Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
FHS girls hockey: Alumni game is back, Saturday, Nov 29
Thursday, November 28, 2024
FHS Hockey Alumni Game Friday night - Nov 29
| FHS Hockey Alumni Game Friday night - Nov 29 |
FHS Alumni Game Friday night.
Arrive early and check in. https://t.co/Jc25yUnCrs
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Olympic Recognition: Kristi Kirshe, Tuesday, August 20 at 6 PM on the Town Common
Wanted to give you ... a heads up as you've always been a huge supporter of recreation and youth sports. Tuesday, August 20 at 6:00 PM, we are putting on a huge welcome home celebration for Kristi Kirshe on the Town Common.Working out all the detail with the family now. But we'll invite the whole community and her family is so happy. Flowers and hopefully a proclamation from the Council and a Q&A for the young athletes to ask her about her experience.Should be a fun night. Please spread the word.
Thanks again"
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| Olympic Gold Recognition: Kristi Kirshe, Tuesday, August 20 at 6 PM on the Town Common |
Friday, August 2, 2024
NCAA shared video of Kristi Kirshe touting her development through Division 3
The @NCAADIII experience helped @KirsheBar balance education and sports, taking her all the way to an Olympic bronze medal with @USARugby! ππ
#OlympiansMadeHere x #WhyD3
Shared from -> https://t.co/sNa3zsHJ2k
Direct YouTube link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlScx42_BF4Thursday, August 1, 2024
Kristi Kirshe recognized with banner on railroad bridge
- 2012 led the FHS girls to the State Championships in soccer https://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/franklin-high-school-girls-soccer-2012.html
- 2013 named Top Student Athlete for Hockomock League https://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/hockomocksports-top-student-athlete.html
- 2014 playing for Williams College https://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/12/its-amazing-to-be-in-national.html
- 2019 profile in Pantherbook (saved via the Internet Archive) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WP4VLiSB5NBDkGp6k2G105CwgjFmEKnc/view?usp=drive_link
- 2019 profile in HockomockSports.com (subscription required) https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/02/in-all-sports-and-no-matter-what-stage.html
- 2021 Boston Globe reported on Kristi being named to the Olympic roster https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/06/the-boston-globe-franklins-kristi.html
Monday, May 8, 2023
FHS alumni Julia Fenerty sets Ivy League meet record in 800M
"MEET RECORD BROKEN.Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/IvyLeague/status/1655273864182767616
@DartmouthTFXC's Julia Fenerty claims first place in the women's 800m run with a MEET RECORD time of 2:03.81. πΏπ https://t.co/Nah0m3KobM"
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| FHS Panthers |
MEET RECORD BROKEN.@DartmouthTFXC's Julia Fenerty claims first place in the women's 800m run with a MEET RECORD time of 2:03.81. πΏπ pic.twitter.com/Nah0m3KobM
— The Ivy League (@IvyLeague) May 7, 2023
Thursday, November 10, 2022
FHS volleyball alumni Lauren McGrath: "I think sports led me to be successful"
"The Endicott women’s volleyball team hadn’t lost a conference match since the 2018 season, so it came as a bit of a shock when the Gulls dropped a 3-1 result at neighboring Gordon in the final week of the regular season. It meant that Gordon would host the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament and maybe deny Endicott a third straight trip to the NCAA DIII Tournament.
“We definitely did not like losing to them,” said senior setter Lauren McGrath. “I think we’re definitely motivated since that was such a tough loss and everyone knew, you could see on our faces how upset we were. We just need to improve and fix our mistakes and we know what we need to do now.”The former Franklin standout and 2018 HockomockSports.com Player of the Year noted how much fun it would be to celebrate the conference title on Gordon’s court and, a week later, she got to do just that.Endicott swept Nichols and Western New England in the first two rounds to get a rematch with Gordon in the CCC final. McGrath finished with 35 assists, eight digs, two aces, and a kill, as the Gulls swept aside their rivals to win a third straight CCC crown and fifth in the past six years. It also secured a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for McGrath."
