Raider Report Issue #21

April 1st, 2026

Raider Report

“The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword.”— Edward

NORDIC BOYS CLASS A STATE CHAMPIONS

ENDS 15 YEAR DROUGHT

By Serena Di

On a sleepy night during February break, the sound of ringing bells transformed the still air with the sounds of joyful celebration. A small police escort led an unassuming Fryeburg Academy bus through town, as the Nordic Team inside looked out with wonder from their seats. Slowly, parents and grandparents joined the end of the caravan, making their rounds through the blocks surrounding campus to the sounds of cowbells, as

is the nordic tradition. The impromptu parade arrived at the front loop of the Main Building, to be received by a small but strong community. The Head of School and his family emerged from Fessenden House to greet the returning Nordic Team, along with proud parents and tired siblings. As the small group of friends and family converged on the bus, they were greeted by State Champions.

Cont. Athletics p. 5

FA JAZZ SWEEPS AT STATES

By Lilia Vishnyakov

On Saturday, March 14th, Fryeburg Academy’s four instrumental jazz ensembles conquered the Maine State Instrumental Jazz Festival. Anticipation had built since all ensembles achieved bronze and silver ratings at the District II festival, and in the month since then all musicians dedicated themselves to growing as individual performers and ensembles.

Cont. Arts p. 3

Ayten Soylemez '26 Internship With Dearborn

By Jeehoo Lee ’26

Fryeburg Academy’s internship program provides a wide range of opportunities to experience the real world of working with professionals in high school years. In this article, Ayten Soylemez ’26 shares her internship experience in FA.

Ayten began her internship experience as a mechanical engineering intern at an aerospace engineering company called Hunting Dearborn. In her junior year, one of the judges in Fryeburg Academy Science and Engineering Fair (FASEF) recommended her to apply for the internship program. To attend she took a mechanical aptitude test and completed her interview. Hunting Dearborn concentrates on producing equipment for other professional companies in the aerospace industry. This internship allowed Ayten

to continue pursuing her interest in engineering and computer science, this opportunity was a best suit for her as she is directly exposed to the environment where 3D modeling and designing is prevalent.

Her main task in this internship is creating 3D models for the parts of ma-

“Just do it…Ignore all the adults in dark blue and black suits–trust me, it’s not as intimidating as it looks”

— Ayten Soylemez '26

Pizza: The Fuel of Robotic Champions

By Jacob Palestrant ‘27

A four-foot pile of pizza boxes rests by the door, spacers coat the ground, and a collection of empty Red Bulls gathers on the windowsill. Preparing for States is no clean job. Over the past five months, Fryeburg Academy robotics teams “Caesar,” “Michael,” and “!Norm” have competed throughout the season, each earning a spot at the Maine VEX State Championship, the climax of the Maine VEX season where the best teams compete for a chance to qualify for the VEX World Championship in St. Louis.

So what does preparing for the biggest event of the season actually look like? It starts with redesigning the “States bot” using computer software, then building the robot, a process that can take anywhere from one to four weeks as teams find flaws, improve mechanisms, and constantly evolve their designs. Once enough caffeine has been consumed, the robot moves on to coding: about a day to program the controller and several more to perfect autonomous, which controls the robot during the first fifteen seconds of every match before drivers take over.

With hardware and software complete, the pizza orders start coming in and the late night practices begin as teams run nonstop matches to sharpen their driving and push their robot to their limits, meeting problems with screwdrivers, spare parts, and Loctite.

After weeks of building, coding, and practice, the teams pack up their robots and head to States, where out of roughly fifty high school robots only six will qualify for Worlds. Months of preparation all leading up to one thing: Game Day.

chines using a computer design program called Solidworks. The company manufactures replacement components in case of the possible breakages of their machines, Ayten focuses on sketching and modeling those components so they can replace broken parts. In addition, Ayten also had the opportunity to observe the building and production, learning how the machines and manufacturing systems actually work.

