Jump to content

Benjamin Franklin High School (New Orleans): Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 30°01′29″N 90°03′54″W / 30.0246290°N 90.0650362°W / 30.0246290; -90.0650362[1]
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
External links: updating website links
m Updating the Commons category from "Category:Ben Franklin School, New Orleans" to "Category:Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans" to avoid a category redirect
 
(245 intermediate revisions by 94 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|High school in New Orleans, Louisiana}}
{{Infobox School
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
|name=Benjamin Franklin High School
{{Infobox school
|image= BenFranklinSchoolNOLA28May07B.jpg
| name = Benjamin Franklin High School
|imagesize= 250px
| image = BenFranklinSchoolNOLA28May07B.jpg
|motto=
| imagesize = 250px
|motto_translation=
| streetaddress = 2001 Leon C. Simon Drive
|faculty=46 (Fall 2006)<ref name="NCES2006"/>
| city = [[New Orleans]]
|ratio = 15.53:1 (Spring 2010)<ref name="NCES2006"/>
| state = [[Louisiana]]
|streetaddress=2001 Leon C. Simon Drive
| zipcode = 70122
|city=[[New Orleans]]
| country = United States
|state=[[Louisiana]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|30.0246290|-90.0650362|display=inline,title|region:US-LA_type:edu_source:gnis|notes=<ref>{{Gnis|type=retired|559328|Benjamin Franklin High School}}</ref>}}
|zipcode=70122
| pushpin_map = United States New Orleans#USA Louisiana#USA
|country={{flagcountry|USA}}
|campus_size={{convert|6.5|acre|km2|4|sp=us}}<ref name="SchoolFacilities08">{{cite web|url=http://sfmpop.org/CMSuploads/Building%20Summaries/Benjamin_Franklin_High_School.pdf|title=Benjamin Franklin High School|work=School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish|publisher=''New Orleans Public Schools''|date=January 2008| accessdate=2010-02-26|format=PDF |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5giUxfitv| archivedate=2009-05-12}}</ref><!--This citation says the school is in Lake Oaks/Lake Terrace!-->
| campus_size = {{cvt|6.5|acre|km2|4|sp=us}}<ref name="SchoolFacilities08">{{cite web|url=http://sfmpop.org/CMSuploads/Building%20Summaries/Benjamin_Franklin_High_School.pdf |title=Benjamin Franklin High School |work=School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish |publisher=New Orleans Public Schools |date=January 2008 |access-date=2010-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012045521/http://sfmpop.org/CMSuploads/Building%20Summaries/Benjamin_Franklin_High_School.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref><!--This citation says the school is in Lake Oaks/Lake Terrace!-->
| campus type = Urban
|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org
| nickname =
|schoolnumber=
| athletics = [[Louisiana High School Athletic Association|LHSAA]]
|schoolboard=[[New Orleans Public Schools|Orleans Parish School District]] (charter school)
| conference =
|affiliation=
| url = {{URL|http://www.bfhsla.org}}
|superintendent=
| schoolboard = [[New Orleans Public Schools|Orleans Parish School District]] (charter school)
|trustee=
| principal = Kendall McManus-Thomas<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bfhsla.org/principal |title=Meet the Principal |last=Jarrell |first=Alex |date=2024 |website=Benjamin Franklin High School |location=New Orleans, Louisiana |access-date=June 6, 2024}}</ref>
|principal= Dr. Timothy G. Rusnak<ref name="TimesPicayune1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-9/121402580592170.xml&coll=1|title=Benjamin Franklin names new principal|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-06-21|first=Darran|last=Simon|accessdate=2008-06-21}}</ref>
| schooltype = [[Charter school|Charter]] high school, [[Magnet school|magnet]] high school
|assistant_principals= Mr. Dan Casey, Mr.Jackson<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.nola.com/charterschools/2008/10/benjamin_franklin_high_school.html| title=Benjamin Franklin High School Announces New Executive Staff|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-10-02|first=Devin |last=Johnson|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
| grades = [[Ninth grade|9]]-[[Twelfth grade|12]]<ref name="NCES"/>
|administrator=
| mascot = [[Falcon]]
|schooltype=[[Public school (government funded)|Public]] [[Magnet school|magnet]] high school
| team_name = Falcons
|grades=[[Ninth grade|9]]-[[Twelfth grade|12]]
|area=
| alumni =
| colors = Green, white and orange<br>{{color box|green}} {{color box|white}} {{color box|orange}}
|mascot=[[Falcon]]s
| established = 1957
|conference=[[Louisiana High School Athletic Association]]
| enrollment = 1,034<ref name="NCES">{{cite web |title=Benjamin Franklin High School |url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&ID=220029900888 |website=Common Core of Data |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=April 7, 2024}}</ref>
|teamname=
| enrollment_as_of = 2022–23<ref name="NCES"/>
|colors= Green, White, & Orange
| teaching_staff = 66.43 {{FTE}}<ref name="NCES"/>
|established=1957
|enrollment=609 (Spring 2010)<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/>
| ratio = 15.57<ref name="NCES"/>
| us_nces_school_id = 220029900888<ref name="NCES"/>
|enrollment_as_of=
| us_nces_district_id = 2200299<ref name="NCES"/>
|us_nces_school_id = {{NCES School ID|220117000888|school_name=Benjamin Franklin High School|access_date=Dec 7, 2012}}
| ceeb = 192006
|us_nces_district_id = {{NCES District ID|2201170|district_name=Orleans Parish|access_date=Dec 7, 2012}}
}}


'''Benjamin Franklin High School''' is a [[charter school|charter]] [[high school]] and a magnet high school in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], United States. Commonly nicknamed "Franklin" or "Ben Franklin", the school was founded in 1957 as a school for [[Gifted education|gifted]] children. Ben Franklin is consistently named the No. 1 school in the state of Louisiana and has been ranked by ''U.S. News & World Report'' as the No. 15 charter school in the nation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2022 |title=Benjamin Franklin High School |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/louisiana/districts/benjamin-franklin-high-school/benjamin-franklin-high-school-8688 |url-status=dead |access-date=15 November 2022 |website=U.S. News & World Report |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116044250/https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/louisiana/districts/benjamin-franklin-high-school/benjamin-franklin-high-school-8688 }}</ref> In 1990, it moved to its current location on the campus of the [[University of New Orleans]] (UNO) in the [[Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks, New Orleans|Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks]] neighborhood of [[New Orleans, Louisiana|Orleans Parish]], near [[Lake Pontchartrain]]. The school was damaged by several feet of flood water due to [[Hurricane Katrina]] in the fall of 2005, and efforts to reopen the school were covered by nationwide news agencies. The school is part of the [[Orleans Parish School Board]] (OPSB), yet it operates as a charter school and is not administered directly by the agency.
|ceeb = 192006 }}


Ben Franklin has a selective admissions process, and according to [[CBS News]] is a "magnet for the city's smart and motivated students."<ref name="CBSNews"/> Andrew Vanacore of ''[[The Times Picayune]]'' wrote in 2013 that Franklin was "top-notch".<ref>{{cite web|author=Vanacore, Andrew|url=http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/02/xavier_prep_alumni_will_meetin.html#incart_story_package|title=Xavier Prep alumni will meet Saturday to discuss strategies for keeping school open|newspaper=[[The Times Picayune]]|date=2013-02-21|access-date=2020-05-26|archive-date=December 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216205750/http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/02/xavier_prep_alumni_will_meetin.html#incart_story_package|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been named a [[Blue Ribbon Schools Program|Blue Ribbon School]] five times 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]]''.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008">{{cite magazine|last=Calefati |first=Jessica |url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/the-high-school-that-beat-katrina.html |title=The High School That Beat Katrina |access-date=2008-12-04 |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |date=2008-12-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205152730/http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/the-high-school-that-beat-katrina.html |archive-date=2008-12-05 }}</ref><ref name="USNews2008">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html |title=Best High Schools: Gold Medal List |access-date=2010-02-26 |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |date=2008-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211114757/http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html |archive-date=2008-12-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The class of 2008 produced 17 [[National Merit Scholarship Program#National Achievement Scholarship Program|National Achievement Semifinalists]], the most of any school in the [[United States]].<ref name="TimesPicayune2">{{cite news|url=http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/12/brain_gain_ben_franklin_no_1_i.html|title=Brain gain: Ben Franklin No. 1 in National Achievement semifinalists|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2007-12-17|first=Maria|last=Montoya|access-date=2007-12-12|archive-date=December 25, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225065844/http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/12/brain_gain_ben_franklin_no_1_i.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the school as the best public high school in Louisiana and the 64th best in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sentell|first=Will|title=Again, Again, Ben Franklin High School rated tops in state, U. S. News says|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_6e2ad7ba-a6a5-11eb-9c76-97cb6cc44523.html|date=2021-04-26|access-date=2022-03-15|website=The Advocate}}</ref>
'''Benjamin Franklin High School''' is a [[Magnet school|public magnet]] [[high school]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], USA. Commonly nicknamed "Franklin" or "Ben Franklin", this school should not be confused with '''Franklin High School''' in [[Franklin, Louisiana]]. Ben Franklin was founded in 1957 as a school for [[Gifted education|gifted]] children. In 1990, it moved to its current location on the campus of the [[University of New Orleans]] (UNO) in the [[Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks, New Orleans|Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks]] neighborhood of [[New Orleans, Louisiana|Orleans Parish]], near [[Lake Pontchartrain]]. The school was damaged by several feet of flood water due to [[Hurricane Katrina]] in the fall of 2005, and efforts to reopen the school were covered by nationwide news agencies. Although the school is part of the [[New Orleans Public Schools|Orleans Parish School District]], it operates as a [[charter school]] under UNO.


Ben Franklin is a member of the [[Louisiana High School Athletic Association]] and offers a variety of sports programs. Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs.
Ben Franklin has a selective admissions process, and according to [[CBS News]] is a "magnet for the city's smart and motivated students."<ref name="CBSNews"/> It has been named a [[Blue Ribbon Schools Program|Blue Ribbon School]] three times 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]].<ref name="USNewsFeature2008">{{cite web |last=Calefati|first=Jessica| url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/the-high-school-that-beat-katrina.html |title=The High School That Beat Katrina |accessdate=2008-12-04|publisher=''U.S. News & World Report'' |date=2008-12-04}}</ref><ref name="USNews2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html |title=Best High Schools: Gold Medal List |accessdate=2010-02-26|publisher=''U.S. News & World Report'' |date=2008-12-04 | archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/5cy7rZkZu| archivedate=2008-12-10}}</ref> The class of 2008 produced 17 [[National Merit Scholarship Program#National Achievement Scholarship Program|National Achievement Semifinalists]], the most of any school in the [[United States]].<ref name="TimesPicayune2">{{cite web|url=http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/12/brain_gain_ben_franklin_no_1_i.html|title=Brain gain: Ben Franklin No. 1 in National Achievement semifinalists|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2007-12-17|first=Maria|last=Montoya|accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref>
Notable alumni of the school include [[Wynton Marsalis]], a [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning [[trumpeter]], actor [[Wendell Pierce]], and [[Cedric Richmond]], former [[congressman]] and [[Senior Advisor to the President of the United States|Senior Advisor]] to [[Joe Biden|U.S. President Joe Biden]].

Ben Franklin is a member of the [[Louisiana High School Athletic Association]] 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]]s. Notable alumni of the school include [[Wynton Marsalis]], a [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning [[trumpeter]].


== History ==
== History ==
[[File:719-South-Carrollton-New-Orleans.jpg|thumb|left|The former [[Carrollton Courthouse]] on 719 South Carrollton Avenue housed the original campus of Benjamin Franklin High School from 1957 to 1990. The building became vacant in 2013<ref>[http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2015/05/whats_the_future_for_the_carro.html Langenhennig, Susan "What's the future of the vacant Carrollton Courthouse?" ''The Times Picayune'', May 29, 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005225754/http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2015/05/whats_the_future_for_the_carro.html |date=October 5, 2015 }}, Retrieved 05 Oct 2015.</ref> and has since re-opened as an assisted living facility.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecarrollton.com/ |title=Premier Assisted Living and Memory Care Community in New Orleans |date=n.d. |website=The Carrollton |publisher=Liberty Senior Living |access-date=August 19, 2024}}</ref>
[[File:719-South-Carrollton-New-Orleans.jpg|thumb|left|The original campus of Benjamin Franklin High School on 719 South Carrollton Ave., from 1957 to 1990. It is now Audubon Charter Middle School]]
]]


Benjamin Franklin High School opened as a school for [[Gifted education|gifted]] children in 1957 under the direction of School Superintendent James F. Redmond and Principal Naomi Gardberg.<ref name="Thevenot">{{Cite news|last=Thevenot|first=Brian |title=Drawn Apart; New Orleans public magnet schools represent both an answer to failed integration and a new kind of segregation| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''| date=2004-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benfranklinhighschool.org/development/alumni_ggscholar.htm| title=Gardberg-Guichard Scholarship|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|accessdate=2009-01-24}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> At the time, schools under the [[Orleans Parish School Board]] were [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]].<ref name="AltLaw"/> In 1960, [[J. Skelly Wright|Judge J. Skelly Wright]] of the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana|U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana]] ordered the desegregation of New Orleans schools in ''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Douglas |first=Davison M. |url=http://www.fjc.gov/history/bushvorleans.nsf/autoframe?openform&header=/history/bushvorleans.nsf/page/header_home&nav=/history/bushvorleans.nsf/page/nav_home&content=/history/bushvorleans.nsf/page/home |title=''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board'' and the Desegregation of New Orleans Schools|publisher=''Federal Judicial Center''|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref> 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.<ref name="NYTimes1960">{{Cite news|last=Sitton|first=Claude|title=2,000 Youths Riot in New Orleans; Police Arrest 50 and Subdue Anti-Integration Mobs| publisher=''The New York Times''|work=Special to The New York Times|page=1| date=1960-11-01}}</ref> 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.'"<ref name="TimeRedmond">{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871912,00.html|title=Hot Seat in New Orleans|accessdate=2007-02-25|publisher=''Time Magazine''|date=1960-12-12}}</ref>
Benjamin Franklin High School opened as a school for [[Gifted education|gifted]] children in 1957 under the direction of School Superintendent James F. Redmond and Principal Naomi Gardberg.<ref name="Thevenot">{{cite news|last=Thevenot|first=Brian |title=Drawn Apart; New Orleans public magnet schools represent both an answer to failed integration and a new kind of segregation| newspaper=The Times-Picayune| date=2004-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benfranklinhighschool.org/development/alumni_ggscholar.htm |title=Gardberg-Guichard Scholarship |publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School |access-date=2009-01-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100923014138/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/development/alumni_ggscholar.htm |archive-date=September 23, 2010 }}</ref> At the time, schools under the [[Orleans Parish School Board]] were [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]].<ref name="AltLaw"/> In 1960, [[J. Skelly Wright|Judge J. Skelly Wright]] of the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana|U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana]] ordered the desegregation of New Orleans schools in ''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Douglas |first=Davison M. |url=http://www.fjc.gov/history/bushvorleans.nsf/autoframe?openform&header=/history/bushvorleans.nsf/page/header_home&nav=/history/bushvorleans.nsf/page/nav_home&content=/history/bushvorleans.nsf/page/home |title=''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board'' and the Desegregation of New Orleans Schools |publisher=Federal Judicial Center |access-date=2009-01-25 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121062846/https://www.fjc.gov/history/bushvorleans.nsf/autoframe?openform&header=%2Fhistory%2Fbushvorleans.nsf%2Fpage%2Fheader_home&nav=%2Fhistory%2Fbushvorleans.nsf%2Fpage%2Fnav_home&content=%2Fhistory%2Fbushvorleans.nsf%2Fpage%2Fhome |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="NYTimes1960">{{Cite news|last=Sitton|first=Claude|title=2,000 Youths Riot in New Orleans; Police Arrest 50 and Subdue Anti-Integration Mobs|work=Special to The New York Times|page=1| date=1960-11-01}}</ref> A ''[[Time (magazine)|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.'"<ref name="TimeRedmond">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871912,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008110256/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871912,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2010|title=Hot Seat in New Orleans|access-date=2007-02-25|magazine=Time Magazine|date=1960-12-12}}</ref>


