In the News: stained glass being restored; student walkouts planned

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Accompanied by the shrill of an electric saw, and a clinking rainfall of decades-old glazing, an entire wall of stained glass windows was extracted over the course of three days from the historic Franklin Federated Church -- bound for a Minnesota workshop to be restored to their original glory. 

Under the guidance of project manager Kit Sherwood, of Willet-Hauser Stained Glass, each delicate panel was meticulously freed from the glazing and tiny nails that held them in place. Panels were carefully tipped out, set down and lowered to the ground on a mechanical elevated work platform. There, each panel was handed over to two other team members - Sherwood’s nephew, Tyson, and brother in-law, Jimmy Cope - to be taped and cautiously packed between layers of padding into a shipping container. 

“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” admitted Sherwood, seeming relieved to have the panel he just removed safely secured with an “x” of blue tape and nestled into place among the other panels in the packing container."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180311/stained-glass-from-franklin-church-to-undergo-restoration

Related posting
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/03/franklin-federated-church-stained-glass.html

The large center window was removed first

Then the smaller surrounding windows were removed

"As schools around the country brace for student walkouts following the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida, principals and superintendents are scrambling to perform a delicate balancing act: How to let thousands of students exercise their First Amendment rights while not disrupting school and not pulling administrators into the raging debate over gun control. 

Some have taken a hard line, promising to suspend students who walk out, while others are using a softer approach, working with students to set up places on campus where they can remember the victims of the Florida shooting and express their views about school safety and gun control. 

Since the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, demonstrations have sprung up on school campuses around the country. But the first large-scale, coordinated national demonstration is planned for March 14, when organizers of the Women’s March have called for a 17-minute walkout, one minute for each of the 17 students and staff members killed in Florida."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/ZZ/20180311/NEWS/180319987

The Pantherbook article on the FHS student walkout was posted here earlier
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/03/pantherbook-walkout-planned-at-franklin.html

Pantherbook: "A Walkout Planned at Franklin High"

Pantherbook: "A Walkout Planned at Franklin High"

Rebekah Redwine, Guest Writer for Pantherbook, provides a summary of the student walkout planned at FHS for March 14.

"On February 14th, 17 lives were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As a result of the cruel gun violence of the recent years, a National School Walkout will be happening on March 14, 2018 at 10 AM. Schools all over the country will be doing this, as a way to honor those who lost their lives and to call on Congress to act upon the violence in our nation.

Franklin High will be participating in this, but the way we are doing it is a bit different from how many schools across the country are. We are lucky enough that students and teachers will not face consequences, such as suspension, for walking out and standing up for what they believe in. However, many students do not want to walk out and they will be given the chance to go to the gym for the 17 minutes. 

There is a lot of debate over this walk out, as many students do not understand what the point of the walkout is or believe that it will not make a difference. We should not have to feel unsafe in our schools, movie theaters, or homes. We call upon Congress to make a change and help end gun violence nationally. This walk out though, is more about school safety. Feeling safe in a learning environment should not be a political issue, as nobody wants to arrive at FHS at 7:15 every morning fearing for their life. This mass movement is to help us end the tragic deaths of students and teachers as a result of gun violence."

Continue reading the article about the walkout at Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2018/03/06/a-walk-out-planned-at-franklin-high/

Pantherbook: "A Walkout Planned at Franklin High"

Pantherbook: "Franklin’s Winter Sports Domination"

Joe Clark, Sports Editor of Pantherbook, provides a summary of the FHS success across the winter sports season.

"Throughout the winter sports season, a familiar team has been at the top of the standings. Franklin dominated their competition throughout the entire season, which led to an astounding 111-30 record (78.72% winning percentage) across boys and girls basketball, boys and girls indoor track, boys and girls ice hockey, boys and girls swimming, wrestling, and gymnastics. 

Franklin finished first in the regular season in boys hockey, wrestling, girls indoor track, and girls swimming. 

In addition, they won the Hockomock League in boys hockey, wrestling, girls indoor track, boys and girls swimming, and cheerleading also won the Hockomock League, in addition to finishing second at their state competition. 

They finished no lower than 4th in the standings in any sport. Every single team qualified for the postseason in their respective sports."

Continue reading the summary on Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/sports/2018/03/03/franklin-winter-sports-domination/

FHS Panthers

Pantherbook: "A Moment of Silence for Parkland" - Mar 14

Alyssa Carolan, Editor of Pantherbook, writes about "A Moment of Silence for Parkland" being scheduled for March 14.

"On the afternoon of February 14th, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 17 were killed and 14 more were injured, being taken to hospitals, causing this to replace the 1999 events at Columbine High School as the deadliest high school shooting in America. Nikolas Cruz, a 19 year old who had been expelled from the Parkland high school, was the one to open fire. 

This is not the first school shooting that occurred in 2018, making this incident harrowing, in terms of circumstance and statistic. Schools should be a place of safety, which makes instances like these so terrifying. 

In order to practice safety and preparation, Franklin High School will have a lockdown drill next week. The drills FHS practice are a blend of lockdown in place drills and active live shooter drills. In a lockdown drill, measures taken include: turning the lights off, locking the door, sitting in a corner away from the windows, and seeing an exit, and taking it immediately. In an active live shooter drill, measures taken include: barricading the door, seeing an exit and taking it immediately, and fighting back, throwing, trying to be as much of a disruption as possible. 

“We are always examining our drills and our safety,” Mr. Peri stated."

