at the Katherine Johnson campus
HONOR Service
JUSTICE
Wisdom Mission Statement The mission of Benjamin Franklin High School is to prepare students of high academic achievement to be successful in life.
Board of Directors Sean A. Blondell, Secretary Jill E. Condon, Treasurer Alea M. Cot, President Shaneika Dabney-Henderson ’96 Tim Duncan Charmaine Cooper Hussain Jenny Kottler ’79 Jonathan L. Levy ’03 Dolly Malik Brian Mora Alexis Parent-Ferrouillet, Ed.L.D. ’96 Todd Ragusa Mark Rubin ’86 Jeffrey Seymour Mitchell Turnbough Anu Varadharajan
A Tradition of Excellence Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans’ most outstanding public charter school, has been preparing students for success through academic achievement since it was founded in 1957. Consistently ranked as a “top public high school in the nation” by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, and USA Today, Franklin is a five-time National Blue Ribbon School and produces multiple Presidential and National Merit Scholars each year. The exceptional students, faculty, and staff of Benjamin Franklin High School are the best and the brightest of New Orleans.
Franklin Facts Founded in 1957 8,475 graduates Current enrollment is 1,058 #1 Best Louisiana Public High School, #13 Best U.S. Charter School - Niche.com #19 U.S. Charter School, #89 U.S. High School - U.S. News & World Report Five-time National Blue Ribbon recipient
How Do I Become a Falcon? Thank you for considering Benjamin Franklin High School! We encourage you to visit the school to learn more. Please contact our admissions staff if you have any questions about the school or the admissions process. Visit www.bfhsla.org for important dates, deadlines, and testing information. •
Attend the Admissions Open House on October 19, 2023.
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Complete the online test registration entirely, including all requested documents.
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Once a test registration has been submitted, the student will be scheduled for an admissions test.
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Eligibility letters will be mailed out beginning in February and will continue on a rolling basis.
Live in Orleans Parish. Meet Our Academic Criteria. Follow the Deadlines.
National Green Ribbon school Member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools 206 AP Scholars Our students come from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds Average class size: 20
It All Sparks Here... scholarship 206 students earned AP Scholar Awards in 2022 37 students in Class of 2022 recognized by College Board 99% of graduates attend four-year colleges 99% of graduates are eligible for TOPS 100 colleges send recruiting reps to the campus annually Dual-enrollment opportunities with Louisiana State University, Loyola University, and University of New Orleans
Since 1957, Benjamin Franklin High School has educated the city’s best and brightest and is ranked as one of the top public charter schools in the nation. The Franklin family fosters a tradition of excellence in all of its students, who go into the world fully prepared for life in higher education and beyond. Franklin is noted for having one of the highest rates of National Merit Scholars in the nation. In 2022, we had 14 National Merit Finalists, 12 Commended Students, 12 National African American Scholars, five National Hispanic Scholars, and one National Indigenous Scholar. In addition, Franklin is the top Advanced Placement testing school in the Southern region, with 206 students earning Advanced Placement Scholar Awards in 2023 in recognition of their exceptional achievement. Franklin serves a population of students of high academic potential with 99 percent of graduates entering college. Our students are recruited and accepted by the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world. More than 100 college and university representatives visit our campus annually. Franklin students’ average ACT, SAT, and PSAT scores are consistently among the highest in Louisiana. Through a partnership with the University of New Orleans, Louisiana State University, and Loyola University, Franklin students also have the opportunity to attend college classes in a concurrent or dual-enrollment program, earning high school and college credit simultaneously. Our success stems from an extraordinary and diverse learning environment. Our students work, learn, and grow together. The Franklin experience encourages expression in visual and media arts, vocal and instrumental music, and dramatic arts, as well as involvement in an abundant array of extracurricular activities.
