children from Explicit Adult Content (at Evergreen Community Charter School – see more below)

Plan Ahead! 

Wed, May 24 and May 31 – FULL school days

Mon, May 29 – NO SCHOOL: Memorial Day Holiday

Tues, June 6: Last Day of School – early release & no BtB

Keep up with all our events on our Community Calendar! 

Need to see the 2022-2023 School Calendar in one place? It’s on our website – click here

NEW! Approved 2023-2024 School Calendar

Our Gym is Beautiful! Sponsorship Opportunities

If you’ve had a chance to peek inside our new gymnasium – you know it inspires some serious school pride! We’ve done it up right with locker rooms, a gorgeous wood floor, 6 basketball hoops, standards for volleyball, bleacher seats for 400 (!!!), and even an area for weight training. We just need a few more items to complete it! 

We are looking for sponsors for the following items:

  • Scoreboards: Two sponsorships, $10k each. Your logo, name, class name on display for the life of the scoreboard (that’s a looooong time!)
  • Score Table: One sponsorship, $7k: Your logo, name, or class name on display on our Score Table – for the life of the table
  • Chairs: $250 each. Your name or logo printed on a slipcover for the chair. This is a great opportunity to honor a student or favorite teacher

Help us outfit the gym in some serious style! If you own or know a business or organization looking for a great sponsorship opportunity, reach out to them or let us know and we’ll reach out. More information or to make a donation: Sponsor our Gym! 

Open Mic! May 22 @ Doc Brown’s

Open Mic Event – https://fb.me/e/135cO0pX0

“FSI Music Dept will be hosting a SECOND Open Mic Night Monday 05/22 at Doc Brown’s BBQ 6-8pm! Anyone is welcome to perform from the FSI community at this event, it is not limited to only music students. Come sing, perform, read a short, a poem, dance. Just express yourself at this really fun FSI Community event! 

As well as hosting us at the restaurant for this event, Doc Brown’s is generously donating 10% of the restaurant’s profits earned during those hours to the music department, so come out and show your support!!  Since this space is outdoors and uncovered, we will take weather into account but hopefully that won’t be an issue for us. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Wilson at swilson@thefsi.us We hope to see you there!

The Third Talk: How to Protect Children from Adult Content

Parent/Family Workshop: May 24, 6:00 – 7:30 pm at Evergreen Community Charter School

The exposure of our young people to explicit adult content is a health challenge we are just beginning to understand. Children are first exposed to this content, on average, at age 11. Exposure can cause emotional and physical challenges, rewire neural pathways, inhibit information retention and empathy, and create mental challenges early in a child’s development. We encourage parents to bring their children to this important discussion. The facilitator will provide a family-friendly environment without shame, blame, or colorful language. Pizza will be available! We are partnering with Evergreen to provide this workshop to our families. Sign up here: The Third Talk Sign Up

Grounds Day Event: Sunday, June 4, 10 am – noon

 https://fb.me/e/2z1L5LieK

Last chance to save the plants! Our modulars will be leaving soon, and we need help rescuing and moving plants from parts of our campus to others until they can be placed permanently. That means we will also have extra plants that can be taken to help beautify your home! We will likely have extras of Iris, Hosta, Beauty Berry, Bee Balm, Flowers, and a variety of other plants!

Bring tools and work gloves to move plants!”

GrindFest! May 26 – 28 – Volunteers Needed! 

Celebrating the local BIPOC community is a great step in your personal anti-racist journey! Grindfest is a free, 3-day event (May 26 – 28)  that celebrates the success of Black entrepreneurs + business owners in Asheville.  A block-party-style event will take place at 8 Rivers Arts Place! This includes a weekend full of music, games, live performance, food, local vendors + learning, employment, and partnership opportunities. The goal of the festival is to highlight the progress made by people of color while also connecting folks in the community. A long weekend of fun and excitement. 

Summer Program Opportunities

Kids’ Cycle Club: Rising 5th & 6th Graders

Special discount for FSI students! Enroll by May 31 and use discount code FSI25 for $25 discount. Learn to ride or improve your skills! Learn more at kidcycleclub.com

UNCA Pre-College Summer Programs

Is your student still looking for summer activities? The UNCA Pre-College Summer Programs still has slots available in some courses. Courses available include creative writing, film scoring and sound design, music composition and songwriting. 