The internship experience was not just a learning experience for her; she was directly exposed to real-world applications when she attended a company meeting discussing the organization’s income and growth plans. Related to this, Ayten Soylemez stated that observing the real-world applications was helpful for expanding perspective, by being in an actual business setting rather than staying in just high school robotics. Ayten states that it’s all about gaining real experience in a professional environment. She particularly says that even though she participates “in robotics and science projects throughout high school, working in an actual business setting feels very different”. Furthermore, she valued the relationship with coworkers as it provides opportunities to share different perspectives coming from their age gaps. On the downside, she talked about balancing school responsibilities with the internship. Keeping up with school workload while handling tasks in internship was a difficult task for her.

Lastly, for advice for future interns in Fryeburg Academy, she said “Just do it…Ignore all the adults in dark blue and black suits–trust me, it’s not as intimidating as it looks”. An unpaid internship is a great way to start your experience if you are overwhelmed with the idea of responsibilities and pressure.

Continued from front page:

FA JAZZ SWEEPS STATES

Traveling all the way up to Hampden Academy, the festival was a shining showcase for the hard work FA musicians had put in. A significant portion of the music program graduated last year, so freshmen faced pressure to step into big shoes. They took seats in all sections of the Big Band and in two combos, and most certainly rose to the occasion, with Peter Priestman ‘29 even taking home an outstanding musicianship award for his impressive upright bass performance in combo.

Two of Fryeburg’s combos, “Slide Grease” and “Trombone and Tribulations,” achieved silver. Both groups included a number of younger musicians, adding to the excitement for these improved ratings. The “Party in a Box” combo achieved gold, with outstanding musicianship awards going to members John DellaValla ’28 on

fiddle and mandolin and Lilia Vishnyakov ’26 on clarinet and tenor saxophone. FA Big Band lit up the stage with energy and excitement as they were one of the last groups to perform at the end of a ten-hour festival. Members old and new felt pride in their performance, recognizing how far they’d come since their first rehearsal in December. The ensemble achieved a near perfect gold rating, which was the highest in the state. Outstanding musicianship awards went to John DellaValla on fiddle, Serena Di Nucci ‘27 on vibraphone, and Molly Schor ‘27 on bass and voice. Molly delivered an exceptional vocal and instrumental performance on a tune called “No Moon At All” in which she sang and played upright bass at the same time. Drummer Joseph DellaValla ’26 took home the Dale Huff Outstanding Musician award for the second

year in a row, an impressive honor commemorating great talent and work ethic. Though the bus ride was grueling, FA jazz instrumentalists gave a great showing at the state festival. As of March 15th, they look forward to a performance at One Longfellow Square in Portland alongside the Portland Orchestra on March 19th, and another competitive festival in Montreal in April.

RAIDER REPORT STAFF

President and Manager of Publication: Holym Han ‘26

Vice President and Manager of Writing: Lilia Vishnyakov ‘26

Layout Designer and Assistant Manager of Publication: Serena Di Nucci ‘27

Senior Editor: Aspen Hazlewood '26

Section Editors: Thomas Hubbell '27

Olivia Stacy '27

Jacob Palestrant '27

Visual Media Manager: Sy Stevens ‘27

Club Advisor and Publication Supervisor: Laura Ayer

Visual Arts Faculty Depart, but Leave Strong Foundation

By Helen Glazer ‘29 and Serena Di Nucci ‘27

Fryeburg Academy has a multitude of art-related course offerings, including the Studio Arts. The Studio Art program was recently re-invented by our beloved Mr. Factor a few years ago, and has been flourishing ever since. The studio art teachers at FA are Mr. Factor and Ms.Bondar. Mr. Factor teaches the art and illustration related studio art classes, and Ms. Bondar teaches Sculpture and Ceramics. As a strong team they have led the Visual Arts Department through a time of renovation and transition. Mr. Factor oversaw much of the new design and rebuild of the arts studio, and Ms. Bondar has introduced Fryeburg to ceramics and wheel throwing with her specialised skills. Together they will be departing next year, but will leave behind a solid foundation for the Academy’s developing artists. Fryeburg Academy’s studio arts include painting, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture. Studio arts focus on physical, rather than digital media and take place in the art studios down stairs. The 2D classes

