Fayetteville-Manlius High School

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Fayetteville-Manlius High School
The front of the high school, facing south onto Route 173.
Location
8201 East Seneca Turnpike
Flag of New York Manlius, New York, USA
Information
School district Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District
Principal Mr. James Chupaila
Enrollment

1,577
Faculty 106
Type Public Secondary
Grades 9–12
Campus Suburban
Motto "Building on Excellence"
Mascot Hornet
Color(s) Green and White

           
Established 1962
Homepage http://www.fmschools.org/highschool.cfm

Fayetteville-Manlius High School (also F-M High School or FMHS) is a comprehensive New York public high school on East Seneca Turnpike in the Town of Manlius, serving grades 9-12 in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District. It is the only high school in the district, and is the successor to both Wellwood Middle School and Eagle Hill Middle School. The school is governed under the authority of the New York State Education Department, whose standardized examinations are designed and administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.

Contents

[edit] History

Fayetteville-Manlius High School was opened in 1962 after the 1951 merger of then separate Fayetteville and Manlius school districts and subsequent need to consolidate students into a single high school. Upon this opening, a major school restructuring was implemented, as the Fayetteville High School became Wellwood Junior High School and Manlius High School became Pleasant Street Elementary (which closed in 1969). A new junior high school, Eagle Hill, was also opened directly next to the high school. Space requirements, due mainly to ballooning enrollment and continued reorganization as a result of the 1951 merger, prompted the district to relocate Eagle Hill to a new building on a new campus in 1972, so the high school could expand into the junior high's previous facilities. This expansion, which connected the two buildings by a hallway and an enclosed footbridge, nearly doubled the school's footprint. F-M High School served grades 10 through 12 until 1976, when the two junior high schools became middle schools, and FM High took in 9th graders.[1]

[edit] Traditions

The district logo features the oak tree motif
The district logo features the oak tree motif

Many of the school's traditions stem from the fact that decades ago, hornets nested in a 200 year-old oak tree that formerly stood on the old high school campus (now Wellwood Middle School).[2][3] Because of this, the athletic teams' mascots are the Hornets, and several of the names used for the school newspaper over the years have been hornet-related (see Extracurriculars, below). The school alma mater gives tribute to the original tree in its opening stanza, "Guarded by the old oak tree...". The alma mater is set to the melody of "Aura Lee". Its lyrics are attributed to teacher Richard Rhoades "and his music composition class".[4] The motif can also be seen in the school colors (green and white), in the district logo, and in the name of the school yearbook (Oakleaves).

[edit] Demographics

As of the 2005-06 school year, there were 1577 students enrolled at F-M High School: 402 in grade nine, 409 in grade ten, 378 in grade eleven, and 380 in grade twelve. The racial/ethnic makeup of the student population was 91.8% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 4.4% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 0.8% Hispanic. Approximately 0.5% of the population, or 8 students, demonstrated limited English proficiency. Approximately 0.8% of students qualified for a reduced-price lunch, and another 3.5% were eligible for a free lunch.

There were 106 teachers employed at the school, which calculates a student to teacher ratio of approximately 14.88:1, though it is noted that the average 10th grade core academic classes ranged from 20-25 students per teacher.[5]

[edit] Academics and extracurriculars

[edit] Curriculum

A view of the north end of the school from the east, including (l to r) the auditorium, main entrance, counseling suite, and English and Social Studies wing.
A view of the north end of the school from the east, including (l to r) the auditorium, main entrance, counseling suite, and English and Social Studies wing.

As a comprehensive high school, focus is placed on developing students as well-rounded, respectful, socially engaged, productive citizens who constantly value new learning opportunities. The school focuses on graduating all students with the minimum of a Regents Diploma, but some may also graduate with a less advanced local diploma. The Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation may be achieved with extended studies in foreign language, science and math.

Though the curriculum is developed and sanctioned by the New York State Department of Education, and classes are developed to prepare students to achieve success on the required Regents Examinations, most core courses offer one or two components that explore more advanced topics. The school offers standard level Regents courses, but also offers more advanced Honors courses, Interdisciplinary courses (in English and History), Advanced Placement (AP) courses, as well as Syracuse University courses offered through Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA). SU courses offered through Project Advance are taught at the high school by F-M faculty members (qualified by the University), and follow the same curriculum and are given the same credit as courses taught at the university. A large percentage of students opt to take SU courses offered through Project Advance instead of AP classes because their equally challenging curriculum is often more widely accepted for transfer credit by the students' successive colleges or universities. Ricky Gerace currently heads the Department of AP Exams via the College Board at Fayetteville-Manlius

International Baccelaureate (IB) courses are not offered at F-M.