Dates: June 18-23 and June 25-30, 2023

Format:  Pre-College Programs run from Sunday to Friday, and each day is filled with both classroom and recreational activity. All programs include hands-on learning and projects, and many programs will feature off-campus excursions. All students live on campus to fully experience university life and the surrounding community. 

Eligibility: Pre-College Programs are open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Programs will follow COVID protocols and community expectations will continue through the program. 

Living on Campus: Double occupancy in a shared suite.  Residence halls are air-conditioned.  Meals will be in Brown Dining Hall.

Tuition:  Programs start at $1,350 and include lodging, meals, all course materials, activities, and excursions.

Dual Enrollment – Earn High School & College Credit! 

Have you ever wondered what dual-enrollment is or why dual enrollment?

The CCP (College & Career Promise) dual-enrollment program allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit by enrolling in community college courses while in high school. These classes count as FSI elective credit and if a student earns a “C” or higher in a course, the credit also transfers to all 4-year schools in the UNC system. Clink on the links to learn more about the program, eligibility and the career pathways available. Registration is open for fall classes until the end of May. Students should speak with Ms. Tager (jtager@thefsi.us)  if they have questions or wish to complete an application for the CCP program.

FSI School Store is Open! 

Get your FSI & Bolts gear and represent your school in style! 

Tees, hoodies, scarves and more – check it out! FSI School Apparel Store

Middle School News Videos 

5th Grade Theatre students are writing, filming, producing, and directing the news Monday and Friday each week. Click on the folder below to see the news each week! 

Morning News Videos- 2022-2023–

Athletic News

No new news! The spring season has just about wrapped up – good luck to the Mountain Bike team today!

Club News: Clubs are wrapping up for the year. Be sure to check with your Club sponsor for final dates! 

Habitat for Humanity Student Group

The Habitat for Humanity Student meets on Tuesdays during lunch in room #226.

Middle School Creative Writing

The club meets 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month from 3:30 – 4:30 pm, and 2nd and 4th Fridays each month from 3:30 – 4:30 in Ms. O’Dell’s room.  Contact Ms. O’Dell for more information (aodell@thefsi.us) 

Math Club

Math club is open for all our students – ALL GRADES – and it is a great opportunity for students to explore the beauty and application of Math outside their classrooms. Math is a subject full of creativity and opportunity that many students enjoy. Besides the academic benefits, math club is also a great way to meet new people and develop teamwork skills. Math club meets on Tuesdays right after school from 3:30-5:00 PM in the New Building room #224. . 

Middle School Drama Club

Congratulations on a great SWAPS production! Thank you to all who came to support theatre in action at FSI. If you missed the show – you can check out the videos! 

SWAPS Videos- Click Here! 

High School Drama Club

Congratulations on a fantastic production! 

Use this QR code to stay clued in on FSI HS Theatre news with our monthly

FSI High School Theatre Newsletter! 

Chess: Do you like to play Chess or do you want to learn?! Join FSI’s Chess Club and learn from our expert instructor, Mr. Bruce Roth. Chess Club meets every Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. The winter semester will begin January 10, 2023, and end April 25, 2023. Students will meet in the Community Room with Beyond the Bell from dismissal until the class begins! All grades and levels are welcome!! The fee is $50/per semester or $100/per year. All checks must be payable to Bruce Roth. For more information, contact Bruce Roth at 828 230 5139 or by email at brucerothchess@gmail.com

BIPOC Student Union (BSU):The BSU offers a safe space for students to share their experiences and to identify ways our school can address specific and systemic racism. Community mentor Bruce Waller is returning to support our BSUs, joining faculty sponsor Keith Knox. BSU is open to all students who identify as People of Color. HS BSU meets Tuesdays and Fridays from noon – 1 pm. 

Film Club! This club is returning from last year and meets alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 – 4:45.  Email Michaela Mamone-Peeples for more information. 

Girls who Code will meet every other Monday after school from 3:15 – 4:30 in Edison 19. Email bdavenport@thefsi.us with any questions. 

