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Benjamin Franklin High School (New Orleans, Louisiana)
 
 
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Benjamin Franklin High School is a public magnet
Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized Course or Curriculum.Although the term is mostly used in the United States, other countries have similar types of schools, such as specialist schools in United Kingdom....
 high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
. Commonly nicknamed "Franklin" or "Ben Franklin", this school should not be confused with Franklin High School in Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin, Louisiana

Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 United States Census....
. Ben Franklin was founded in 1957 as a school for gifted
Gifted education

Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented....
 children. In 1990, it moved to its current location on the campus of the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans, often locally called UNO, is a medium sized public urban university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States....
 (UNO) in the Lakeview
Lakeview, New Orleans

Lakeview is a New Orleans neighborhoods of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Robert E....
 district of Orleans Parish
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
, near Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish water lake located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest Seawater lake in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana....
. The school was damaged by several feet of flood water due to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States....
 in the fall of 2005, and efforts to reopen to school were covered by nationwide news agencies.






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Benjamin Franklin High School is a public magnet
Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized Course or Curriculum.Although the term is mostly used in the United States, other countries have similar types of schools, such as specialist schools in United Kingdom....
 high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
. Commonly nicknamed "Franklin" or "Ben Franklin", this school should not be confused with Franklin High School in Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin, Louisiana

Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 United States Census....
. Ben Franklin was founded in 1957 as a school for gifted
Gifted education

Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented....
 children. In 1990, it moved to its current location on the campus of the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans, often locally called UNO, is a medium sized public urban university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States....
 (UNO) in the Lakeview
Lakeview, New Orleans

Lakeview is a New Orleans neighborhoods of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Robert E....
 district of Orleans Parish
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans metropolitan area metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state....
, near Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish water lake located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest Seawater lake in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana....
. The school was damaged by several feet of flood water due to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States....
 in the fall of 2005, and efforts to reopen to school were covered by nationwide news agencies. Although the school is part of the Orleans Parish School District
New Orleans Public Schools

New Orleans Public Schools is a public school district that serves all of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The school district is governed by the Orleans Parish School Board....
, it operates as a charter school
Charter school

Charter schools are elementary or secondary schools in the United States that receive public money but have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter....
 under UNO.

Ben Franklin has a selective admissions process, and according to CBS News
CBS News

CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports....
 is a "magnet for the city's smart and motivated students." It has been named a Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a Federal Government of the United States program created to honor schools. The Blue Ribbon award is considered to be the highest honor that an American school can achieve....
 twice by the U.S. Department of Education, and was ranked 16 on the 2009 "America's Best High Schools" list by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is an influential United States newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek, it was for many years a leading news weekly, although it focused more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories....
. The class of 2008 produced 17 National Achievement Semifinalists
National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization....
, the most of any school in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

Ben Franklin is a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association
Louisiana High School Athletic Association

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is the agency which regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana....
 and offers a variety of sports programs. Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. Because of its selective admissions policies, the school was accused in 1996 of an admissions bias against African American
African American

African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
s. Notable alumni of the school include Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Learson Marsalis is an United States trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in European classical music....
, a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is an United States award regarded as the highest national honor in newspaper journalism, literary achievements and musical composition....
 winning trumpeter.

History


Benjamin Franklin High School opened as a school for gifted
Gifted education

Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented....
 children in 1957 under the direction of School Superintendent James F. Redmond and Principal Naomi Gardberg. At the time, schools under the Orleans Parish School Board were segregated
Racial segregation in the United States

Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, education, employment, and transportation along race in the United States lines....
. In 1960, Judge J. Skelly Wright
J. Skelly Wright

James Skelly Wright was a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and African-American Civil Rights Movement....
 of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a federal trial court based in New Orleans. Like all U.S. district courts, the court has original United States District Court#Jurisdiction over civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States; certain civil actions between citizens of dif...
 ordered the desegregation of New Orleans schools in Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board. In response to the order, 2,000 youths surged through New Orleans streets in demonstrations against school integration on November 16, 1960. Only eight Franklin students were absent from class. A Time Magazine article later stated that Redmond's "proudest memory of the first day of integration three weeks ago, when truancy was rife, is that 'my Franklin kids stuck with it.'"