Our Faculty Sparking Inspiration
We are exceptionally proud of our outstanding faculty and staff. These dedicated professionals play an essential role in the Franklin experience. Our faculty come from throughout the U.S. and the world to call our school home. Collectively, they represent centuries of experience in education, with many having been at Franklin for decades. Our faculty are highly trained by institutions across the globe. Forty-one hold master’s degrees and twelve have Ph.D. (or terminal) degrees in specialized fields, as well as in education. Seven faculty members have earned the distinction of National Board Certification, as well.
Our teachers bring their devotion, talent, and innovations to the courses they teach. Beyond the classroom, faculty spearhead clubs and organizations that span academics, arts, athletics, and community outreach. They strive to inspire a broad range of interests in our students. At Franklin we know that a great education is a community effort. Faculty continue their mentorship with students long after their years at Franklin. Alumni realize faculty and staff are a valuable source of guidance in their professional lives, and faculty and staff love nothing better than seeing their former students succeed. Bonds built here last a lifetime – and some alumni even return to work at Franklin.
academics Core Courses English English I H and G English II H and G English III H, G, and AP African American Literature H English IV H, G, and AP Math Algebra I H & G Geometry H & G Algebra II H & G Pre-Calculus H, G, & DE Probability & Statistics H & AP Calculus H AB Calculus AP BC Calculus AP Differential Equations & Linear Algebra Physical Education Physical Education I Health Physical Education II Science Physics H Chemistry I H Biology I H Physics C: Mechanics AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism AP Biology II AP Chemistry II AP Environmental Science AP Climate & Meteorology H
Elective Courses Social Studies World Geography H Human Geography AP World History H & AP U.S. History H & AP Civics H American Government/ Comparative Politics AP World Languages French I H French II H French III H French IV AP French V DE Spanish I H Spanish II H Spanish III H Spanish IV AP Spanish V DE German I H German II H German III H German IV AP Latin I H Latin II H Latin III H Latin IV AP Chinese I H Chinese II H Chinese III H Chinese IV AP
ACT/SAT Test Prep African American Studies DE Art I-III, IV AP (Studio Art) Art History AP Asian American Studies Band (Beg., Int., Adv. I & II) H Coding for the Web Computer Science A AP Creative Writing I-III H Digital Storytelling H English Research Ethics DE History of American Music Research Intro to Engineering DE Intro to Computational Thinking Mass Communications DE Macro/Micro Economics AP Media Arts I (DE), II & III Middle Eastern Studies H Music Theory I & II AP Ninth Grade Seminar/Financial Literacy Orchestra I-IV H Philosophy DE Photography I Physical Education III & IV Principles of Business DE Psychology H & AP Publications I & II Science Research Social Studies Research Sociology Speech I & II STAR Teaching Research DE Studio Art AP Art III: 2D Design Studio Art AP: 3D Design Talented in Music I-IV
Talented in Theater I-IV Talented in Visual Arts I-IV Technical Theater I & II Twentieth Century History Theater I & II Women’s Studies Research H = Honors G = Gifted AP = Advanced Placement DE = Dual Enrollment, both high school & college credits All students must take Ninth Grade Seminar (if entering as ninth graders), one art class, one research-intensive class, and three AP classes.
student Life
Our Students - Driven & Diverse Kind and calm: Those are two things that visitors always notice about our student body.
We also know that nothing broadens your perspective quite like travel. Our Global Classroom program organizes The students here are exceptionally kind, trips all over the world, including Costa empathetic, quick to hold the door for others Rica, Colombia, France, Italy, Germany, or tear a sandwich in half to share. They Australia, and Japan, as well as U.S. trips are polite – they say “please” and “thank to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, you” – but they’re more than just polite. They and the Grand Canyon and national parks. care deeply about and for one another, giving impromptu pep talks after bad days, holding In the classroom and all across the globe, study sessions on their own time to make our students know there are no limits sure everyone can ace the physics test. on where they can go and what they can achieve. And they’re calm. It’s not that they’re not busy. It’s that they have a sense of purpose that keeps them focused on their goals. When the bell rings, they go to class. They want to go to class. They have better ways to use their time than on drama or chaos. Our students are many other things – curious, passionate, smart, ambitious, funny, quirky – but kindness and calmness pervade our hallways, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Everyone Belongs At Ben Franklin, we’re not merely tolerant. We absolutely revel in our diversity. We cherish it. We celebrate it. We show it off every chance we get. “Inclusivity” is more than a buzzword for us; it’s a way of life. With students from every ZIP code in the city, as well as students who moved here from other states and countries, we know that our students’ varied life experiences enrich us all as a community. Here, everyone belongs!.