MS GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance)

MS GSA (gender and sexuality alliance): Middle School GSA meets every Friday 3:15-4:30pm. We welcome everyone and work to empower LGBTQ+ lives. Contact afortune@thefsi.us to join.

HS GSA

HS GSA  – contact MK Hyche, mkhyche@thefsi.us, or Justina Powell, jpowell@thefsi.us 

High School Studio Art Club

Mondays, Starting September 19, 2022

3:45 – 5:00, Big Ben, first floor Art Room #133

Hosted by Ms. Jen jlipsey-edwards@thefsi.us

HS Studio Art Club is a place to gather with other creative teens who have a genuine interest in the visual arts. Folks will have a place to chill, work on art, listen to music, have tea, and to inspire and be inspired. The Studio is where friendship, collaboration, feedback, sharing, and support come together to make magic! You do not need to commit to showing up every week. However, advance registration is required to attend as you’re able to. Register here: https://forms.gle/czLbV186Ep7K31gb9

Science Olympiad Club

Do you geek out on all things science?  Are you a competitive person who needs a medal hanging around your neck to prove your science prowess? This is a science competition against other schools in our area with a potential to move on to state and national levels.  Science Olympiad will meet in Room 141 from 3:30-4:15 every Friday.  Open to MS and HS students! Contact jbragdon@thefsi.us if you have any questions.

Middle School Robotics

Middle School Robotics team meets Thursdays,  3:15pm to 4:00 pm in the Middle School Tech room (Edison 19). 

Who do I go to when….

Whether you are new or returning to Franklin, we know you will have questions, and we want to help you find the best person to answer them, quickly and efficiently. We hope this little guide will help you navigate! 

I have a question about my child’s grade, an assignment, or something specific to one class: Start with your child – what do they know? Then, the classroom teacher 

I’m worried about my child’s overall progress, or progress in multiple classes: Your child’s Crew advisor can help coordinate a team response or meeting

My child seems anxious, sad, or unhappy: Jennifer Negron  is our middle school counselor, and Mary Kinsey Hyche is our high school counselor

I think my child is being bullied, or other behavior/discipline concerns: Tony Freeman, Middle School Principal or Peter Tromba  High School Principal

My child will miss school: For short-term absences (illness, doctor’s appointments, etc), send an email to attendance@thefsi.us, or bring a written note to the front office. Notes must be received within 48 hours of student’s return to school. Longer-term or frequent absences (5 days/quarter) require documentation from a medical care provider. 

I’ve contacted a teacher, but the problem isn’t resolved: Your child’s Principal

I think my child may need special education services or accommodations: Paula Dowd, Director of Exceptional Services

My child requires medication during the school day, has a special health need, or has tested positive for COVID: Contact our school nurse, Jessica Perraud

I think we need some support for my child’s challenging behaviors: Jessica Potter-Bowers (JP) or Kara Lacey, Behavior Specialists

I have a question about enrollment, student records or I need a copy of my student’s report card or transcript:  Erinn Otten, Director of Student Services

My student needs a chromebook, hotspot, or help with technology: Matt Mikulski, Technology Director

My child has an IEP, and I have questions about the services provided: Your child’s Exceptional Children teacher is your first contact: 

I have questions about sports: Kim Burke, Athletic Director

I want to know more about after or before-school services:  Ronald Scott, Director of After School Programs

I want to know more about your music program: Sandi Wilson, Director of Instrumental and Vocal Ensembles

I am interested in your theatre programs! Chris Martin, MS Theatre teacher/director and Julia Wharton, HS Theatre teacher/director

I have questions about your school bus or student parking: Deeana Bennett, Director of Operations

I am interested in carpooling/ride-sharing: Check out our carpool facebook group (you need to request to join):  

I want to know more about college planning, including advanced courses like AP and Dual Enrollment, financial aid, or the college application process: JaneAnne Tager, College & Career Counselor

I have high level concerns or questions about the school, such as a problem that hasn’t been resolved through my principal, an immediate school safety concern, or more general questions about the school’s philosophy, approach, or plans for the future: Michelle Vruwink, Executive Director