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| Former Franklin standout Lauren McGrath (18) helped Endicott go on the road and win its third straight CCC Tournament title. (David Le/Endicott Athletics) |
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Alumni Restaurant not to reopen
Sad news on the small and local business front, the Alumni Restaurant will not be reopening and is being put up for sale. The owner's note to the patrons shared here.
On the other hand, there is an opportunity for someone who would like to operate a restaurant!
Shared from Facebook -> https://www.facebook.com/204307558091/posts/10160476432138092/
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| Alumni Restaurant not to reopen |
Monday, February 28, 2022
HockomockSports.com: "Franklin’s Noviello Aims to Ace Final Season at Fairfield"
Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.com, provides a profile of FHS alumni Jake Noviello, now playing baseball for Fairfield University.
"How do you follow up a historic season? Former Franklin star Jake Noviello admits that he gets questioned about it a lot on the Fairfield campus. After winning 39 games last spring, becoming the first MAAC team to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, beating Arizona State, and reaching the program’s first regional final, what do the Stags do for an encore?
“People at school keep asking me are you guys going to be undefeated again and I keep saying probably not,” Noviello, a senior pitcher, said with a laugh, “but I think the best way to try and get back to where we were is to not focus on the big picture but just compete every day at practice. Do everything you can to just win.”
It isn’t just the team success that will be difficult to replicate. Noviello went 9-0 as a starter last season, tying the program record for wins and leading the conference. He was named to the All-MAAC First Team and All-Tournament Team and the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team. His 1.47 ERA led the MAAC, was fourth-best in the nation, and was the second lowest in program history. He also led the MAAC and was top 10 in the country in WHIP (0.88) and walks per nine innings (1.20)."
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| Former Franklin standout Jake Noviello and Fairfield head into a new season looking to build on the history they made in 2021’s first-ever run to the regional final. (Fairfield Athletics) |
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Franklin High School Baseball alumni ready for their spring collegiate season
2-18-22 - College Baseball is officially back!
For those that would like to follow the 14 FHS ⚾️ alums that are currently on active college rosters please see the list below.
Nothing better than checking the box scores & seeing our alums contributing to their collegiate programs!
https://t.co/wcYRABPHY6
| Franklin High School Baseball alumni ready for their spring collegiate season |
Saturday, January 22, 2022
BFCCPS Announces this Year's Alumni Scholarship Opportunity
The Benjamin Franklin Classical
Charter Public School
500 Financial Park
Franklin, MA 02038
www.bfccps.org
January 20, 2021
The faculty and staff of the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School (BFCCPS), located in Franklin, Massachusetts, are pleased to announce that alumni scholarship applications for alumni who are graduating from high school this year are now available. This scholarship is designed for Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School graduates who have displayed academic achievement, a commitment to serving others, and continued to demonstrate virtuous behavior since graduating from BFCCPS. Eligible students would have been a member of the BFCCPS Grade Eight class of 2018.
Applicants must be a BFCCPS graduate who attended BFCCPS for a minimum of 3 years, a graduating high school senior who will be entering their first year of post-secondary education and available to attend the BFCCPS 8th grade graduation in June where the scholarship will be awarded.
The scholarship application is posted on the school's website at www.bfccps.org and to the BFCCPS Alumni Facebook page. The application deadline is March 28, 2022.
BFCCPS is a regional public charter school for students in Kindergarten through Grade Eight. Founded in 1995, BFCCPS is one of the oldest and most successful charter schools in the state of Massachusetts.
The school provides a well-rounded, rigorous academic program designed to educate the whole child providing yearlong courses in art, music, languages, technology, and physical education. The school's integrated character education, community service, and strong parent partnerships, have led to local, state and national recognition. BFCCPS alumni continue to excel during their attendance at local public high schools as well as independent high schools. Enrollment applications for the 2022-2023 school year are available through February 15, 2022. Families can learn more and even apply online at www.bfccps.org/info.
If you'd like to learn more about the educational mission of the school or have enrollment related questions please contact the school's Communication Coordinator, Joanne Basile at jbasile@bfccps.org or 508-541-3434 x104.