offered by Mr. Factor are Art 1, Illustration and Narrative Image Making, Portfolio class, and AP Drawing. The 3D class Sculpture and Ceramics, is offered by Ms. Bondar. Art 1 provides core, foundational material, and rigorously covers the basics of fine arts. It is a great class for all levels of artistic ability. Illustration and Narrative Image Making is a level up from Art 1, with in-depth assignments given to students in the form of prompts and skill based requirements for each piece. Assignments are given with longer periods of time to complete, and students enjoy more creative freedom, like the opportunity to create digitally made or traditionally made works of art. After Illustration is the Portfolio class. In Portfolio students are able to be more self directed in their assignments and creativity. It takes a solid foundation of skill and knowledge of art and art theory for this class. Portfolio is intended to develop a body of work to be viewed by colleges and programs, and can

Cast of Clue Works Tirelessly to Wow

Audience

By Peter Priestman ‘29

The 2026 Fryeburg Academy play is now in the works! This year the play featured is a production of Clue directed by local treasure Emy Holden. The play has two casts, Conservatory that performs on April 10th and 12th and Billiard Room April 9th and April 11th. The Conservatory cast is: Molly Shor ‘27 as Wadsworth, Liv Eveleth ‘29 as Mrs. White, Winter Dyer-Myrback ‘27 as Miss Scarlet, Cassidy Norris ‘29 as Yvette, Mona Wilson ‘27 as Mrs. Peacock, Kyryl Kolesnykov ‘29 as Mr. Green, as well as Lila Lowell ‘29 and Isabelle Desormiers ‘27 as ensemble. The Billiard Room cast features Jack Owens ‘29 as Wadsworth, Meelah Pierce ‘28 as Yvette, Violet Dunn ‘28 as Miss Scarlet, Sally Baptista ‘26 as Mrs. Peacock, Isabel Vander Veur ‘28 as Mrs. White, Kai Cannon-Steele ‘27 as Mr. Green

and Tehya Moore ‘29 and River Hinchcliffe ‘29 as ensemble. Finn Botta ‘29 and Soni Pan ‘29 serve on both casts as Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum respectively. Rehearsals have quickly intensified as the cast, stage managers and stage hands, tech and directors now meet around three times a week in preparation for the quickly approaching show. There will only be one graduating senior from the current cast; This will be Sally Baptista’s last production with Fryeburg Academy. She has been an extremely active part of the performing arts world at Fryeburg Academy, and you can see the effect she has on the program in each and every person she knows. According to Finn Botta “Clue will be so swagalicious it will knock your socks off.”

be taken multiple times with full credit. The final, most advanced Studio art class offered is AP Drawing. AP Drawing is also the most recent art class added to the Studio Arts program at Fryeburg. A portfolio is created around a self directed prompt and project, and graded according to college board standards. In addition to the offered art classes, Mr. Factor is currently chair of the Arts Certificate Program, in which students can earn 10 credits in any media of art offered at the school: studio arts, digital arts, music, dance, photography, film, and technical arts. In addition to the 10 arts credits, The Art Certificate program requires the completion of a final capstone project senior year, where students graduate and receive a Certificate of the Arts. Additionally, he created the Art Internship program. This opportunity is offered to Juniors and Seniors who are committed to the studio arts. The program involves working in the 2D and 3D studio, helping out with studio upkeep, and assisting in the outside art showings and projects. Thanks to Mr. Factor and Ms. Bondar, the visual arts have come a long way at Fryeburg in a short amount of time. Their impact will be felt long after they leave.

Continued from front page:

NORDIC BOYS CLASS A STATE CHAMPIONS

That Boys State Champion Title is the result of seasons worth of work. For many skiers, their seasons weren’t finished after States, however. Five skiers went on to compete in an extended season. The team had four boys racing in the Eastern High School Championships: Will McDonnell ‘26, Thomas Hubbell ‘27, Sigurd Nyheim ‘26, and Oren Monteith ‘27. Freshman Alda Dufhilo ‘29 represented the girls in the Eastern Under 16 Championships, which marked the end of the competitive season.

