Franklin High School is a public high school located in Franklin, Tennessee, United States. The school serves the north central section of Williamson County for students in grades 9-12.
The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Video Franklin High School (Tennessee)
Administration
Willie Dickerson is the principal of Franklin High. The school has four assistant principals: Toby Ruth, Jason Eubanks, Lauren Bauer, and Marlon Ruck.
Maps Franklin High School (Tennessee)
History
Franklin High School was established in 1910, with 2 teachers and 20 students in an upstairs room in the Franklin Grammar 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 the downtown area on Columbia Avenue. G.E. Craddock served as 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. During his tenure, the school 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 and 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. At 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 42 staff members. Carl Owen became principal in 1967, but only served for one year. During this year, Franklin High School was integrated and 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 relieve crowding in 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 on the site of the previous building. The construction cost $21 million. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house was held Jan. 22, 2006.
Franklin celebrated its 100th anniversary throughout the 2009-2010 school year including at its annual Homecoming festivities in October and at a special video presentation in April.
In 2016, WCS began to develop a campus master plan for FHS including improved athletic facilities, a new access road for better vehicle circulation, and expanded classroom facilities, primarily through the acquisition of the former Columbia State Community College Franklin campus, which is located next to the high school. At its March 13 meeting, the Williamson County Commission gave the former college campus to the district and approved $9 million for construction and renovations. The first phase of these campus improvements were completed in January 2018, with the reopening of the former Columbia State building as the Franklin High School Annex. The annex contains 16 traditional classrooms, in addition to science labs, administrative space, and a commons area. The new space can accommodate approximately 500 students.
Mascot
The school's mascot was a tribute originally meant to honor the confederacy of the civil war. Although Franklin has kept its mascot as the Rebels, the original cartoon of a confederate rebel is banned on school apparel. A big white "F" incased in a maroon circle is used to symbolize Franklin High School instead. This is said to be the "Power F" that distracts from the taboo that the Confederacy is in modern time.
Academics and testing
Franklin High School was the first high school in Tennessee to offer the International Baccalaureate program. The IB program combines a rigorous academic workload with community service hours and an extended essay. The school also offers numerous AP and Honors courses to students to promote academic rigor.
In 2013, the school had an average ACT score of 24.6. That year, 449 students took a combined 794 AP exams, earning an 84% passing rate (score of 3 or better).
Additionally, the school offers career and technical education courses in several areas including digital arts, television and film production, early childhood education, culinary arts, autonomous vehicle coding, criminal justice, marketing, and automotive collision repair.
Arts
Franklin High School offers band, chorus, theatre, and visual arts programs.
Band
The Franklin Band comprises three concert bands, percussion ensemble, marching band, fall color guard, winter guard, jazz band, and numerous chamber ensembles.
The band is a 2014 recipient of the Sudler Shield, an international award for excellence in marching band. The marching band is a six-time state champion, winning the governor's cup in 1980, 1981, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016. In addition, the group won Bands of America regional championships in 2012 and 2013. The band has been a consistent semifinalist at the BOA Grand National Championships since 2012. In 2015, the band earned 13th place at Grand Nationals, its highest placement to date and the third highest placing Tennessee band ever.
The Franklin High School Band has made appearances over the years 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," a Madonna music video, and the 2014 film "The Secret Handshake."
The Franklin winterguard was founded in 2014. In 2015, the group won the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit class SAA championships and were subsequently promoted to class SA.
Franklin has had several concert ensembles perform at the Music for All National Festival. Most recently, the percussion ensemble and saxophone quartet performed at the 2017 festival. Previous national festival performances include the wind ensemble and percussion ensemble in 2013 and a chamber ensemble Franklin Winds at the 2015 festival.
Athletics
TSSAA-sanctioned sports
The below TSSAA-sanctioned teams have won a combined 18 state championships, the second most in Williamson County Schools. Years in bold indicate state championships. Years in italics indicate state runners-up.
- Baseball
- Boys' basketball: 1989
- Girls' basketball
- Bowling
- Boys' cross country
- Girls' cross country
- Football: 2004, 2008
- Boys' golf
- Girls' golf
- Boys' soccer: 1987, 2013, 2014
- Girls' soccer: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016
- Softball
- Boys' tennis
- Girls' tennis
- Boys' track
- Girls' track
- Volleyball
- Wrestling: 1989, 2005
Club Sports
In addition to TSSAA sports, the school also has numerous club sports. Years in bold indicate state championships. Years in italics indicate state runners-up.
- Cheerleading
- Varsity: 1997, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
- Junior Varsity: 2010
- Dance (junior varsity jazz): 2011, 2012
- Hockey
- Boys' lacrosse: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007
- Girls' lacrosse
- Swimming
These sports have a combined 9 state championships, which gives Franklin a total of 27 state championships.
Notable alumni
- Ken Frost, former NFL defensive tackle (class of 1956)
- Will Hoge, musician
- Caleb Joseph, MLB catcher, Baltimore Orioles (class of 2005)
- Corban Joseph, baseball infielder (class of 2008)
- Ashley Judd, actress (class of 1986)
- Wynonna Judd, country music singer
- 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
- Kesha Rose Sebert, singer-songwriter
- Lance Smith, an actor and former host on Country Music Television (class of 1996)
- Derrick Turnbow, MLB Pitcher
- Taylor Ware, Yodeler, Finalist in America's Got Talent 2006, Winner of a Guinness World Record
- Hank Williams III, musician and son of Hank Williams Jr.
References
External links
- Franklin High School official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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