As a school that strives to develop and encourage individual character and self-confidence, F-M has been steadfast in limiting any unnecessary academic competition amongst students. It is one of the only public schools in Central New York, and part of an extremely small percentage in the country, that does not rank students publicly and does not award valedictorian or salutatorian to graduating seniors. The school also uses a 5.5 grade point scale, as opposed to the much more common 4.0 scale, and does not weigh the GPA based on class difficulty level (Regents, Honors, AP, etc). In addition, the athletic department does not participate in academic All-America honors.

[edit] Notable achievements

  • Science Olympiad
    • 2004 National Champions[6]
    • Other National Finishes: 3rd Place: 2005. 4th Place: 2000,[7] 2001, 2006,[8][9] 2007[10]
    • Six consecutive New York State Championships (2003–2008).[11][12]
  • 2005 gold medal and 2006 blue ribbon, Expansion Management magazine's Education Quotient[13]
  • 1999, 2000, and 2006 GRAMMY Signature School[14]
  • Six-times named one of the American Music Conference's "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America".[15]
  • The high school is consistently honored by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards as having the one of the best art programs in the country.[16] In 2006, students from the high school received a record number of national awards, including the prestigious National American Vision Award.[17]
  • The high school consistently exceeds average state and national performances on the SAT. In addition, 99% of F-M students take the exam at least once.[18] Here are the average scores, as of 2005 (prior to the College Board's 2006 revision):
    • F-M : 590 Math, 571 Verbal - 1161 Total [19]
    • State : 511 Math, 497 Verbal - 1008 Total[20]
    • National : 520 Math, 508 Verbal - 1028 Total[21]

[edit] Graduation Data

F-M High School has established a long, successful history of advancing students' interest in education beyond high school. In 2006, the school graduated 100% of its senior class, 67% of whom received a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, and 28% of whom received a Regents Diploma. Of these graduating students, 98% continued on to higher education, 84% to a four-year college, and 14% to a two-year college. Of the remaining graduates, 1% continued into the workforce, and another 1% had unknown plans. The dropout rate also remained under 1%, about half of whom enrolled in a High School Equivalency or GED program.[22]

[edit] Extracurriculars

The student activities program offers more than fifty clubs and activities in a wide range of interests. Student-run publications include the Oakleaves yearbook, the student newspaper called The Buzz (formerly The Sting, formerly the Hornet's Nest), and a literary magazine, Voices. The school has an improvisational comedy group named "Fayetteville-Manlius Improv Club" or "FMIC". The school has a chamber orchestra, a jazz ensemble, two bands, concert band and wind ensemble, and three vocal groups: choir, the select groups chorale, and Swing 16. FM also has three major stage productions during the year. The fall show features plays by the likes of Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, as well as the world premiere of Speak, based on Laurie Halse Anderson's book. The spring musical production has featured such famous shows as Les Miserables, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, and Jekyll & Hyde, among many others. The final production of the year, called Showboat, is the annual student-run talent show, a tradition reaching back several decades.[23]

[edit] Athletics

F-M's 32 varsity teams compete in the Colonial Division of the Onondaga High School League (OHSL), Section III of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) [1], and Section III of the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association [2]. A wide variety of teams claim OHSL and Section III championships every year, and the vast majority of athletes are honored with NYS Scholar Athlete Awards.[citation needed] The teams include:

Fayetteville-Manlius Sports Teams
Season: Girls: Boys:
Fall Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Soccer,

Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball

 Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Volleyball
Winter Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Indoor Track Basketball, Bowling, Ice Hockey, Indoor Track, Swimming, Wrestling
Spring Crew, Golf, Lacrosse, Softball, Track Baseball, Crew, Lacrosse, Tennis, Track

All varsity teams practice and compete on the high school campus, with a few exceptions. The soccer teams compete in the village of Manlius, the hockey team practices and competes at the Cicero Twin Rinks in Cicero, New York and crew teams practice on Onondaga Lake and compete at various venues. As voters in the district have historically refused to approve the building of aquatic facilities,[citation needed] the swimming teams practice and compete at Nottingham High School and less frequently at Corcoran High School in the city of Syracuse.

The Hornet, F-M's school mascot, a recolored version of Georgia Tech's mascot, Buzz.
The Hornet, F-M's school mascot, a recolored version of Georgia Tech's mascot, Buzz.
The varsity letter awarded by FMHS.
The varsity letter awarded by FMHS.

