Framingham High School

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Framingham High School
Image:Framingham High School seal.gif
Framingham High School Seal
Address
115 A Street
Framingham, Massachusetts, 01701
USA
Information
Superintendent Dr. Eugene Thayer
Principal Michael Welch
Vice principal Sarah (Matloff) Redbord (9)
Frank Rothwell (12)
Ron Sudmyer (11)
Mark Albright (10)
Students 2100 (2008)
Type public high school
Grades 9 – 12
Campus Urban/Suburban
Mascot Fleagle
Team name Flyers
Newspaper The Eagles Eye
Established 1792/1852
Framingham North and South High Schools merged in 1991
Homepage http://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/fhs/

Framingham High School, or FHS, is an urban/suburban public high school in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately 20 miles west of Boston. Like most high schools, it enrolls 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders from the town. The school has a typical enrollment of 2,100 students, over three times the district average (600).

Contents

[edit] Demographics

Framingham High School racial/ethnic demographics[1]: African American 9.3%, Asian 5.3%, Hispanic 15.9%, Native American 0.3%, White 68.8%, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1%, Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic 0.3%

Other demographics: First Language not English 29.5%, Limited English Proficient 6.2%, Low-income 20.6%, Special Education 15.6%

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.

[edit] 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. [2]

In 1959 a new building on Flagg St. 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 in to two schools, Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School. South High was located in the Flagg St. 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[3].

[edit] Academics

In 2004, Framingham High School launched a "homeroom advisor" 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[4]

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Athletics

The school offers and competes competitively in a number of sports, including Cheerleading basketball, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, swimming, wrestling, and volleyball.

  • 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 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 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 girl's swim team has been undefeated and has won the Bay State Conference since 2004.
  • The FHS Gymnastics team had an undefeated season in 2006-2007.
  • The girl's lacrosse team won the state championship in 2006, defeating East 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 East Longmeadow High School at ELHS's home field. They enter the 2008 season with a record of 50-0.
  • The FHS boys soccer team placed second in the state in the 2007 season.

[edit] Drama Company

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

  • The Framingham High School Drama Company, a four-time state finalist and 2006 winner of the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival, 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 5 Oscar Wilde short stories.
  • In 2007-2008, the Drama Company performed two fall plays - To Kill a Mockingbird, the all-school play, and for the first time, a student-directed all-freshman play, Cinderella. This year's MHSDG Drama Festival entry is an adaptation of the classic Japanese folk-tale Kaguya Hime, unfortunately halted at semifinals for the first time in four years. The spring musical is Once On This Island, running May 8th through 10th.

[edit] FHS-TV (Flyer News)

The "Flyer News" television station 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[5]. The Flyer News, run by television production teacher Dan Devlen and his students, has won 11 high school Emmy Awards. 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; and a daily segment, Homeroom Headlines, giving morning announcements, among other things. Flyer News episodes are rebroadcast to the town every day during the school year, at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The station also airs numerous sports games, as well as student-produced movies, music videos, and Public Service Announcements. The FHS-TV webpage was also created in March of 2006. Students are asked for their opinions to help express school spirit and help keep the school aware of what is going on.

[edit] Music

Under the Direction of Brian Cervone the FHS's "Wind Ensemble" Concert band has gone to MICCA 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 called "Pride of the Metrowest", 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 their Incredibles field show.

[edit] Exchange Program

The school has 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 2001.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ Massachusetts DOE from the Massachusetts Department of Education
  2. ^ History of Framingham High from the Framingham Historical Society
  3. ^ Pres. Clinton Visit from The Clinton Foundation
  4. ^ "High schools seek ways to keep freshmen on track" article in The Boston Globe
  5. ^ feature in MetroWest Daily News

[edit] External links


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