clubs & CommunityService
With over 70 clubs and organizations, our students develop leadership skills; compete in local, state, and national competitions; and travel outside the country. Academic Games Active Minds Asian Pacific Culture Club Black Culture Club Book Club Build a Little Library Care Connection Cheese Club Chess Club Chinese Culture and Language Club Choir CIA (Christ in Action) Code for Change Computer Science Club Crochet for a Cause! DEI Dungeon & Dragons Club Eco Club Fashion Club Fantasy Football Club Feed NOLA Filmmaking Club Fourth Wall Film Journal French Language & Culture From Student to Scientist FTV (Falcon Television) Future Professionals in the Arts German Club Green Society GSA - Gender Sexuality Alliance Hands Across the Globe Health and Wellness Club Hispanic Culture Club HOSA (Future Health Professionals) Jazz Club Jewish Culture Club Key Club Key Players K-Pop Dance Club
Krewe du Cypress / Green Society Latin Club Line Dancing Club Literary Rally Magazine Club March for Our Lives Muslim Student Association Mu Alpha Theta Model United Nations Music Seminar National Honor Society New Fitness Club Newspaper Club PAWS (Animal Support Group) Period New Olreans Ping Pong Club Podcast Club Quiz Bowl Rec Club Riverbend Press Sailing Team Science Olympiad Sickle Cell Awareness Club Speech & Debate Society of Women Engineers The Wishing Crane Project UNICEF Urban Culture Step Team Voodoo Voltage - Robotics Yearbook Young Women for Social Justice Youth Rebuilding New Orleans
Club offerings are subject to change depending on student interest and participation. Students are encouraged to organize new clubs to enhance the school community.
Franklin students are deeply committed to their school, their community, and the world in which they live. Many of our clubs and organizations such as Key Club, Green Society, Interact, Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, UNICEF, and Student Council, turn this commitment into action. Franklin is a leading participant in the city-wide Mission Ignition Project, earning over 3,800 volunteer service hours the past three years. Franklin students are making a difference.
fine arts Creative Sparks
Music
The Music Department includes beginner through advanced-level Orchestra and Band, along with Music Theory I and AP Music Theory classes. Music counts for one of the necessary art credits at Franklin, but it is more than just an elective. Franklin music classes also double as a club/organization, and students participate in two concerts every year; numerous fundraisers; music festivals; competitions; and out-of-school engagements, such as weddings, anniversaries, retirement parties, and much more. Music is a great way to foster school spirit and ensure balance of work and artistic creative expression.
Theater
Our theater program is expanding each year, and our newly renovated theater is now a worthy space for our remarkable students. The program has been recognized by the renowned New Orleans Theatre Association, which has underwritten numerous shows and funded upgrades to our auditorium. The Keller Foundation, RosaMary Foundation, Selley Foundation, Zemurray Foundation, and other private donors all have shown their enthusiasm and support of our talented young thespians. The Theater Department is more popular than ever with recent exciting shows like High School Musical, Mamma Mia, The Little Mermaid, The Laramie Project, and The Wiz.
Visual Arts
The Visual Arts Department offers a wide variety of courses in multiple disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, digital design, and other media arts. Our students and faculty make a fantastic creative learning team! Our students’ artwork has been recognized by numerous organizations including Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Rau for Art Foundation, Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Selley Foundation, and The George Rodrigue Foundation. Our outstanding Fine Arts faculty have participated in international and local exhibitions and have been published in national art journals.