[edit] Notable athletic achievements

  • Boy's Cross Country
    • 2nd Place, 2004 & 3rd place, 2005 Nike Team Nationals[31][32]
    • 1997, 2004 & 2005 NYS Federation Champions[33][34]
    • 2004 NYSPHSAA Class AA Champions & 1997 NYSPHSAA Class A Champions
  • Boy's Outdoor Track
    • 2006 National Champion 4x1 Mile Relay (meet, Section III and NYSPHSAA record time) and 2nd Place Distance Medley Relay, 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals[35]
  • Boy's Indoor Track
    • 2006 National Champion 4x1 Mile Relay (meet record time), 2006 Nike Indoor Nationals[36]
  • Girl's Lacrosse
    • National Rankings: #4 (2004) and #3 (2005) by LaxPower[37][38]
    • 2004 & 2005 NYSPHSAA Class A Champions and 2006 NYSPHSAA Class A Runners-up[39][40][41]
  • Boy's Lacrosse
    • 1988 NYSPHSAA Class A Runners-up
  • Girl's Crew
    • 1st Place, Girls 2nd 8+, 2006 New York State Scholastic Rowing Association (NYSSRA) Championships[42]
  • Girl's Tennis
    • 2003 & 2004 NYSPHSAA Doubles Champions[43][44]
    • 14 consecutive Section III titles
    • undefeated since 1993
  • Boy's Tennis
    • 12 consecutive Section III titles
    • undefeated since 1995

[edit] Facilities

[edit] Recent Facilities

The science wing, opened in 1998, includes eight laboratories and a large group instruction room (left).
The science wing, opened in 1998, includes eight laboratories and a large group instruction room (left).
The "overpass", at the middle of the school, connects its two main sections; "House 1" (primarily English and Social Studies) and "House 2" (primarily Science, Mathematics, and Technology). The Art wing, opened in 2000, can be seen in the background.
The "overpass", at the middle of the school, connects its two main sections; "House 1" (primarily English and Social Studies) and "House 2" (primarily Science, Mathematics, and Technology). The Art wing, opened in 2000, can be seen in the background.

Subsequent additions and renovations have allowed the school to keep up with advances in technology, increases in enrollment, and changes in curriculum.

  • Two new wings for science and music and a renovated library media center were opened in 1998, followed by a renovation of the auditorium in 1999.
  • Since 1998, the school has opened seven computer labs spread throughout the school, in an ongoing commitment to making contemporary technology accessible to all students. Together, these labs contain almost 200 computers, in addition to a computer in every classroom.
  • In 2000, to accommodate the school's nationally-renowned, award-winning art programs, the district opened one of the most extensive art facilities of any public school system in Upstate New York. The new wing includes classrooms and studio space for drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, and digital media. Existing photography facilities remained intact and have since been updated to accommodate digital technologies.
  • 2000 saw the opening of a television studio, FMTV, which develops and broadcasts a student-run morning news program and special events to every classroom in the school.
  • In 2003, after acquiring farmland adjacent to the campus, the school opened a new access road, expanded student parking lot, and additional athletic fields. Consolidated maintenance facilities, and a state-of-the-art observatory opened in 2004, also as a result of this acquisition.
  • An expanded counseling suite and administrative office was opened in 2004.


[edit] Notable Incidents

[edit] "Grinding"

During the 2006–2007 school year, the school gained national attention due to controversial policies implemented by the principal and faculty. Contested regulations include locking all doors during the school day. (An exception was made a few weeks later that now allows students to pass through doors in between periods) and banning the use of hoods on hooded sweatshirts.[citation needed] The policy that created the greatest uproar, catching the attention of the New York Times in a December 17, 2006 article, was the decision by principal James Chupaila to ban "grinding", or any forms of perceived "suggestive dancing styles", at school dances, and to cancel one dance altogether for fear it could become a moral and legal liability.[45] The story was also featured in the New York Observer, and on the front page of The Post-Standard. Chupaila's decision led to the cancellation by the students of the remainder of class dances, with the exception of the school's popular spring charity fundraiser, Dance Marathon.

[edit] Cheating scandal

During the 2007–2008 school year, F-M was again in the news when the FBI was consulted in an investigation at Fayetteville-Manlius High School. Administrators disclosed that there was breach in computer network security during a faculty meeting. One student was caught trying to remove an electronic monitoring device (a hardware keylogger) from a school computer on October 24, 2007. Another student was caught trying to break into the school earlier that day, and the third was found waiting in a nearby car.[46] Further investigation implicated eight students altogether, two of them graduates attending college (Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University). The students face criminal charges, some of them charged with multiple felonies.[47]

[edit] Notable Alumni

The school district, in conjunction with the Fayetteville-Manlius Education Foundation, has instituted a Fayetteville-Manlius Hall of Distinction, which is said "to recognize and celebrate Fayetteville-Manlius for the accomplishments of its graduates."[48] These are the most notable alumni who have been inducted, among many others:

2000

2001

2004

2005

  • Wayne Trivelpiece, director of Antarctic Seabird Research, NOAA - Class of 1966