Our Teaching Teams for 2022-2023

 

Teaching Teams

5th Grade

Brandie Dallara, ELA & Social Studies: bdallara@thefsi.us

Jennifer Ryan, Science  & Social Studies: jryan@thefsi.us

Chris Pauley, Math & Social Studies:  cpauley@thefsi.us

6th Grade

Ashley O’Dell, ELA: aodell@thefsi.us

Charlie Keller, Math:  ckeller@thefsi.us

Samuel “Latt” Berry Foster:, Science: sfoster@thefsi.us

Evan Baptista, Social Studies: ebaptista@thefsi.us

 7th Grade

Jared Gallow, ELA:  jgallow@thefsi.us

Zoe Wallce, Math: zwallace@thefsi.us

Nick Liu, Science: nliu@thefsi.us

Grace Nyanga, Social Studies: gnyanga@thefsi.us

8th Grade

Kyle Wilson, ELA: kwilson@thefsi.us

AJ Jones, Math lead: ajones@thefsi.us

Rhneea Riddle, Math Specialist: rriddle@thefsi.us

Keith Knox, Social Studies: kknox@thefsi.us

Makesha Gordon, Science: mgordon@thefsi.us
9th Grade

Lora Hawkins, English I: lhawkins@thefsi.us

Jerry Lubos, World History: jlubos@thefsi.us

Liz Baron: Math 1 & 2: lbaron@thefsi.us

Jessica Bragdon, Earth Science/ AP Earth: jbragdon@thefsi.us

10th Grade

Matt Reynolds, Civics:  mreynolds@thefsi.us

Justina Powell, English 2: jpowell@thefsi.us

Marcel Duhaime, Math 2: mduhaime@thefsi.us

Julia Adams, Biology: jadams@thefsi.us

11th Grade

Bryan Head, English III/AP Lang: bhead@thefsi.us

Tess Barnes Dunn, American History, AP Research: tbarnesdunn@thefsi.us

Teshale Byan, Math 3 & AP Calculus: tbyan@thefsi.us

Mary Smith, Chemistry, Forensics: msmith@thefsi.us

 12th Grade

Alex Humphrey, English IV & AP Lit:: ahumphreyr@thefsi.us

Lexi Johnson, World History: ljohnson@thefsi.us

Teshale Byan, AP Calculus: tbyan@thefsi.us

Elizabeth Joslin, NC Wildlife (Science) & EcoWarriors: ejoslin@thefsi.us

Jessica Fine: Pre Calc, Math 4:  jfine@thefsi.us

 Elective Teachers:

MS  PE: Anne Gillis: agillis@thefsi.us

HS PE & Athletic Director:  Kimberly Burke, kburke@thefsi.us

MS Art: Jennifer Lipsey Edwards: jlipsey-edwards@thefsi.us

HS Art:  Kati Robbins, krobbins@thefsi.us

MS Tech & Computer Science: Adrienne Fortune, afortune@thefsi.us

MS Counselor:  Jennifer-Raé Negron, jnegron@thefsi.us

HS Theatre, Art of Argument: Julia Wharton, jwharton@thefsi.us

MS Theatre: Chris Martin, cmartin@thefsi.us

MS/HS Music and Orchestra: Sandi Wilson, swilson@thefsi.us, 

French 1: Mackenzie Arnold: marnold@thefsi.us

French2 & 3 and HS, PE: Chad Gerber, cgerber@thefsi.us

HS Spanish: Hanna Walden, hwalden@thefsi.us

MS & HS Spanish: Heather Kabat, hkabat@thefsi.us

Adventure Ed: Jessica Potter-Bowers, jpotter-bowers@thefsi.us

 

Franklin School of Innovation
61 Innovation Drive
Asheville, NC 28806

(828) 318-8140
(828) 318-8125

Support FSI

Donate

Apply for the 2025-26 School Year Starting Jan. 1st!

Apply Now!

 

Privacy Policy

The Franklin School of Innovation has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. If at any time you find this privacy policy unacceptable, you must immediately leave this website.

Read Our Privacy Policy

Join Our Mailing List

Sign up to receive periodic updates about our growing school.

Translate »