Creative Writing
Our excellent creative writing program helps students find their authentic voices and hone their writing skills while letting their imaginations run wild. From highly structured poetry such as sestinas to more experimental free verse or short stories, our writing students learn to take risks and push their creative limits. The program also has produced the nationally acclaimed Riverbend Review, an anthology of student writing and artwork honored by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association as one of the finest student publications in the country.
NOCCA Partnership Franklin is proud to partner with the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), giving qualified students the opportunity for off-campus preprofessional arts training with intensive instruction in dance, media arts, music, theater arts, culinary arts, visual arts, and creative writing.
athletics Lighting It Up
The achievements of Franklin students are not limited to the classroom. Franklin has fielded numerous state championship athletic teams, and the school is frequently a contender for the Ford Cup, an award given to the best athletic program in the state of Louisiana. Franklin has 20 competitive sports teams, including soccer, football, cross-country, golf, volleyball, tennis, swimming, basketball, softball, baseball, and indoor/outdoor track and field.
Fall Sports • • • • • •
Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ Swimming Football Girls’ Cross Country Girls’ Swimming Volleyball
Winter Sports
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Boys’ Basketball Boys’ Indoor Track & Field Boys’ Soccer Girls’ Basketball Girls’ Indoor Track & Field Girls’ Soccer
Spring Sports • • • • • • • •
Baseball Boys’ Golf Boys’ Tennis Boys’ Outdoor Track & Field Girls’ Golf Girls’ Tennis Girls’ Outdoor Track & Field Softball
shining Bright
Academic • • • • •
Niche.com ranks us as the No. 1 high school in the state. 99% of graduates attend a four-year college. 100 colleges send recruiters to campus annually. Five-time National Blue Ribbon Award-winner 14 National Merit Finalists in 2022, along with 12 Commended Students, 12 National African American Scholars, five National Hispanic Scholars, and one National Indigenous Scholar. • 206 AP Scholar Award recipients in 2022 • Eight POSSE Scholars in 2023 • Two QuestBridge Scholars in 2023: Full rides to Stanford University and Yale University • Lauren Ejiaga ’23 and Abigail Hu ’23 received $20,000 scholarships as Coca-Cola Scholars, two of 150 students chosen from more than 91,000 applicants from across the country. • Lauren Ejiaga ’23 and Hannah Jacobs ’23 were selected as semifinalists for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Program. • Abigail Hu ’23 was named a Jefferson Scholar. • Phoenix Chapital ’23 was named a Robertson Scholar. • Hannah Jacobs ’23 was named a Ron Brown Scholar. • Faculty include Louisiana Teacher of the Year winners Kate Youngblood ’09 and Chris Dier. • Teacher Jay Weisman won a Milken Educator Award, known as “the Oscars for Teachers.” • Isaac Jabaley ’23 and Amy Thuy-Trinh Nguyen ’23 were the Grand Award winners at the Greater New Orleans Science & Engineering Fair. Two other students placed second in their categories and won five other awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, among others. • Twenty-two students won awards at the State Literary Rally, including first place finishes by Serena Mbeky ’24, Mallory Gahagan ’24, Charles Benoit ’26, and Thomas Wilson ’25 • Our Mu Alpha Theta team earned fourth in sweepstakes at the state convention in Baton Rouge, with 38 students placing in their category and five first place finishes. • We had four students earn first place finishes at the Louisiana Science Olympiad State competition; an additional 10 students placed in a total of 12 categories. • Charles Benoit ’26, Ezra Terk ’26, Akshita Sridhar ’25, and Alexander Dermody ’24 qualified for the Academic Games National Tournament. • Speech & Debate earned third place at the state tournament, with two first place wins and two second place wins. Ester Urbina Lopez ’24 and Julien Weiner ’25 qualified for nationals. • The Katherine Johnson chapter of the Society of Women Engineers won a Best Practices Award at the 2022 SWE Convention in Houston.