From its inception, Franklin was designed to be a public school for gifted students, and admissions requirements included having a 120 IQ. Following Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board, Judge Frank B. Ellis argued in 1962 that Franklin was "one of the finest schools in the country for superior students" and that African American students who met the school's exacting admissions requirements should be admitted. Under pressure from federal courts, Franklin became the first public high school in New Orleans to desegregate in 1964.

For over 30 years the school was housed in a historic courthouse on Carrollton Avenue
Carrollton Avenue

Carrollton Avenue is a major thoroughfare stretching across the Uptown New Orleans/Carrollton, Louisiana and Mid-City New Orleans districts of New Orleans, Louisiana....
 in Uptown New Orleans
Uptown New Orleans

Uptown is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana on the East Bank of the Mississippi River encompassing a number of neighborhoods between the French Quarter and the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana line....
. Built in 1855, the building had served as the Jefferson Parish Courthouse until the City of Carrollton
Carrollton, Louisiana

Carrollton is a neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, which includes the Carrollton Historic District. It is the part of Uptown New Orleans farthest up river from the French Quarter....
 was incorporated into New Orleans. By 1987, the building had fallen into disrepair and lacked basic air conditioning. Despite these conditions, Franklin maintained a reputation as a place of academic excellence.

In the late 1980s, the Orleans Parish School Board leased land from the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans, often locally called UNO, is a medium sized public urban university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States....
 (UNO) and built a larger and more modern campus for Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin moved to this current Lakeview campus during the 1989–1990 school year. The building was designed by E. Eean Mcnaughton Architects and received an honor award from the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image....
 Gulf States Region in 1994. Visitors to the school included President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
, who spoke with Franklin students on April 30, 1993 about his plans to create a National Service Initiative
National service in the United States of America

History...
.

Ben Franklin is located near the London Avenue Canal
London Avenue Canal

The London Avenue Canal is a drainage canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, used for pumping rain water into Lake Pontchartrain. The Canal runs through the 7th Ward of New Orleans from the Gentilly area to the Lakefront....
. Like the southern buildings of UNO and most of the schools in Orleans Parish, Ben Franklin was damaged by several feet of flood water due to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States....
. The school was closed before the storm hit on August 29, 2005, and remained closed for several months. Over US$
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
3 million in damage was caused by the storm. School administration, faculty, parents, students, alumni, and volunteers participated in a massive cleanup effort, without funding from and independent of the Orleans Parish School Board. The effort was chronicled by several nationwide news agencies.

After Katrina, Ben Franklin received support from across the nation and around the world. On December 8, 2005, the United States Ambassador to Germany, William R. Timken, Jr.
William R. Timken

File:William R Timken.jpgWilliam Robert Timken, Jr. is an American industrialist and businessman and former ambassadors of the United States. He served as the United States Ambassador to Germany 2005?2008....
, accepted a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule, Ben Franklin's official GAPP
German American Partnership Program

The German American Partnership Program , is a high school exchange program between schools in the United States and Germany, sponsored by the Goethe-Institut....
 partner school in Berlin, Germany. Monetary contributions included $10,000 from the government of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and a $70,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries. The school re-opened as a charter school on January 17, 2006, the 300th birthday of its namesake Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and Printer , Satire, list of political philosophers, politician, scientist, inventor, activism, statesman, and diplomacy....
. The re-opening ceremony was held in the previously flooded-out gym. The gym had been the most severely damaged structure on campus; all of the floor tiles had to be removed and replaced, and the wind-damaged ceiling had to be repaired. In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a free reception.

Enrollment

An admissions test is required to apply to Ben Franklin. Enrollment is open to residents of Orleans Parish entering ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade. Students applying for tenth grade must have one credit in English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language. Students applying for 11th grade must have two credits in each of the listed courses. Admission is based on an applicant's GPA
Grade (education)

In education, a grade is a teacher's standardized evaluation of a student's work. In some countries, evaluations can be expressed quantifiably, and calculated into a numeric grade point average , which is used as a metrics by employers and others to assess and compare students....
 and performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the Iowa Tests of Educational Development
Iowa Tests of Educational Development

The Iowa Tests of Educational Development are a set of standardized tests given annually to high school students in many schools in the United States, covering Grades 9 to 12....
 for reading, language, and mathematics. The Iowa Tests are administered at Ben Franklin. All students meeting the criteria for entrance into 9th grade are also required to pass the LEAP 21 exam (Louisiana Educational Assessment Program for the 21st Century Exam taken in 8th grade). Ben Franklin had 628 students during the 2006-2007 school year. The demographics were 336 (53.5%) Caucasian, non-Hispanic, 152 (24%) African American
African American

African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
, 110 (18.5%) Asian/Pacific Islander
Asian American

Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
, 30 (5%) Hispanic
Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania . During the Modern Era, it took on a more limited meaning relating to the contemporary nation of Spain....
, and 0 (0%) American Indian/Alaskan Native
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
.