2007

  • John Beattie, Senior Intelligence Officer, NCIS - Class of 1976

The awards are now biannual, with no inductees listed for 2006.[48]

An alumni database was recently reintroduced on the district web site.[49]

[edit] References

  1. ^ District History and Accomplishments. Fayetteville-Manlius School District. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
  2. ^ FM Football: A Tradition in Pride and Excellence
  3. ^ Wellwood 75th and Arbor day Celebration. News 10 Now: In Your Neighborhood. News 10 Now (2007-04-24). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  4. ^ Alma Mater. Fayetteville-Manlius School District. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
  5. ^ New York State School Report Card: 2005-06 Accountability and Overview Report (PDF). New York State Education Department. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  6. ^ 2004 Science Olympiad National Results
  7. ^ C Results, 2000 National Science Olympiad
  8. ^ 2005 Science Olympiad National Results
  9. ^ 2006 Science Olympiad National Results
  10. ^ 2007 Science Olympiad National Results
  11. ^ C-Division State Information - 2004-2005
  12. ^ "F-M wins 5th state Science Olympiad" The Post Standard. March 11, 2007
  13. ^ Education Quotient, Expansion Management
  14. ^ Grammy in the Schools Click on the "Signature Schools" link
  15. ^ American Music Conference's "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America"
  16. ^ Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
  17. ^ "FM Art Students Receive National Recognition" - FM Art News
  18. ^ Town of Manlius Neighborhood Report. See page 11 for SAT performance.
  19. ^ ibid.
  20. ^ Average NYS SAT Scores, 2005
  21. ^ Average National SAT Scores, 2005
  22. ^ New York State School Report Card: 2005-06 Comprehensive Information Report (PDF). New York State Education Department. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
  23. ^ Gabalski, Joseph A. Student Activities Booklet. Fayetteville-Manlius School District. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
  24. ^ The Harrier's Fall 2007 Super 25 Rankings - Marc Bloom Running
  25. ^ 2007 Nike Team Nationals Girl's Results - "Manlius NY 83 repeats, 8 - 9 - 10 - 19 - 37 adds up to record 88-point margin" - Dyestat
  26. ^ 2006 Nike Team Nationals Girl's Results - "New York sweeps - Fayetteville-Manlius ends dream season with 50-point win." - Dyestat
  27. ^ "F-M girls bask in national spotlight" - The Post Standard (12/3/2006).
  28. ^ 2007 NYS Federation Championships - "Fay-Man girls romp again; titles for Emily Lipari, Pat DuPont, and Shen boys" - Dyestat
  29. ^ "Fayetteville-Manlius girls win again. Shen boys, Tommy Gruenewald, and Hannah Davidson also win" -Dyestat (11/18/2006) 2006 New York Federation Championships Results.
  30. ^ 2007 NYSPHSAA Girls Championships - TullyRunners
  31. ^ 2004 Nike Team Nationals Results - Dyestat. F-M listed as "Stotan XC"
  32. ^ 2005 Nike Team Nationals Results - Dyestat. F-M listed as "Manlius XC".
  33. ^ 2004 NYSPHSAA Federation Championship Results
  34. ^ 2005 NYSPHSAA Federation Championship Results
  35. ^ 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals Results
  36. ^ 2006 Nike Indoor Nationals Results
  37. ^ 2004 F-M Girl's Lacrosse Results and Computer Ratings - LaxPower
  38. ^ 2005 Girl's Lacrosse National CCR Rankings -LaxPower
  39. ^ 2004 Girl's Lacrosse State Champions - LaxPower
  40. ^ 2005 Girl's Lacrosse State Champions - LaxPower
  41. ^ 2006 Girl's Lacrosse State Champions - LaxPower
  42. ^ 2006 New York State Scholastic Rowing Championship Girl's 2nd 8+ Results - Racetrack.com
  43. ^ 2003 NYSPHSAA Girls Tennis Championships, Doubles Results Greiner and Englert are the victors from F-M.
  44. ^ 2004 NYSPHSAA Girls Tennis Championships, Doubles Results Crawford, Zino and Englert are the victors from F-M.
  45. ^ York, Michelle. "High Schools Crack Down: Dance Nice or Not at All", The New York Times, December 17, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-04. 
  46. ^ Porter, Sue Weibezahl. "Police: 3 F-M students caught tampering with computers", The Post Standard, October 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-30. 
  47. ^ Doran, Elizabeth. "Police say F-M students cheated on SATs, more", The Post Standard, November 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. 
  48. ^ a b Hall of Distinction Home Page. Fayetteville-Manlius Education Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
  49. ^ Alumni Site. Alumni & Community. Fayetteville-Manlius Schools (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-22.

[edit] External links