Artistic •
Alastair Deng ’23 attended the All-National Honor Ensembles and played with the Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. • Sarah Nguyen ’25 sang with Anthony Sears conducting Charles Villiers Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet at Carnegie Hall • NOCCA-Franklin student Madison Vidal ’24 won first place for high school spiritual at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Regional Competition • Our yearbook staff won first place for Yearbook Cover Design from the Louisiana chapter of Journalism Education Association, as well as runner-up for both Yearbook Photography and Yearbook of the Year. The yearbook also was awarded the ranking of first class with one mark of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association. • 13 students earned recognition in the South Louisiana Regional Scholastic Writing Awards, with two advancing to nationals and Lyric Hoover ’23 winning a silver medal. • Karma Williams ’23 earned second place in the Poetry Out Loud state recitation competition. • Noa Nasoff ’24 was named a songwriting finalist in the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2023 Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest • Kobby Gyimah ’24 was selected for District VI Senior High Honor Jazz Band.
Athletics • • •
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Five students from the Class of 2023 signed to play sports at the college level Alex Michael ’23 was selected as one of only two players from Louisiana (and just 44 in the U.S.!) to play in the Best Of MLS NEXT match Volleyball made it to the state semifinals in 2022 and 2021 and has earned the American Volleyball Coaches AssociationTeam Academic Award for 12 straight years. Aubrey Murihead ’24 was named District MVP for volleyball and Zoe Bell ’23, Cori Staes ’25, and Emma Fisackerly ’23 made the AllDistrict teams 1 and 2. Boys’ soccer team made it to the state championship in 2023 and the state semifinals in 2022. Eight boys were named to the All-District Honors boys’ soccer team. In addition, Carson Colombo ’25 was named Young Player of the Year, Braylen Burrell ’23 was named District Offensive MVP, Alex Michael ’23 was named Overall District MVP. Scott, Burrell, Jared Oglesby ‘23, and Michael were named to the All-State team, and Michael was named State Defensive MVP. Coach Jose Ferrand was named Boys’ Coach of the Year for Division 2 Girls’ soccer team made it to the state quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023. Eight girls were named to the AllDistrict Honors girls’ soccer team, and Maddie Scott ’23 was named District Offensive MVP Coach Jose Ferrand was named Coach of the Year for both boys’ and girls’ soccer teams
• Our girls’ basketball team won the division, and Petra Trumbach ’23 was named District MVP. Chrissa Hailey was named Coach of the Year, and Cydney Gauff ’23, Katelyn Jackson ’23, Allison Honeywood ’24, and Alivia Benetrix ’23 were named to the All-District team. • Jakai McCoy ’23 and Sean Blondell ’23 were selected to the All-District team for boys’ basketball. • Baseball and softball both advanced to the state playoffs this year. • Ten students named to the All-District softball team, with Maia Tyler ’23 named MVP and Gabriel Henry ’23 named Hitter of the Year. Nadia Ferdinand named Coach of the Year. • Six students were named to the All-District baseball team, and Isaac Jabaley ’23 also was named MVP. • At the LA State Track Championship, our girls’ relay team finished second, putting the girls fourth and setting a new school record. • Four students qualified for the state tennis tournament, and Isaiah Porea ’23 and Nathin Hinkle ’25 were named Boys’ Regional Doubles Tennis Champions. • Lena Hoover ’23 was named to the All-Academic Composite Girls’ Soccer team; Paris Carney ’23 and Alastair Deng ’23 were named to the AllAcademic Composite Track Team; Lee Tao ’23 and Christina You ’23 were named to the AllAcademic Composite Swim Team.
