Franklin High School (New Jersey)

Franklin High School
Address
Franklin High School
Franklin High School
Franklin High School
500 Elizabeth Avenue
Somerset, NJ 08873
United States
Coordinates 40°31′02″N 74°32′48″W / 40.517217°N 74.546791°W / 40.517217; -74.546791Coordinates: 40°31′02″N 74°32′48″W / 40.517217°N 74.546791°W / 40.517217; -74.546791
Information
Type Public high school
Motto Pride & Dignity
Established 1961
School district Franklin Township Public Schools
Principal Frank Chmiel
Vice principals Karen Adams
Ammon Barksdale
Rod Brundidge
Beth Ebler
Faculty 174.0 FTEs[1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2,157 (as of 2015-16)[1]
Student to teacher ratio 12.4:1[1]
Color(s)      Navy Blue and
     Gold[2]
Athletics conference Skyland Conference
Team name Warriors[2]
Newspaper The Warrior
Yearbook The Shield
Website School website

Franklin High School (FHS) is a comprehensive four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Somerset section of Franklin Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Franklin Township Public Schools.

As of the 2015-16 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,157 students and 174.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1. There were 789 students (36.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 152 (7.0% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 203rd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[3] The school had been ranked 263rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 201st in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[4] The magazine ranked the school 150th out of 316 schools in 2008.[5]

History

Franklin High School (New Jersey) at sunset.

The original Franklin High School, now Franklin Middle School, was opened in 1961. Prior to that, the district sent its high school students to Princeton High School, Bound Brook High School, Highland Park High School, and New Brunswick High School among others. The original Franklin High School was designed to accommodate 1,600 students. By the mid 1990s, the student population had grown to over 2,000 making overcrowding a serious issue. In 2001, the residents of Franklin Township voted for the construction of a new High School. Construction began in 2002 and finished in September 2005. In that same month, the new Franklin High School opened its doors.

Among the persons in recent years who have served as Principal of Franklin High School are Orville Wilson, Dr. Howard Lucks, Dr. Neely Hackett, James Bevere, Dr. Thomas DiGanci as Interim Principal from September 2014 to June 2016, and Cheryl A. Clark. Dr. DiGanci was the former principal of Watchung Hills Regional High School, where he was employed as principal for forty years before retiring in 2012.[6] Ron Brundidge also served as an interim principal. Ms. Cheryl A. Clark previously served as the principal of Irvington's University Elementary School in Irvington, NJ.[7]

The current principal of Franklin High School is Mr. Frank Chmiel, who previously served as the school's vice principal.[8]

Academics

Courses

FHS offers a wide selection of courses to suit all types of students. Honors level courses in the core content areas and in the areas of the Fine and Performing Arts and of Technology. The school offers business and vocational programs offering training and practical application in real world situations. Students can earn certification in Cisco Systems, acquire television production and studio recording skills, and participate in a variety of internship and co-op experiences offered through local area businesses. Students may chose to attend Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School either part-time or full-time. There students learn the core curriculum along with various skills such as auto shop and culinary arts.

The school offers an open Advanced Placement Program (AP) college-level courses. Any student can register for an AP course as along as he has completed the prerequisites. For example, it is not uncommon for sophomores to take AP United States History. The AP courses FHS has (as of the 13-14 school year) include:[9]

Certain students who have completed the majority of courses in a department have a chance to take college courses in local colleges. In many cases, these courses will earn the student college credit that can be transferred to their college at the school's discretion. In the past, seniors have taken courses in Princeton University, Rutgers University, and Raritan Valley Community College.