Academics

Ben Franklin features a college-preparatory curriculum and an Advanced Placement (AP) Program
Advanced Placement Program

The Advanced Placement program offers college level courses at high schools across the United States and Canada. According to the Good Schools Guide International, it is "usually much more rigorous than the general course offerings."...
. Students are required to complete a minimum of 23 academic units that includes 4 in English, 3 in foreign language, 4 in mathematics, 4 in science, 4 in social science, 2 in electives, 1.5 in physical education, and .5 in health. As of 2008, the school offers 20 AP courses for students to earn college credit. A selection of elective courses are offered, including studio art, creative writing, music appreciation, stagecraft, and teaching academy. The foreign language offerings are French, German, and Spanish. Students may also enroll concurrently at local universities and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is a professional arts training center for Secondary education-age children. NOCCA is located in New Orleans, Louisiana....
 (NOCCA). The school is within walking distance of the UNO library, and students can obtain library cards through a "special borrowers" program.

According to CBS News
CBS News

CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports....
, Ben Franklin is "one of the best public high schools in the country — a magnet for the city's smart and motivated students." Approximately 99.5% of each graduating class enters a four-year college. Of the 162 students in the class of 2006, 28 were National Merit Semifinalists
National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization....
, 7 were National Achievement Finalists, and 3 were Hispanic Scholars. The class of 2008 produced 17 National Achievement Semifinalists
National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization....
, the most of any school in the United States. For the class of 2005, the mean SAT
SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized testing for college admissions in the Education in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a non-profit organization in the United States, and was once developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service ....
 Verbal score was 645, and the mean SAT Math score was 636. The mean ACT
ACT (examination)

The ACT is a standardized test Achievement test examination for University and college admissionss in the Education in the United States produced by ACT, Inc....
 composite score was 27.2. One hundred percent of Franklin students passed the Louisiana Graduate Exit Examination (GEE) in Spring 2006, with a significant number achieving Advanced and Mastery level.

In the fall of 2005, Ben Franklin was one of three high schools given a five star rating (the highest possible) by the Louisiana Department of Education, based on its School Performance Score (SPS). The SPS is based on test scores from LEAP/GEE subject area tests in addition to "The Iowa Tests" results and attendance/dropout data. The following table displays the three schools, along with their respective SPS in 2005.
2005 Louisiana School Performance Score (SPS) Comparisons
School Name Magnet School Status Performance Label (2005) Baseline SPS (2005)
Benjamin Franklin Senior High School Yes Five Stars 200.5
Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Caddo Magnet High School

Caddo Parish Magnet High School, or simply "Magnet" as it is known by its students, is located in Shreveport, Louisiana at 1601 Viking Drive. Its motto is, "In our hands we hold today; in our minds we hold tomorrow." Its goal is stated, "To share what we know, what we have, and what we are with others." The school colors are gold and red, whi...
 Yes Five Stars 176.6
Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Baton Rouge Magnet High School is a magnet school in the East Baton Rouge Parish School system of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in the early 1890s....
 Yes Five Stars 171.7
In fall 2008, the Louisiana Department of Education rated schools in Orleans Parish for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. With an SPS of 165.2, Ben Franklin again had the highest performance score in the state.