a tradition of trailblazing Where our Falcons come from... 42 Charter School--NOLA Abramson Sci Academy--NOLA Academy of Our Lady--Marrero, LA Academy of the Sacred Heart--NOLA Akili Academy--NOLA Alice Deal Middle School--Washington, DC Alice Harte Charter School--NOLA Andrew H. Wilson Charter School--NOLA Andrew Jackson Middle--Chalmette, LA Aragon Middle School--Houston, TX Archbishop Shaw High School--Marrero, LA Arden Cahill Academy--Gretna, LA Arthur Ashe Charter School--NOLA Audubon Charter Montessori School--NOLA BASIS Phoenix--Phoenix, AZ Baton Rouge Magnet High School--Baton Rouge, LA Bauhaus Montessori--River Ridge, LA Bear Creek High School--Stockton, CA Belle Chasse Academy--Belle Chasse, LA Benjamin Franklin Elem. Math & Science --NOLA Bishop McManus Academy--NOLA Blacksburg High School--Blacksburg, VA Bonnabel High School--Kenner, LA Boyet Junior High School--Slidell, LA Bricolage Academy--NOLA Bridgeland High School--Cypress, TX Brother Martin High School--NOLA Cabrini High School--NOLA Caddo Magnet Senior High--Shreveport, LA Camprion College--Kingston, Jamaica Cape May County School--Middle Township, NJ Captain Shreve High School--Shreveport, LA Chalmette High School--Chalmette, LA Charbonnet School--Westwego, LA City Middle High--Grand Rapids, MI Clearwood Junior High--Slidell, LA Cohen College Prep--NOLA De La Salle High School--NOLA Deerlake Middle School--Tallahassee, FL Dorothy Height Charter School--NOLA Dr. Martin Luther King Junior High School--NOLA Druid Hills Middle School--Atlanta, GA Ecole Bilingue De La Nouvelle-Orléans--NOLA Edgar P. Harney Elementary School--NOLA Edna Karr High School--NOLA Edward Hynes Charter School (Lakeview)--NOLA Edward Hynes Charter School (Parkview)--NOLA Einstein Charter High School--NOLA Einstein Charter Middle School--NOLA Eisenhower Elementary School--NOLA Eleanor McMain Secondary School--NOLA Encore Academy--NOLA Episcopal School of Acadiana--Broussard, LA Erath High School--Erath, LA Ereckson Middle School--Allen, TX Esperanza Charter School--NOLA Evanston Township High School--Evanston, IL Faith Lutheran School--Harahan, LA Falcon Cove Middle School--Weston, FL Fannie C. Williams Charter School--NOLA Firstline Live Oak--NOLA Fontainebleau Junior High School--Mandeville, LA Freedom Project Academy--virtual G. W. Carver High School--NOLA Gentilly Terrace Elementary--NOLA Glasgow Middle School--Baton Rouge, LA Grace Baptist Academy--Marrero, LA Grace King High School--Metairie, LA Grassfield High School--Chesapeake, VA
Greely High School--Cumberland, ME Green Trimble Tech High School--Fort Worth, TX Guy B. Phillips Middle School--Chapel Hill, NC Harriet Tubman Charter School--NOLA Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies--Metairie, LA Helene Lange Schule--Oldenburg, Germany Holy Cross School--NOLA Homer A. Plessy Community School--NOLA Homeschool--NOLA International Language & Business Center--Yangoon, Myanmar International School of Louisiana--NOLA Invest Collegiate Imagine--Asheville, NC Isidore Newman School--NOLA J. C. Ellis Middle School--Metairie, LA J.D. Meisler Middle School--Metairie, LA James M Singleton Charter School--NOLA Jesuit High School--NOLA John Ehret High Schoool--Marrero, LA John F. Kennedy High School--NOLA KIPP Believe--NOLA KIPP Booker T. Washington--NOLA KIPP Central City--NOLA KIPP Leadership--NOLA KIPP McDonogh 15--NOLA KIPP Morial--NOLA Kipp Renaissance--NOLA Klein High School--Klein, TX LA Connection Academy--virtual Lafayette Academy at Leah Chase--NOLA Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy--NOLA Lake Castle Private School--NOLA Lake Forest Charter School--NOLA Lake Pontchartrain Elementary--LaPlace, LA Langston Hughes Academy--NOLA Leesville Junior High School--Leesville, LA Little Rock Central High School--Little Rock, AR