From its inception, Franklin was designed to be a public school for gifted students, and admissions requirements included having a 120 [[IQ]].<ref name="Thevenot"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Baker|first=Liva | title=The Second Battle of New Orleans: The Hundred-Year Struggle to Integrate the Schools| publisher=Harper Collins|page=329|year=1996|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-06-016808-0}}</ref> Following an appeal of ''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board'', the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]] stated in 1962 that Franklin was "one of the finest schools in the country for superior students" and suggested that African American students who met the school's exacting admissions requirements be admitted.<ref name="AltLaw">{{cite web|url=http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/824121 |title=''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board'', 308 F.2d 491 (5th Cir. 1962)|publisher=''AltLaw''|accessdate=2009-01-25 | archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5e7frp8MW |archivedate=2009-01-26}}</ref> Under pressure from federal courts, Franklin became the first public high school in New Orleans to desegregate in 1963.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fairclough|first=Adam | title=Race & Democracy, The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972| publisher=University of Georgia Press|page=263|year=1999|location=Athens, GA|isbn=0-8203-2118-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nutrias.org/facts/miscfact.htm|title=Miscellaneous Facts from the Louisiana Division|accessdate=2008-09-25 |publisher=''New Orleans Public Library''|date=2005-02-02}}</ref>
From its inception, Franklin was designed to be a public school for gifted students, and admissions requirements included having a 120 [[IQ]].<ref name="Thevenot"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Baker|first=Liva|title=The Second Battle of New Orleans: The Hundred-Year Struggle to Integrate the Schools|publisher=Harper Collins|page=[https://archive.org/details/secondbattleofne00bake/page/329 329]|year=1996|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-06-016808-0|url=https://archive.org/details/secondbattleofne00bake/page/329}}</ref> Following an appeal of ''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board'', the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]] stated in 1962 that Franklin was "one of the finest schools in the country for superior students" and suggested that African American students who met the school's exacting admissions requirements be admitted.<ref name="AltLaw">{{cite web|url=http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/824121 |title=''Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board'', 308 F.2d 491 (5th Cir. 1962) |publisher=AltLaw |access-date=2009-01-25 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090126201752/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/824121 |archive-date=2009-01-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Under pressure from federal courts, Franklin became the first public high school in New Orleans to desegregate in 1963.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fairclough|first=Adam|title=Race & Democracy, The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972|publisher=University of Georgia Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/racedemocracyciv00adam/page/263 263]|year=1999|location=Athens, GA|isbn=0-8203-2118-4|url=https://archive.org/details/racedemocracyciv00adam/page/263}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nutrias.org/facts/miscfact.htm|title=Miscellaneous Facts from the Louisiana Division|access-date=2008-09-25|publisher=New Orleans Public Library|date=2005-02-02|archive-date=February 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208134709/http://nutrias.org/facts/miscfact.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>


For over 30 years the school was housed in a historic courthouse on [[Carrollton Avenue]] in [[Uptown New Orleans]]. Built in 1855, the building had served as the [[Jefferson Parish]] Courthouse until the City of [[Carrollton, Louisiana|Carrollton]] was incorporated into New Orleans.<ref name="NOPL1">{{cite web|url=http://nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/april2004/apr0403.htm|title=Images of the Month: April 2004|publisher=''New Orleans Public Library''|date=2004-03-24|accessdate=2008-01-10}}</ref> By 1987, the building had fallen into disrepair and lacked basic air conditioning.<ref name="Advocate 1987">{{Cite news|author=Associated Press|title=Heat is burning issue at Ben Franklin High| publisher=''The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.)''| date=1987-05-21}}</ref> Despite these conditions, Franklin maintained a reputation as a place of academic excellence.<ref name ="NYTimes 1988">{{Cite news|last=Marcus |first=Frances Frank |title=THE NATION: The View From America's Stranded Public Schools; Lack of Interest: In New Orleans, Many Opt Out| publisher=''The New York Times''| page=4, sec. 4, column 2| date=1988-12-18}}</ref><ref name="ForcedtoFail">{{cite book|last=Caldas|first=Stephen J.|author2=Bankston, Carl Leon | title=Forced to Fail: The Paradox of School Desegregation| publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|page=117|year=2005|location=Westport, CT|isbn=0-275-98693-4}}</ref>
For over 30 years the school was housed in the historic [[Carrollton Courthouse]] on [[Carrollton Avenue]] in [[Uptown New Orleans]]. Built in 1855, the building had served as the [[Jefferson Parish]] Courthouse until the City of [[Carrollton, Louisiana|Carrollton]] was incorporated into New Orleans.<ref name="NOPL1">{{cite web|url=http://nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/april2004/apr0403.htm|title=Images of the Month: April 2004|publisher=New Orleans Public Library|date=2004-03-24|access-date=2008-01-10|archive-date=August 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826112746/http://nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/april2004/apr0403.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1987, the building had fallen into disrepair and lacked basic air conditioning.<ref name="Advocate 1987">{{Cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Heat is burning issue at Ben Franklin High| publisher=The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.)| date=1987-05-21}}</ref> Despite these conditions, Franklin maintained a reputation as a place of academic excellence.<ref name ="NYTimes 1988">{{cite news|last=Marcus |first=Frances Frank |title=THE NATION: The View From America's Stranded Public Schools; Lack of Interest: In New Orleans, Many Opt Out| newspaper=The New York Times| page=4, sec. 4, column 2| date=1988-12-18}}</ref><ref name="ForcedtoFail">{{cite book|last=Caldas|first=Stephen J.|author2=Bankston, Carl Leon|title=Forced to Fail: The Paradox of School Desegregation|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|page=[https://archive.org/details/forcedtofailpara0000cald/page/117 117]|year=2005|location=Westport, CT|isbn=0-275-98693-4|url=https://archive.org/details/forcedtofailpara0000cald/page/117}}</ref>


In the late 1980s, the Orleans Parish School Board leased land from the [[University of New Orleans]] (UNO) and built a larger and more modern campus for Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin moved to this current [[Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks, New Orleans|Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks]] campus during the 1989–1990 school year.<ref name="SchoolFacilities08"/><ref name="SELU">{{cite web |url=http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/programs/csls/historical_collections/archival_collections/r_s/regional_history/new_orleans.html |title=Regional History - New Orleans Collection|accessdate=2007-03-01 |publisher=''Southeastern Louisiana University: Center for South Louisiana Studies''}}</ref> The building was designed by E. Eean Mcnaughton Architects and received an honor award from the [[American Institute of Architects]] Gulf States Region in 1994.<ref name="EMA">{{cite web|url=http://www.emarchitects.com/franklin.htm|title=BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, New Orleans, LA|accessdate=2007-03-15|publisher=''E. Eean Mcnaughton Architects Project Page''}}</ref> Visitors to the school included President [[Bill Clinton]], who spoke with Franklin students on April 30, 1993 about his plans to create a [[National service in the United States of America#The birth of AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service|National Service Initiative]].<ref name="Clinton discussion">{{cite web|url=http://archives.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/?u=043093-speech-by-president-at-benjamin-franklin-high-school.htm|title=Remarks by the President with students of the National Service Initiative: at Benjamin Franklin High School.|accessdate=2008-10-01|publisher=''William J. Clinton Presidential Center''|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120302212150/http://archives.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/?u=043093-speech-by-president-at-benjamin-franklin-high-school.htm|archivedate=2012-03-02}}</ref>
In the late 1980s, the Orleans Parish School Board leased land from the [[University of New Orleans]] (UNO) and built a larger and more modern campus for Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin moved to this current [[Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks, New Orleans|Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks]] campus during the 1989–1990 school year.<ref name="SchoolFacilities08"/><ref name="SELU">{{cite web |url=http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/programs/csls/historical_collections/archival_collections/r_s/regional_history/new_orleans.html |title=Regional History - New Orleans Collection |access-date=2007-03-01 |publisher=Southeastern Louisiana University: Center for South Louisiana Studies |archive-date=February 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227125728/http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/programs/csls/historical_collections/archival_collections/r_s/regional_history/new_orleans.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The building was designed by the team of [[E. Eean McNaughton]] Architects, Billes Manning Architects, and Perez Architects and received an honor award from the [[American Institute of Architects]] Gulf States Region in 1994.<ref name="EMA">{{cite web|url=http://www.emarchitects.com/franklin.htm|title=BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, New Orleans, LA|access-date=2007-03-15|publisher=E. Eean Mcnaughton Architects Project Page|archive-date=November 13, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113003249/http://www.emarchitects.com/franklin.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Visitors to the school included President [[Bill Clinton]], who spoke with Franklin students on April 30, 1993 about his plans to create a [[National service in the United States of America#The birth of AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service|National Service Initiative]].<ref name="Clinton discussion">{{cite web|url=http://archives.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/?u=043093-speech-by-president-at-benjamin-franklin-high-school.htm|title=Remarks by the President with students of the National Service Initiative: at Benjamin Franklin High School.|access-date=2008-10-01|publisher=William J. Clinton Presidential Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302212150/http://archives.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/?u=043093-speech-by-president-at-benjamin-franklin-high-school.htm|archive-date=2012-03-02}}</ref>


Ben Franklin is located near the [[London Avenue Canal]]. Like most other UNO buildings and New Orleans public schools, Ben Franklin was damaged by several feet of flood water due to [[Hurricane Katrina]]. The school was closed before the storm hit on August 29, 2005, and remained closed for several months. Over [[United States dollar|US $]]3 million in damage was caused by the storm.<ref name="NYTimes1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/national/nationalspecial/04schools.html?ei=5088&en=00ef41bc6a36bc6a&ex=1294030800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1173967365-JsxtLmV/UgFk7kOnSP5h+Q|title=Students Return to Big Changes in New Orleans|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=2006-01-04|first=Susan|last=Saulny|accessdate=2006-03-15}}</ref> 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.<ref name="CBSNews">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/earlyshow/main1220660.shtml|title=Principal Pushes To Reopen School|accessdate=2006-11-17|publisher=''CBS News "The Early Show"''|date=2006-01-19}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113712107215345713.html|title=Back to Class: How a Principal In New Orleans Saved Her School|publisher=''The Wall Street Journal'', p. A1 (dead tree edition)|date=2006-01-13|first=George|last=Anders|accessdate=2006-03-15}}</ref><ref name="NPR">{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5281673|title="Fresh Air": Back in School, Back in New Orleans|accessdate=2007-02-15|publisher=''National Public Radio''|date=2006-03-15}}</ref>
Ben Franklin is located near the [[London Avenue Canal]]. Like most other UNO buildings and New Orleans public schools, Ben Franklin was damaged by several feet of flood water due to [[Hurricane Katrina]]. The school was closed before the storm hit on August 29, 2005, and remained closed for several months. Over [[United States dollar|US $]]3 million in damage was caused by the storm.<ref name="NYTimes1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/national/nationalspecial/04schools.html?ei=5088&en=00ef41bc6a36bc6a&ex=1294030800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1173967365-JsxtLmV/UgFk7kOnSP5h+Q|title=Students Return to Big Changes in New Orleans|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2006-01-04|first=Susan|last=Saulny|access-date=2006-03-15|archive-date=January 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124172939/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/04/national/nationalspecial/04schools.html?ei=5088&en=00ef41bc6a36bc6a&ex=1294030800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1173967365-JsxtLmV%2FUgFk7kOnSP5h%2BQ|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="CBSNews">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/principal-pushes-to-reopen-school/|title=Principal Pushes To Reopen School|access-date=2006-11-17|publisher=CBS News "The Early Show"|date=2006-01-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124172940/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/principal-pushes-to-reopen-school/|archive-date=2016-01-24}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113712107215345713|title=Back to Class: How a Principal In New Orleans Saved Her School|publisher=The Wall Street Journal, p. A1 (dead tree edition)|date=2006-01-13|first=George|last=Anders|access-date=2006-03-15|archive-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121114443/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113712107215345713|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NPR">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5281673|title="Fresh Air": Back in School, Back in New Orleans|access-date=2007-02-15|publisher=National Public Radio|date=2006-03-15|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221530/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5281673|url-status=live}}</ref>


[[File:FranklinClay-SchuleTimken.jpg|thumb|right|Ambassador [[William R. Timken|William R. Timken, Jr.]] accepts a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule on behalf of Ben Franklin.<ref name="Clay-SchuleBand">{{cite web|url=http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/timken_12_08_05.html|title=Speech by Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. to the students of the Clay Oberschule|date=2005-12-08|publisher=''U.S. Embassy in Germany''|accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref>]]
[[File:FranklinClay-SchuleTimken.jpg|thumb|right|Ambassador [[William R. Timken|William R. Timken, Jr.]] accepts a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule on behalf of Ben Franklin.<ref name="Clay-SchuleBand">{{cite web|url=http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/timken_12_08_05.html |title=Speech by Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. to the students of the Clay Oberschule |date=2005-12-08 |publisher=U.S. Embassy in Germany |access-date=2007-03-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924014848/http://germany.usembassy.gov/germany/timken_12_08_05.html |archive-date=2006-09-24 }}</ref>]]
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|William R. Timken, Jr.]], accepted a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule, Ben Franklin's official [[German American Partnership Program|GAPP]] partner school in [[Berlin, Germany]].<ref name="Clay-SchuleBand"/> Monetary contributions included $10,000 from the government of [[France]] and a $70,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries.<ref name="French aid">{{cite web|url=http://www.consulfrance-nouvelleorleans.org/article.php3?id_article=469|title=French Cultural Aid to Louisiana|publisher=''General Consulate of France in New Orleans''|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5UkuK4QSo|archivedate=2008-01-10|accessdate=2007-02-15}}</ref><ref name="LauraBush">{{cite web|url=http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/gcslri/Grantee.FactSheet.8.29.06.pdf|date=2006-08-29|title=Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative: August 2006 Grant Recipients|publisher=''The Laura Bush Foundation''|format=PDF|page=1|accessdate=2008-08-18}}</ref> The school re-opened as a charter school on January 17, 2006, the 300th birthday of its namesake [[Benjamin Franklin]]. 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.<ref name="Reopening">{{cite web|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Jan%2017speech.pdf|format=PDF|title=Camille Bullock's reopening speech|accessdate=2008-07-14|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|date=2006-01-17|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060214120249/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Jan+17speech.pdf|archivedate=2006-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first=Barri| last=Bronston| title=Mind over muck| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''| date=2005-12-05}}</ref> In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a free reception.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/UpToTheMinute.cfm?recid=12896| title=Benjamin Franklin High celebrates 50th anniversary|publisher=''New Orleans CityBusiness''|date=2007-09-20|accessdate=2010-02-26 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5e7gwESNo |archivedate=2009-01-26}}</ref>
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|William R. Timken, Jr.]], accepted a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule, Ben Franklin's official [[German American Partnership Program|GAPP]] partner school in [[Berlin]], Germany.<ref name="Clay-SchuleBand"/> Monetary contributions included $10,000 from the government of [[France]] and a $70,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries.<ref name="French aid">{{cite web|url=http://www.consulfrance-nouvelleorleans.org/article.php3?id_article=469 |title=French Cultural Aid to Louisiana |publisher=General Consulate of France in New Orleans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930021735/http://www.consulfrance-nouvelleorleans.org/article.php3?id_article=469 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |access-date=2007-02-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="LauraBush">{{cite web|url=http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/gcslri/Grantee.FactSheet.8.29.06.pdf |date=2006-08-29 |title=Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative: August 2006 Grant Recipients |publisher=The Laura Bush Foundation |page=1 |access-date=2008-08-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517101917/http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/gcslri/Grantee.FactSheet.8.29.06.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-17 }}</ref> The school re-opened as a charter school on January 17, 2006, the 300th birthday of its namesake [[Benjamin Franklin]]. 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.<ref name="Reopening">{{cite web|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Jan%2017speech.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214120249/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Jan%2017speech.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2006-02-14|title=Camille Bullock's reopening speech|access-date=2008-07-14|publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School|date=2006-01-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first=Barri| last=Bronston| title=Mind over muck| newspaper=The Times-Picayune| date=2005-12-05}}</ref> In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a free reception.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/UpToTheMinute.cfm?recid=12896 |title=Benjamin Franklin High celebrates 50th anniversary |publisher=New Orleans CityBusiness |date=2007-09-20 |access-date=2010-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714174710/http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/UpToTheMinute.cfm?recid=12896 |archive-date=2011-07-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


