Franklin High School (New Jersey)

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

Franklin High School
Address
500 Elizabeth Avenue

Somerset
,
Somerset County
,
New Jersey
08873

United States
Coordinates40.517217°N 74.546791°W / 40.517217; -74.546791
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoPride & Dignity
Established1961
School districtFranklin Township Public Schools
NCES School ID3405490[1]
PrincipalFrank Chmiel
Vice principalsJose Aviles
Ammon Barksdale
Rod Brundidge
Rebekah Solomon
Faculty178.0 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,146 (as of 2018–19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio12.1:1[1]
Color(s)  Navy Blue and
  Gold[2]
Athletics conferenceSkyland Conference
Team nameWarriors[2]
NewspaperThe Warrior
YearbookThe Shield
Websitewww.franklinboe.org/fhs

As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,146 students and 178.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. There were 793 students (37.0% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 175 (8.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Awards, recognition and rankings

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

History
Franklin High School (New Jersey) at sunset.

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

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

The school's principal Frank Chmiel, who previously served as the school's vice principal. His admininstration team includes four voce principals and the athletic director.[8]

Academics

Courses

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

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

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

Curriculum

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

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

Academic excellence

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

Athletics

The Franklin High School Warriors[2] compete in the Skyland Conference, which includes public and parochial high schools covering Hunterdon County, Somerset County and Warren County in west central New Jersey and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[11] With 1,659 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[12] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2018–2020.[13]

Sports offered by the Franklin High School Warriors athletic department include: baseball, basketball (boys and girls), bowling (boys and girls), cheerleading, cross country (boys and girls), field hockey, football, indoor track (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), softball, spring track (boys and girls), swimming (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls) and wrestling.[2][14]

The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1975 and 1977.[15]

The field hockey team won the North I Group I state sectional championship in 1977, 1980 and 1981.[16]

The boys tennis team won the Group III state championship in 1982, defeating Millburn High School in the final match of the tournament.[17]

The football team won the Central Jersey Group III state sectional title in 1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1994 and 1996.[18] The 1990 team won the Central Jersey Group III title with a 20-16 win against Ocean Township High School on a touchdown scored with under a minute left in the game.[19] A 39-25 win against Neptune High School at Giants Stadium gave the 1994 team the Central Jersey Group III title.[20] The team finished the 1996 season with a 10-1 record after defeating Hamilton High School West by a score of 26-3 at Giants Stadium in the Central Jersey Group III championship game.[21]

The boys' track team won the Group III indoor relay championships in 1989, 1990 and 2006; the girls' track team won the relay title in Group III in 1991 and 1992, and in Group IV in 2015.[22]

The boys indoor track team won the Group III state title in 1990 and the Group IV title in 2019; The girls won the indoor track title in Group III in 1992 and 2005.[23]

The girls team won the NJSIAA spring track state championship in Group III in 1993 and 2003.[24]

The girls swimming team won the Public B state championship in 1996.[25]

The boys spring track team won the Group III championship in 1997 and the Group IV titles in 2017 and 2019.[26]

The boys' basketball team won the Group III state title in 2003, defeating runner-up Cranford High School by a score of 66-59 in the finals.[27][28]

The girls basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 2015 (defeating Shawnee High School in the tournament final), 2017 (vs. Sayreville High School), 2018 (vs. Toms River High School North) and 2019 (vs. Lenape High School); due to the cancellation of group finals due to COVID-19, the team was declared as North IV regional champion in 2020.[29] The 2015 team won the program's first state title with a 54-58 win against Shawnee in the Group IV championship game.[30] In 2017, the team won the Group IV title, defeating Sayreville High School by a score of 68-36 in the finals of the playoffs.[31] The team went on to win the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, defeating Manasquan High School in the tournament's final game.[32] The 2019 team won the Group IV title with a 73-35 win against Lenape in the tournament final[33] and moved on to the Tournament of Champions as the top seed, winning the semifinal round by a score of 55-50 against number-five seed St. Rose High School before taking the finals against number-two seed Saddle River Day School by a score of 65-57, setting the state record for wins in a season with a 34-0 mark for the year.[34][35]

The boys' outdoor team won and set a new record time at the Penn Relays with a time of 41.98 seconds to win the boys 4x100 Large School title in 2016.[36]

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities provide an excellent medium for FHS students to explore their interests, learn, and help the community. Most "clubs" meet after school when additional buses are available for after school transportation. Some clubs such as Brass Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, and Model United Nations meet at night, in which cases the students are responsible for their own transportation. Recently, the Model United Nations club has won a major conference in 2012 at Rutgers Model United Nations (RUMUN). They are also ranked in the top 10 in the country. Clubs offered at Franklin High School include:[37]
Note: Some information may be inaccurate due to clubs forming or disbanding.

