Framingham High School

Framingham High School
Framingham High School Seal
Address
115 A Street Framingham, Massachusetts, Middlesex, 01701 United States
Information
Established	1792/1852
Opened	1967/1991
School district	Framingham
Superintendent	Dr. Steven Hiersche
CEEB Code	220842
Principal	Michael Welch
Vice principal	Elyse Sakata (2012) Jeff Convery (2013) Mark Albright (2014) Sarah Redbord (2015)
Grades	9 – 12
Age range	13–19
Number of students	2184
Language	English, Spanish & Portuguese
Campus	Urban/Suburban
School Colour(s)	Navy Blue & Gray
Athletics conference	Bay State Conference
Sports	Baseball · Basketball · Cheerleading · Field hockey · Hockey · Football · Lacrosse · Softball · Soccer · Track and field · Volleyball · Swimming
Mascot	Fleagle
Team name	Flyers
Rival	Natick
Newspaper	'The Eagles Eye'
Website	FHS
Framingham North and South High Schools merged in 1991

Framingham High School, or FHS, is an urban/suburban public high school in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, located approximately 20 miles west of Boston. Founded in 1792, as Framingham Academy, the high school is the result of the merger of Framingham North and Framingham South High Schools in 1991.

Like most high schools in the United States,^{[citation needed]} it enrolls students in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The school has an approximate enrollment of 2,184 students, making it the sixth largest high school in Massachusetts. Framingham High School has a racially, ethnically, economically, and linguistically diverse population (20 percent of its students are considered low-income and 30 percent have a language other than English as their first language). The school is classified as an urban high school by the state of Massachusetts and the fifth largest high school in the state.

Framingham High School has received numerous awards for being a successful urban school, including a designation as a Commonwealth Compass School by the state of Massachusetts and as a Vanguard Model School by MassInsight.

The Framingham High School Flyers compete in the Bay State League-Carey Division of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Division I and their mascot is the Fleagle (Flying Eagle).^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

A pie chart showing FHS enrollment by ethnicity for the 2010–2011 school year. See right for exact statistics

Framingham High School's racial/ethnic demographics for the 2011–2012 school year are as follows:

• African American-5.8%
• Asian-5.7%
• Hispanic-22.5%
• Native American-0.1%
• White-63.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-0.0%
• Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic-2.3%

As of 2009, approximately 20 percent of the school's white population (and 14 percent of the entire school population) is of Brazilian descent.

Other demographics:

• First Language not English-30.7%
• Limited English Proficient-6.6%
• Low-income-20.0%
• Special Education-16.6%
• Free Lunch-13.7%
• Reduced Lunch-6.3%

Framingham High School is a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse school and in part this relates to the town of Framingham being historically a hub for immigrants to the United States. The student body of Framingham High is made up of significant immigrant (or children of immigrant) populations from Brazil, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Russia, Asia, and Africa.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Framingham Academy was established in 1798, replacing the organization known as the Proprietors of the Brick School House which had formed in 1792. The town of Framingham gave the academy $1000, but some time later this was found to be illegal, and the academy was dissolved.

In 1852 the high school was formed, and later became the legal successor to the Academy. Thus the high school can be considered to be founded in either 1792 or 1852.

In 1959 a new building on Flagg Drive replaced the original high school on Union Ave. that was built in the 1920s. The original building was eventually converted to house several facilities, including the Danforth Museum and the Callahan Senior Center.

In 1963, due to an increasing school population, the original Framingham High was split into two schools, Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School. South High was located in the Flagg Drive campus in South Framingham (now the Fuller Middle School) and North High was located at the new school building at Winch Park on A St. in Saxonville. Originally, North High shared facilities with Winch Park Middle School ("E" & "F" halls in the current building) until 1974 when the first Cameron Middle School opened on Elm St. The two high schools remained separate until 1991 when they were merged to create a unified school under the name Framingham High School.

The two high schools were distinguished by their colors and mascots: North had the Spartans in yellow and green while South had the original town mascot Flyers in blue and white. When the time for the merger of the schools came, the district held an election to determine the fate of the colors and mascots. The winning combination was to be the Spartans in blue and white, however alumni of the original Framingham High raised a protest that the town should revert to the original mascot and colors which happened to be used by Framingham South. After discussion with the student body, it was agreed that the colors & mascot would be reverted to the original set.

On a visit on October 20, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) in the school's John F. Kennedy gymnasium.

Academics

In the late 1990s, Framingham High School was labeled underperforming. Through multiple school reforms in the early and mid 2000s, Framingham High dramatically increased their MCAS (Massachusetts state graduation assessment) scores and the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses increased. In recent years, Framingham High has been labeled an "over-performing" school on standardized assessments, compared to other districts of similar student populations. In 2008, Framingham High was ranked by Newsweek in the top 500 high schools in the United States.