== Enrollment ==
== Enrollment ==
[[File:BenFranklinSchoolNOLA28May07C.jpg|thumb|left|Ben Franklin High School main entrance on Leon C. Simon Drive]]
[[File:BenFranklinSchoolNOLA28May07C.jpg|thumb|left|Ben Franklin High School main entrance on Leon C. Simon Drive]]
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 [[Grade (education)|GPA]] and performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the [[Iowa Tests of Educational Development]] 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).<ref name="Admissions"/> Ben Franklin had 609 students during the 2009-2010 school year. The demographics were 270 (44.3%) [[White (people)|Caucasian]], 183 (30%) [[African American]], 141 (23.2%) [[Asian American|Asian/Pacific Islander]], 14 (2.23%) [[Hispanic]], and 1 (0.02%) [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian/Alaskan Native]].<ref name="NCES2006">{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=220117000888&ID=220117000888|title=Benjamin Franklin High School|accessdate=2009-03-03|publisher=''National Center for Education Statistics''}}</ref>
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 [[Grading in education|GPA]] and performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the [[Iowa Tests of Educational Development]] for reading, language, and mathematics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ferguson |first=Barbara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B7xaDwAAQBAJ&dq=Benjamin+Franklin+High+School+(New+Orleans)&pg=PA16 |title=Outcomes of the State Takeover of New Orleans Schools |date=2018-04-09 |publisher=Dorrance Publishing |isbn=978-1-4809-5764-0 |page=16 |language=en}}</ref> 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).<ref name="Admissions"/> Ben Franklin had 995 students during the 2018–2019 school year. The demographics were 371 (37.3%) [[White (people)|Caucasian]], 296 (29.8%) [[African American]], 190 (19.1%) [[Asian American|Asian]], 55 (5,5%) [[Hispanic]], 8 (0.8%) [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian/Alaskan Native]]. and 74 (7.4%) multiracial.<ref name="NCES"/>
<!--NOTE: Ben Franklin had 888 students during the 2004-2005 school year. The demographics were 422 (56%) [[White (people)|Caucasian]], non-Hispanic, 239 (27%) [[African American]], 123 (14%) [[Asian American|Asian]], 33 (4%) [[Hispanic]].<ref name="NCES">{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=220117000888&ID=220117000888|title=Benjamin Franklin High School|accessdate=2007-02-23|publisher=''National Center for Education Statistics''}}</ref> as of January 2009, the NCES had not posted updated data for Franklin (ID 220117000888) since Hurricane Katrina. In March 2009, the school was restored with data for 2006-2007-->


== Academics ==
== Academics ==
[[File:BFHS Statue 2006.jpg|thumb|right|A marble statue of [[Benjamin Franklin]] stands in the atrium. The statue was commissioned in 1844 and has been with the school since 1959.<ref name="Franklin statue">{{cite web| url=http://clarionherald.org/20000622/stall.htm|title=Franklin's statue well traveled throughout city| publisher=''Clarion Herald''| date=2000-06-22|first=Buddy|last=Stall|accessdate=2007-02-15| archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20010222091252/http://clarionherald.org/20000622/stall.htm|archivedate=2001-02-22}}</ref>]]
[[File:BFHS Statue 2006.jpg|thumb|right|A marble statue of [[Benjamin Franklin]] stands in the atrium. The statue was commissioned in 1844 and has been with the school since 1959.<ref name="Franklin statue">{{cite web| url=http://clarionherald.org/20000622/stall.htm|title=Franklin's statue well traveled throughout city| publisher=Clarion Herald| date=2000-06-22|first=Buddy|last=Stall|access-date=2007-02-15| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010222091252/http://clarionherald.org/20000622/stall.htm|archive-date=2001-02-22}}</ref>]]
Ben Franklin features a college-preparatory curriculum and an [[Advanced Placement Program|Advanced Placement (AP) Program]]. Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 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, .5 in health, and starting with the class of 2012, 1 credit in the arts.<ref name="2008profile">{{cite web| url=http://www.benfranklinhighschool.org/academics/counselor/2008%20PROFILE%20final.pdf| title=Benjamin Franklin High School 2008 Profile|accessdate=2008-11-23|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|year=2008|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="2009courseguide">{{cite web| url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/academics/counselor/course%20booklet%2009.pdf| title=2009-2010 Course Selection Guide for Students and Parents|accessdate=2009-10-26|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|year=2009|format=PDF}}</ref> 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, and theater. The foreign language offerings are French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, and Latin. Students may also enroll concurrently at local universities and the [[New Orleans Center for Creative Arts]] (NOCCA). The school is within walking distance of the UNO library, and students can obtain library cards through a "special borrowers" program.<ref name="UNOLibrary">{{cite web| url=http://library.uno.edu/aboutus/policies/circ/circ_privileges.cfm| title=UNO Library: Borrowing Privileges|accessdate=2009-09-16|publisher=''University of New Orleans''}}</ref>


Ben Franklin features a college-preparatory curriculum and an [[Advanced Placement Program|Advanced Placement (AP) Program]]. Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 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, .5 in health, and starting with the class of 2012, 1 credit in the arts.<ref name="2008profile">{{cite web|url=http://www.benfranklinhighschool.org/academics/counselor/2008%20PROFILE%20final.pdf|title=Benjamin Franklin High School 2008 Profile|access-date=2008-11-23|publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School|year=2008|archive-date=March 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320174850/http://www.benfranklinhighschool.org/academics/counselor/2008%20PROFILE%20final.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2009courseguide">{{cite web|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/academics/counselor/course%20booklet%2009.pdf|title=2009-2010 Course Selection Guide for Students and Parents|access-date=2009-10-26|publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School|year=2009|archive-date=December 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226165801/http://www.benfranklinhighschool.org/academics/counselor/course%20booklet%2009.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> 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, and theater. The foreign language offerings are French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, and Latin. Students may also enroll concurrently at local universities and the [[New Orleans Center for Creative Arts]] (NOCCA). The school is within walking distance of the UNO library, and students can obtain library cards through a "special borrowers" program.<ref name="UNOLibrary">{{cite web| url=http://library.uno.edu/aboutus/policies/circ/circ_privileges.cfm| title=UNO Library: Borrowing Privileges| access-date=2009-09-16| publisher=University of New Orleans| archive-date=June 9, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609192915/http://library.uno.edu/aboutus/policies/circ/circ_privileges.cfm| url-status=live}}</ref>
According to [[CBS News]], Ben Franklin is "one of the best public high schools in the country — a magnet for the city's smart and motivated students."<ref name="CBSNews"/> Approximately 99.5% of each graduating class enters a four-year college.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/><ref name="BlueRibbonApp2003"/><ref name="catholicreport"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Maloney|first=Stephen|url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=24524| title=Defying the odds|publisher=''New Orleans CityBusiness''|date=2007-10-15|accessdate=2010-02-26 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5eFwLpfGJ| archivedate=2009-02-01}}</ref> Of the 162 students in the class of 2006, 28 were [[National Merit Scholarship Program|National Merit Semifinalists]], 7 were National Achievement Finalists, and 3 were Hispanic Scholars.<ref name="Admissions"/> The class of 2008 produced 17 [[National Merit Scholarship Program#National Achievement Scholarship Program|National Achievement Semifinalists]], the most of any school in the United States.<ref name="TimesPicayune2"/> For the class of 2005, the mean [[SAT]] Verbal score was 645, and the mean SAT Math score was 636. The mean [[ACT (examination)|ACT]] composite score was 27.2.<ref name="Admissions">{{cite web|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Admissions/admit%20book%2007-08.pdf|format=PDF|title=Benjamin Franklin Admissions Booklet|accessdate=2007-02-17|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|year=2007|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061019091749/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Admissions/admit+book+07-08.pdf|archivedate=2006-10-19}}</ref> 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.<ref name="GEE 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/saa/2284.aspx?geespan=Spring&geeyear=2006&detail=36|title=GEE Grades 10 & 11 - First-Time Test Takers|accessdate=2007-02-15|publisher=''Louisiana Department of Education''|year=2006|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070927001833/http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/saa/2284.aspx?geespan=Spring&geeyear=2006&detail=36 |archivedate = September 27, 2007|deadurl=yes}}</ref>
[[File:I am Ben Franklin2.jpg|thumb|I...am Ben Franklin campaign emblem]]

According to [[CBS News]], Ben Franklin is "one of the best public high schools in the country — a magnet for the city's smart and motivated students."<ref name="CBSNews"/> Approximately 99.5% of each graduating class enters a four-year college.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/><ref name="BlueRibbonApp2003"/><ref name="catholicreport"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Maloney |first=Stephen |url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=24524 |title=Defying the odds |publisher=New Orleans CityBusiness |date=2007-10-15 |access-date=2010-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714174710/http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=24524 |archive-date=2011-07-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Of the 162 students in the class of 2006, 28 were [[National Merit Scholarship Program|National Merit Semifinalists]], 7 were National Achievement Finalists, and 3 were Hispanic Scholars.<ref name="Admissions"/> The class of 2008 produced 17 [[National Merit Scholarship Program#National Achievement Scholarship Program|National Achievement Semifinalists]], the most of any school in the United States.<ref name="TimesPicayune2"/> For the class of 2005, the mean [[SAT]] Verbal score was 645, and the mean SAT Math score was 636. The mean [[ACT (examination)|ACT]] composite score was 27.2.<ref name="Admissions">{{cite web|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Admissions/admit%20book%2007-08.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019091749/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/Admissions/admit%20book%2007-08.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2006-10-19|title=Benjamin Franklin Admissions Booklet|access-date=2007-02-17|publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School|year=2007}}</ref> 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.<ref name="GEE 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/saa/2284.aspx?geespan=Spring&geeyear=2006&detail=36|title=GEE Grades 10 & 11 - First-Time Test Takers|access-date=2007-02-15|publisher=Louisiana Department of Education|year=2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001833/http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/saa/2284.aspx?geespan=Spring&geeyear=2006&detail=36 |archive-date = September 27, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> In recent years, Ben Franklin has produced a Morehead-Cain Scholar, a Jefferson Scholar, and many Questbridge Scholars.

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.<ref name="SPSGuide">{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/8099.pdf |title=2004-2005 Accountability User Guide |access-date=2008-07-14 |publisher=Louisiana Department of Education |year=2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320174849/http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/8099.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-20 }}</ref> The following table displays the three schools, along with their respective SPS in 2005.


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.<ref name="SPSGuide">{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/8099.pdf|format=PDF|title=2004-2005 Accountability User Guide|accessdate=2008-07-14|publisher=''Louisiana Department of Education''|year=2005}}</ref> The following table displays the three schools, along with their respective SPS in 2005.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+ 2005 Louisiana School Performance Score (SPS) Comparisons<ref name="SPS-comp-2005">{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/8100pa.xls|format=XLS|title=Fall 2005 Detailed School-Level Tables|accessdate=2007-03-02|publisher=''Louisiana Department of Education''}}</ref> <br /><span class="small"></span>
|+ 2005 Louisiana School Performance Score (SPS) comparisons<ref name="SPS-comp-2005">{{cite web|url=http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/8100pa.xls |format=XLS |title=Fall 2005 Detailed School-Level Tables |access-date=2007-03-02 |publisher=Louisiana Department of Education |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001813/http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/uploads/8100pa.xls |archive-date=2007-09-27 }}</ref> <br />
|-
|- style="background:#cccccc;" align="center"
|width="250" | '''School Name ''' ||width="100" | '''Magnet School Status''' ||width="100" | '''Performance Label (2005)''' ||width="120" | '''Baseline SPS (2005)'''
!width="250" | School name ||width="100" | Magnet school status ||width="100" | Performance label (2005) ||width="120" | Baseline SPS (2005)
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
! Benjamin Franklin Senior High School
! Benjamin Franklin Senior High School
Line 85: Line 88:
| Yes || Five Stars || 171.7
| Yes || Five Stars || 171.7
|}
|}
[[File:US Blue Ribbon School 2003.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Franklin was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2003<ref name="BlueRibbon2003"/>]]
[[File:US Blue Ribbon School 2003.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Franklin was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2003.<ref name="BlueRibbon2003"/>]]
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.<ref name="SPS2008a">{{cite web|url=http://www.wdsu.com/news/17988715/detail.html#-| title=New Orleans Has No. 1 Public School In State|accessdate=2008-11-23|publisher=''WDSU Channel 6''|date=2008-11-15}}</ref><ref name="SPS2008b">{{cite web|last=Simon|first=Darren| url=http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/new_orleans_schools_post_gains.html| title=New Orleans schools post gains in performance scores, though some scores remain low|accessdate=2008-11-23|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-11-07}}</ref>


In the fall of 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.<ref name="SPS2008a">{{cite web|url=http://www.wdsu.com/news/17988715/detail.html#-|title=New Orleans Has No. 1 Public School In State|access-date=2008-11-23|publisher=WDSU Channel 6|date=2008-11-15|archive-date=February 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224083343/http://www.wdsu.com/news/17988715/detail.html#-|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="SPS2008b">{{cite news|last=Simon|first=Darren|url=http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/new_orleans_schools_post_gains.html|title=New Orleans schools post gains in performance scores, though some scores remain low|access-date=2008-11-23|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2008-11-07|archive-date=December 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211183245/http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/new_orleans_schools_post_gains.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Benjamin Franklin High School was named a [[Blue Ribbon Schools Program|National Blue Ribbon School]] by the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]] in 1989, 2003, and 2009.<ref name="BlueRibbon2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2003/public-high.pdf|format=PDF|title=No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public High Schools|accessdate=2006-11-17|publisher=''U.S. Department of Education''|year=2003}}</ref><ref name="BlueRibbon1989">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf|format=PDF|title=List of Blue Ribbon Schools Recognized 1982-2002|accessdate=2007-03-04|publisher=''U.S. Department of Education''}}</ref><ref name="BlueRibbon2009">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2009/national.pdf|format=PDF|title=2009 Blue Ribbon Schools|accessdate=2009-09-21|publisher=''U.S. Department of Education''|year=2009}}</ref> It has been ranked by [[Newsweek]] and [[U.S. News & World Report]] 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.<ref name="Newsweek2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12551652/site/newsweek/|title=The Public Elites|accessdate=2006-11-17|publisher=''Newsweek Magazine''|date=2006-05-08|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20061110121608/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12551652/site/newsweek/|archivedate=2006-11-10}}</ref><ref name="Newsweek2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18784620/site/newsweek/|title=The Public Elites|accessdate=2007-08-07|publisher=''Newsweek Magazine''|date=2007-05-28|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070630214833/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18784620/site/newsweek/|archivedate=2007-06-30}}</ref> In 2008 and 2009, Franklin was no longer listed as a "public elite" and instead ranked numbers 35 and 52, respectively, on the complete Newsweek lists of "America's Top Public High Schools."<ref name="Newsweek2008a">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380|title=The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,300 top U.S. high schools|accessdate=2008-05-21|publisher=''Newsweek Magazine''|date=2008-05-20}}</ref><ref name="Newsweek2009a">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160|title=The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools|accessdate=2009-07-15|publisher=''Newsweek Magazine''|date=2009-06-08}}</ref> 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.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/><ref name="USNews2008"/> Additionally, 2 art and 12 academic [[Presidential Scholar]]s have been selected from the school as of 2007.<ref name="PresScholarSearch">{{cite web|url=http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/PSP/search1a.cfm|title=Presidential Scholars Program Search; State:Louisiana, High School: Benjamin Franklin|accessdate=2007-02-15|publisher=''U.S. Department of Education: Presidential Scholars Program''|date=2006-03-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Jackson| first=Connie|title=High School Senior Writing Her Destiny| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''| page=A1| date=1995-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/2007/scholars.html#louisiana|title=2007 Presidential Scholars|accessdate=2007-05-09|publisher=''U.S. Department of Education''|date=2007-05-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/PSP/student2a.cfm?studID=2407|title=Scholar Information: Wendell Pierce|accessdate=2010-11-29|publisher=''U.S. Department of Education''|date=2010-11-29}}</ref>

Benjamin Franklin High School was named a [[Blue Ribbon Schools Program|National Blue Ribbon School]] by the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]] in 1989, 2003, 2009, 2015, and 2021.<ref name="BlueRibbon2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2003/public-high.pdf|title=No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public High Schools|access-date=2006-11-17|publisher=U.S. Department of Education|year=2003|archive-date=October 6, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061006193317/http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2003/public-high.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BlueRibbon1989">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf |title=List of Blue Ribbon Schools Recognized 1982-2002 |access-date=2007-03-04 |publisher=U.S. Department of Education |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326055622/http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26 }}</ref><ref name="BlueRibbon2009">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2009/national.pdf|title=2009 Blue Ribbon Schools|access-date=2009-09-21|publisher=U.S. Department of Education|year=2009|archive-date=October 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007063834/http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2009/national.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BlueRibbon2015">{{cite web|url=http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2015/high-schools.pdf|title=2015 Blue Ribbon Schools|access-date=2015-09-29|publisher=U.S. Department of Education|year=2015|archive-date=September 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930194703/http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2015/high-schools.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BlueRibbon2021">{{cite web|url=https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/reports/2021/2021_high_schools.pdf|title=2021 Blue Ribbon Schools|access-date=2021-10-11|publisher=U.S. Department of Education|year=2021|archive-date=September 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923100244/https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/reports/2021/2021_high_schools.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been ranked by ''[[Newsweek]]'' and ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' 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.<ref name="Newsweek2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12551652/site/newsweek/|title=The Public Elites|access-date=2006-11-17|publisher=Newsweek Magazine|date=2006-05-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110121608/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12551652/site/newsweek/|archive-date=2006-11-10}}</ref><ref name="Newsweek2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18784620/site/newsweek/|title=The Public Elites|access-date=2007-08-07|publisher=Newsweek Magazine|date=2007-05-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630214833/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18784620/site/newsweek/|archive-date=2007-06-30}}</ref> In 2008 and 2009, Franklin was no longer listed as a "public elite" and instead ranked numbers 35 and 52, respectively, on the complete Newsweek lists of "America's Top Public High Schools."<ref name="Newsweek2008a">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380|title=The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,300 top U.S. high schools|access-date=2008-05-21|publisher=Newsweek Magazine|date=2008-05-20|archive-date=October 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018015628/http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Newsweek2009a">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160|title=The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools|access-date=2009-07-15|publisher=Newsweek Magazine|date=2009-06-08|archive-date=June 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624014521/http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/><ref name="USNews2008"/> Additionally, two art and 12 academic [[Presidential Scholar]]s had been selected from the school as of 2007.<ref name="PresScholarSearch">{{cite web|url=http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/PSP/search1a.cfm|title=Presidential Scholars Program Search; State:Louisiana, High School: Benjamin Franklin|access-date=2007-02-15|publisher=U.S. Department of Education: Presidential Scholars Program|date=2006-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217003834/http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/PSP/search1a.cfm|archive-date=2007-02-17|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Jackson| first=Connie|title=High School Senior Writing Her Destiny| newspaper=The Times-Picayune| page=A1| date=1995-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/2007/scholars.html#louisiana|title=2007 Presidential Scholars|access-date=2007-05-09|publisher=U.S. Department of Education|date=2007-05-01|archive-date=May 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509152751/http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/2007/scholars.html#louisiana|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/PSP/student2a.cfm?studID=2407|title=Scholar Information: Wendell Pierce|access-date=2010-11-29|publisher=U.S. Department of Education|date=2010-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716150917/http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/PSP/student2a.cfm?studID=2407|archive-date=2011-07-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> The class of 2014 produced 25 National Merit semi-finalists, 15 National Achievement semi-finalists, three National Hispanic Scholars and fifteen National Merit Commended Scholars. 17 Benjamin Franklin seniors were named finalists in the 2014 competition for National Merit Scholarships.