Fall Play

Spring Musical

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

Performing arts

Stage productions such as Beauty and The Beast (2009), Sweeney Todd (2010), Hello, Dolly! (2011), Phantom of the Opera, (1994 and 2012) Aida (2013), In The Heights (2014), Jekyll and Hyde (musical) (2015), Mary Poppins (2016), and Sister Act (musical) (2017), Into the Woods (2018), Rent (2018), West Side Story (2019) have been performed by the students of Franklin High School.

Administration

Members of the school administration are:[38]

  • Frank Chmiel, Principal
    • Louis Solomon, Vice Principal
    • Ammon Barksdale, Vice Principal
    • Rod Brundidge, Vice Principal
    • Rebekah Solomon, Vice Principal

Notable alumni

References
  1. School data for Franklin High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020.
  2. Franklin High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 17, 2015.
  3. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  4. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 1, 2012.
  5. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2010: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2010, Accessed January 1, 2011
  6. Bowman, Bill. "Franklin High School Gets New Interim Principal; DiGanci was principal at Watchung Hills Regional High School", Franklin Reporter & Advocate, August 1, 2014. Accessed July 22, 2019. "Thomas DiGanci, former principal at Watching Hills Regional High School, was named Franklin High School’s interim principal at the July 31 Board of Education meeting."
  7. Bowman, Bill. "New FHS Principal Appointed By Board Of Education", Franklin Reporter & Advocate, April 29, 2016. Accessed July 22, 2019. "A 19-year education veteran from the Irvington school district was named the new principal of Franklin High School at the April 28 Board of Education meeting. Cheryl A. Clark, most recently the principal of Irvington’s University Elementary School, was unanimously approved by the school board."
  8. Staff Directory, Franklin High School. Accessed November 23, 2020.
  9. Franklin High School 2013-14 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 26, 2016.
  10. Course of Study Archived January 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Franklin High School. Accessed September 11, 2006.
  11. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  12. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  13. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2018–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, finalized August 2019. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  14. Athletics Directory, Franklin High School. Accessed July 22, 2019.
  15. History of NJSIAA Boys Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  16. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  17. History of Boys Team Tennis Championship Tournament, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  18. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  19. "Scotch Plains rallies to beat West Morris", The Record, December 2, 1990. Accessed December 1, 2020. "Franklin 20, Ocean 18: Junior quarterback Ernest Miller hit wide receiver Jamal Wade with a 12-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining as Franklin defeated Ocean, 20-16, to capture its second consecutive Central Jersey Group 3 title."
  20. via Associated Press. "Franklin Twp. and Somerville capture state titles", Courier-Post, December 5, 1994. Accessed January 17, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Quarterback John Simeone threw two touchdowns and ran for another Sunday, powering Franklin Township to a 39-25 victory over Neptune in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship game at Giants Stadium."
  21. Haley, John. "Franklin's CJ III title 'special'; Blocked punts, takeaways on kickoff returns spark Warriors", Central New Jersey Home News, December 9, 1996. Accessed November 23, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "As the Franklin High School football team began preparing for its showdown with Hamilton West in the Central Jersey Group III championship, there was only one facet of its game that wasn't sharply tuned special teams. The Warriors put an extra emphasis on their special teams play this week and it certainly showed up at Giants Stadium last night as two fumble recoveries on kickoffs and two blocked punts led them to a convincing 26-3 decision and the CJ Group III title. Playing in its third straight title game Franklin (10-1) won its sixth sectional title and second in three years."
  22. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  23. NJSIAA Indoor Group Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  24. NJSIAA Spring Track Summary of Group Titles Girls, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 1, 2020.
  25. NJSIAA Boys and Girls Team Swimming History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  26. Summary of Group Titles Boys Spring Track, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  27. NJSIAA Group Basketball Past Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  28. "Boys Roundup", Asbury Park Press, March 17, 2013. Accessed November 23, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "Franklin 66, Cranford 59: Kevin Bent had 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals as Franklin (27-2) won Group III, its first state group title."
  29. NJSIAA Girls Basketball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  30. Silva, Matt. "Franklin girls basketball wins first Group IV title in school history", Courier News, March 15, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2020. "Jackson and Trossi scored 14 and 10 points respectively, with Scott helping defensively, to lead Franklin over Shawnee 54-48 for their first ever Group IV championship at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River on Sunday."