Benjamin Franklin High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a Federal Government of the United States program created to honor schools. The Blue Ribbon award is considered to be the highest honor that an American school can achieve....
 by the U.S. Department of Education
United States Department of Education

The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet-level department of the United States government of the United States. Created by the Department of Education Organization Act , it was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 17, 1979 and began operating on May 4, 1980....
 in 1989 and 2003. It has been ranked by Newsweek
Newsweek

Newsweek is an United States weekly newsmagazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally....
 and U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is an influential United States newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek, it was for many years a leading news weekly, although it focused more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories....
 as one of the top 50 public schools in the U.S. with regards to student test scores and advanced placement programs. Ben Franklin was listed as one of the elite public schools in the country by Newsweek in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, Franklin was no longer listed as a "public elite" and instead ranked number 35 on the complete Newsweek list of "America's Top Public High Schools
Newsweek

Newsweek is an United States weekly newsmagazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally....
." Ben Franklin was also ranked 16 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report on its 2009 "America's Best High Schools" list and was one of its featured stories. Additionally, 1 art and 12 academic Presidential Scholars have been selected from the school as of 2007.

Extracurricular activities


Athletics
Ben Franklin teams are known as the "Falcons" with school colors green, white, and orange. The Falcons are in District 11-3A (Div. II) of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association
Louisiana High School Athletic Association

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is the agency which regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana....
 and features the following athletic programs:
  • Girls: Basketball
    Basketball

    Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet  high hoop under organized rules....
    , Cross Country
    Cross country running

    Cross Country running is a sport in which runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain. The courses used at these events may include Poaceae, mud, woodlands, and water....
    , Golf
    Golf

    Golf is a sport in which players using many types of Golf club including wood , iron , and putter , attempt to hit golf ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes....
    , Soccer, Softball
    Softball

    Softball is a Team sport sport popular especially in the United States. It is a direct descendant of baseball and the rules of both sports are substantially similar....
    , Swimming
    Swimming

    Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through water, usually without artificial assistance. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational....
    , Tennis
    Tennis

    Tennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber Tennis ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's tennis court....
    , Track
    Athletics (track and field)

    Track and field athletics, commonly known as athletics or track and field, is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing and jumping....
    , Volleyball
    Volleyball

    Volleyball is an Olympic Games team sport in which two teams of 6 active players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules....
    .
  • Boys: Baseball
    Baseball

    Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
    , Basketball
    Basketball

    Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet  high hoop under organized rules....
    , Cross Country
    Cross country running

    Cross Country running is a sport in which runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain. The courses used at these events may include Poaceae, mud, woodlands, and water....
    , Football
    American football

    American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
    , Golf
    Golf

    Golf is a sport in which players using many types of Golf club including wood , iron , and putter , attempt to hit golf ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes....
    , Soccer, Swimming
    Swimming

    Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through water, usually without artificial assistance. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational....
    , Tennis
    Tennis

    Tennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber Tennis ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's tennis court....
    , Track
    Athletics (track and field)

    Track and field athletics, commonly known as athletics or track and field, is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing and jumping....
    .


The Ben Franklin girls' soccer team was the Class 4A State Champion in 1998, 2003, and 2004, and the volleyball team won state titles in 1996, 2002, and 2003. In 16 years as Ben Franklin's head volleyball coach, Jodee Pulizzano led Franklin teams to six Division II state championships and two runner-up trophies.

Accomplishments since 1996 include:
  • Swimming-Girls (AAAA Champion 1997; Runner-up 1996, 1999)
  • Swimming-Boys (AAAA Champion 2001; Runner-up 1999, 2000)
  • Volleyball (AAAA Champion 1996,2002,2003; Runner-up 1997, 2004)
  • Girls' Soccer (AAAA Champion 1998,2003,2004)
  • Boys' Soccer (AAAA Champion 2004; Runner-up 2005)
  • Tennis-Girls (AAAA Runner-up 1997)
  • Tennis-Boys (AAA Champion 2008; AAAA Runner-up 2004, 2006, 2007)


In 2007, the Ben Franklin football team made the Class 3A playoffs for the first time in school history. However, they went on to lose in the first round to Amite High School.