Framingham High School has received press for its success with students in the English as a Second Language Program. Noting that 69 percent of Framingham students are considered proficient in English after three or more years and the school has higher graduation rates and MCAS scores than most other districts with large groups of English-learners.^{[citation needed]} Only 17 percent of Framingham's English Language Learners drop out of school, half that of districts with similar demographics.^{[citation needed]} Part of this successes is attributed to Framingham's use of a provision in the Massachusetts law by having parents waive their right to an all-English education.^{[citation needed]} In Framingham, very few parents of high schoolers have chosen the English-only option.

Framingham High School has a unique co-teaching program, where most teachers at the school co-teach a course with a colleague from the same discipline. This helps reduce the student-teacher ratio in the classroom and intends to lead to greater faculty collegiality and collaboration. It contributed to the school's earning of Commonwealth Compass School designation.

Framingham High School also has several innovative programs for at-risk and struggling students, including Resiliency for Life, Step Up to Excellence, Mazie Mentoring Program, Academic Development Center (peer-to-peer school day tutoring) and the Phoenix Program, as well as the Thayer Campus, an alternative high school located in south Framingham.

In 2004, Framingham High School launched a "homeroom adviser" program, hoping to reduce the high rate of freshman students being forced to repeat their first year, a problem for many schools in the state. The advisers have around 25 students each, and watch the students' grades and attendance, meet with them individually, and may also consult with parents or teachers. It is hoped that the program will catch struggling students early and encourage them to feel more accountable for their studies

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Framingham High School Flyers compete in the Bay State League-Carey Division of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Division I. The school offers and competes competitively in a number of sports, including cross-country, outdoor track, indoor track, cheerleading, basketball, field hockey, american football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, swimming, softball, wrestling, and volleyball.

• The Framingham High School hockey team won the 1992 Division 1 Massachusetts state championship at the Boston Garden over heavily favored Burlington High School, 8–4. It was the first state championship for the newly merged high school.
• The Framingham High School hockey team came in second place in the state in 2004 at the Fleetcenter losing to Saint John's Shrewsbury. They made it to the Super 10 before and after losing went to the Division 1 State Tournament
• The Framingham High School wrestling team won the 1994 Division 1 State Championships defeating Lowell High School, at Lowell High.
• The girl's swim team won their Bay State Conference 2004–2008.
• The FHS Gymnastics team had an undefeated season in 2006–2007.
• The Framingham Flyers men's football team won the state Super Bowl in the year 2000, defeating Acton-Boxborough Regional High School at Boston University's Nickerson Field.
• The girl's lacrosse team won the state championship in 2006, defeating Longmeadow High School at Bowditch Field in Framingham and finishing 25–0 for the entire season. They had a repeat performance in 2007, again going undefeated and defeating Longmeadow High School at LHS's home field. They entered the 2008 season with a record of 50–0.
• The FHS boys soccer team placed second in the state in the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
• The Framingham High School Cheerleading teams, which compete in the fall and winter in invitational competitions and the Bay State League competitions, have enjoyed great success. The team has scored in the top three finishers in most of the competitions in attends and has won nationals titles several times.
• The Framingham High School Boys Swim Team have been Bay State Conference Champions in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2010 and also were South Sectional Champions in 1994.
• The Framingham High School Wrestling team won the 2009 Division 1 Wrestling Championship. They won the 1992, 1993, 1994, 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009 Division 1 Central Sectional Championships.
• The 2008 Football team won the Bay State Carey Division for the first time since 2000 and went to the D1A state semi finals, and also beat longtime rival Natick High School in the annual Thanksgiving Day game for the first time since 2002.

Drama Company

The school offers a theatre program for all levels of young actors.

• The Framingham High School Drama Company (FHSDC), a four-time state finalist and 2006 winner of the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival for their production of Tales of Trickery, produces several plays each year under the direction of Donna Wresinski. The Drama Company was a representative of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the 2006 New England Drama Festival along with Wellesley High School and was honored by the State Legislature at the Massachusetts State House.
• The FHS Drama Company returned to the MHSDG State Finals in 2007, performing "Stories Gone Wilde," a stage adaptation of five Oscar Wilde short stories.
• In 2007–2008, the Drama Company performed two fall plays - To Kill a Mockingbird, and for the first time, under the guidance of Donna Wresinski and Stephanie Henry, a student-directed play, Cinderella. The spring musical was Once On This Island, which won seven awards including Best Musical at the North Shore Music Theatre Spotlight Awards and the MOSS HART Award.
• In 2009, Framingham High School was thrilled to return to finals with their production of ¡BOCÓN!, a Spanish folktale about a boy who loses his voice and is guided by the legandary Weeping Woman along the way.
• The 2009 spring musical was The Sound of Music.
• In spring 2009, the Framingham High School Drama Company under the direction of Donna Wresinski was selected to perform in Scotland as part of the prestigious 2010 American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF) which runs in conjunction with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
• In 2010, the drama company returned to the MHSDG finals again with their production of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
• The FHSDC wowed audiences with their spring musical 2010 performance of Guys and Dolls, a high energy musical comedy about a mission girl and a gambler.
• This August 2010, the FHSDC will travel to Scotland with their reprised, fully recast version of Once On This Island. They will perform in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival, with two benefit performances at home, and a stop at London along the way.
• FHSDC's entry in to the statewide competition is headed to the finals in March 2011, having won a preliminary and semi-final round recently. The 2011 program is called Blood Wedding.