Curriculum

Franklin High School students need to earn a total of 120 credits to be eligible for graduation. The vast majority of the year-long courses give 5 credits each while a half-year course offers 2.5 credits. The exceptions to this rule are the science classes with labs. An extra credit is given for each lab day in the 5-day cycle. Honors science classes with one lab and AP sciences classes with two labs give the students 6 and 7 credits, respectively. The credit spread for incoming classes is as follows:[10]

Department Minimum Credits
Language Arts 20
Mathematics 15
Science 15
Social Studies 15
Physical Education, Health, or JROTC 20
Visual and Performing Arts 5
World Language 5
Career Education or Life Skills 5
Electives 20
Total Minimum Credits 120

Academic excellence

Franklin High School students have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program, Advance Placement Scholar Awards, Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars Program.

Athletics

The Franklin High School Warriors[2] compete in the Skyland Conference, which includes public and parochial high schools covering Hunterdon County, Somerset County and Warren County in west central New Jersey and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[11] With 1,618 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North II, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,114 to 4,800 students in that grade range.[12]

The Franklin High School Warriors Athletic department include sports such as: Baseball Basketball, Boys Basketball, Girls Booster Club Bowling, Boys Bowling, Girls Cheerleading Cross Country, Boys Cross Country, Girls Field Hockey Football Indoor Track, Boys Indoor Track, Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer, Girls Softball Spring Track, Boys Spring Track, Girls Swimming, Boys Swimming, Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Girls Wrestling[2][13]

The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1975 and 1977.[14]

The field hockey team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1977, 1980 and 1981.[15]

Central Jersey Group III state sectional title in 1984, 1987, 1989 and 1990.[16]

The boys' track team won the Group III indoor relay championships in 1989, 1990 and 2006; the girls' track team won the relay title in 1991, 1992[17] The boys' outdoor team won and set a new record time at the Penn Relays with a time of 41.98 seconds to win the boys 4x100 Large School title in 2016.[18]

The boys' basketball team won the Group III state title in 2003 vs. Cranford High School.[19]

In 2017, the girls' basketball team won the Group IV state championship, defeating Sayreville High School by a score of 68-36 in the finals of the playoffs.[20] The team went on to win the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, defeating Manasquan High School in the tournament's final game.[21]

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities provide an excellent medium for FHS students to explore their interests, learn, and help the community. Most "clubs" meet after school when additional buses are available for after school transportation. Some clubs such as Brass Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, and Model United Nations meet at night, in which cases the students are responsible for their own transportation. Recently, the Model United Nations club has won a major conference in 2012 at Rutgers Model United Nations (RUMUN). They are also ranked in the top 10 in the country. Clubs offered at Franklin High School include:[22]
Note: Some information may be inaccurate due to clubs forming or disbanding.

Fall Play

Spring Musical

  • Stock Market Club
  • Student Council/Government
  • Teens Against Tobacco Use
  • The Warrior (School Newspaper)
  • The Shield (Yearbook Club)
  • Ultimate Warriors
  • WANT TV
  • Youth Council

Performing arts

Stage productions such as Beauty and The Beast (2009), Sweeney Todd (2010), Hello, Dolly! (2011), Phantom of the Opera, (2012) Aida (2013), In The Heights (2014), Jekyll and Hyde (musical) (2015), Mary Poppins (2016), and Sister Act (musical) (2017) have been performed by the students of Franklin High School.

Administration

Members of the school administration are:[23]

  • Frank Chmiel, Principal
  • Karen Adams, Vice Principal
  • Ammon Barksdale, Vice Principal
  • Rod Brundidge, Vice Principal
  • Beth Ebler, Acting Vice Principal