Performing arts
The music program at Ben Franklin was founded by Peter Dombourian
Peter Dombourian

Peter Mampreh Dombourian , ne? Mampreh Bedros Dombourian, was active in musical circles in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a music educator, Conductor , and musician....
, who served as part-time band director and music teacher from 1974 until 1991. His students included trumpeter Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Learson Marsalis is an United States trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in European classical music....
, who enrolled concurrently at Ben Franklin and NOCCA. In 2005, the band room and music lockers at Ben Franklin were flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, destroying the school's collection of instruments, privately-owned instruments left behind by students, and approximately $100,000 of sheet music. The Tipitina's Foundation
Tipitina's Foundation

The Tipitina's Foundation, is a not-for-profit charity organization in the United States in place to encourage the city of New Orleans to continue its musical heritage, in particular in the wake of the city's tragedy, Hurricane Katrina....
, New Orleans Music Exchange, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, and P.S. 54 Charles W Leng School were among the contributors who helped the music program continue. Student musicians in the concert band
Concert band

A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family....
 and string orchestra
String orchestra

A string orchestra is understood as an orchestra composed solely of instruments of the violin family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello and the double bass ....
 participate annually in the Louisiana Music Educator's Association (LMEA) State Festivals, where they often collect "Superior" ratings.

In March 2008, Franklin theater students were able to conduct a mixed-media performance of James Still's "And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank" with Holocaust
The Holocaust

The Holocaust , also known as , Churben is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, as part of a program of deliberate extermination planned and executed by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler....
 survivor/author Eva Schloss in attendance. The play was co-sponsored by the National World War II Museum
National World War II Museum

The National World War II Museum, formerly known as the National D-Day Museum, is a museum located in the New Orleans Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, at the corner of Andrew Higgins and Magazine Street....
 and coincided with Schloss' lecture at the museum.

Publications
Ben Franklin publications include The Franklin Forum (school newspaper), The Ben Franklin Post (parent monthly newsletter), The Riverbend Review (literary magazine), and The Franklin Falcon (yearbook). The Riverbend Review has received numerous awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Columbia Scholastic Press Association

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association was founded in 1925 to create a standard of success for academic journalism for the United States' high school and universities....
 and the American Scholastic Press Association, winning Silver Crowns and First Place classifications as recently as 2007 and 2008.

Clubs and organizations
The following list includes clubs offered at Ben Franklin High School in 2006-2007.
  • Academic Decathlon
  • Academic Games
    Academic Games

    Academic Games is a U.S. competition in which players win by out-thinking each other in mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Formal tournaments are organized by local leagues, and on a national level by the Academic Games Leagues of America ....
  • Anime
  • Art Club
  • Asian Pacific Club
  • Band
    Concert band

    A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family....
    /Orchestra
    String orchestra

    A string orchestra is understood as an orchestra composed solely of instruments of the violin family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello and the double bass ....
  • Black Culture Club
  • Bookstore
  • Cheerleaders
  • Chess
  • Choir
  • Classical League
  • Close-Up: Washington, D.C.
  • Culinary Club
  • Dance Team
  • Drama Club (Produces school plays)
  • Environmental Club
  • French Exchange Program
  • French Trip
  • Franklin Forum (School Newspaper)
  • FTV (Falcon Television)
  • Gay/Straight Alliance
  • German Club (Delta Epsilon Phi)
  • German School Exchange Program (GAPP)
    German American Partnership Program

    The German American Partnership Program , is a high school exchange program between schools in the United States and Germany, sponsored by the Goethe-Institut....
  • Green Society
  • Hebrew Culture Club
  • Hispanic Culture Club
  • Hi-Y/Tri Hi-Y
  • Intramural Program
  • Iota Sigma
  • Key Club
    Key Club

    Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others....
  • Library Media/Reading Club
  • Mock Trial
    Mock trial

    A mock trial is a contrived or imitation trial . It is similar to moot court, but mock trials deal with trials, while moot court deals with appellate court....
  • Mu Alpha Theta
    Mu Alpha Theta

    Mu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 75,000 student members in more than 1,500 schools worldwide....
  • National Honor Society
    National Honor Society

    The National Honor Society, or NHS, is a worldwide organization based in Reston, Virginia, Virginia, in the United States and consists of many chapters in high schools ....
  • Philosophy Club
  • Outdoor and Sports Club
  • Pottery Club
  • Riverbend Review
  • S.A.D.D.
  • Science Olympiad
    Science Olympiad

    Science Olympiad is a primarily United States elementary school, middle school, or high school team competition that requires knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability....
  • Science-Fiction Club
  • Service Learning Projects
  • Spain Trip
  • Speech/Debate Team
  • Student Council
  • Student Leadership Team (Jrs./Srs.)
  • Students Working Against AIDS
    AIDS

    Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
     Together (SWAAT)
  • Yearbook
  • Young Democrats
  • Young Republicans
    Young Republicans

    The Young Republicans is an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization and chapters in individual U.S....