== Extracurricular activities ==
== Extracurricular activities ==
=== Performing arts ===
The music program at Ben Franklin was founded by [[Peter Dombourian]], who served as part-time band director and music teacher from 1974 until 1991.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/obits/1/d-13.txt |title=Dombourian- Peter M. Dombourian, Conductor, Musician And Music Educator, Died Of Cancer Monday At Southern Baptist Hospital |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |date=1992-01-14 |access-date=2009-01-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315053231/http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/obits/1/d-13.txt |archive-date=2011-03-15 }}</ref> His students included [[trumpeter]] [[Wynton Marsalis]], who enrolled concurrently at Ben Franklin and NOCCA.<ref name="MarsalisInterview1">{{cite web|url=http://www.garciamusic.com/educator/articles/marsalis.html|title=Wynton Marsalis: Speaking from the Melody|publisher=IAJE Jazz Education Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1|date=July 1996|first=Antonio J|last=Garcia|access-date=2008-02-21|archive-date=May 15, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515120302/http://www.garciamusic.com/educator/articles/marsalis.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="UCCJWM Music">{{cite web|url=http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/pdfs/jwm_publiceducation.pdf|last=Resseger|first=Jan|year=2007|title=Public Education In New Orleans In the Aftermath of Katrina|publisher=United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries|page=1|access-date=2008-07-27|archive-date=October 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023014217/http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/pdfs/jwm_publiceducation.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Tipitina's Foundation]], 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.<ref name="CityBusiness Music">{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20070528/ai_n19183148|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613052259/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20070528/ai_n19183148|url-status=dead|archive-date=2022-06-13|last=Maloney|first=Stephen|date=2007-05-28|title=Tipitina's Foundation in N.O. playing off the city's musical|publisher=New Orleans CityBusiness|access-date=2008-07-27}}</ref><ref name="Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.mhopus.org/katrina-list.asp |title=Katrina Donations |publisher=The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation |access-date=2008-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723194538/http://www.mhopus.org/katrina-list.asp |archive-date=2008-07-23 }}</ref> Student musicians in the [[concert band]] and [[string orchestra]] participate annually in the Louisiana Music Educator's Association (LMEA) State Festivals, where they often collect "Superior" ratings.<ref name="BlueRibbonApp2003">.
{{cite web| url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2003/applications/la-benjamin-franklin.pdf| title=Blue Ribbon Schools Program Application - Benjamin Franklin High School| publisher=U.S. Department of Education| page=6| access-date=2008-07-27| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115192255/http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2003/applications/la-benjamin-franklin.pdf| archive-date=2008-11-15| url-status=dead}}</ref>


Franklin also has a theater program. 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 [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] survivor/author [[Eva Schloss]] in attendance. The play was co-sponsored by the [[National World War II Museum]] and coincided with Schloss' lecture at the museum.<ref name="SchlossT-P">{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1204784410258350.xml&coll=1|title=Holocaust survivor's story comes to life on the stage|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2008-03-06|first=Nina|last=Wolgelenter|access-date=2008-04-22}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="SchlossWWII-M">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalww2museum.org/about/news_evaschloss.html |title=A conversation with Eva Schloss at The National World War II Museum |publisher=The National World War II Museum |date=2008-02-17 |access-date=2008-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511154051/http://www.nationalww2museum.org/about/news_evaschloss.html |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Athletics ===
[[File:BFHS New Orleans Falcon Logo.png|thumb|right|Logo of the Ben Franklin Falcons]]
Ben Franklin teams are known as the "Falcons" with school colors green, white, and orange. The Falcons are in District 10-4A (Div. II) of the [[Louisiana High School Athletic Association]] and features the following athletic programs:<ref name="LHSAAProfile">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaaonline.org/ViewMemberSchool.aspx?r=560&p=0|title=FRANKLIN, BEN|accessdate=2008-11-18 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/studentlife/athletics/index.htm|title=Athletics|accessdate=2009-05-12 |publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090412063103/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/studentlife/athletics/index.htm <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archivedate=2009-04-12}}</ref>
* Girls: [[basketball]], [[cheerleading]], [[cross country running|cross country]], [[dance team]], [[golf]], [[soccer]], [[softball]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]], [[tennis]], [[Track and field|track]], [[volleyball]].
* Boys: [[baseball]], [[basketball]], [[cross country running|cross country]], [[American football|football]], [[golf]], [[soccer]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]], [[tennis]], [[Track and field|track]].


[[File:Riverbend Review Cover Spring 2008 BFHS.jpg|thumb|right|70px|Cover of the Spring 2008 volume of ''The Riverbend Review'']]
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.<ref name="LHSAA archives">{{cite web|url=http://lhsaa.org/ChampionshipZone.htm|title=State Championship Archives starting from 1996|accessdate=2007-02-24|publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071101144230/http://www.lhsaa.org/ChampionshipZone.htm|archivedate=2007-11-01}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Sports greatness">{{cite web|url=http://clarionherald.org/20040811/art006.htm|title=Greatness abounds in legacy of N.O. junior athletics|publisher=''Clarion Herald''|date=2004-08-11|first=Ron|last=Brocato|accessdate=2007-02-15|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20041122043051/http://clarionherald.org/20040811/art006.htm|archivedate=2004-11-22}}</ref><ref name="PulizzanoFired">{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-38/121609934136570.xml&coll=1|title=Pulizzano out at Ben Franklin|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-07-15|first=Pierce|last=Huff|accessdate=2008-07-24}}</ref>


=== Publications ===
Accomplishments since 1996 include:
Franklin also has a TV station for students known as FTV. Ben Franklin publications include ''The Riverbend Review '' (literary magazine), and ''The Franklin Falcon'' (yearbook). The ''Riverbend Review'', published since 1987, has received numerous awards from the [[Columbia Scholastic Press Association]] and the American Scholastic Press Association, winning a Silver Crown and First Place classification in 2008 and a Gold Crown and First Place with Special Merit classification in 2009.<ref name="CSPA 2008">{{cite web|url=http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2008-scholastic-crown.html#N100BA |title=2008 Scholastic Crowns |publisher=Columbia Scholastic Press Association |access-date=2008-11-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001084605/http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2008-scholastic-crown.html |archive-date=2008-10-01 }}</ref><ref name="CSPA 2009">{{cite web|url=http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2009-scholastic-crown.html#N1005F |title=2009 Scholastic Crowns |publisher=Columbia Scholastic Press Association |access-date=2009-05-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609185041/http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2009-scholastic-crown.html |archive-date=2010-06-09 }}</ref><ref name="ASPA 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm|title=Top-Scoring Magazines for 2007 and Advisers|publisher=American Scholastic Press Association|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080101085350/http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm|archive-date=2008-01-01}}</ref><ref name="ASPA 2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm |title=Top-Scoring Magazines for 2008 and Advisers |publisher=American Scholastic Press Association |access-date=2009-05-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522022847/http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm |archive-date=2009-05-22 }}</ref> The Spring 2008 volume featured student poetry, short stories, original art, and an interview with writer [[Andrei Codrescu]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Devin|url=http://blog.nola.com/charterschools/2008/09/awardwinning_riverbend_review.html|title=Award-Winning Riverbend Review Book Signing|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2008-09-12|access-date=2009-05-07|archive-date=April 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406091020/http://blog.nola.com/charterschools/2008/09/awardwinning_riverbend_review.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* swimming-girls (AAAA Champion 1997; Runner-up 1996, 1999)<ref name="LHSAA9697">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1996-97ListofChampions.htm |title=1996-1997 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185218/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1996-97ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA9798">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1997-98ListofChampions.htm |title=1997-1998 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185223/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1997-98ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA9900">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1999-2000ListofChampions.htm |title=1999-2000 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185234/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1999-2000ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref>
* swimming-boys (AAAA Champion 2001; Runner-up 1999, 2000)<ref name="LHSAA9900"/><ref name="LHSAA0102">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2001-02ListofChampions.htm |title=2001-2002 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185244/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2001-02ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0001">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2000-01ListofChampions.htm |title=2000-2001 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185239/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2000-01ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref>
* volleyball (AAAA Champion 1996,2002,2003; Runner-up 1997, 2004)<ref name="LHSAA9697"/><ref name="LHSAA9798"/><ref name="LHSAA0203">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2002-03ListofChampions.htm |title=2002-2003 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185249/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2002-03ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0304">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2003-04ListofChampions.htm |title=2003-2004 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185254/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2003-04ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0405">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2004-05ListofChampions.htm |title=2004-2005 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071109185259/www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2004-05ListofChampions.htm|archivedate=2007-11-09}}</ref>
* girls' soccer (AAAA Champion 1998,2003,2004)<ref name="LHSAA9798"/><ref name="LHSAA0203"/><ref name="LHSAA0304"/>
* boys' soccer (AAAA Champion 2004; AAAA Runner-up 2005; AAA Runner-up 2011)<ref name="LHSAA0304"/><ref name="LHSAA0405"/><ref name="Soccer 2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/178-b.pdf |title=2011 Boys’ Soccer Playoff Brackets |accessdate=2011-03-15 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''|format=PDF}}</ref>
* tennis-girls (AAAA Runner-up 1997)<ref name="LHSAA9697"/>
* tennis-boys (AAA Champion 2008, 2009; AAAA Runner-up 2004, 2006, 2007; AAA Runner-up 2010)<ref name="LHSAA0304"/><ref name="Tennis 2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/27-r.pdf |title=2008 State Tennis Results |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="Tennis 2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/138-r.pdf |title=2009 State Tennis Results |accessdate=2009-05-26 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0506p6">{{cite web |url=http://lhsaa.org/StateChampions20052006/list6.htm |title=2005-2006 LHSAA State Champions |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association'' | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060813215837/http://lhsaa.org/StateChampions20052006/list6.htm |archivedate=2006-08-13}}</ref><ref name="Tennis 2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/28-r.pdf |title=2007 State Tennis Results |accessdate=2008-12-10 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="Tennis 2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/160-r.pdf |title=2010 State Tennis Results |accessdate=2010-05-20 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''|format=PDF}}</ref>
*Cheerleaders (First place at the Spirit Blast Cheer and Dance Championship 2010 against two other schools)


== Athletics ==
In 2007, the Ben Franklin football team made the Class 3A playoffs for the first time in school history.<ref name="WGNO Honors">{{cite web|url=http://abc26.trb.com/news/wgno_news_052108benfranklintophonors,0,7524447.story|title=Ben Franklin High School Gets Top Honors -- In More Ways than One|publisher=''ABC 26 News WGNO''|date=2008-05-21|first=Laila|last=Morcos|accessdate=2008-07-24|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5aOOs0nUQ|archivedate=2008-08-27}}</ref> However, the team went on to lose in the first round to Amite High School.<ref name="2007Football">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/2007FBBrackets/brackets3.htm|date=2007-12-08| archivedate=2007-12-31|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071112090823/www.lhsaa.org/2007FBBrackets/brackets3.htm|title=2007 LHSAA Football Playoff Brackets - Class 3A|accessdate=2009-01-26 |publisher=''Louisiana High School Athletic Association''}}</ref>
[[File:BFHS New Orleans Falcon Logo.png|thumb|right|Logo of the Ben Franklin Falcons]]
Ben Franklin teams are known as the "Falcons" with school colors green, white, and orange. The Falcons are in District 11-4A (Div. II) of the [[Louisiana High School Athletic Association]] and features the following athletic programs:<ref name="LHSAAProfile">{{cite web|url=http://lhsaa.org/schools/school-directory/franklin-ben|title=FRANKLIN, BEN|access-date=2008-11-18|publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association|archive-date=September 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917125419/http://www.lhsaa.org/schools/school-directory/franklin-ben|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://benfranklinhighschool.org/studentlife/athletics/index.htm |title=Athletics |access-date=2009-05-12 |publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412063103/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/studentlife/athletics/index.htm |archive-date=2009-04-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


* Girls: [[basketball]], [[cheerleading]], [[cross country running|cross country]], [[dance team]], [[golf]], [[soccer]], [[softball]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]], [[tennis]], [[Track and field|track]], [[volleyball]]
=== Performing arts ===
* Boys: [[baseball]], [[basketball]], [[cross country running|cross country]], [[American football|football]], [[golf]], [[soccer]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]], [[tennis]], [[Track and field|track]]
The music program at Ben Franklin was founded by [[Peter Dombourian]], who served as part-time band director and music teacher from 1974 until 1991.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/orleans/obits/1/d-13.txt| title=Dombourian- Peter M. Dombourian, Conductor, Musician And Music Educator, Died Of Cancer Monday At Southern Baptist Hospital| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''| date=1992-01-14|accessdate=2009-01-26}}</ref> His students included [[trumpeter]] [[Wynton Marsalis]], who enrolled concurrently at Ben Franklin and NOCCA.<ref name="MarsalisInterview1">{{cite web|url=http://www.garciamusic.com/educator/articles/marsalis.html|title=Wynton Marsalis: Speaking from the Melody|publisher=''IAJE Jazz Education Journal'', Vol. 29, No. 1|date=July 1996|first=Antonio J|last=Garcia|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> 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.<ref name="UCCJWM Music">{{cite web|url=http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/pdfs/jwm_publiceducation.pdf|last=Resseger|first=Jan|year=2007|title=Public Education In New Orleans In the Aftermath of Katrina|publisher=''United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries''|format=PDF|page=1|accessdate=2008-07-27}}</ref> The [[Tipitina's Foundation]], 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.<ref name="CityBusiness Music">{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_20070528/ai_n19183148|last=Maloney|first=Stephen|date=2007-05-28|title=Tipitina's Foundation in N.O. playing off the city's musical|publisher =''New Orleans CityBusiness''|accessdate=2008-07-27}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name="Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.mhopus.org/katrina-list.asp|title=Katrina Donations|publisher=''The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation''|accessdate=2008-07-27}}</ref> Student musicians in the [[concert band]] and [[string orchestra]] participate annually in the Louisiana Music Educator's Association (LMEA) State Festivals, where they often collect "Superior" ratings.<ref name="BlueRibbonApp2003">.
{{cite web| url=http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2003/applications/la-benjamin-franklin.pdf| title=Blue Ribbon Schools Program Application - Benjamin Franklin High School| publisher=''U.S. Department of Education''|format=PDF|page=6|accessdate=2008-07-27}}</ref>


