What kind of place is Mountain City?
Located within the beautiful
Appalachian Mountains where northeast Tennessee converges
with Virginia (approximately six miles to the north)
and North Carolina (about six miles to the east),
Mountain City is the only town in Johnson County.
The Great Smokies portion of the Appalachian Trail
is located a few miles to the west, and the Blue Ridge
Parkway a few miles to the east. Logging, saw-milling,
quarrying, construction, farming, and a few small
textile plants make up an important part of the economy.
A highly rated emergency medical facility provides
good medical care for the hardworking population that
combines mountaineer industriousness with southern
friendliness.
What does the academic curriculum
include?
“Youth demands adventure — high
adventure!” (Paul Petzoldt founder of National
Outdoor Leadership School) The outdoor work
and mountaineering portions of the Freedom Mountain
Academy curriculum were designed with this idea in
mind. Our humanities curriculum (literature, history,
and ethics) was also structured to provide a sense
of high adventure through “expeditions of the mind” that explore provocative ideas dating from ancient
times to the present. The academic curriculum at FMA
includes literature and expository composition; science;
history; ethics; and either math or other independent studies.
Literature. Within all mankind exists
a hunger for ideas that are uplifting and ennobling.
Genuine literature should feed this hunger and inspire
young minds to dream grandly of high, adventurous
goals toward which to strive and to transcend and so evolve
spiritually. Among the books included in the FMA literature
program because of the author’s commitment to high
idealism in the choice of theme, plot, characterization,
and style are: Antigone by Sophocles, The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Kipling’s
Captains Courageous, The Virginian by Owen Wister,
and April Morning by Howard Fast.
Composition. It is not enough to feed
one’s awakened sense of the magnificent by reading
works of high idealism and strong moral values. A
student in pursuit of a genuine education (in contrast
to a mere high degree of training) must receive instruction
in techniques to effectively articulate the expression
of his awakened senses. To this end we provide
a study of the Greek and Latin etymological contributions to the English language.
Concurrently, students receive instruction in the techniques
of writing literary reviews and evaluations of the authors’
styles and themes of books read in literature.
History. A study of history should
enable a person to chart a course through
life that will bring the sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction provided by a life well-lived. The ups and downs
of human history provide abundant examples of what
to seek and what to avoid in the pursuit of such a
life. At Freedom Mountain Academy we study the economic history
of human progress, an examination of the societal
conditions that have preceded and given rise to the
nineteen civilizations prior to our current one. Our
study of the measure of high morale and societal cooperation
required to overcome the daunting toil and dangers
confronting the pioneers of these civilizations provides
deep insight into the challenges and dangers facing
our own civilization today.
Ethics. Denied the gene-code infallibility
of animal instincts, humans are required to guide themselves
through life motivated by their attitudes.
Attitudes are strongly held answers we develop to
such questions as “What does this person, object,
place, idea, or opportunity mean ... to me?” Our answers
to those questions are based on inputs received directly
from our five senses and indirectly from the opinions
or ideas of other people. In addition to these inputs
our answers are strongly influenced by
the current ethics of our day and whatever moral code
we have adopted personally. Freedom Mountain Academy
students will learn and understand the vital difference
between the words moral and ethical, and how ethical
relativism has been used to undermine the moral foundations
upon which this country was founded.
Math. Because of the variation in
age and academic background of our students, those
who require or desire math credits during the FMA
year are enrolled in an appropriate course from
one of several excellent and accredited correspondence
courses available. During the independent study hour,
FMA students taking math or other independent study courses are proctored.
Science. Introductory studies of nutrition, organic gardening,
and edible plants used for mountain survival are taught
in the classroom and applied during cooking, farm
chores, and expeditions. In addition, extensive mountaineering
work provides a fascinating laboratory for the
ever-changing
weather characteristic of the Appalachian Mountains.
Principles of basic meteorology and geology contribute
significantly to the students’ ability to “read” the
mountains and the approaching weather when we are in the
field.
Can a high-school sophomore
hold his or her own in a class with older students?
Yes. The mix of ages that characterized
the one-room schoolhouses of America’s more enlightened
past were and are refreshingly real-life. Young people,
like all of us, strive to rise to a level of expectation
that promotes their inherent intelligence and self-control. In a mixed-age class, the human desire for
group esteem reinforces each student’s natural self-discipline
and provides motivation for maximum growth in all
areas.
How much is all this going to cost?
The Admissions page lists payment options and outlines our refund policy. Various forms you will need to fill out are available from that page also.
What is unique about Freedom
Mountain Academy and what can I expect to gain there
that other schools do not offer?
Our program allows students to step out of their normal routines and view life from an entirely different point of view. Free of the pressures of modern society, they can begin to develop a more balanced perspective and discover their innate gifts. The combination of intelligent daring and reflective thinking found at FMA offers students an opportunity to acquire and sharpen basic survival skills on the farm and in the forested mountains. However, it is Freedom Mountain Academy’s expeditions of the mind that are truly unique and from which you will gain the greatest advantage. Unlike most of the literature, history, and civics classes offered throughout high school and college, the classes at FMA have been specially designed to offer the inquiring student access to some of the greatest ideas and questions of human history.
As with most areas of growth in your life, a great deal of what you take away from your Freedom Mountain Academy year will depend on how much you put into it. Each student brings a different combination of skills, interests, intentions, dreams, and experiences, which keeps the FMA environment fresh for both students and staff. We provide the opportunity and you achieve a result that we sincerely hope will be a source of self-confidence, self-esteem, and meaningful memories throughout your life.
Thank you for taking the time to read this short description of life at Freedom Mountain Academy. We hope these answers will give you an idea of what we are seeking to do here at Freedom Mountain Academy. We will be pleased to talk with you about any part of the program in more detail by personal phone call, e-mail, or letter.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
423-727-4905
freemtn423@earthlink.net.
FMA
519 Shingletown Road
Mountain City, Tennessee 37623
