Ben Franklin High School

Frankie got a glow-up! Our new Frankie the Falcon suit came in, and Frankie took a tour around the building to meet our school leaders and Student Council. Thanks to everyone who donated to make sure Frankie didn't look quite so threadbare this year! 💚🧡

"No man is an island"! We were well-represented again this year at Louisiana Youth Seminar with 13 current students attending and five alumni serving as staff. This five-day summer program at LSU focuses on leadership development, effective communication skills, setting and achieving goals, team-building, understanding and accepting others, developing self confidence, and problem-solving -- with a whole lot of fun built in!

There might be no better day at Franklin than Club Fair, when our students' fascinating and varied interests and talents are on literal full display! From Cheese Club to Model UN; encompassing identity clubs like Asian Pacific Club, Black Culture Club, and Gender Sexuality Alliance; and including clubs for academic pursuits (Mu Alpha Theta and Quiz Bowl), service (Key Club and Hands Across the Globe), and just plain fun (Fashion Club and KPop Dance Club), our 90+ clubs reflect the incredible diversity of our student body!

Working mostly at night due to the insanely high temperatures, David Lovell '21, a studio art senior at the University of California -- San Diego, spent his summer painting a massive mural on Prytania Street. The artwork, which was commissioned by the building's owner, adorns La Cocinita, a contemporary Venezuelan-inspired street food restaurant adjacent to Creole Creamery.

"'The students, they are a constant and daily reminder of my why,' said [new principal Dr. Kendall] McManus-Thomas." Watch the clip from WDSU on Dr. Mac, our first Black male principal -- but as he says, "definitely not the last." We are thrilled and feel so lucky to have him here!

Kendall McManus-Thomas selected as Ben Franklin's first Black male principal McManus-Thomas said he wants to inspire all kids with his story of perseverance and hard work

What a gorgeous Senior Sunrise for the Class of 2025! It's going to be a great year! 💚🧡

While other teenagers were spending their summers at the beach, Nhi Trinh ’25 was working with the 2024 Ochsner STAR Summer Program doing research on CRISPR as a tool for cancer detection. Our students are truly remarkable.

The temperatures were high at today's Snowball Social, but so were the energy, the enthusiasm, and the school spirit! We served more than 850 (!!!) snowballs and enjoyed a club showcase, yearbook pickup, and performances by our cheerleaders! We can't wait for the first day on Monday, Aug. 12! 💚🧡

Today is the last day to enroll in the Thanksgiving break trip to Japan! To learn more and sign up, go to www.eftours.com/2648064NP

There will be a blood drive tomorrow in memory of James Miller '19 at the World War II Museum. Please come donate if you're eligible!

Students don't come back until Aug. 12 -- we can't wait! -- but today was our first day back for faculty and staff. Welcome back -- it's going to be an amazing year! 💚🧡

Congratulations to recent grad Ava Kreutziger '24, who is part of the "Gambit Weekly" 40 Under 40! A fierce student advocate, Kreutziger was recognized for her work on campus and with Grow Dat Youth Farm, as well as her help with "The Capitol Project." She is headed to Columbia University in the fall, and we know we have definitely not heard the last of her!

Gambit's 40 Under 40 | 2024 Click here to view this item from NOLA.com.

Such exciting news -- Dr. Candace Stevens Robinson '97 was named chief medical officer at Touro! We know she will continue doing amazing things, just as she always has!

Touro Appoints New Chief Medical Officer - Biz New Orleans NEW ORLEANS – Touro has announced the appointment of Dr. Candace Stevens Robinson as chief medical officer. Robinson, a physician and healthcare executive,

BFHS robotics mentor Tim English earned the most Shell employee volunteer hours in Louisiana as part of the Everybody Forward Challenge, and in recognition of his service, Shell gave us a $5,000 grant! Thank you, Mr. English, and thank you, Shell!

Come join our team! We are hiring a full-time SPED Teacher/SAT & MTSS Coordinator for next year.

We are looking to hire a full-time African American Literature/English teacher. To apply, submit a résumé, copies of relevant certifications, and contact information for three relevant references to [email protected]. More details are at the link below.

Happy Father's Day to all the fantastic dads, stepdads, granddads, uncles, father figures, and just all-around great guys out there! On Father's Day (and every day!), we celebrate the diversity of fatherhood in all its forms -- and send extra love to those who might be missing their dads, missing their kids, or otherwise navigating the complexities of today.

Our Speech & Debate team, coached by the legendary Ms. Fontenot and Ms. Garrison, did us proud at Nationals in Chicago, going strong for four rounds on Saturday. Although no one broke to finals, the team, undaunted, spent Sunday watching finalists compete in their events, taking notes and drawing inspiration for next year. They also made sure to soak in the sights, enjoy some art, and eat plenty of pizza! Congrats to our Nationals qualifiers: Cayla Bolden ‘25, Rowan Crawford ‘25, Nandi Gayles ‘25, Lucy Riley ‘26, Eli Sanders ‘25, and Julien Weiner ‘25! We’re so proud of you all! 💚🧡

Congratulations to Zach Simien '24, who was one of just five students in Louisiana and 400 nationwide to receive a 2024 Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship out of more than 4,000 applicants! Recipients of this scholarship receive up to $40,000 in tuition assistance for the college of their choice, as well as a paid internship at Amazon after their freshman year, networking opportunities with peers and Amazon employees, skills development programs, mental health resources, and access to an emergency grant fund to cover unexpected financial needs that could impact their ability to attend school. Simien, a summa cm laude grad, a National African American Scholar, and a National Hispanic Scholar, is a member of the robotics team who plans to study electrical engineering at Rice University in the fall.