The boys earned their State Champion Title over the course of two days of competition in Fort Kent, Maine. Seven boys and two girls made the almost 800 mile roundtrip up north. With plenty of snow and slightly warmer temperatures, the conditions were ideal for skiing, and they had the privilege of competing at a world cup level venue. The team competed in two races — a five kilometer classical race on Monday and a five kilometer pursuit skate race on Tuesday. The times of the classical race determined the starting lineup and distribution of the skate race, with the results of each combined for a third, overall pursuit time. The boys took home a win on Monday in the classical with four skiers placing in the top ten: Thomas Hubbell in fourth, William McDonnell in seventh, Sigurd Nyheim in ninth, and Lou Knowles ‘28 in tenth. In the skate race on Tuesday, Fryeburg had four boys placing in the top six: Thomas Hubbell in second, Sigurd Nyheim in fourth, William McDonnell in fifth, and Oren Monteith ‘27 in sixth. With these results, the boys took home a well earned victory as Class A Nordic Ski State Champions and ended a 15 year drought.

Of the boys’ achievement, Coach John Weston ‘93 says “They were a close-

knit group that pushed each other to a level higher than they could have achieved as individuals — the sum is greater than the parts. There have been numerous FA teams in the past 20 years that have had three really good skiers, but lacked a strong fourth to chase a championship. This year we had four, five and six skiers that could step up and score — that is a real luxury.”

“They were a close-knit group that pushed each other to a level higher than they could have achieved as individuals — the sum is greater than the parts.”

— Coach Weston '93

In addition to a dedicated duo of coaches, the team was strengthened throughout the season by an incredible team of parents, and supporters, including Seth Burnell, and the Gibsons at every home race. The highlight of each race became the snack table: a representation of the community, culture and the team spirit that is abundant even off of skis. Thanks to parents, the snack table traveled with them in full force to Fort Kent. This support followed the team back home as they were greeted by the Mannings, the Strahlers, and Mr. Gordon, along with many other friends and family. As is tradition, each team member got to ring the bell in the main building in celebration. With this memorable victory and the results from past races, it is clear that these raiders have had a remarkable season, and look forward to next year.

Indoor Track New Englands

By Olivia Stacy ‘27

Congratulations to the four members of the indoor track team that made it to New England’s this past month! For our first competitor, Ty Boone ‘26 competed for his second year in a row in the high jump division. He had a fantastic third attempt at 6’ 1” to clear the height and move on to 6’ 3”. Ty made several great attempts at this height but did not have much success in the end. Regardless, this was a great way for him to wrap up his last indoor track season at the Academy. The next competitor was Eden True ‘26, whose main event was the 400m, but also took on the challenge of the 600m. Eden is the first ever student at Fryeburg Academy to have run the 600m, making her the school's record holder for this event! She ran a time of 1:45 and was moved

up from 29th to 28th place for her finish. Our third competitor was the only Junior to make it to New England’s this year, Avery Bariteau ‘27. Avery competed in the 300m for her second time and ran an amazing race with excellent pacing. She was only slightly off from last year, but still came out of the event with a time of 41.82 seconds and 14th place overall! Our last competitor was Jacob Eveleth ‘26, who ran the boys 300m. This was his first ever 300m, and he ended up winning his heat! Jacob won with a time of 37.08 seconds, placing 28th overall and achieving a school record in the distance. Making it to New England’s is a major accomplishment, and your achievements are recognized by all. Great wrap up to an amazing indoor season, go Raiders!

Success for Alpine Skiers at States

By Benedikt Arnason’27

At the Class A Alpine Skiing State Championships, Fryeburg Academy’s Girls Alpine Team earned 1,141 points and the Boys 1,510. The girls placed fourth while the boys placed third. Falmouth High School dominated the Championship with the girls winning their fourth straight team title and the FHS Boys finishing first and getting a podium finish for the third year in a row. Even though Fryeburg Academy might not have won an outright team title this year, they still had multiple skiers performing at a very high level. Merrik Iacozili ’26 and Tucker Barnaby '26 both earned first and second place in the Giant Slalom (GS) and Slalom races: Merrick got first place in GS with a time of 43.01 seconds (Tucker: 43.08), and Tucker got first place in Slalom with a time of 34.03 seconds (Merrick: 34.24). Valentina Farioli ’26 placed third in the Girls Slalom with a time of 38.27 seconds. Merrick,

Tucker, and Valentina all had the privilege of representing Maine at the Eastern High School Alpine Championships, where Tucker would place first in the Slalom race with a time of 39.14 and 42.81 seconds.