FHS-TV (Home of "Flyer News")

Framingham High School Television's (FHS-TV) news show "Flyer News" began broadcasting a live newscast at 7:15 a.m. every day to the high school in 1999, and then to the entire town in 2005. Flyer News is run by television production teacher Dan Devlen and his students. A Flyer News episode may consist of student-produced segments such as Sez-You, which interviews the student body on various topics; Webcrawler, a technology segment; Word of the Week, asking students to define a different word each week and broadcasting the more entertaining responses; New England Sports Minute, which covers the latest news in the New England professional sporting world; Sports Update, which brings updates about Framingham High School sports; and a daily segment, Homeroom Headlines, giving morning announcements, among other things. One of Flyer News' focal points is to get the student opinion on the issues to voice the student-body's beliefs. Flyer News episodes are rebroadcast to the town every day during the school year, at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m on Comcast Channel 8, RCN Channel 15, and Verizon FiOS Channel 41. The station also airs numerous sports games, as well as student-produced movies, music videos, and public service announcements.

Music

Under the Direction of Bands Brian Cervone, the FHS's Wind Ensemble has competed in the MICCA circuit two years in a row, receiving an award of merit in 2005 and a Bronze Medal in 2006. Framingham High School also has a Marching Band, Jazz Band, Flute Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, and a Drumline.

• The Drumline performed at a Boston Celtics game in 2005.
• In 2006, the Marching Band performed their field show The Doors.
• In 2007, the Marching Band performed the Incredibles field show.
• In 2008, the Marching Band performed "Earth, Wind, and Fire" as their field show which won them three stars at the MICCA Marching Band Competition. The Marching Band's 2008 show was visually designed and choreographed by Nicholas McKenzie.
• In 2009, the Marching Band performed "A Night at the Movies", a show composed of selections from "Tales from the Crypt," "Spiderman," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "King Kong". The show earned a bronze medal at MICCA Finals, and was once again visually designed by Nicholas McKenzie. Percussion instruction was assisted by Jared Sell.
• In 2010, the Marching Band invited the audience to sit down and join them as they together enjoy "Saturday Morning Cartoons"! This production was the band's first attempt at telling a story through their marching. Selections included music from Looney Tunes, The Flintstones, Animaniacs, the Pink Panther, and there was even an appearance from your favorite family from Quahoag! Joining Brian Cervone (director), Nick McKenzie (visual), and Jared Sell (percussion) for the first time was Samantha Eaton, colorguard instructor!
• In 2011, the "Pride of Metrowest" Marching Band returns with a field show centered around Disney's waterwork show "Fantasmic!" The show consists of songs from Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Joining Brian Cervone (director) is Drill Instructor Andrew Jasinski, Percussion Instructor Jared Sell, and Colorguard Instructor Samantha Eaton.

Exchange Program

The school participated in a sister-city exchange program with Lomonosov, Russia, a suburb of St. Petersburg. George Perrone, now-retired Music Director, brought a contingent of musicians to perform at several venues in Lomonosov. In return, Lomonosov residents visited Framingham and Framingham High. This exchange has not taken place since April, 2002.

Notable alumni

David Blatt

• Arthur Raymond Brooks, World War I fighter ace.
• Dean T. Belknap, president of Grand Island College.
• Blake Bellefeuille,professional ice hockey player.
• Stan Benjamin (1914–2009), Major League Baseball player and scout.
• Andrea Berloff, screenwriter and author of World Trade Center
• David Blatt, class of 1977, basketball player & coach, various European teams
• Michael J. Clouse, Record producer and songwriter
• Mat Maneri, avant-garde violinist.
• Lou Merloni, Former Major League Baseball player, now NESN commentator radio talk show host WEEI 850 AM
• Cyrus Peirce, graduate of Framingham Academy circa 1806 and first head of what is now Framingham State College
• John Stagikas, AKA "Hurricane" John Walters, American Professional Wrestler having participated in WWE and Ring of Honor.
• Freedom Williams, musical performer, C+C Music Factory vocalist
• Monique Curnen, actress, notable for portraying Det. Anna Ramirez in The Dark Knight (film)
• Bill Brooks, former NFL football players (1986–1996)
• Nancy Travis, actress
• Jim Morris, Political comedian

External links

• School website
• [1], Framingham High School Photography Blog
• Photograph of Clinton at Framingham
• Remarks of Sen. Kennedy at Framingham High School