Franklin High School (Franklin, Tennessee)

Franklin High School is Public High School (grades 9-12) located in Franklin, Tennessee, in Williamson County.

History

Franklin High School was established in 1910, with 2 teachers and 20 students in an upstairs room in the Franklin Institute, an old Elementary School, located in the center of Franklin, Tennessee. The first graduating class, the class of 1912, consisted of 3 students. The first principal was Nell Shea. Franklin High School received its own building in 1926, and was located just outside of the downtown area. G.E. Craddock was the principal during the move, and brought 10 teachers and a senior class of 33 to the new building.

In 1936, W.C. Yates became principal of Franklin High School. Franklin was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1941, and increased the number of teachers to 13, and the graduating senior class to 53. Daly Thompson became principal in the early 1950s. Barry Sutton became principal in 1955.

In January 1956, the Franklin High School building burned down, leaving only the gym and basement standing. The school moved to local churches while a new building was constructed. The new location, still used today, was on the opposite side of Franklin, and had 19 classrooms. This new building was designed by William Thomas Black, a famous architect in the area. The new location the staff increased again to 19 teachers, and taught a graduating class of 72. The senior class grew to 184 by 1967, and had 45 staff members. Carl Owen became principal in 1967, but only served for one year. During this year, Franklin High School was combined with Natchez High School. D.W.Sanders became principal in 1968, and was replaced in 1971 by Carl Pike.

Brentwood High School was opened in 1982, pulling students from Franklin High school. Bob Lawson became principal in 1987, but only served for a year. In 1988, Doug Crosier was named principal, and the school building was renovated. Centennial High School was opened in 1996 to support the growing Franklin area.

Dr. John Calton was principal for the 2000-01 school year, and after he resigned, Dr. Linda Miller was principal for a year. In 2002, Willie Dickerson was appointed principal, and is still serving today.

A new two story Franklin High School was built between 2004 and 2006, costing 18 million dollars, and was built on the site of the previous building.

A new parking lot was recently added over the summer of 2009, to meet the increased number of students attending Franklin High School. This parking lot also serves as the marching band practice field.

Academics

Franklin High School is widely known as the first high school in Tennessee to offer the International Baccalaureate program. There are currently 23 seniors at Franklin High School in the International Baccalaureate program. The school also offers AP and Honors courses to students to promote academic rigor.

Marching band

The Franklin High School Band has made appearances in the Orange Bowl Parade, The Tournament of Roses Parade, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, The St. Louis St. Patrick's Day Parade, The Hollywood Christmas Parade, and The Tangerine Bowl. The band also appeared in the Academy Award winning movie "Nashville," as well as a Madonna music video. The Band has consistently been a finalist at Middle Tennessee State University's Contest of Champions and, in 1980 and 1981, won the Governor's Cup, identifying them as the Tennessee State Marching Band Champion. As evidence of what has been called a "come-back," the band was Reserve Grand Champion (2nd Place)in 2010 at the Contest of Champions, their highest placement since the championship victory in 1981. In both 2012 and 2013 the band again won the Governor's Cup, was named the TN state champion, and Grand Champion at the contest. On a regional and national level, the band was Grand Champion of the 2012 and 2013 Bands of America Regional Championship in Jacksonville, AL., and Power Springs, GA., respectively. Every year since 2011, the band has competed at the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis, IN. In 2011, they placed 45th overall. In 2012, they placed second in class (AAA) and 24th overall. This past year, 2013, they placed second in class and 15th overall.

Athletics

Basketball
In 1989 the Franklin Boys Basketball team won the TSSAA State Championship.
Wrestling
In 1985 and 2005 Franklin High School won the State Tournament as a dual team.
Soccer
The Franklin High Lady Rebels Soccer Team won State Championships in 1984 and 1985 under the TN Independent Lady Soccer League.. TSSAA sanctioned high school soccer as a sport in 1986, and the Lady Rebels have claimed the State Championship Title 13 times. During this time three national records were set: 1) most state championships(9), 2) most consecutive wins (83), 3) most consecutive games without a defeat (96). The team was also ranked in the top twenty in the USA for 5 consecutive years.

The boy's soccer team won state championships in 2013 and 2014.

Notable alumni

• James Allan Black (aka James Storm), currently wrestles in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, class of 1996
• Will Hoge, musician
• Corban Joseph, baseball infielder
• Wynonna Judd, country music singer
• Ashley Judd, actress, class of 1986
• Fred Lane, former NFL running back, class of 1993
• Darris McCord, former NFL player and 1 time Pro Bowler, class of 1950
• Dustin Ortiz, wrestler; current mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship^[1]
• Tucker Perry, Miss Tennessee USA 2010
• Lance Smith, an actor and former host on Country Music Television, class of 1996
• Derrick Turnbow, MLB Pitcher
• Hank Williams III, musician and son of Hank Williams Jr.
• Taylor Ware, Famous Yodeler, Finalist in America's Got Talent 2006, Winner of a Guinness World Record
• Kesha Rose Sebert, Famous singer-songwriter

International Baccalaureate Program

There are 23 seniors in the International Baccalaureate Program.

References

Source

GreatSchools.net TSSAA.org WCS.edu )