FAct: No one does the half-day of school before Thanksgiving Break better than FA's Middle School. These 3 hours and 25 minutes are completely reflective of what Head of Middle School David Fischer and his faculty strive for each day; it's perfect. Their objective is clear: engage students, change the world. Designing a half-day with nothing but this in mind demands great purpose and greater planning, and they don't disappoint on either level.

Today, FA middle school students devoted their efforts to addressing a critical problem facing youth on both a global and local scale. Today, FA middle school students offered solutions to that same problem on both a global and local scale. They began the day undertaking the Students Rebuild Challenge targeted at food insecurity. They first broadened their understanding of how food insecurity affects the world before becoming Art-ivists to create change! The Bezos Family Foundation makes a donation for each piece of art submitted, and Mr. Fischer proudly reports that $400 was raised from this morning alone!

They then gathered as a school community for a special assembly centered on gratitude and the upcoming holiday. Students and faculty shared reflections about what the holiday means to them. The bounty from the food drive they recently conducted served as a beautiful backdrop, and we were fortunate to have Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank President Dan Maher with us to accept the donations and talk to our students about food insecurity in our backyard. All told, they are sending nearly 1,600 items to help the 10,000 children in our community who face hunger, in addition to the funds that will be deployed to children around the world from earlier this morning.

The day doesn't end there, however. They then spent time strengthening their own community with a dose of Tacocat! (if the tie-dye hasn't already given that away). They can now head into the break full in mind ✅ body ✅ and spirit ✅. Well done, students - Happy Thanksgiving Break, Falcons!