Yearbook 2006

The class of 2006 was the subject of an online documentary called , created by bluecadet interactive and produced by Josh Goldblum, Josh Cogan, and David Lee. The non-profit Web-based project features 140 minutes of raw interviews as well as photographs and other multimedia designed to capture the lives of about 30 Franklin seniors after Katrina. The project, featured in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is the US Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses....
's Spirit of Recovery conference and USA Today
USA Today

'USA TODAY' is a national United States daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Allen Neuharth. The paper has the widest newspaper circulation of any newspaper in the United States , and among English-language broadsheets, it comes second worldwide, behind only the 2.6 million daily paid copies of The Times of...
, was designed to “give a cohesive and layered forum to the fractured voices of those seniors who were displaced and those who remained in New Orleans, aiming to, above all, nurture and heal the vibrant social fabric that Katrina threatened to destroy.”

Accusations of bias in admissions

The school's selective admissions policies have led to accusations of bias. Before Hurricane Katrina, it was estimated that 450 of 800 applicants on average were not accepted because of insufficient grades and test scores. Compared to the rest of the city, the school has a disproportionately low percentage of African Americans. Carl Galmon, a local activist, claimed in 1996 that Franklin's admissions tests are culturally biased against black students. Following Katrina, the school converted to a charter school and preserved its selective admissions system. The school has received praise for traditionally producing some of the "highest-performing students in the entire state of Louisiana," including an exceptional number of students awarded by the National Achievement Scholarship Program of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
National Merit Scholarship Corporation

National Merit Scholarship Corporation is an independent, Non-profit organization in the United States that operates without government assistance....
, a program open only to African Americans.

Notable alumni

  • Kim M. Boyle: first African American President of the New Orleans Bar Association, President-Elect of the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) for 2008-2009
  • Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet: opera singer - attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA
  • Robert S. Eitel: Deputy General Counsel for Departmental and Legislative Service: U.S. Department of Education
  • Lolis E. Elie: Times-Picayune columnist, writer, author of Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country (ISBN 1580086608)
  • Ted Frank
    Ted Frank

    Theodore H. Frank is an United States lawyer described by the Wall Street Journal as "a leading tort-reform advocate." He is a fellow with the Conservatism in the United States American Enterprise Institute, and director of the AEI Legal Center for the Public Interest ....
    : Director of the AEI Legal Center for the Public Interest
  • David Freedman: General Manager of WWOZ-FM 90.7
    WWOZ

    WWOZ is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana broadcasting at 90.7 Frequency modulation. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding region of Louisiana....
     1992-present
  • Lisa Gaddis: geologist & Program Chief: U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Team, NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
     Principal Investigator
  • Eve J. Higginbotham, MD: Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine
    Morehouse School of Medicine

    Morehouse School of Medicine is a medical school in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia , United States....
    , first woman to chair a university-based ophthalmology department in the United States (at University of Maryland School of Medicine, 1994-2006)
  • Jalila Jefferson-Bullock: Louisiana State Legislature
    Louisiana State Legislature

    The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators....
     - Representative, District 91: 2003-2007
  • Anya Kamenetz
    Anya Kamenetz

    Anya Kamenetz is an United States writer living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a staff writer for Fast Company and a columnist for Yahoo! Finance. During 2005 she wrote a column for The Village Voice called "Generation Debt: The New Economics of Being Young." The Voice nominated her for a Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for her work on a 200...
    : freelance writer & columnist, author of Generation Debt (ISBN 978-1594489075)
  • Saundra Levy: Director of the New Orleans Jewish Endowment Foundation (1991-current), former director of the New Orleans and Central Business District Landmarks Commission
  • Dawn Logsdon: director, producer, and editor
  • Delfeayo Marsalis
    Delfeayo Marsalis

    Delfeayo Marsalis is an American jazz trombone and record producer.He is a member of the Marsalis family of jazz musicians: father Ellis Marsalis, Jr....
    : jazz trombonist - attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA
  • Wynton Marsalis
    Wynton Marsalis

    Wynton Learson Marsalis is an United States trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in European classical music....
    : Pulitzer Prize
    Pulitzer Prize