About the Benjamin Franklin Charter School
The Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School's mission is to assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children by providing students with a classical academic education coupled with sound character development and community service. Our mission is supported by four distinct, yet interconnected pillars that provide for a collaborative, rigorous education for all students. These pillars guide, direct and define the school in all it does.
| BFCCPS Announces this Year's Alumni Scholarship Opportunity |
Monday, December 6, 2021
FHS alumni - Jennifer Maddox receives the 2021 LISC Community Impact Award
"Jennifer Maddox, Undersecretary of the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), received the 2021 LISC Community Impact Award in recognition of her leadership of the statewide Eviction Diversion Initiative. The award was presented by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston.
November 16, 2021, Maddox, who assumed leadership of DHCD in February 2020 just weeks before the onset of the pandemic, was honored for her effective housing leadership through the crisis, and specifically for preventing widespread evictions after expiration of the legislative moratorium ended in October of 2020. The Eviction Diversion Initiative led by Maddox and her team provides deep assistance to tenants and landlords, including funding for rent and overdue utilities with state and federal funding, as well as free and low-cost legal aid and professional mediation services to help households avoid evictions. Through October of this year, more than 50,000 unique households had received $360 million to avoid eviction, and eviction filings and executions continue to remain below pre-pandemic levels."
https://lisc.app.box.com/s/d5w6v55toohqladn9ahdypn44kfvgvd1
Saturday, November 20, 2021
HockomockSports.com: "Franklin’s Adams Closes Out Career at Northeastern"
"It was a college career that almost didn’t happen. In the first game of her junior season at Franklin, Megan Adams, who had helped the Panthers reach back-to-back South finals the previous two years, suffered a concussion. As many other high school athletes would, she tried to play through it, unaware of the severity of the injury.
Adams would feel the effects of the concussion for the next three years, not only in keeping her off the pitch, missing the final two years of her high school career and her freshman season at Northeastern, but also in her everyday life at home and in the classroom.
Not many athletes would make it through that challenge, but there she was in August of her sophomore season putting on the goalie shirt for her first collegiate appearance, recording a save against Long Beach State. Two days later, she made three saves in her first start at Loyola Marymount.
Looking back as a fifth-year senior, with only a couple games left in her final season with the Huskies, Adams, who says she has no lasting symptoms from the concussion, was able to reflect on all that she managed to overcome."
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| Meg Adams battled back from a concussion in high school that kept her out for three seasons to become the goalie at Northeastern University. (Northeastern Athletics) |
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
FHS grad Jake Noviello "in the midst of a breakout season"
"I've always had really high expectations for Jake, but I don't know if I thought he'd be Top-5 in the nation in ERA and WHIP."
Former @FHSSports star @j_noviello123 is in the midst of a breakout season with @Stags_Base
Friday, November 13, 2020
"I need to go do whatever I can"
"Throughout the presidential campaign, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon often repeated a mantra from her collegiate softball days to rally staff on endless Zoom calls: We can do hard things.
Even for someone with an optimistic attitude, 2020 presented a particularly high number of “hard things” for the woman running Joe Biden’s campaign — a pandemic that turned traditional campaigning upside down, a polarized left that wasn’t thrilled about a three-time, middle-of-the-road presidential candidate, an unpredictable opponent who frequently said the election was rigged before any votes were cast.
But the mantra, however unflashy, turned out to be true.
“Once she commits to a goal, she’s going to grind it out,” said longtime friend Cloe Axelson, who played softball at Tufts with Dillon and worked on early campaigns with her. “She’s so tough, and she just does the work.”
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Friday, November 6, 2020
"everybody who knew Dre knew how big his heart was,"
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"It’s been a week since DeAndre Akeem Scott was fatally shot in the chest, and police say no arrests have been made.
Investigators say they have no new information to release to the public about the shooting, said Franklin police spokesman Sgt. Brian Johnson, and that the investigation is still “active and ongoing.”
Last week, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said the suspect or suspects appear to have known Scott, 26, and that the shooting is not random. Morrissey also said Scott, from Attleboro, formerly lived in Franklin, but no further information about his background has been released.