===Championships===
Franklin also has a theater program. 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 [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] survivor/author [[Eva Schloss]] in attendance. The play was co-sponsored by the [[National World War II Museum]] and coincided with Schloss' lecture at the museum.<ref name="SchlossT-P">{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1204784410258350.xml&coll=1|title=Holocaust survivor's story comes to life on the stage|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-03-06|first=Nina|last=Wolgelenter|accessdate=2008-04-22}}</ref><ref name="SchlossWWII-M">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalww2museum.org/about/news_evaschloss.html|title=A conversation with Eva Schloss at The National World War II Museum|publisher=''The National World War II Museum''|date=2008-02-17|accessdate=2008-04-22|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5aOOnejpU|archivedate=2008-08-27}}</ref>
The Ben Franklin girls' soccer team was the Class 4A State Champion in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. The volleyball team won state titles in 1996, 2002, and 2003.<ref name="LHSAA archives">{{cite web|url=http://lhsaa.org/sports/brackets-results/overview|title=Current and Archived Bracket Results|access-date=2020-02-11|publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association|archive-date=February 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216225855/http://lhsaa.org/sports/brackets-results/overview|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Sports greatness">{{cite web|url=http://clarionherald.org/20040811/art006.htm|title=Greatness abounds in legacy of N.O. junior athletics|publisher=Clarion Herald|date=2004-08-11|first=Ron|last=Brocato|access-date=2007-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041122043051/http://clarionherald.org/20040811/art006.htm|archive-date=2004-11-22}}</ref><ref name="PulizzanoFired">{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-38/121609934136570.xml&coll=1|title=Pulizzano out at Ben Franklin|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2008-07-15|first=Pierce|last=Huff|access-date=2008-07-24}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


Accomplishments since 1996 include:
[[File:Riverbend Review Cover Spring 2008 BFHS.jpg|thumb|right|70px|Cover of the Spring 2008 volume of ''The Riverbend Review'']]
* swimming-girls (AAAA Champion 1997; Runner-up 1996, 1999)<ref name="LHSAA9697">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1996-97ListofChampions.htm |title=1996-1997 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185218/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1996-97ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA9798">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1997-98ListofChampions.htm |title=1997-1998 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185223/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1997-98ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA9900">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1999-2000ListofChampions.htm |title=1999-2000 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185234/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/1999-2000ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref>
* swimming-boys (AAAA Champion 2001; Runner-up 1999, 2000)<ref name="LHSAA9900"/><ref name="LHSAA0102">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2001-02ListofChampions.htm |title=2001-2002 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185244/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2001-02ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0001">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2000-01ListofChampions.htm |title=2000-2001 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185239/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2000-01ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref>
* volleyball (AAAA Champion 1996,2002,2003; Runner-up 1997, 2004)<ref name="LHSAA9697"/><ref name="LHSAA9798"/><ref name="LHSAA0203">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2002-03ListofChampions.htm |title=2002-2003 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185249/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2002-03ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0304">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2003-04ListofChampions.htm |title=2003-2004 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185254/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2003-04ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0405">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2004-05ListofChampions.htm |title=2004-2005 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185259/http://www.lhsaa.org/stateresults/Archives/2004-05ListofChampions.htm|archive-date=2007-11-09}}</ref>
* girls' soccer (AAAA Champion 1998, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)<ref name="LHSAA archives"/><ref name="LHSAA9798"/><ref name="LHSAA0203"/><ref name="LHSAA0304"/>
* boys' soccer (AAAA Champion 2004; AAAA Runner-up 2005; AAA Runner-up 2011)<ref name="LHSAA0304"/><ref name="LHSAA0405"/><ref name="Soccer 2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/178-b.pdf |title=2011 Boys' Soccer Playoff Brackets |access-date=2011-03-15 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719172903/http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/178-b.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-19 }}</ref>
* girls' tennis (AAAA Runner-up 1997)<ref name="LHSAA9697"/>
* boys' tennis (AAA Champion 2008, 2009; AAAA Runner-up 2004, 2006, 2007; AAA Runner-up 2010)<ref name="LHSAA0304"/><ref name="Tennis 2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/27-r.pdf |title=2008 State Tennis Results |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320174849/http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/27-r.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-20 }}</ref><ref name="Tennis 2009">{{cite web|url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/138-r.pdf |title=2009 State Tennis Results |access-date=2009-05-26 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719172720/http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/138-r.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-19 }}</ref><ref name="LHSAA0506p6">{{cite web |url=http://lhsaa.org/StateChampions20052006/list6.htm |title=2005-2006 LHSAA State Champions |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813215837/http://lhsaa.org/StateChampions20052006/list6.htm |archive-date=2006-08-13}}</ref><ref name="Tennis 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/28-r.pdf |title=2007 State Tennis Results |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320174850/http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/28-r.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-20 }}</ref><ref name="Tennis 2010">{{cite web|url=http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/160-r.pdf |title=2010 State Tennis Results |access-date=2010-05-20 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719172821/http://www.lhsaa.org/images/db_results/160-r.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-19 }}</ref>
*Cheerleaders (First place at the Spirit Blast Cheer and Dance Championship 2010 against two other schools)


In 2007, the Ben Franklin football team made the Class 3A playoffs for the first time in school history.<ref name="WGNO Honors">{{cite web |url=http://abc26.trb.com/news/wgno_news_052108benfranklintophonors,0,7524447.story |title=Ben Franklin High School Gets Top Honors -- In More Ways than One |publisher=ABC 26 News WGNO |date=2008-05-21 |first=Laila |last=Morcos |access-date=2008-07-24 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5aOOs0nUQ?url=http://abc26.trb.com/news/wgno_news_052108benfranklintophonors,0,7524447.story |archive-date=2008-08-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, the team lost in the first round to Amite High School.<ref name="2007Football">{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsaa.org/2007FBBrackets/brackets3.htm|date=2007-12-08| archive-date=2007-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112090823/http://www.lhsaa.org/2007FBBrackets/brackets3.htm|title=2007 LHSAA Football Playoff Brackets - Class 3A|access-date=2009-01-26 |publisher=Louisiana High School Athletic Association}}</ref>
=== Publications ===
Franklin also has a TV station for students known as FTV. Ben Franklin publications include ''The Riverbend Review '' (literary magazine), and ''The Franklin Falcon'' (yearbook). The ''Riverbend Review'', published since 1987, has received numerous awards from the [[Columbia Scholastic Press Association]] and the '''American Scholastic Press Association''', winning a Silver Crown and First Place classification in 2008 and a Gold Crown and First Place with Special Merit classification in 2009.<ref name="CSPA 2008">{{cite web|url=http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2008-scholastic-crown.html#N100BA|title= 2008 Scholastic Crowns|publisher=''Columbia Scholastic Press Association''|accessdate=2008-11-22}}</ref><ref name="CSPA 2009">{{cite web|url=http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/contests-and-critiques/crown-awards/recipients/2009-scholastic-crown.html#N1005F|title= 2009 Scholastic Crowns|publisher=''Columbia Scholastic Press Association''|accessdate=2009-05-07}}</ref><ref name="ASPA 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm|title=Top-Scoring Magazines for 2007 and Advisers|publisher=''American Scholastic Press Association''|accessdate=2009-05-07|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080101085350/http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm|archivedate=2008-01-01}}</ref><ref name="ASPA 2008">{{cite web|url=http://www.asan.com/asa/aspa1.htm|title=Top-Scoring Magazines for 2008 and Advisers|publisher=''American Scholastic Press Association''|accessdate=2009-05-07}}</ref> The Spring 2008 volume featured student poetry, short stories, original art, and an interview with writer [[Andrei Codrescu]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Devin |url=http://blog.nola.com/charterschools/2008/09/awardwinning_riverbend_review.html|title=Award-Winning Riverbend Review Book Signing|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-09-12|accessdate=2009-05-07}}</ref>


== Yearbook 2006 ==
== ''Yearbook 2006'' ==
The class of 2006 was the subject of an online documentary called [http://y06.org/ Yearbook 2006], 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]]'s Spirit of Recovery conference and [[USA Today]],<ref name="SAMHSA 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.samhsa.gov/SAMHSA_NEWS/VolumeXIV_4/article4.htm|title=SAMHSA News: July/August 2006, Volume 14, Number 4|publisher=''Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration''|accessdate=2007-04-16}}</ref><ref name="USAToday 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-08-28-katrina-yearbook_x.htm |title=Class of Katrina carries on|publisher=''USA Today''|date=2006-08-28|first=Colleen|last=Clark|accessdate=2006-04-16}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Yearbook06">{{cite web|url=http://y06.org/about.html|title=Yearbook 2006|publisher=''bluecadet interactive''|accessdate=2007-04-16|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071208123255/http://y06.org/about.html|archivedate=2007-12-08}}</ref>
The class of 2006 was the subject of an online documentary called ''Yearbook 2006'',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061106135752/http://www.y06.org/ ''Yearbook 2006'']</ref> 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]]'s Spirit of Recovery conference and ''[[USA Today]]'',<ref name="SAMHSA 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.samhsa.gov/SAMHSA_NEWS/VolumeXIV_4/article4.htm|title=SAMHSA News: July/August 2006, Volume 14, Number 4|publisher=Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration|access-date=2007-04-16|archive-date=July 13, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713125034/http://www.samhsa.gov/SAMHSA_News/VolumeXIV_4/article4.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="USAToday 2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-08-28-katrina-yearbook_x.htm|title=Class of Katrina carries on|newspaper=USA Today|date=2006-08-28|first=Colleen|last=Clark|access-date=2006-04-16|archive-date=June 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626013224/http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-08-28-katrina-yearbook_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> 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."<ref name="Yearbook06">{{cite web|url=http://y06.org/about.html|title=Yearbook 2006|publisher=bluecadet interactive|access-date=2007-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208123255/http://y06.org/about.html|archive-date=2007-12-08}}</ref>


== Accusations of bias in admissions ==
== Accusations of bias in admissions ==
The school's selective admissions policies have led to accusations of bias.<ref name="catholicreport">{{cite web|last=Stokley|first=Viebica|url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/012299/012299c.htm| title=A tale of two schools|publisher=''National Catholic Reporter''|date=1999-01-22|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> Before Hurricane Katrina, it was estimated that 450 of 800 applicants on average were not accepted because of insufficient grades and test scores.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ritea |first=Steve|url=http://www.algierscharterschools.org/updates_news/article_126.htm| title=Natural Selection |publisher=''The Times Picayune''|date=2006-10-23|accessdate=2009-01-25|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080106233923/http://www.algierscharterschools.org/updates_news/article_126.htm|archivedate=2008-01-06}}</ref> Compared to the rest of the city, the school has a disproportionately low percentage of African Americans.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Holley-Walker |first=Danielle |url=http://connecticutlawreview.org/archive/v40n1/Holley-Walker%20125%20-%20163.pdf| title=The Accountability Cycle: The Recovery School District Act and New Orleans’ Charter Schools|publisher=''Connecticut Law Review''|page=147| volume=40 |issue=1|date=November 2007| format=PDF|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref> Carl Galmon, a local activist, claimed in 1996 that Franklin's admissions tests are culturally biased against black students.<ref>{{cite web|last=Varney |first=James|url=http://www.nola.com/speced/magnet/tp040498b.html| title=Activist wages war on school |publisher=''The Times Picayune''|date=1998-04-05|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref> Following Katrina, the school converted to a charter school and preserved its selective admissions system.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/><ref name="WSJ"/> The school has received praise for traditionally producing some of the "highest-performing students in the entire state of Louisiana,"<ref name="ForcedtoFail"/> including an exceptional number of students awarded by the National Achievement Scholarship Program of the [[National Merit Scholarship Corporation]], a program open only to African Americans.<ref name="TimesPicayune2"/>
The school's selective admissions policies have led to accusations of bias.<ref name="catholicreport">{{cite news|last=Stokley|first=Viebica|url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/012299/012299c.htm|title=A tale of two schools|newspaper=National Catholic Reporter|date=1999-01-22|access-date=2009-09-16|archive-date=July 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716085933/http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999a/012299/012299c.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Before Hurricane Katrina, it was estimated that 450 of 800 applicants on average were not accepted because of insufficient grades and test scores.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ritea |first=Steve |url=http://www.algierscharterschools.org/updates_news/article_126.htm |title=Natural Selection |publisher=The Times Picayune |date=2006-10-23 |access-date=2009-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715093638/http://www.algierscharterschools.org/updates_news/article_126.htm |archive-date=July 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Compared to the rest of the city, as of 2007, the school has a disproportionately low percentage of African Americans.<ref>{{cite web|last=Holley-Walker|first=Danielle|url=http://connecticutlawreview.org/archive/v40n1/Holley-Walker%20125%20-%20163.pdf|title=The Accountability Cycle: The Recovery School District Act and New Orleans' Charter Schools|publisher=Connecticut Law Review|page=147|volume=40|issue=1|date=November 2007|access-date=2009-01-25|archive-date=2009-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320174849/http://connecticutlawreview.org/archive/v40n1/Holley-Walker%20125%20-%20163.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Carl Galmon, a local activist, claimed in 1996 that Franklin's admissions tests are culturally biased against black students.<ref>{{cite web|last=Varney|first=James|url=http://www.nola.com/speced/magnet/tp040498b.html|title=Activist wages war on school|publisher=The Times Picayune|date=1998-04-05|access-date=2009-01-25|archive-date=February 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215222450/http://www.nola.com/speced/magnet/tp040498b.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Following Katrina, the school converted to a charter school and preserved its selective admissions system.<ref name="USNewsFeature2008"/><ref name="WSJ"/> The school has received praise for traditionally producing some of the "highest-performing students in the entire state of Louisiana,"<ref name="ForcedtoFail"/> including an exceptional number of students awarded by the National Achievement Scholarship Program of the [[National Merit Scholarship Corporation]], a program open only to African Americans.<ref name="TimesPicayune2"/>


== Notable alumni ==
== Notable alumni ==
<!-- People with Wikipedia articles; maintain alphabetical order-->
[[File:Bush Wynton 2005 National Medal of Arts.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Ben Franklin/[[NOCCA]] alumnus [[Wynton Marsalis]] with former President George W. Bush]]

