| Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District | |
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"Building on Excellence."
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| Location | |
| Manlius, New York, USA | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public Primary and Secondary |
| Established | 1951 |
| Superintendent | Dr. Corliss Kaiser |
| Staff | 378 |
| Faculty | 390 |
| Enrollment | 4,682 total 1,637 high school 1,476 middle school 1,569 elementary school |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green and White
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| Athletics | 30 NYSPHSAA Section III varsity teams 2 NYSSRA Section III varsity teams[1] |
| Mascot | Hornet |
| Budget | $ 74,020,753 (2011-12) [2] |
| Website | www.fmschools.org |
The Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District (F-M) is a K-12 public school district located in the Town of Manlius in Central New York, enrolling approximately 4,800 students. F-M serves a large portion of the Town of Manlius, including the villages of Manlius and Fayetteville, as well as portions of Jamesville and Pompey. The district is partially funded by and 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.
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The F-M School District was established in 1951, when the then independent Fayetteville, Manlius and 11 other smaller districts united. Fayetteville High School and Manlius High School remained separate until 1954, when the Manlius School became the Jr. High (7–8) for the whole district and the Fayetteville school became the High School (9–12). The new Fayetteville-Manlius High School was constructed in Manlius and first opened in 1962. Fayetteville High School was renamed to the current Wellwood Middle School in 1965. Manlius High School became Pleasant Street Elementary, which was closed in 1969, sold and is currently a church and daycare. From the time it was formed until the present, the district has been led by only five superintendents.
The oak tree is the symbol of the F-M School District and its heritage. A 200-year old oak stood in front of what is now Wellwood Middle School until it was removed in the 1970s. The characteristics of the tree are reflected in the values, vision, and ambition of Fayetteville-Manlius. The tree is a steadfast, well-grounded, robust and distinguished entity on the natural landscape. The hornet is the school mascot, and also came from the hornets who nested in the great oak tree. A historical narrative is given by former teacher and assistant principal at F-M High School, Mr. Platt Wheeler:
| “ | On the front lawn of what is now Wellwood was a monster, monster oak tree. It has since been taken down. When it was taken down, Ken Phelps, who was then the Principal of Wellwood, had some of the smaller branches cut up into small parts. Ham King, who was the industrial arts teacher, had them finished off with shellac and so forth, and cut up into round pieces and given to various people who had been in the district for awhile and were aware of everything that went by it. As a result of that oak tree, the name of the yearbook was determined to be Oak Leaves. And, at that time when there was only one junior high, the name of the junior high yearbook was called the Acorn...So, out of the oak tree came oak leaves, hornet's nest, the acorns, the alma mater, class rings, etc. These all reflected as a result of the oak tree. | ” |
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— Platt Wheeler[3]
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| F-M [17] | State [18] | Nation [19] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Reading | 565 | 484 | 501 |
| Math | 593 | 499 | 516 |
| Writing | 560 | 478 | 492 |
| TOTAL | 1718 | 1461 | 1509 |
As of the 2005–06 school year, there were 4771 students enrolled in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District, with an individual grade enrollment low of 301 students in grade three and a high of 421 in grade seven. The racial/ethnic makeup of the student population was 91.0% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 5.6% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 1.3% Hispanic. Approximately 1.2% of the population, or 58 students, demonstrated limited English proficiency. Only 0.9% of the student body qualified for a reduced lunch price, and 2.9% were eligible for a free lunch.
There were 352 teachers employed in the school district, which calculates to a student to teacher ratio of approximately 13.55:1, though it is noted that the average ratio in eighth grade, and tenth grade core classes ranged from 19–25 students per teacher.[21]
Fayetteville-Manlius' six schools are spread over four separate campuses in the village of Fayetteville and just west of the village of Manlius. Elementary and middle school students attend a particular school based on their residence within the district. Students entering Eagle Hill are typically from Enders Road and a portion of Mott Road, and those entering Wellwood are from Fayetteville Elementary (Fay-El) and the majority of Mott Road. Students from both middle schools go on to the high school.
The district offices, varsity athletic facilities, maintenance facilities, planetarium and observatory are located on the High School campus. The transportation department is located on the Fay-El/Wellwood Campus.
Dr. Corliss Kaiser has been Superintendent of Schools since 2005. She replaced Dr. Philip Martin, who retired after 28 years. Her supporting staff include:
Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education members are elected by popular vote, and serve three-year terms, beginning on July 1 of the year elected. Current members (with term expiration dates in parentheses) are:
Beginning July 1, 2011:
F-M Athletics are renowned around the state and the country for competitive superiority, sportsmanship and academic integrity. The district'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]. Many teams also have modified, freshman and junior varsity components.
| Girls: | Boys: |
| **Fall — Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Soccer, | **Fall — Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Volleyball |
| **Winter — Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Indoor Track | **Winter — Basketball, Bowling, ice hockey, Indoor Track, Swimming, Wrestling |
| **Spring — Crew, Golf, Lacrosse, Softball, Track | **Spring — Baseball, Crew, Lacrosse, Tennis, Track, Polo, Handball, Cricket |
In recent years, F-M has made a significant statement on the national stage in running and girl's lacrosse. The district is home to the current national #1 girl's cross country team, who won their fifth straight Nike Cross Nationals competition on December 4, 2010.[22] Additionally, the boy's cross country team finished as high as 2nd in the nation in 2004 and 2010 and girls lacrosse finished as high as 3rd in the nation in 2005.[23][24] A wide variety of teams claim OHSL and NYSPHSAA Section III championships every year, and the vast majority of teams are honored with NYS Scholar Athlete Awards.
F-M's alma mater is a stoic symbol of the district's heritage. It is most commonly sung as a fight song (with the words "fight, fight, fight" appended to the "Truth shall be thy light" line), and is customarily sung at graduation ceremonies. The lyrics are as follows, sung to the tune of Aura Lee:
Guarded by the old oak tree
Symbol of our goal.
Steadfast as our pride in thee
Its strength will write our scroll.
Fayetteville-Manlius
Truth shall be thy light.
Pledge we now our loyalty
To colors Green and White!
Raise we now our voice in song
To thee a tribute bring.
Join the ever-growing throng
Let all who love thee sing!
Fayetteville-Manlius
Truth shall be thy light.
Pledge we now our loyalty
To colors Green and White!