According to Scott’s obituary, he lived in Franklin for much of his life, graduated from Franklin High School in 2012 and later attended Dean College. "
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201105/still-no-arrests-week-after-murder-of-franklin-high-school-graduate?rssfeed=true
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| balloon display set up on the corner of Elwood St |
Thursday, February 6, 2020
An Evening With Kristi Kirshe = Feb 12, 7 PM
"Excited to announce an Evening With Kristi Kirshe @FranklinHS alum & member of @USARugby"
When: Feb 12, 2020 7 PM at FHS Auditorium
| An Evening With Kristi Kirshe = Feb 12, 7 PM |
Excited to announce an Evening With Kristi Kirshe @FranklinHS alum & member of @USARugby ! @FHSSports @Fhsglax @fhsgvbasketball @fhsgvsoccer @HockomockSports @KirsheBar pic.twitter.com/e8DLZGk03H— Pantherbook (@FHSPantherbook) February 5, 2020
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Franklin grad Olivia DiGiacomo represents JWU at Div. III Immersion Program
"Competing in collegiate athletics opens a number of unique opportunities, not all of them on the field. Franklin grad Olivia DiGiacomo got to experience one of those opportunities last week, when she attended the annual NCAA convention in Anaheim, Calif. as part of the Div. III Immersion Program.Continue reading the write up by Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.co:
DiGiacomo, a junior outfielder on the Johnson & Wales University softball team, was nominated for the program by her softball coach Kim Camara-Harvey and director of athletics Dana Garfield. She was one of 40 Div. III student-athletes selected from thousands of nominees nationwide to join the program and attend the convention.
“My coach and my athletic director looked at me as a leader and someone who can bring back a lot of information and knowledge back to campus,” said DiGiacomo after she got back from the convention. “It was absolutely a gratifying experience to be recognized.”
https://hockomocksports.com/franklins-olivia-digiacomo-represents-jwu-at-ncaa-convention/
Friday, November 15, 2019
In the News: 2nd Annual Toys for Tots at Alumni
"With a blended family of five children ages 6-17, John MacLennan and his wife, Tara, try their “absolute best” to keep a smile on the kids’ faces.
For the Plainville couple, there is nothing quite like inspiring smiles and joy. And they don’t keep it just within the family.
The pair are the organizers behind the Toys For Tots Festival planned for Saturday at Franklin’s Alumni Restaurant. The event, which will take place from 3-11 p.m., is aimed at bringing people together to enjoy entertainment, food and cheerful company while also benefiting a cause that is sure to inspire countless smiles come Christmas morning.
This is the second year the couple is planning the event."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191114/couple-plan-toys-for-tots-festival-at-franklins-alumni-restaurant
Follow the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/441604416644253/ — at The Alumni Restaurant and Bar.
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| 2nd Annual Toys For Tots Festival at Alumni on Nov 16 |
Sunday, November 10, 2019
2nd Annual Toys For Tots Festival at Alumni on Nov 16
The JohnnyMac Productions will have the 2nd annual Toys For Tots Festival. This year we have alot in store and fun for all ages.
Santa will be there from 4-6, there will be hanna tattoo, candy shop, foster kid information, kid karaoke, magician will be preforming. Then as the night carries on we will have a local band of HS kids from KP preforming, 2 local acoustic artists and more adult karaoke as well.
Not only will there be performances but the whole event is based on toys for tots so bring an unwrapped toy to the event and you will be given a ticket to enter one of several raffle donations from local and corporate business I have received for this event. You can also purchase more tickets as well, and all the money goes towards toys for tots.
Below is the link for the event. Also if you can not make it and but would like to donate a toy we have a few drop off locations that will be at local business.
- Alumni Restaurant (Franklin)
- Abbellirisi Salon (Plainville Center)
- Union Straw (Foxboro)
- Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Cente/ The Orpheum Theatre (Foxboro)
- Nick Cerio's Kenpo (Bellingham)"
https://www.facebook.com/events/441604416644253/ — at The Alumni Restaurant and Bar.
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| 2nd Annual Toys For Tots Festival at Alumni on Nov 16 |