* 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<ref name="KimBoyle1">{{cite web|url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/pdfuploads/Leadership%20in%20law%202007.pdf|format=PDF|title=2007 Leadership in Law|accessdate=2010-02-26|publisher=''New Orleans CityBusiness''|date=2007-04-02 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5cy6UNoCl| archivedate=2008-12-10}}</ref><ref name="KimBoyle2">{{cite web|url=http://www.phelpsdunbar.com/firm-news/press-release/article/louisiana-state-bar-association-names-phelps-dunbar-partner-president-elect-986.html|title= Louisiana State Bar Association Names Phelps Dunbar Partner President-Elect|publisher=''Phelps Dunbar LLP''|date=2007-11-16|accessdate=2008-01-18}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
*[[Barry Ashe]]: Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana<ref name="BarryAshe">{{cite news |url=https://www.nola.com/national_politics/2018/08/federal_judge_barry_ashe_new_o.html |title=Meet Barry Ashe, the newest federal judge in New Orleans |access-date=2018-08-30 |author=Drew Broach |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |year=2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829012810/https://www.nola.com/national_politics/2018/08/federal_judge_barry_ashe_new_o.html |archive-date=2018-08-29 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet: opera singer - attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA<ref>{{cite news |last=Manalla |first=Christine L |title=Grand march|publisher=''New Orleans Magazine''|date=1999-03-01}}</ref>
*[[Gilda Barabino]]: president-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science<ref name="GildaBarabino">{{cite news |url=https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_50688eb2-7d41-11eb-bddb-1f3f96eb18ba.html |title=Gilda Barabino, Xavier graduate raised in New Orleans, to lead world's largest science society |access-date=2021-06-23 |author=David Hammer |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |date=2021-03-05 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204634/https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_50688eb2-7d41-11eb-bddb-1f3f96eb18ba.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Lolis Eric Elie]]: former columnist at the [[Times-Picayune]], TV writer for [[Treme (TV series)|''Treme'']] and [[Hell on Wheels (TV series)|''Hell on Wheels'']], author, award winning documentary filmmaker, author of ''Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country'' (ISBN 1-58008-660-8)<ref name="LolisEricElie">{{Cite news|title=New Columnist| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|page=A1, National|date=1995-07-05}}</ref>
* [[Hong Chau]]: actress<ref name="walker">{{cite news | last=Walker | first=Dave | url=http://www.nola.com/treme-hbo/index.ssf/2012/11/actress_hong_chau_brings_new_o.html | title=Actress Hong Chau brings New Orleans background to role as 'Treme's' Linh | work=[[The Times-Picayune]] | date=November 18, 2012 | access-date=September 5, 2017 }}</ref>
* [[Ted Frank]]: Director of the [[AEI Legal Center for the Public Interest]]<ref name="TedFrank">{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Ted|url=http://tedfrank.powerblogs.com/archives/archive_2005_04_17-2005_04_23.shtml|title=Who is this Ted Frank guy anyway?|accessdate=2008-09-15 |work=Lagniappe: an unserious blog|publisher=published by Ted Frank|date=2004-04-23|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061114050953/http://tedfrank.powerblogs.com/archives/archive_2005_04_17-2005_04_23.shtml |archivedate = November 14, 2006|deadurl=yes}}</ref>
*[[Dee-1|David "Dee-1" Augustine]]: rapper<ref>{{cite web|last=Dennis|first=David|title=DEE-1: GOOD CLEAN LIVING|url=http://www.offbeat.com/2012/03/01/dee-1-good-clean-living/|access-date=1 March 2012|archive-date=May 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525161345/https://www.offbeat.com/2012/03/01/dee-1-good-clean-living/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* David Freedman: General Manager of [[WWOZ|WWOZ-FM 90.7]] 1992–present<ref name="NOCityBusiness1">{{cite web|last=Clanton|first=Brett|url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=2575|title=Radio station mgr. discusses local music industry|accessdate=2010-02-26|publisher=''New Orleans CityBusiness''|date=2002-03-11 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5eFvshNXT| archivedate=2009-02-01}}</ref>
* [[Lolis Eric Elie]]: former columnist at ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'', TV writer for [[Treme (TV series)|''Treme'']] and [[Hell on Wheels (TV series)|''Hell on Wheels'']], author, award-winning documentary filmmaker, author of ''Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country''<ref name="LolisEricElie">{{cite news|title=New Columnist| newspaper=The Times-Picayune|page=A1, National|date=1995-07-05}}</ref>
* Lisa Gaddis: Research Geologist & Chief Scientist: [[U.S. Geological Survey]] Astrogeology Program, [[NASA]] Principal Investigator<ref name="LisaGaddis">{{cite web|url= http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/About/People/LisaGaddis/|title=Lisa R. Gaddis, Geologist & Program Chief|publisher= ''U.S. Geological Survey'' |accessdate=2008-01-12}}</ref>
* [[Ted Frank]]: director of the [[AEI Legal Center for the Public Interest]]<ref name="TedFrank">{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Ted|url=http://tedfrank.powerblogs.com/archives/archive_2005_04_17-2005_04_23.shtml|title=Who is this Ted Frank guy anyway?|access-date=2008-09-15 |work=Lagniappe: an unserious blog|publisher=published by Ted Frank|date=2004-04-23|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061114050953/http://tedfrank.powerblogs.com/archives/archive_2005_04_17-2005_04_23.shtml |archive-date = November 14, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Eve J. Higginbotham, MD: Dean and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at [[Morehouse School of Medicine]], first woman to chair a university-based ophthalmology department in the United States (at [[University of Maryland School of Medicine]], 1994–2006)<ref name="EyeBayou">{{cite book|last=Nussdorf|first=Jonathan D. |title=Eye on the Bayou: New Concepts in Glaucoma, Cataract and Neuro-ophthalmology| publisher=Kugler Publications|page=210|year=2006|location=Walden, NY|isbn=90-6299-209-9}}</ref><ref name="Higginbotham">{{cite web|url=http://www.msm.edu/Deans_Office/About_the_Dean.htm|title=Office of the Dean: Eve J. Higginbotham, MD| publisher=''Morehouse School of Medicine''|year=2007}}</ref>
* [[Jalila Jefferson-Bullock]]: [[Louisiana State Legislature]] - Representative, District 91: 2003-2007<ref name="Jefferson-Bullock">{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.la.us/llbc/memberbios/jefferson-bullockbio.htm |title=Representative Jalila Jefferson-Bullock |publisher=Louisiana State Legislature |access-date=2007-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109191133/http://www.legis.state.la.us/llbc/memberbios/jefferson-bullockbio.htm |archive-date=2005-11-09 }}</ref>
* Joseph Horton, MD: Neurointerventional Surgeon, Founder Micrus Endovascular Corporation, patents on devices for treating intracranial aneurysms, variable focus ### lens.<ref name="Joe Horton">{{cite web|url= http://geocities.com/bfclassof65/mem_n2s.html|title=Current Information for Class Members - Joe Horton| publisher=''Benjamin Franklin Class of 1965''|date=December 2004| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5jpPdnEeY| archivedate=2009-09-16}}</ref><ref name="Joseph Horton, MD">{{cite web|url = http://micrusendovascular.com/company/coretech.html|title = Proprietary Core Technology| publisher=''Micrus Endovascular''}}</ref><ref>{{cite patent|US|5645558}}</ref><ref>{{cite patent|US|5764339}}</ref><ref name="Horton-TP">{{cite web|url=http://blog.nola.com/new_orleans/2012/05/surgeon_gives_benjamin_frankli.html|title=Surgeon gives Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans more than $1 million |publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2012-05-31|author=Times-Picayune Staff|accessdate=2012-07-01}}</ref>
* [[Anya Kamenetz]]: freelance writer and columnist, author of ''Generation Debt''<ref name="Kamenetz">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefaulknersociety.org/Anya%20Kamenetz.html |title=Anya Kamenetz |access-date=2008-11-18 |publisher=Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724034254/http://www.thefaulknersociety.org/Anya%20Kamenetz.html |archive-date=2011-07-24 }}</ref>
* [[Jalila Jefferson-Bullock]]: [[Louisiana State Legislature]] - Representative, District 91: 2003-2007<ref name="Jefferson-Bullock">{{cite web|url= http://www.legis.state.la.us/llbc/memberbios/jefferson-bullockbio.htm|title= Representative Jalila Jefferson-Bullock|publisher=''Louisiana State Legislature'' |accessdate=2007-04-16}}</ref>
* [[David Kinch]]: chef and owner of [[Manresa (restaurant)|Manresa]] restaurant in Los Gatos, California<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manresa – Los Gatos - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant|url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/los-gatos/restaurant/manresa|access-date=2020-10-19|website=MICHELIN Guide|language=en-US|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024094756/https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/los-gatos/restaurant/manresa|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Anya Kamenetz]]: freelance writer & columnist, author of ''Generation Debt'' (ISBN 978-1-59448-907-5)<ref name="Kamenetz">{{cite web |url=http://www.thefaulknersociety.org/Anya%20Kamenetz.html|title=Anya Kamenetz|accessdate=2008-11-18 |publisher=''Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society''}}</ref>
* [[Delfeayo Marsalis]]: jazz trombonist, attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA<ref name="CBB-Delfeayo">{{cite book| title=Contemporary Black Biography: Delfeayo Marsalis| publisher=The Gale Group, Inc.| year=1982}}</ref>
*Adam B. Kushner: journalist, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/adam-b-kushner editor at WashingtonPost]
* [[Wynton Marsalis]]: [[Pulitzer Prize]]-, nine-time [[Grammy Award]]-winning musician, attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA<ref name="MarsalisGuardian">{{cite news|last=Jaggi|first=Maya|author-link=Maya Jaggi|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jan/25/artsfeatures.popandrock|title=Blowing up a storm|access-date=2010-02-26|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2003-01-25|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510232000/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jan/25/artsfeatures.popandrock|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Saundra Levy: Director of the New Orleans Jewish Endowment Foundation (1991-current), former director of the New Orleans and Central Business District Landmarks Commission<ref name="SaundraLevy1">{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/non-profit-businesses/962996-1.html|title=Women&Business presents the Women of the Year: SAUNDRA LEVY|accessdate=2008-01-18|publisher=''New Orleans CityBusiness''|date=2001-03-26}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
* [[Jeffery Miller]]: jazz trombonist, attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA<ref name="nola">{{cite web |title=How trombonist Jeffery Miller went from Algiers to Colbert show, Grammy-nominated albums |first=Keith |last=Spera |publisher=nola.com |date=2020-02-06 |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_9ce2708a-4829-11ea-b838-6f05ff741e2f.html |format=HMTL |access-date=2020-02-21 |archive-date=February 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222173121/https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_9ce2708a-4829-11ea-b838-6f05ff741e2f.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="miller">{{cite web| title =Franklin NOCCA Alum Jeffrey Miller| publisher =Vail Jazz| url =https://www.nocca.com/franklin-nocca-alum-jeffrey-miller/| format =HMTL| access-date =2020-02-19| archive-date =February 22, 2020| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20200222173121/https://www.nocca.com/franklin-nocca-alum-jeffrey-miller/| url-status =live}}</ref>
* Dawn Logsdon: director, producer, and editor<ref name="Logsdon">{{cite web|last=Pierce |first=Valentine| url=http://www.louisianaweekly.com/news.php?viewStory=893|title=Black history chronicled: Documenting the history of Faubourg Tremé on film |accessdate=2009-02-15|publisher=''The Louisiana Weekly''|date=2009-02-02}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/Faubourg_Treme_The_Untold_Story_of_Black_New_Orleans.html|title=Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans: Director|accessdate=2009-02-15|publisher=''Tribeca Film''|date=2009-02-02|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5ec5wuGJm|archivedate=2009-02-15}}</ref>
* [[James Nolan (author)|James Nolan]]: poet, fiction writer, essayist, and translator<ref name="JamesNolan">{{cite news|url=http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/04/author_james_nolans_perpetual.html|title=Author James Nolan's 'Perpetual Care' is the real deal|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2008-04-16|first=Susan|last=Larson|access-date=2008-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522081332/http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/04/author_james_nolans_perpetual.html|archive-date=May 22, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Delfeayo Marsalis]]: jazz trombonist - attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA<ref name="CBB-Delfeayo">{{cite book| title=Contemporary Black Biography: Delfeayo Marsalis| publisher=The Gale Group, Inc.| year=1982}}</ref>
* [[Wendell Pierce]]: actor, star of the [[Home Box Office|HBO]] dramas ''[[The Wire (TV series)|The Wire]]'' and ''[[Treme (TV series)|Treme]]''<ref name="WendellPierce">{{cite web|url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7812455 |title=Actor wants to revive Pontchartrain Park |access-date=2009-09-16 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=KATC Channel 3 |year=2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524055719/https://www.webcitation.org/5aORISSV6?url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp%3FS=7812455 |archive-date=2024-05-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Wynton Marsalis]]: [[Pulitzer Prize]], nine-time [[Grammy Award]] winning musician - attended Ben Franklin/NOCCA<ref name="MarsalisGuardian">{{cite web|last=Jaggi| first=Maya| authorlink=Maya Jaggi|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2003/jan/25/artsfeatures.popandrock|title=Blowing up a storm|accessdate=2010-02-26|publisher=''The Guardian''|date=2003-01-25}}</ref>
* [[Wade Rathke]]: co-founder of the [[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now]] (ACORN)<ref name="WadeRathke">{{cite news|last=Nolan|first=Bruce|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/09/mt-preview-427371ef907ceab2b4045446cfcddc26e9766c46.html|title=ACORN goes on the defensive as it battles a string of scandals|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|date=2009-09-20|access-date=2009-09-20|archive-date=January 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130123916/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/09/mt-preview-427371ef907ceab2b4045446cfcddc26e9766c46.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Mark C. Morgan: President Jefferson Parish School Board 2008 District One Board Member 2004 to present, Gretna City Attorney<ref name="MarkMorgan">{{cite web|url=http://www.jppss.k12.la.us/news/pdf/jppss-2008-report.pdf|title=Jefferson Parish Public School System Annual Report|publisher=''Jefferson Parish Public School System''|year=2008|accessdate=2010-02-25|format=PDF |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5iVPGcu5S |archivedate=2009-07-24}}</ref>
* [[Cedric Richmond]]: [[Senior Advisor to the President of the United States|senior advisor to the president]] and director of the [[Office of Public Liaison|White House Office of Public Engagement]] in the [[Biden administration]]; former [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]], Louisiana's 2nd district: 2011-2021<ref name="Richmond1">{{cite news |last=Truong |first=Thanh |url=https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/politics/a-high-schools-pride-in-representative-richmond/289-b186f0c0-526c-4200-86da-da10ed8848a3 |title=A high school's pride in Representative Richmond|work=WWL News|date=2020-11-17 |access-date=2022-03-15}}</ref><ref name="Richmond2">{{cite web|last1=Glueck |first1=Katie|last2=Martin |first2=Jonathan |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/cedric-richmond-biden.html|title= Representative Cedric Richmond Set to Be a Senior Biden Adviser|work=The New York Times|access-date=2022-03-15}}</ref><ref name="Richmond3">{{cite web|url= https://www.congress.gov/member/cedric-richmond/R000588|title= Representative Cedric L. Richmond|publisher=U.S. House of Representatives|access-date=2022-03-15}}</ref>
* [[James Nolan (author)|James Nolan]]: poet, fiction writer, essayist, and translator<ref name="JamesNolan">{{cite web|url=http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/04/author_james_nolans_perpetual.html|title=Author James Nolan's 'Perpetual Care' is the real deal|publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2008-04-16|first=Susan|last=Larson|accessdate=2008-04-22}}</ref>
* [[Clint Smith (writer)|Clint Smith]]: author and poet, known for his work in education, incarceration, and inequality<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-david-duke-and-the-soccer-fields-of-louisiana|title=Donald Trump, David Duke, and the Soccer Fields of Louisiana|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=March 1, 2016|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=October 29, 2021|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125031213/http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-david-duke-and-the-soccer-fields-of-louisiana|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Wendell Pierce]]: actor, star of the [[Home Box Office|HBO]] dramas ''[[The Wire (TV series)|The Wire]]'' and ''[[Treme (TV series)|Treme]]''<ref name="WendellPierce">{{cite web |url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7812455|title=Actor wants to revive Pontchartrain Park|accessdate=2009-09-16 |author=Associated Press|publisher=''KATC Channel 3'' |year=2008|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5aORISSV6|archivedate=2008-08-27}}</ref>
*[[Richard (Dick) Talens]]: entrepreneur, celebrity trainer, and co-founder of Fitocracy
*Pradeep Ramamurthy, Senior Director for Global Engagement in the Obama White House
* [[Wade Rathke]]: co-founder of the [[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now]] (ACORN)<ref name="WadeRathke">{{Cite web|last=Nolan| first=Bruce |url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/09/mt-preview-427371ef907ceab2b4045446cfcddc26e9766c46.html| title=ACORN goes on the defensive as it battles a string of scandals| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|date=2009-09-20|accessdate=2009-09-20}}</ref>
*[[Tania Tetlow]]: president of Loyola University New Orleans, Fordham University<ref name="TaniaTetlow">{{cite web|url=https://tulanehullabaloo.com/59034/news/tetlow-tapped-to-lead-fordham/|title=Tetlow tapped to lead Fordham|publisher=The Tulane Hullabaloo|date=2022-02-12|access-date=2022-02-12}}</ref>
*[[Rosie Tran]]: stand-up comedian, actress, model, and podcast host
* [[Cedric Richmond]]: [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]], Louisiana's 2nd district: 2011-current; [[Louisiana State Legislature|Louisiana State Representative]], District 101: 1999-2010<ref name="Richmond">{{cite web|url= http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/members.asp?ID=101|title= Representative Cedric L. Richmond|publisher=''Louisiana State Legislature''|accessdate=2007-04-16|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080514073947/http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/members.asp?ID=101|archivedate=2008-05-14}}</ref>
* Mark Samuels: founder and president of [http://www.basinstreetrecords.com/ Basin Street Records]<ref name="BasinStreet">{{cite web|last=Trowbridge|first=Denise|url=http://www.denisetrowbridge.com/portfolio/stories/BasinStreetRecords.html|title=Basin Street Records|accessdate=2007-04-16|publisher=''New Orleans CityLife''|date=May 2004|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20041210083539/http://www.denisetrowbridge.com/portfolio/stories/BasinStreetRecords.html|archivedate=2004-12-10}}</ref>
* [[Walter Williams (comedian filmmaker)|Walter Williams]]: ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' writer, creator of [[Mr. Bill#The Mr. Bill Show|Mr. Bill]]<ref name="WalterWilliams">{{cite web|url=http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/aboutldaf/presscenter/pressreleases/pressrelease.asp?id=356|title= Native Son Comes Home|publisher= Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry |date=2004-02-19|access-date=2008-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040308044436/http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/aboutldaf/presscenter/pressreleases/pressrelease.asp?id=356|archive-date=2004-03-08}}</ref>
* Gregory Schramel: founder, conservatory director of the [http://www.nobt.org/index.html New Orleans Ballet Theatre]<ref>{{Cite news| last=LaFrance| first=Siona| title=En pointe; A NOCCA graduate returns home and leaps into a dream| publisher=''The Times-Picayune''|page=1, LIVING|date=2003-06-11}}</ref>
* Jac Sperling: attorney, Vice Chairman and former CEO of the [[Minnesota Wild|Minnesota Wild Hockey Club]] and its parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment<ref>{{cite news|last=Millea |first=John |title=Something Wild is going on here|publisher=''The Star Tribune'' |location=(Minneapolis, MN)|date=1998-12-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://wild.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=tea_Sperling |title=Jac Sperling - Vice Chairman |accessdate=2008-12-15| publisher=''Minnesota Wild''|year=2008}}</ref>
* Misty Suri, MD: Team Orthopaedic Surgeon - [[New Orleans Saints]], [[New Orleans Hornets]], [[University of New Orleans]]<ref name="MistySuri">{{cite web|url=http://www.ochsner.org/find_a_doctor/doctor/misty_suri|title= Misty Suri, MD|publisher= ''Ochsner Physician Directory'' |accessdate=2008-12-10}}</ref>
* [[David Kinch]], World Renowned Chef. 2010 Iron Chef Winner over Bobby Flay. Winner of 2010 James Beard Award. Owner of Michelin two star rated restaurant [[Manresa (restaurant)|Manresa]], in Los Gatos, CA
* [[Walter Williams (comedian filmmaker)|Walter Williams]]: [[Saturday Night Live]] writer, creator of [[Mr. Bill#The Mr. Bill Show|Mr. Bill]]<ref name="WalterWilliams">{{cite web|url=http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/aboutldaf/presscenter/pressreleases/pressrelease.asp?id=356|title= Native Son Comes Home|publisher= ''Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry'' |date=2004-02-19|accessdate=2008-05-22|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040308044436/http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/aboutldaf/presscenter/pressreleases/pressrelease.asp?id=356|archivedate=2004-03-08}}</ref>
*[[Dee-1|David "Dee-1" Augustine]]: rapper <ref>{{cite web|last=Dennis|first=David|title=DEE-1: GOOD CLEAN LIVING|url=http://www.offbeat.com/2012/03/01/dee-1-good-clean-living/|accessdate=1 March 2012}}</ref>
*Chris Smither, singer/songwriter, several of whose songs Bonnie Raitt recorded.
*[[Richard (Dick) Talens]], Entrepreneur, Celebrity Trainer, and Co-Founder Fitocracy