Live Oak Academy--NOLA Living School--NOLA Livingston Collegiate Academy--NOLA Louise S. McGehee School--NOLA Lousiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts--Natchitoches, LA LP Monteleone Junior High School--Mandeville, LA Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans--NOLA M.D. Roberts Middle School of The Performing Arts--Jonesboro, GA Mandeville High School--Mandeville, LA Mandeville Junior High School--Mandeville, LA Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School--Maplewood, MO Martin Behrman Charter School--NOLA Mary D. Coghill Elementary School--NOLA Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School of Literature and Technology--NOLA Maxine Smith STEAM Academy--Memphis, TN McDonogh 35 College Preparatory High School--NOLA McMillian’s FIRST Steps Academy--NOLA Meadow Creek High--Norfolk, GA Medard H Nelson Charter School--NOLA Metairie Park Country Day School--Metairie, LA Mildred Osborne Charter School--NOLA Moore Square Middle--Raleigh, NC Morris Jeff Community School--NOLA Mount Carmel Academy--NOLA Muslim Academy--Gretna, LA N.E.T. Charter High School: Central City--NOLA N.P. Trist Middle School--Meraux, LA Natchez High School--Natchez, MS New Harmony High School--NOLA New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA)--NOLA New Orleans Charter Science & Math High School (Sci High)--NOLA New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy (NOMMA)--NOLA New Trier Township High School--Winnetka, IL
Nola Micro School--NOLA North Atlanta High School--Atlanta, GA Northwest Career & Technical Academy--Las Vegas, NV Ocean Springs Middle School--Ocean Springs, MS Ocean Township Intermediate School--Ocean Township, NJ Our Lady Academy--Bay St Louis, MS Oxford Middle School--Oxford, MS Oyster-Adams Bilingual School--Washington, DC Pass Christian Middle School-Pass Christian, MS Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy --Westwego, LA Paul Breaux Middle School--Lafayette, LA Paul Habans Charter School--NOLA Phillis Wheatley Community School--NOLA Pierre A Capdau School at Avery Alexander--NOLA PJ Gelinas Junior High School--East Setauket, NY Plainview High School--Ardmore, OK Pope John Paul II High School--Slidell, LA R. K. Smith Middle School--Luling, LA ReNEW Dolores T. Aaron Academy--NOLA ReNEW Laurel Elementary--NOLA ReNew Schaumburg Elementary--NOLA ReNEW Sci Tech--NOLA Ridgewood Preparatory School--Metairie, LA River Oaks School--Monroe, LA Riverdale High School--Jefferson, LA Riverdale Middle School--Jefferson, LA Robert Russa Moton Charter School--NOLA Rudolph Matas Middle School--Metairie, LA Archbisohop Rummel High School--Metairie, LA Ruppel Academie Francaise--Gretna, LA Saint-Joseph French High School--Istanbul, Turkey Salmen High School--Slidell, LA Sammamish High School--Bellevue, WA Samuel J. Green Charter School--NOLA Saratoga Springs Middle School--Saratoga Springs, NY Seton Home Study School--virtual Simsboro School--Simsboro, LA Slidell Junior High School--Slidell, LA Sophie B. Wright Charter School--NOLA Southern Magnolia Montessori --Abita Springs, LA Spring Lake Park High School--Spring Lake Park, MN St. Andrew’s Episcopal High School--Ridgeland, MS St. Andrew’s Episcopal School--NOLA St. Augustine High School--NOLA St. Charles Catholic High School--LaPlace, LA St. George’s Episcopal School--NOLA St. Joan of Arc Catholic School--NOLA St. John Lutheran School--NOLA St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School--NOLA St. Martin’s Episcopal School--Metairie, LA St. Mary’s Academy--NOLA St. Mary’s Dominican High School--NOLA St. Paul’s Episcopal School--NOLA Success Prep at Thurgood Marshall--NOLA Suncrest Middle School--Morgantown WV Sycamore School--Indianapolis, IN The American School of Kuwait--Huwally, Kuwait The Birch Wathen Lenox School--New York, NY The Forman School--Litchfield, CT The Willow School--NOLA Trinity Episcopal School--NOLA Ursuline Academy--NOLA Vandebilt Catholic High School--Houma, LA Vandeventer Middle Schoo--Frisco, TX Waldorf School--NOLA Warren Easton High School West Lake Middle School--Atascocita, TX Williams Middle School--Florence, SC