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 School data for Franklin High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 12, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Franklin High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2010: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2010, Accessed January 1, 2011
  6. ↑ Franklin High School Gets New Interim Principal. http://franklinreporter.com/franklin-high-school-gets-new-interim-principal/ Accessed September 23rd, 2016.
  7. ↑ New FHS Principal Appointed by Board of Education. http://franklinreporter.com/new-fhs-principal-appointed-board-education/ Accessed September 23rd, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Frank Chmiel, FHS Principal Community Letter". Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  9. ↑ Franklin High School 2013-14 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 26, 2016.
  10. ↑ Course of Study, Franklin High School. Accessed September 11, 2006.
  11. ↑ League Memberships – 2016-2017, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
  12. ↑ General Public School Classifications 2015-2016, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of December 15, 2015. Accessed December 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ . Accessed April 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 8, 2015.
  15. ↑ History of the NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ Goldberg, Jeff. NJSIAA Football Playoff Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 19, 2015.
  17. ↑ History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ Lambert, Jim. "Penn Relays 2016: Franklin wins the boys 4x100 Large School title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 30, 2016. Accessed April 27, 2017. "The quartet of Tyler Howard, Nile Uzzell, Chris Jenkins and Mario Heslop kept its word by doing exactly that on one of the biggest stages in the world on Saturday by throwing down a Somerset County record 41.98 to win the boys 4x100 Large School title in dominating fashion in front of 44,469 raucous fans at the 122nd Penn Relays at Franklin Field."
  19. ↑ NJSIAA Group Basketball Past Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ LoGiudice, Daniel. "Girls Basketball: Franklin captures second state title in three years win victory over Sayreville", Courier News, March 12, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2017. "Utilizing a run and gun offense early in game, the Warriors consistency sunk easy buckets in transition during the first half, leading to an 18-point halftime lead as the Warriors topped Sayreville 68-36 in the Group IV final at Pine Belt Arena to capture their second group title in three years."
  21. ↑ Stypulkoski, Matt. "Franklin is the NJ.com girls basketball Team of the Year for 2016-17", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 27, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2017. "After opening the winter ranked No. 12, Franklin bounced around near No. 10 for most of the season before ultimately piecing it together late by winning the Group 4 title, then taking down Pascack Valley, Rutgers Prep and Manasquan over a five-day span. But the Warriors' nine-game run to the Tournament of Champions title and NJ.com's top spot wasn't totally out of the blue – they had already shown flashes of that potential throughout the year."
  22. ↑ Clubs/Activities, Franklin High School. Accessed November 17, 2015.
  23. ↑ Administration, Franklin High School. Accessed July 9, 2018.
  24. ↑ Newman, Josh. "Rutgers' Agudosi embracing last chance to make impact", Asbury Park Press, August 24, 2016. Accessed December 10, 2017. "'This year is going to be big to prove what I can do,' said Agudosi, a Somerset native and 2012 graduate of Franklin High School."
  25. ↑ "Obituary: Frank Baker Jr.", Home News Tribune, February 9, 2010. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Frank Baker Jr., passed away suddenly on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at home in Raleigh, N.C. He was a graduate of Franklin High School and inducted into their Football Hall of Fame."
  26. ↑ Bob Gunderman Archived 2015-04-21 at the Wayback Machine., Database Football. Accessed March 9, 2016.
  27. ↑ Goldaper, Sam. "Hinson's a Favorite in Draft", The New York Times, June 27, 1983. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Two years later, Hinson had grown big and strong enough to lead Franklin Township to the New Jersey State final."
  28. ↑ Bembry, Jerry. "A man of contradiction", The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 1999. Accessed October 23, 2017. "As a junior at Franklin High School in Somerset, N.J., Pace once scored 35 points and grabbed 30 rebounds in a state playoff game, yet his numbers on standardized tests at the age of 16 indicated his learning skills were no better than a first-grader's."
  29. ↑ Denman, Elliott. "Franklin's Jeff Porter makes 2nd Olympics in hurdles", Asbury Park Press, July 9, 2016. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Porter, 30, the Franklin High School and University of Michigan graduate now a veteran of the global track and field wars, took third place again – by 1/100th of a second."
  30. ↑ Peterson, Tom. "Former Rutgers football player tackles history at Franklin", Courier News, December 7, 2015. Accessed May 22, 2016. "Porter tackled the day's assignment one recent afternoon at Franklin High School with the same kind of rigor he used to haul down ball carriers. He was a football star at Franklin High School, a talented defensive back at Rutgers, and even suited up for the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in the NFL."
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