== In popular culture ==
== 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]]'s ''[[Lost in the Cosmos]]'', the lead character attends Franklin.<ref name="LostintheCosmos">{{cite book|last=Percy|first=Walker|title=Lost in the Cosmos|publisher=Picador USA|year=2000|location=New York, NY|page=49|isbn=0-312-25399-0}}</ref>
Benjamin Franklin High School has appeared in film, books, and other media. In a short play that appears in Louisiana novelist [[Walker Percy]]'s ''[[Lost in the Cosmos]]'', the lead character attends Franklin.<ref name="LostintheCosmos">{{cite book|last=Percy|first=Walker|title=Lost in the Cosmos|publisher=Picador USA|year=2000|location=New York, NY|page=[https://archive.org/details/lostincosmos00perc/page/49 49]|isbn=0-312-25399-0|url=https://archive.org/details/lostincosmos00perc/page/49}}</ref>


Portions of the school's atrium and front entrance were used in the 2004 [[Disney Channel]] movie [[Stuck in the Suburbs]].<ref name="PostMarch2004">{{cite news|title=The Benjamin Franklin Post|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|page=9, no. 5|date=March 2004}}</ref> The school was also used for portions of the 2005 [[Lifetime Television]] movie [[Odd Girl Out]].<ref name="ForumMarch2005">{{cite news|title=The Franklin Forum|publisher=''Benjamin Franklin High School''|page=2, no. 5|date=February 2005}}</ref>
Portions of the school's atrium and front entrance were used in the 2004 [[Disney Channel]] movie ''[[Stuck in the Suburbs]]''.<ref name="PostMarch2004">{{cite news|title=The Benjamin Franklin Post|publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School|page=9, no. 5|date=March 2004}}</ref> The school was also used for portions of the 2005 [[Lifetime Television]] movie ''[[Odd Girl Out]]''.<ref name="ForumMarch2005">{{cite news|title=The Franklin Forum|publisher=Benjamin Franklin High School|page=2, no. 5|date=February 2005}}</ref>


In [[Julie Smith (novelist)|Julie Smith's]] mystery novel ''Louisiana Hotshot'', murder victim Rhonda Bergeron is said to have graduated from Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans.<ref name="Louisiana Hotshot">{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Julie|title=Louisiana Hotshot|publisher = Tor|year=2002|location=New York, NY|page=69|isbn=0-7653-4292-8}}</ref> In Ronald Everett Capps' novel ''Off Magazine Street'' (loosely adapted into the film [[A Love Song for Bobby Long]]), Byron Burns decides to send Hanna to Benjamin Franklin High School, a school "he had heard had a fair reputation."<ref name="OffMagazineStreet">{{cite book|last=Capps|first=Ronald Everett| title=Off Magazine Street|publisher=MacAdam/Cage Pub|year=2004|location=San Francisco, CA| page=198|isbn=1-931561-74-5}}</ref>
In [[Julie Smith (novelist)|Julie Smith's]] mystery novel ''Louisiana Hotshot'', murder victim Rhonda Bergeron is said to have graduated from Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans.<ref name="Louisiana Hotshot">{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Julie|title=Louisiana Hotshot|publisher=Tor|year=2002|location=New York, NY|page=[https://archive.org/details/louisianahotshot00juli/page/69 69]|isbn=0-7653-4292-8|url=https://archive.org/details/louisianahotshot00juli/page/69}}</ref> In Ronald Everett Capps' novel ''Off Magazine Street'' (loosely adapted into the film ''[[A Love Song for Bobby Long]]''), Byron Burns decides to send Hanna to Benjamin Franklin High School, a school "he had heard had a fair reputation".<ref name="OffMagazineStreet">{{cite book|last=Capps|first=Ronald Everett| title=Off Magazine Street|publisher=MacAdam/Cage Pub|year=2004|location=San Francisco, CA| page=198|isbn=1-931561-74-5}}</ref>

{{Coord|30.0246290|-90.0650362|display=title|type:edu_region:US-LA_source:gnis|notes=<ref>{{Gnis|559328|Benjamin Franklin High School}}</ref>}}


== References ==
== References ==
Line 175: Line 170:


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Portal|New Orleans|Schools}}
{{Commons category|Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans}}
{{Portal|United States|Schools}}
{{Commons category|Ben Franklin School, New Orleans}}
* [http://www.edline.net/pages/bfhsla Benjamin Franklin High School Official Website]
* [http://www.edline.net/pages/bfhsla Benjamin Franklin High School official website]
** [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/ Archives of older website]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://benfranklinhighschool.org/ Archives of older website]
** [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.gnofn.org/~bfsenior/ Archives of older website] (hosted on Greater New Orleans Free Net, GNOFN, Inc.)
** [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.gnofn.org/~bfsenior/ Archives of older website] (hosted on Greater New Orleans Free Net, GNOFN, Inc.)
{{good article}}
{{good article}}
{{New Orleans High Schools}}

{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Benjamin High School}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Benjamin High School}}
[[Category:Public high schools in New Orleans, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Charter schools in New Orleans]]
[[Category:Magnet schools in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Magnet schools in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Charter schools in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Public high schools in New Orleans]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1957]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1957]]
[[Category:1957 establishments in Louisiana]]

Latest revision as of 10:57, 22 November 2024

Benjamin Franklin High School
Address
Map
2001 Leon C. Simon Drive

,
70122

United States
Coordinates30°01′29″N 90°03′54″W / 30.0246290°N 90.0650362°W / 30.0246290; -90.0650362[1]
Information
School typeCharter high school, magnet high school
Established1957
School boardOrleans Parish School District (charter school)
NCES District ID2200299[4]
CEEB code192006
NCES School ID220029900888[4]
PrincipalKendall McManus-Thomas[3]
Teaching staff66.43 (on an FTE basis)[4]
Grades9-12[4]
Enrollment1,034[4] (2022–23[4])
Student to teacher ratio15.57[4]
Campus size6.5 acres (0.0263 km2)[2]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Green, white and orange
     
AthleticsLHSAA
MascotFalcon
Team nameFalcons
Websitewww.bfhsla.org

Benjamin Franklin High School is a charter high school and a magnet high school in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Commonly nicknamed "Franklin" or "Ben Franklin", the school was founded in 1957 as a school for gifted children. Ben Franklin is consistently named the No. 1 school in the state of Louisiana and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 15 charter school in the nation.[5] In 1990, it moved to its current location on the campus of the University of New Orleans (UNO) in the Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks neighborhood of Orleans Parish, near Lake Pontchartrain. The school was damaged by several feet of flood water due to Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005, and efforts to reopen the school were covered by nationwide news agencies. The school is part of the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), yet it operates as a charter school and is not administered directly by the agency.

Ben Franklin has a selective admissions process, and according to CBS News is a "magnet for the city's smart and motivated students."[6] Andrew Vanacore of The Times Picayune wrote in 2013 that Franklin was "top-notch".[7] It has been named a Blue Ribbon School five times 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.[8][9] The class of 2008 produced 17 National Achievement Semifinalists, the most of any school in the United States.[10] In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school as the best public high school in Louisiana and the 64th best in the United States.[11]

Ben Franklin is a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. Notable alumni of the school include Wynton Marsalis, a Pulitzer Prize winning trumpeter, actor Wendell Pierce, and Cedric Richmond, former congressman and Senior Advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden.

History

[edit]
The former Carrollton Courthouse on 719 South Carrollton Avenue housed the original campus of Benjamin Franklin High School from 1957 to 1990. The building became vacant in 2013[12] and has since re-opened as an assisted living facility.[13]

Benjamin Franklin High School opened as a school for gifted children in 1957 under the direction of School Superintendent James F. Redmond and Principal Naomi Gardberg.[14][15] At the time, schools under the Orleans Parish School Board were segregated.[16] In 1960, Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana ordered the desegregation of New Orleans schools in Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board.[17] 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.[18] 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.'"[19]

From its inception, Franklin was designed to be a public school for gifted students, and admissions requirements included having a 120 IQ.[14][20] Following an appeal of Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit stated in 1962 that Franklin was "one of the finest schools in the country for superior students" and suggested that African American students who met the school's exacting admissions requirements be admitted.[16] Under pressure from federal courts, Franklin became the first public high school in New Orleans to desegregate in 1963.[21][22]

For over 30 years the school was housed in the historic Carrollton Courthouse on Carrollton Avenue in Uptown New Orleans. Built in 1855, the building had served as the Jefferson Parish Courthouse until the City of Carrollton was incorporated into New Orleans.[23] By 1987, the building had fallen into disrepair and lacked basic air conditioning.[24] Despite these conditions, Franklin maintained a reputation as a place of academic excellence.[25][26]

In the late 1980s, the Orleans Parish School Board leased land from the University of New Orleans (UNO) and built a larger and more modern campus for Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin moved to this current Lake Terrace/Lake Oaks campus during the 1989–1990 school year.[2][27] The building was designed by the team of E. Eean McNaughton Architects, Billes Manning Architects, and Perez Architects and received an honor award from the American Institute of Architects Gulf States Region in 1994.[28] Visitors to the school included President Bill Clinton, who spoke with Franklin students on April 30, 1993 about his plans to create a National Service Initiative.[29]

Ben Franklin is located near the London Avenue Canal. Like most other UNO buildings and New Orleans public schools, Ben Franklin was damaged by several feet of flood water due to Hurricane Katrina. The school was closed before the storm hit on August 29, 2005, and remained closed for several months. Over US $3 million in damage was caused by the storm.[30] 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.[6][31][32]

Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. accepts a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule on behalf of Ben Franklin.[33]

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., accepted a "Band of Friendship" from the students of Clay Oberschule, Ben Franklin's official GAPP partner school in Berlin, Germany.[33] Monetary contributions included $10,000 from the government of France and a $70,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries.[34][35] The school re-opened as a charter school on January 17, 2006, the 300th birthday of its namesake Benjamin Franklin. 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.[36][37] In 2007, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a free reception.[38]

Enrollment

[edit]
Ben Franklin High School main entrance on Leon C. Simon Drive

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 and performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the Iowa Tests of Educational Development for reading, language, and mathematics.[39] 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).[40] Ben Franklin had 995 students during the 2018–2019 school year. The demographics were 371 (37.3%) Caucasian, 296 (29.8%) African American, 190 (19.1%) Asian, 55 (5,5%) Hispanic, 8 (0.8%) American Indian/Alaskan Native. and 74 (7.4%) multiracial.[4]

Academics

[edit]
A marble statue of Benjamin Franklin stands in the atrium. The statue was commissioned in 1844 and has been with the school since 1959.[41]

Ben Franklin features a college-preparatory curriculum and an Advanced Placement (AP) Program. Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 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, .5 in health, and starting with the class of 2012, 1 credit in the arts.[42][43] 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, and theater. The foreign language offerings are French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, and Latin. Students may also enroll concurrently at local universities and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). The school is within walking distance of the UNO library, and students can obtain library cards through a "special borrowers" program.[44]

I...am Ben Franklin campaign emblem

According to CBS News, Ben Franklin is "one of the best public high schools in the country — a magnet for the city's smart and motivated students."[6] Approximately 99.5% of each graduating class enters a four-year college.[8][45][46][47] Of the 162 students in the class of 2006, 28 were National Merit Semifinalists, 7 were National Achievement Finalists, and 3 were Hispanic Scholars.[40] The class of 2008 produced 17 National Achievement Semifinalists, the most of any school in the United States.[10] For the class of 2005, the mean SAT Verbal score was 645, and the mean SAT Math score was 636. The mean ACT composite score was 27.2.[40] 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.[48] In recent years, Ben Franklin has produced a Morehead-Cain Scholar, a Jefferson Scholar, and many Questbridge Scholars.

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.[49] The following table displays the three schools, along with their respective SPS in 2005.

2005 Louisiana School Performance Score (SPS) comparisons[50]
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 Yes Five Stars 176.6
Baton Rouge Magnet High School Yes Five Stars 171.7
Franklin was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2003.[51]

In the fall of 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.[52][53]

Benjamin Franklin High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 1989, 2003, 2009, 2015, and 2021.[51][54][55][56][57] It has been ranked by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report 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.[58][59] In 2008 and 2009, Franklin was no longer listed as a "public elite" and instead ranked numbers 35 and 52, respectively, on the complete Newsweek lists of "America's Top Public High Schools."[60][61] 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.[8][9] Additionally, two art and 12 academic Presidential Scholars had been selected from the school as of 2007.[62][63][64][65] The class of 2014 produced 25 National Merit semi-finalists, 15 National Achievement semi-finalists, three National Hispanic Scholars and fifteen National Merit Commended Scholars. 17 Benjamin Franklin seniors were named finalists in the 2014 competition for National Merit Scholarships.