Eastern High School Nordic Champsionships

By Thomas Hubbell '27

The end of this year’s Nordic ski season has officially concluded with the Eastern High School Championships and Eastern U16 Championships. The Fryeburg Academy Nordic Ski Team had five skiers competing across these events — quite the accomplishment. Four boys — Will McDonnell ‘26, Thomas Hubbell ‘27, Sigurd Nyheim ‘26, and Oren Monteith ‘27 — went to the Eastern High School Championships, along with the Maine Nordic Ski Team, to compete at Gore Mountain, in New York. They raced four times from March 6–8: a five-kilometer individual skate race, a seven-and-a-half-kilometer mass start classical race, a one-point-two-kilometer skate sprint, and a mixed classical and skate relay race. These raiders did well considering the conditions, and Maine placed fourth, just behind Massachusetts. The ski team also had one girl go to the Eastern U16 Championships — Freshman Alda Dufhilo ‘29. This

Boy's Ice Hockey Playoffs

By Peter Priestman ‘29

Fryeburg Academy shares an Ice Hockey team with Oxford Hills and Lakes Region. In past years, the team has been sub-par, but this year the Ice Cats made the playoffs and went 12–6. This effort was led by Junior Gunner Trueman ‘27 and Jokubas Mostavacius ‘26 who accounted for 34 goals and 30 assists. They were both in the top 10 of scoring for the state of Maine. The Ice Cats then went on to lose to Yarmouth and Cheverus in the first round where they lost 0–13. Yarmouth went on to lose to Thornton Academy in a Final at Cross Insurance in Portland. Although it was a rough end to the season, it is still quite the remarkable feat to have turned around the team in only one season.

year, the Eastern U16 Championships was hosted at Oak Hill Outdoor Center, New Hampshire, from March 13–15. Similarly, they raced four times, in a five-kilometer skate race, a five-kilometer classical race, a one-kilometer skate sprint, and a mixed classical and skate relay race. The results here were almost identical to those in the Eastern High School Championships, with Maine coming in fourth, also just behind Massachusetts. With the season officially over, the team is now looking forward to their spring sports, which will be starting very soon. Thank you for the support and such a wonderful season. Go Raiders.

Ana Zeigler - Remember the Name

By Olivia Stacy ‘27

Anastasia Zeigler ‘28 is a fantastic wrestler here at the Academy, and just so happens to be the only female wrestler we have. The highlight of her season was placing third at States, making her eligible to move onto New England's! Throughout the entirety of the season, Ana worked hard to win more matches, bringing her closer to her goal of 100 wins, which she wants to reach by the time she enters her senior year. When asked about her commitment to the team as well as the sport, she says, “I work on the offseason, I do freestyle and go to other practices besides the ones at Fryeburg Academy.” If there is

anyone who shows true athletic potential in the wrestling world, it is Ana. She enjoys every eye opening opportunity presented to her, and takes challenges in great stride! Ana enjoys working with people and meeting new ones through wrestling that work to push her to her maximum potential. She states that this “puts her in a better mindset” and makes her better as a wrestler. She has goals to win a State Championship and place at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals, or Fargo, which are great possibilities with the direction she is heading. Fryeburg Academy is proud to call Anastasia Zeigler one of its wrestlers.

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Contributors

Alda Dufilho

Anhelina Kalishchuk

Anton Liesnoi

Arthur Osborne

Aspen Hazlewood

Benedikt Arnason

Daria Kolosovska

Elise Dunn

Emma Bariteau

Emmett O'Brien

Haley Spofford

Helen Glazer

Holym Han

Jacob Palestrant

Jeehoo Lee

Lilia Vishnyakov

Maks Bondarev

Olivia Eveleth

Olivia Stacy

Peter Priestman

Rylan McBride

Sally Baptista

Serena DiNucci

Subeen An

Sy Stevens

Thomas Hubbell

Violet Dunn

Wasp Harlow

William McDonnell

Zonder McKenzie