Update: Fully funded! Thank you, everyone! 💚🧡

Ms. Kate Youngblood '09 is seeking donations for an AP Literature Library for her classroom.

She says: "Following my presentation on banned books at the National Conference for Teachers of English, I was inspired by the wealth of recommendations from experienced teachers and writers. The texts I discovered represent a broad spectrum of experiences, offering my students the chance to immerse themselves in narratives that encourage empathy and understanding.
Your contribution not only helps grow our classroom library but also expands the curricular choices for my future classes. These books will serve as invaluable resources, providing my students with a broader perspective and more opportunities to explore the world through literature."

Help support Ms. Youngblood's Classroom Ms. Youngblood is a teacher at Benjamin Franklin High School. Help Ms. Youngblood get the tools they need by supporting their classroom.

Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak St., will host a celebration of late poet and Franklin student Belle Adelman-Cannon on Tuesday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m. The event will include readings from Adelman-Cannon’s poetry collection, "Every Time They Call Me She," which is a compilation of poems Belle’s mother found on their phone after they died in an accident last summer. The event is free and open to the public. Copies of Belle’s book will be available for sale at the event.

Events for May 2024 – Blue Cypress Books After a tragic accident that took the life of this remarkable poet at age 17, these poems were discovered on their phone. The poems in Every Time They Call Me She are concise, loving, honest, and brilliant.

We are proud to announce that the Franklin Teacher of the Year is Fine Arts Department Chair Jana Kreutziger! Ms. K, as she is fondly known, teaches two levels of TAT, a theater elective, playwriting, and dramatic literature and directed/supervised five school productions this year, including "The Capitol Project." The mom of a 2024 grad, she also keeps busy as the co-artistic director of Crescent City Stage.

"In a pool of educators I’m simply grateful to be amongst, it is a humbling honor to have been granted this level of support and recognition," she said. "I come to school each day knowing that we are a community that challenges each other, creates with each other, and cares for each other. I am ever grateful to have landed as a Falcon knowing that I’m right where I’m supposed to be."

We're thrilled to announce another Mayoral Scholar! Katie Nguyen '24 plans to study cell and molecular biology next year at Tulane University. A member of Care Connection Club, Key Club, Asian Pacific Club, and National Honor Society, Nguyen earned both the community service endorsement and bi-literacy seal for Spanish on her diploma. Congratulations -- we can't wait to see what you're going to do!

The Key Award is presented every year at graduation to the graduating senior who best exemplifies the life of Benjamin Franklin and the school’s core values of honor, service, justice, and wisdom. This year's winner is Iyanna Snaer! The daughter of Rossly Zapata and Jose Rosales, Snaer accumulated more than 200 service hours and served as a board member for the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council and the Superintendent Student Advisory Council. A four-year member of Student Council, she worked tirelessly on the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Work Group and its culminating Unity Day that brought all of the school’s identity and culture clubs together. In addition to being a student ambassador for Harvard’s Latina Empowerment and Development Conference, she is a four-year member of the Urban Culture Step Club, serving two years as co-captain and one year as captain, and was instrumental in making sure it was recognized as a spirit group. She plans to pursue a degree in political science and a minor in business administration at Spelman College. Congratulations, Iyanna!

Graduation is today at 4 p.m. at UNO Lakefront Arena (livestream link in the comments), and we are BEYOND proud to announce our 2024 valedictorian and salutatorian -- Sasha Wolfson and Ruth Jules!

Wolfson, our valedictorian, is the daughter of Daliah and Aaron Wolfson. A member of the National Honor Society with more than 80 hours of community service, Wolfson has been a jazz and classical pianist for 15 years! She is also a three-year member of both the tennis team and Mock Trial, serving as co-president of Mock Trial this year, and has interned at Groundwork New Orleans and the Greater New Orleans Caring Collective. Next year, she will attend Georgetown University and is considering a major in either American studies or government on a pre-law track.

Our salutatorian, Jules, is the daughter of Altole and Therese Jules. While at Franklin, Jules was a member of the National Honor Society and Black Culture Club and played on the varsity softball team. She served as Urban Culture Step Team’s media and design manager and was a peer tutor for all four years of high school. Fluent in French, Jules won a silver medal in the National French Contest and a bronze medal at the state academic rally. She is a 2023 Questbridge College Prep Scholar and National College Match Finalist, a College Board National African American Scholar, an AP Scholar with Honors, a First District Missionary Baptist Association State Oratorical Contest winner, a Matthew McGarry Scholarship recipient, and a Scholastic Art and Writing Award recipient. Following graduation, she will attend Northwestern University, majoring in biological sciences on the pre-dental track and minoring in French.

We have another recipient of the four-year Mayoral Scholarship to Tulane: Adam Chu '24! Chu is a member of Mock Trial, Asian Pacific Club, Fourth Wall Film Journal, and National Honor Society. Fluent in Vietnamese, he also serves as a peer tutor and a Krewe du Cypress group leader, helping to educate and advocate around issues of climate change. He plans to study business in college, and we have no doubt he is going to do amazing things. Congrats, Adam!

We are hiring a 10-12th grade counselor for the 2024-25 school year. The job description and pay scale are in the comments below. Please share!

Congratulations to Lola Cameron ’24, who was awarded the four-year Mayoral Scholarship to Tulane by Mayor LaToya Cantrell! A gifted pianist who is fluent in French and shines on the soccer field, Cameron is also a member of Key Club and the National Honor Society. We're lucky to have her in New Orleans for at least four more years!