Extracurricular activities

[edit]

Performing arts

[edit]

The music program at Ben Franklin was founded by Peter Dombourian, who served as part-time band director and music teacher from 1974 until 1991.[66] His students included trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who enrolled concurrently at Ben Franklin and NOCCA.[67] 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.[68] The Tipitina's Foundation, 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.[69][70] Student musicians in the concert band and string orchestra participate annually in the Louisiana Music Educator's Association (LMEA) State Festivals, where they often collect "Superior" ratings.[45]

Franklin also has a theater program. 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 survivor/author Eva Schloss in attendance. The play was co-sponsored by the National World War II Museum and coincided with Schloss' lecture at the museum.[71][72]

Cover of the Spring 2008 volume of The Riverbend Review

Publications

[edit]

Franklin also has a TV station for students known as FTV. Ben Franklin publications include The Riverbend Review (literary magazine), and The Franklin Falcon (yearbook). The Riverbend Review, published since 1987, has received numerous awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the American Scholastic Press Association, winning a Silver Crown and First Place classification in 2008 and a Gold Crown and First Place with Special Merit classification in 2009.[73][74][75][76] The Spring 2008 volume featured student poetry, short stories, original art, and an interview with writer Andrei Codrescu.[77]

Athletics

[edit]
Logo of the Ben Franklin Falcons

Ben Franklin teams are known as the "Falcons" with school colors green, white, and orange. The Falcons are in District 11-4A (Div. II) of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and features the following athletic programs:[78][79]

Championships

[edit]

The Ben Franklin girls' soccer team was the Class 4A State Champion in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. The volleyball team won state titles in 1996, 2002, and 2003.[80] 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.[81][82]

Accomplishments since 1996 include:

  • swimming-girls (AAAA Champion 1997; Runner-up 1996, 1999)[83][84][85]
  • swimming-boys (AAAA Champion 2001; Runner-up 1999, 2000)[85][86][87]
  • volleyball (AAAA Champion 1996,2002,2003; Runner-up 1997, 2004)[83][84][88][89][90]
  • girls' soccer (AAAA Champion 1998, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)[80][84][88][89]
  • boys' soccer (AAAA Champion 2004; AAAA Runner-up 2005; AAA Runner-up 2011)[89][90][91]
  • girls' tennis (AAAA Runner-up 1997)[83]
  • boys' tennis (AAA Champion 2008, 2009; AAAA Runner-up 2004, 2006, 2007; AAA Runner-up 2010)[89][92][93][94][95][96]
  • Cheerleaders (First place at the Spirit Blast Cheer and Dance Championship 2010 against two other schools)

In 2007, the Ben Franklin football team made the Class 3A playoffs for the first time in school history.[97] However, the team lost in the first round to Amite High School.[98]

Yearbook 2006

[edit]

The class of 2006 was the subject of an online documentary called Yearbook 2006,[99] 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's Spirit of Recovery conference and USA Today,[100][101] 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."[102]

Accusations of bias in admissions

[edit]

The school's selective admissions policies have led to accusations of bias.[46] Before Hurricane Katrina, it was estimated that 450 of 800 applicants on average were not accepted because of insufficient grades and test scores.[103] Compared to the rest of the city, as of 2007, the school has a disproportionately low percentage of African Americans.[104] Carl Galmon, a local activist, claimed in 1996 that Franklin's admissions tests are culturally biased against black students.[105] Following Katrina, the school converted to a charter school and preserved its selective admissions system.[8][31] The school has received praise for traditionally producing some of the "highest-performing students in the entire state of Louisiana,"[26] including an exceptional number of students awarded by the National Achievement Scholarship Program of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a program open only to African Americans.[10]

Notable alumni

[edit]
[edit]

Benjamin Franklin High School has appeared in film, books, and other media. In a short play that appears in Louisiana novelist Walker Percy's Lost in the Cosmos, the lead character attends Franklin.[128]

Portions of the school's atrium and front entrance were used in the 2004 Disney Channel movie Stuck in the Suburbs.[129] The school was also used for portions of the 2005 Lifetime Television movie Odd Girl Out.[130]

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.[131] In Ronald Everett Capps' novel Off Magazine Street (loosely adapted into the film A Love Song for Bobby Long), Byron Burns decides to send Hanna to Benjamin Franklin High School, a school "he had heard had a fair reputation".[132]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Benjamin Franklin High School
  2. ^ a b "Benjamin Franklin High School" (PDF). School Facilities Master Plan for Orleans Parish. New Orleans Public Schools. January 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Jarrell, Alex (2024). "Meet the Principal". Benjamin Franklin High School. New Orleans, Louisiana. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Benjamin Franklin High School". Common Core of Data. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Benjamin Franklin High School". U.S. News & World Report. November 2022. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Principal Pushes To Reopen School". CBS News "The Early Show". January 19, 2006. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
  7. ^ Vanacore, Andrew (February 21, 2013). "Xavier Prep alumni will meet Saturday to discuss strategies for keeping school open". The Times Picayune. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Calefati, Jessica (December 4, 2008). "The High School That Beat Katrina". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Best High Schools: Gold Medal List". U.S. News & World Report. December 4, 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c Montoya, Maria (December 17, 2007). "Brain gain: Ben Franklin No. 1 in National Achievement semifinalists". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  11. ^ Sentell, Will (April 26, 2021). "Again, Again, Ben Franklin High School rated tops in state, U. S. News says". The Advocate. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Langenhennig, Susan "What's the future of the vacant Carrollton Courthouse?" The Times Picayune, May 29, 2015 Archived October 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 05 Oct 2015.
  13. ^ "Premier Assisted Living and Memory Care Community in New Orleans". The Carrollton. Liberty Senior Living. n.d. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Thevenot, Brian (May 18, 2004). "Drawn Apart; New Orleans public magnet schools represent both an answer to failed integration and a new kind of segregation". The Times-Picayune.
  15. ^ "Gardberg-Guichard Scholarship". Benjamin Franklin High School. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  16. ^ a b "Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board, 308 F.2d 491 (5th Cir. 1962)". AltLaw. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  17. ^ Douglas, Davison M. "Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board and the Desegregation of New Orleans Schools". Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  18. ^ Sitton, Claude (November 1, 1960). "2,000 Youths Riot in New Orleans; Police Arrest 50 and Subdue Anti-Integration Mobs". Special to The New York Times. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Hot Seat in New Orleans". Time Magazine. December 12, 1960. Archived from the original on October 8, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  20. ^ Baker, Liva (1996). The Second Battle of New Orleans: The Hundred-Year Struggle to Integrate the Schools. New York, NY: Harper Collins. p. 329. ISBN 0-06-016808-0.
  21. ^ Fairclough, Adam (1999). Race & Democracy, The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. p. 263. ISBN 0-8203-2118-4.
  22. ^ "Miscellaneous Facts from the Louisiana Division". New Orleans Public Library. February 2, 2005. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  23. ^ "Images of the Month: April 2004". New Orleans Public Library. March 24, 2004. Archived from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  24. ^ "Heat is burning issue at Ben Franklin High". The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Associated Press. May 21, 1987.
  25. ^ Marcus, Frances Frank (December 18, 1988). "THE NATION: The View From America's Stranded Public Schools; Lack of Interest: In New Orleans, Many Opt Out". The New York Times. p. 4, sec. 4, column 2.
  26. ^ a b Caldas, Stephen J.; Bankston, Carl Leon (2005). Forced to Fail: The Paradox of School Desegregation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 117. ISBN 0-275-98693-4.
  27. ^ "Regional History - New Orleans Collection". Southeastern Louisiana University: Center for South Louisiana Studies. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
  28. ^ "BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, New Orleans, LA". E. Eean Mcnaughton Architects Project Page. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
  29. ^ "Remarks by the President with students of the National Service Initiative: at Benjamin Franklin High School". William J. Clinton Presidential Center. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  30. ^ Saulny, Susan (January 4, 2006). "Students Return to Big Changes in New Orleans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2006.
  31. ^ a b Anders, George (January 13, 2006). "Back to Class: How a Principal In New Orleans Saved Her School". The Wall Street Journal, p. A1 (dead tree edition). Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2006.
  32. ^ ""Fresh Air": Back in School, Back in New Orleans". National Public Radio. March 15, 2006. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  33. ^ a b "Speech by Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. to the students of the Clay Oberschule". U.S. Embassy in Germany. December 8, 2005. Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
  34. ^ "French Cultural Aid to Louisiana". General Consulate of France in New Orleans. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  35. ^ "Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative: August 2006 Grant Recipients" (PDF). The Laura Bush Foundation. August 29, 2006. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  36. ^ "Camille Bullock's reopening speech" (PDF). Benjamin Franklin High School. January 17, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  37. ^ Bronston, Barri (December 5, 2005). "Mind over muck". The Times-Picayune.
  38. ^ "Benjamin Franklin High celebrates 50th anniversary". New Orleans CityBusiness. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  39. ^ Ferguson, Barbara (April 9, 2018). Outcomes of the State Takeover of New Orleans Schools. Dorrance Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-4809-5764-0.
  40. ^ a b c "Benjamin Franklin Admissions Booklet" (PDF). Benjamin Franklin High School. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2006. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
  41. ^ Stall, Buddy (June 22, 2000). "Franklin's statue well traveled throughout city". Clarion Herald. Archived from the original on February 22, 2001. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  42. ^ "Benjamin Franklin High School 2008 Profile" (PDF). Benjamin Franklin High School. 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  43. ^ "2009-2010 Course Selection Guide for Students and Parents" (PDF). Benjamin Franklin High School. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 26, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
  44. ^ "UNO Library: Borrowing Privileges". University of New Orleans. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  45. ^ a b . "Blue Ribbon Schools Program Application - Benjamin Franklin High School" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  46. ^ a b Stokley, Viebica (January 22, 1999). "A tale of two schools". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  47. ^ Maloney, Stephen (October 15, 2007). "Defying the odds". New Orleans CityBusiness. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  48. ^ "GEE Grades 10 & 11 - First-Time Test Takers". Louisiana Department of Education. 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  49. ^ "2004-2005 Accountability User Guide" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Education. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  50. ^ "Fall 2005 Detailed School-Level Tables". Louisiana Department of Education. Archived from the original (XLS) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2007.
  51. ^ a b "No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools: All Public High Schools" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 6, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
  52. ^ "New Orleans Has No. 1 Public School In State". WDSU Channel 6. November 15, 2008. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  53. ^ Simon, Darren (November 7, 2008). "New Orleans schools post gains in performance scores, though some scores remain low". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  54. ^ "List of Blue Ribbon Schools Recognized 1982-2002" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  55. ^ "2009 Blue Ribbon Schools" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  56. ^ "2015 Blue Ribbon Schools" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  57. ^ "2021 Blue Ribbon Schools" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  58. ^ "The Public Elites". Newsweek Magazine. May 8, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
  59. ^ "The Public Elites". Newsweek Magazine. May 28, 2007. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  60. ^ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,300 top U.S. high schools". Newsweek Magazine. May 20, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  61. ^ "The Top of the Class: The complete list of the 1,500 top U.S. high schools". Newsweek Magazine. June 8, 2009. Archived from the original on June 24, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  62. ^ "Presidential Scholars Program Search; State:Louisiana, High School: Benjamin Franklin". U.S. Department of Education: Presidential Scholars Program. March 1, 2006. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  63. ^ Jackson, Connie (May 18, 1995). "High School Senior Writing Her Destiny". The Times-Picayune. p. A1.
  64. ^ "2007 Presidential Scholars". U.S. Department of Education. May 1, 2007. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  65. ^ "Scholar Information: Wendell Pierce". U.S. Department of Education. November 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  66. ^ "Dombourian- Peter M. Dombourian, Conductor, Musician And Music Educator, Died Of Cancer Monday At Southern Baptist Hospital". The Times-Picayune. January 14, 1992. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  67. ^ Garcia, Antonio J (July 1996). "Wynton Marsalis: Speaking from the Melody". IAJE Jazz Education Journal, Vol. 29, No. 1. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  68. ^ Resseger, Jan (2007). "Public Education In New Orleans In the Aftermath of Katrina" (PDF). United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  69. ^ Maloney, Stephen (May 28, 2007). "Tipitina's Foundation in N.O. playing off the city's musical". New Orleans CityBusiness. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  70. ^ "Katrina Donations". The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  71. ^ Wolgelenter, Nina (March 6, 2008). "Holocaust survivor's story comes to life on the stage". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved April 22, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  72. ^ "A conversation with Eva Schloss at The National World War II Museum". The National World War II Museum. February 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  73. ^ "2008 Scholastic Crowns". Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Archived from the original on October 1, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  74. ^ "2009 Scholastic Crowns". Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  75. ^ "Top-Scoring Magazines for 2007 and Advisers". American Scholastic Press Association. Archived from the original on January 1, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  76. ^ "Top-Scoring Magazines for 2008 and Advisers". American Scholastic Press Association. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  77. ^ Johnson, Devin (September 12, 2008). "Award-Winning Riverbend Review Book Signing". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  78. ^ "FRANKLIN, BEN". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on September 17, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
  79. ^ "Athletics". Benjamin Franklin High School. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  80. ^ a b "Current and Archived Bracket Results". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  81. ^ Brocato, Ron (August 11, 2004). "Greatness abounds in legacy of N.O. junior athletics". Clarion Herald. Archived from the original on November 22, 2004. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
  82. ^ Huff, Pierce (July 15, 2008). "Pulizzano out at Ben Franklin". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved July 24, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  83. ^ a b c "1996-1997 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  84. ^ a b c "1997-1998 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  85. ^ a b "1999-2000 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  86. ^ "2001-2002 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  87. ^ "2000-2001 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  88. ^ a b "2002-2003 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  89. ^ a b c d "2003-2004 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  90. ^ a b "2004-2005 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  91. ^ "2011 Boys' Soccer Playoff Brackets" (PDF). Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  92. ^ "2008 State Tennis Results" (PDF). Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  93. ^ "2009 State Tennis Results" (PDF). Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  94. ^ "2005-2006 LHSAA State Champions". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  95. ^ "2007 State Tennis Results" (PDF). Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  96. ^ "2010 State Tennis Results" (PDF). Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  97. ^ Morcos, Laila (May 21, 2008). "Ben Franklin High School Gets Top Honors -- In More Ways than One". ABC 26 News WGNO. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  98. ^ "2007 LHSAA Football Playoff Brackets - Class 3A". Louisiana High School Athletic Association. December 8, 2007. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  99. ^ Yearbook 2006
  100. ^ "SAMHSA News: July/August 2006, Volume 14, Number 4". Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  101. ^ Clark, Colleen (August 28, 2006). "Class of Katrina carries on". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2006.
  102. ^ "Yearbook 2006". bluecadet interactive. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  103. ^ Ritea, Steve (October 23, 2006). "Natural Selection". The Times Picayune. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  104. ^ Holley-Walker, Danielle (November 2007). "The Accountability Cycle: The Recovery School District Act and New Orleans' Charter Schools" (PDF). Connecticut Law Review. p. 147. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  105. ^ Varney, James (April 5, 1998). "Activist wages war on school". The Times Picayune. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  106. ^ Drew Broach (2018). "Meet Barry Ashe, the newest federal judge in New Orleans". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  107. ^ David Hammer (March 5, 2021). "Gilda Barabino, Xavier graduate raised in New Orleans, to lead world's largest science society". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  108. ^ Walker, Dave (November 18, 2012). "Actress Hong Chau brings New Orleans background to role as 'Treme's' Linh". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  109. ^ Dennis, David. "DEE-1: GOOD CLEAN LIVING". Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  110. ^ "New Columnist". The Times-Picayune. July 5, 1995. p. A1, National.
  111. ^ Frank, Ted (April 23, 2004). "Who is this Ted Frank guy anyway?". Lagniappe: an unserious blog. published by Ted Frank. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  112. ^ "Representative Jalila Jefferson-Bullock". Louisiana State Legislature. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  113. ^ "Anya Kamenetz". Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
  114. ^ "Manresa – Los Gatos - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  115. ^ Contemporary Black Biography: Delfeayo Marsalis. The Gale Group, Inc. 1982.
  116. ^ Jaggi, Maya (January 25, 2003). "Blowing up a storm". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  117. ^ Spera, Keith (February 6, 2020). "How trombonist Jeffery Miller went from Algiers to Colbert show, Grammy-nominated albums" (HMTL). nola.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  118. ^ "Franklin NOCCA Alum Jeffrey Miller" (HMTL). Vail Jazz. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  119. ^ Larson, Susan (April 16, 2008). "Author James Nolan's 'Perpetual Care' is the real deal". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  120. ^ "Actor wants to revive Pontchartrain Park". KATC Channel 3. Associated Press. 2008. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  121. ^ Nolan, Bruce (September 20, 2009). "ACORN goes on the defensive as it battles a string of scandals". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  122. ^ Truong, Thanh (November 17, 2020). "A high school's pride in Representative Richmond". WWL News. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  123. ^ Glueck, Katie; Martin, Jonathan. "Representative Cedric Richmond Set to Be a Senior Biden Adviser". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  124. ^ "Representative Cedric L. Richmond". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  125. ^ "Donald Trump, David Duke, and the Soccer Fields of Louisiana". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  126. ^ "Tetlow tapped to lead Fordham". The Tulane Hullabaloo. February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  127. ^ "Native Son Comes Home". Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry. February 19, 2004. Archived from the original on March 8, 2004. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
  128. ^ Percy, Walker (2000). Lost in the Cosmos. New York, NY: Picador USA. p. 49. ISBN 0-312-25399-0.
  129. ^ "The Benjamin Franklin Post". Benjamin Franklin High School. March 2004. p. 9, no. 5.
  130. ^ "The Franklin Forum". Benjamin Franklin High School. February 2005. p. 2, no. 5.
  131. ^ Smith, Julie (2002). Louisiana Hotshot. New York, NY: Tor. p. 69. ISBN 0-7653-4292-8.
  132. ^ Capps, Ronald Everett (2004). Off Magazine Street. San Francisco, CA: MacAdam/Cage Pub. p. 198. ISBN 1-931561-74-5.
[edit]