  31. LoGiudice, Daniel. "Girls Basketball: Franklin captures second state title in three years win victory over Sayreville", Courier News, March 12, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2017. "Utilizing a run and gun offense early in game, the Warriors consistency sunk easy buckets in transition during the first half, leading to an 18-point halftime lead as the Warriors topped Sayreville 68-36 in the Group IV final at Pine Belt Arena to capture their second group title in three years."
  32. Stypulkoski, Matt. "Franklin is the NJ.com girls basketball Team of the Year for 2016-17", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 27, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2017. "After opening the winter ranked No. 12, Franklin bounced around near No. 10 for most of the season before ultimately piecing it together late by winning the Group 4 title, then taking down Pascack Valley, Rutgers Prep and Manasquan over a five-day span. But the Warriors' nine-game run to the Tournament of Champions title and NJ.com's top spot wasn't totally out of the blue – they had already shown flashes of that potential throughout the year."
  33. Melchiorre, Chris. "Diamond Miller, Franklin beat Lenape, 73-35, for the Group 4 state girls’ title", The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 10, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2021. "And just like that, the Lenape girl’s basketball team was experiencing first-hand what so many had talked about beforehand: This Franklin team is for real, playing untouchable basketball. And Miller — a five-star, 6-foot-1 Maryland recruit and McDonald’s All-American — was everything she was billed to be. 'It was kind of the perfect storm. I don’t know if we were relaxed enough … But you have to give [Franklin] credit, they put the pressure on us all night,' said Lenape coach Rob Hummel after his Indians dropped the Group 4 state championship game Sunday afternoon in a 73-35 loss to undefeated Franklin (31-0) at Toms River North."
  34. NJSIAA Girls Basketball Tournament of Champions History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  35. Tartaglia, Gregg. "Saddle River Day basketball comes up short in bid for Tournament of Champions title", The Record, March 17, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2021. "The No. 2 seed Rebels bowed to No. 1 Franklin, 65-57, in Sunday's NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final at Rutgers' Louis Brown Athletic Center. The Warriors completed a 34-0 campaign, setting a state single-season record for wins."
  36. Lambert, Jim. "Penn Relays 2016: Franklin wins the boys 4x100 Large School title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 30, 2016. Accessed April 27, 2017. "The quartet of Tyler Howard, Nile Uzzell, Chris Jenkins and Mario Heslop kept its word by doing exactly that on one of the biggest stages in the world on Saturday by throwing down a Somerset County record 41.98 to win the boys 4x100 Large School title in dominating fashion in front of 44,469 raucous fans at the 122nd Penn Relays at Franklin Field."
  37. Clubs/Activities, Franklin High School. Accessed November 17, 2015.
  38. Staff Directory / Administration, Franklin High School. Accessed July 20, 2019.
  39. Newman, Josh. "Rutgers' Agudosi embracing last chance to make impact", Asbury Park Press, August 24, 2016. Accessed December 10, 2017. "'This year is going to be big to prove what I can do,' said Agudosi, a Somerset native and 2012 graduate of Franklin High School."
  40. "Obituary: Frank Baker Jr.", Home News Tribune, February 9, 2010. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Frank Baker Jr., passed away suddenly on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at home in Raleigh, N.C. He was a graduate of Franklin High School and inducted into their Football Hall of Fame."
  41. Founder & President: Soufiane Choubani, Moroccan National Debate Team. Accessed July 22, 2019. "Franklin High School Model United Nations Club (USA) – 1999/2001"
  42. Krystyna Freda, Winthrop Eagles. Accessed October 25, 2020. "Hometown: Somerset, NJ; Prev School: Franklin H.S."
  43. Goldaper, Sam. "Hinson's a Favorite in Draft", The New York Times, June 27, 1983. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Two years later, Hinson had grown big and strong enough to lead Franklin Township to the New Jersey State final."
  44. Biography of Daryle Lamont Jenkins, One People's Project. Accessed July 22, 2019. "Recent movies like Alt Right- Age of Rage and the Academy Award-nominated short film Skin have shown some of the work done by our founder Daryle Lamont Jenkins. Born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Somerset, New Jersey, graduating from Franklin High School."
  45. Bembry, Jerry. "A man of contradiction", The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 1999. Accessed October 23, 2017. "As a junior at Franklin High School in Somerset, N.J., Pace once scored 35 points and grabbed 30 rebounds in a state playoff game, yet his numbers on standardized tests at the age of 16 indicated his learning skills were no better than a first-grader's."
  46. Denman, Elliott. "Franklin's Jeff Porter makes 2nd Olympics in hurdles", Asbury Park Press, July 9, 2016. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Porter, 30, the Franklin High School and University of Michigan graduate now a veteran of the global track and field wars, took third place again – by 1/100th of a second."
  47. Peterson, Tom. "Former Rutgers football player tackles history at Franklin", Courier News, December 7, 2015. Accessed May 22, 2016. "Porter tackled the day's assignment one recent afternoon at Franklin High School with the same kind of rigor he used to haul down ball carriers. He was a football star at Franklin High School, a talented defensive back at Rutgers, and even suited up for the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in the NFL."
  48. Jim Stoops, The Baseball Cube. Accessed December 3, 2019. "High School: Franklin (Somerset,NJ)"
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