...where our Falcons are going
JUST SOME OF OUR AMAZING
Barry Ashe ’74: Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of LA
essayist, and translator
ALUMNI
David “Dee-1” Augustine ’03: Rapper
Wendell Pierce ’81: Actor, star of the HBO dramas The Wire and Treme
Gilda Barabino ’74: President-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Wade Rathke ’66: Co-founder of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Jalila Jefferson-Bullock ’93: Representative, District 91: 2003-2007
Cedric Richmond ’91: Senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in the Biden administration; former U.S. Representative, Louisiana’s 2nd district: 2011-2021
Lolis Eric Elie ’81: Former columnist at The Times-Picayune, TV writer for Treme and Hell on Wheels, author, award-winning documentary filmmaker Ted Frank ’87: Director of the AEI Legal Center for the Public Interest Fri Forjindam ’98: Co-owner of Mycotoo - theme park, museum and experience designer
Virginia Saussy ’84: Co-founder of Muses Mardi Gras krewe Sonny Schneidau ’77: Co-founder of Tipitina’s and talent manager at House of Blues.
Ben Springgate ’90: Chief Health Officer and medical adviser to NOLA Public Schools
Shaneika Dabney-Henderson ’96: Vice President of Production for the Saints and Pelicans
Richard Talens ’04: Entrepreneur, celebrity trainer, and co-founder of Fitocracy
Anya Kamenetz ’98: Freelance writer & columnist, author of Generation Debt
Tania Tetlow ’88: Current president of Fordham University and past president of Loyola University New Orleans
Sally Bronston Katz ’09: Coordinating Producer, Meet the Press at NBC News
Rosie Tran ’02: Stand-up comedian, actress, model, and podcast host
David Kinch ’79: Nationally acclaimed chef and former owner of Manresa restaurant
Beth Arroyo Utterback ‘79: General Manager of WWOZ-FM New Orleans
Oscar Liu ’17: Launched Vita Innovations - developed VitalMask, a smart respiratory mask for monitoring patient vitals
Kyle Widmer ’98: Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare system
Delfeayo Marsalis ’83: Jazz trombonist
Walter Williams ’71: Saturday Night Live writer, creator of Mr. Bill
Jeffery Miller ’14: Jazz trombonist James Nolan ’65: Poet, fiction writer,
Daniel Hammer ’96
Clint Smith ’06: Author and poet, known for his work in education, incarceration, and inequality
Daniel Hammer ’96: President of the Historic New Orleans Collection
Wynton Marsalis ’79: Nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician
Fri Forjindam ’98
Oscar Liu ’17
Wendell Pierce ’81
Phillip Youmans ’18: Won Best Director at the 2019 Tribeca Film festival Beth Arroyo Utterback ’79
sparks fly 2024
YOU join us!
2021
The campus is named in honor of NASA trailblazer Katherine Johnson
2006
BFHS becomes a charter school and is the first to reopen after the storm
2005
The campus sustains extensive damage in Hurricane Katrina; faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni work together to clean and restore the facility
1990
BFHS moves across town to its current location on the UNO campus
1971
BFHS adds a ninth grade
1963
By request of students and faculty, BFHS becomes the first high school in the city to desegregate
1960
The first class graduates
1957
1957: Benjamin Franklin High School opens in the former Carrollton Courthouse
Word Search
e r u t u f r u Yo parks s re! he
Lynn Jenkins Admissions Director (504) 286-2610 ljenkins@bfhsla.org
www.bfhsla.org - 2001 Leon C. Simon Drive, New Orleans, LA 70122 -