    The Pulitzer Prize is an United States award regarded as the highest national honor in newspaper journalism, literary achievements and musical composition....
    , nine-time Grammy Award
    Grammy Award

    The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
     winning musician - attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA
  • James Nolan
    James Nolan (author)

    James Nolan is a poet, fiction writer, essayist, and translator. A regular contributor to Boulevard, his work has appeared in New Orleans Noir , Utne Reader, The Washington Post, and Andrei Codrescu's Exquisite Corpse among other magazines, anthologies, and newspapers....
    : poet, fiction writer, essayist, and translator
  • Wendell Pierce
    Wendell Pierce

    Wendell Pierce is an American actor who is most famously known for his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland on the hit HBO drama The Wire....
    : actor, star of the HBO
    Home Box Office

    HBO is a premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner. It offers two 24-hour pay television services to over 38 million U.S. subscribers....
     drama The Wire
    The Wire (TV series)

    The Wire is an United States television drama series set in Baltimore, Maryland, Maryland, where it was also produced. Created, Executive producer#Television, and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium television cable television HBO in the United States....
  • Cedric L. Richmond: Louisiana State Legislature
    Louisiana State Legislature

    The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators....
     - Representative, District 101: 1999-current
  • Mark Samuels: founder and president of
  • Gregory Schramel: founder, conservatory director of the
  • Jac Sperling: attorney, Vice Chairman and former CEO of the Minnesota Wild Hockey Club
    Minnesota Wild

    The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
     and its parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment
  • Misty Suri, MD: Team Orthopaedic Surgeon - New Orleans Saints
    New Orleans Saints

    The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints play in the NFC South of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
    , New Orleans Hornets, New Orleans VooDoo
    New Orleans VooDoo

    The New Orleans VooDoo was a team in the Arena Football League which was owned in part by Tom Benson, who also simultaneously owned the National Football League New Orleans Saints....
    , University of New Orleans
    University of New Orleans

    The University of New Orleans, often locally called UNO, is a medium sized public urban university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States....
  • Walter Williams
    Walter Williams (comedian filmmaker)

    Walter Williams is a filmmaker and comedy writer, most famous for his "Mr. Bill" shorts that aired on the television series Saturday Night Live....
    : Saturday Night Live
    Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live is a weekly late-night 90-minute American sketch comedy/variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975....
     writer, creator of Mr. Bill


In popular culture

Benjamin Franklin High School has appeared in film, books, and other media. In a short play that appears in New Orleans novelist Walker Percy
Walker Percy

Walker Percy was an American Southern literature whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is best known for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, the first of which, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1962....
's Lost in the Cosmos
Lost in the Cosmos

Lost in the Cosmos by the late Walker Percy is a mock self-help book and social satire on the United States value of autonomy published in 1983....
, the lead character attends Franklin.

Portions of the school's atrium and front entrance were used in the 2004 Disney Channel
Disney Channel

Disney Channel is a cable television television channel specializing in television programming for children through original series and movies as well as third party programming....
 movie Stuck in the Suburbs
Stuck in the Suburbs

Stuck in the Suburbs is a Disney Channel Original Movie released on July 16, 2004, starring Danielle Panabaker as Brittany Aarons and Brenda Song as Natasha Kwon-Schwartz....
. The school was also used for portions of the 2005 Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television

Lifetime Television is an United States television network devoted to film, Situation comedy and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles....
 movie Odd Girl Out
Odd Girl Out

Odd Girl Out is a 2005 in film drama telefilm starring Alexa Vega, Lisa Vidal, Elizabeth Rice, Alicia Morton, Leah Pipes, Shari Dyon Perry, Joey Nappo and Chad Biagini....
.

In Julie Smith's mystery novel Louisiana Hotshot, murder victim Rhonda Bergeron is said to have graduated from Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans. In Ronald Everett Capps' novel Off Magazine Street (loosely adapted into the film A Love Song for Bobby Long
A Love Song for Bobby Long

A Love Song for Bobby Long is a 2004 in film Cinema of the United States drama film written and directed by Shainee Gabel. The screenplay is based on the novel Off Magazine Street by Ronald Everett Capps....
), Byron Burns decides to send Hanna to Benjamin Franklin High School, a school "he had heard had a fair reputation."

External links



Miscellaneous