Why Summer Matters at FDA: Behind the Scenes, Ahead of the Curve

At Fairborn Digital Academy, our commitment to students doesn’t take summers off.

While many may assume that summer in education is a slower season, the truth is, the quiet of summer break gives us room to grow and deepen our mission and commitment to students. 

The hallways may be quieter, but the work happening behind the scenes is focused, strategic, and always centered on our mission: to meet each student where they are and help them find a meaningful path to success. In the summer months, the administrative team is working tirelessly to make sure things are seamless when students and staff return for the new year. 

This year, we had a powerful reminder of why that mission matters. In June, we celebrated the largest graduating class in FDA history. It was a moment of pride, but also one of reflection. Each graduate represented a story of resilience, growth, and possibility. And while we celebrated their incredible accomplishments, we also turned our attention to the students still on their journey, and the new students preparing to begin theirs. We ask ourselves “How can we do more?”

Our summer work is about creating the best possible environment for those students. That includes a lot of things like building upgrades, technology enhancements, staffing and professional development, but also a deeper level of planning and care that speaks to who we are and what we are here to do. 

Just like we personalize our approach to each learner during the school year, we personalize our preparation too. We evaluate what’s working and where we can improve. We explore how to make our systems even more flexible and responsive. We work hard to ensure our staff, programming, and tools align with the needs of today’s learners, not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well.

That’s what summer looks like at FDA. It's not downtime, it's time for growth. 

We’re building stronger support systems. We’re sharpening our digital tools. We’re building relationships with new staff and refining programming to better reflect the goals and lives of our students.

Our work is rooted in the belief that every student deserves to feel seen, valued, and capable of success. And we know from experience that when students feel supported in the right way, they show up differently. When the students know you care, they are more engaged, more confident, and more willing to believe in their own potential.

So while it might be easy to overlook what happens in a school over the summer, at Fairborn Digital Academy, this season is part of the reason we’re able to do what we do so well. Because success doesn’t start in the classroom, it starts in the planning, the relationships, and the intentional choices we make long before the first day of school.

We’re proud of the year we just closed. And we’re even more committed to the one ahead.