Continue reading the article at Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/news/2018/02/28/a-moment-of-silence-for-parkland/

Pantherbook: "A Moment of Silence for Parkland" - Mar 14

More about the Women's March Youth Empower can be found online
https://www.womensmarch.com/enough-toolkit

Pantherbook: "Hitting Snooze on the Morning Bell"

Madeleine Lussier, Editor of Pantherbook, has a piece on school start times called "Hitting Snooze on the Morning Bell"

"The idea of later school start times has spread to the town of Franklin. 

As it stands right now, Franklin High School has one of the earliest start times in the area with Medway beginning school at 8:04, Milford students getting to class at 7:50, and the bell ringing in Bellingham at 7:30, but as early as January 2019, students at Franklin High could be the ones sleeping in the latest. 

Beginning school at a later time would allow students to develop longer natural sleep cycle which in turn allows for more cognitive function, or increased availability to learn according to the U.S National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health."

Continue reading the article at Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2018/02/27/hitting-snooze-on-the-morning-bell/

Pantherbook: "Hitting Snooze on the Morning Bell"

Panther TV: Sitting with the Superintendent, January 2018

"Franklin's Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Sara Ahern, sits down with Panther News Reporter Catherine Middleman to discuss the homework policy, school start times, snow days, and more!"

For more about FHS visit Pantherbook  https://franklinpanthers.us/

"constant crowding during certain lunches"

Anna Eppihimer, Pantherbook student, writes the latest on the cafeteria crowding at the high school. For the record, the State wanted the school sized for 1500, the town fought for and the high school was built for 1600. With almost 200 more students than it should have, it is not surprising to have some space issues.

"This year, Franklin High School reached its highest enrollment in history. 1,792 students are currently enrolled, causing the lunchroom to overflow. 

The cafeteria isn’t as big as the school would have liked, and the administration, faculty, central office, superintendent, and student leadership are working on solutions to this crowding problem. 

Paul Peri, the principal at FHS, says he “recently ordered more lunchroom furniture.” He went on to say the new tables and chairs will be put into the main hall outside the lunchroom. Mr. Peri is also looking to get more high top tables for the main hall. 

The new furniture will alleviate some of the cafeteria crowding, and will provide a quieter area for students during their lunches."

Continue reading the article online
https://franklinpanthers.us/student-life/2017/11/06/getting-cramped-yet/

Finding a seat at lunch has become a challenge. (Pantherbook photo)

"all very positive things about the district”

Devyn Forcina, Editor of Pantherbook, interviews Dr Sara Ahern, the Superintendent of Franklin Public Schools.

“I want everyone to know that I want to know about their experience at, and about, Franklin public schools”, says Dr. Sara Ahern, the new superintendent of Franklin Public Schools. Dr. Ahern is a passionate, caring, and enthusiastic educator who I had the pleasure of interviewing last week. In this article, you can learn more about our new superintendent.

Continue reading the article online
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2017/09/08/dr-ahern-putting-the-super-in-superintendent/

Dr Ahern answers questions during the community forum earlier this year

“It was pretty wild. I didn’t expect it"

"Imagine waking up and finding a piece of your own artwork showing up as the first post you see on Twitter; then Instagram; then Facebook. Before you know it, you can’t scroll through your social media accounts without it showing up, gaining hundreds of retweets and reposts. 

Well, this is exactly what happened to Franklin High School senior, Emma Trinanes. Trinanes has been drawing her entire life, pulling from her parent’s encouragement to be creative. Inspired by her love for the New England Patriots, Trinanes decided to draw quarterback Tom Brady “back in February, [when] the Super Bowl was coming up. [She] figured it would be a good homage to [Brady]."

Continue reading the article online at Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2017/09/05/meet-the-senior-whos-drawing-of-tom-brady-went-viral/

If you missed seeing the artwork earlier, here it is

Emma Trinanes sketch of Tom Brady that has attracted a lot of attention

This was originally posted in August
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/08/fhs-student-sketch-gathers-attention.html

"promote inclusion through team practice and competition"

"This fall, Franklin High School will be introducing a Unified Basketball program. As defined by the Special Olympics website, Unified Sports “Brings together ATHLETES with intellectual disabilities and athletes without intellectual disabilities (UNIFIED PARTNERS) to train and compete on the same team. Participants improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills and learn acceptance and inclusion while participating in Unified Sports. A primary goal of Unified Sports is to equalize the ability level of Special Olympics athletes with their partners and to promote inclusion through team practice and competition. 

Franklin’s Unified program will meet two days a week after school, in addition to playing 4-6 games against other teams in the Hockomock League or other regional teams. The first practice is Wednesday, September 13th and the season goes until the end of October. 

“Last spring, Unified Track was very popular and we hope to continue that with Unified Basketball,” said senior Grace Sameski, who is helping with the program.

Continue reading the article on Unified Basketball at the Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/sports/2017/09/02/introducing-unified-basketball/

2017 Best Buddies Basketball Clinic (Pnatherbook image)

The Unified Basketball proposal was discussed and approved at the School Committee meeting held on Aug 22, 2017.

Other items from the School Committee meeting Aug 22 can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/08/schools-are-ready-to-open-on-schedule.html

“I’m really excited going into our first few trials"

From Pantherbook, the FHS news site, comes this article on the Mock Trial Team

"Each year the team is assigned a “Case Packet” which consists of affidavits and other documents to make a case for both the prosecution as well as the defense. 

This year the case is based around a war veteran who comes back home, only to end up shooting and killing his/her enemy from high school. The war veteran is played by Catherine Smith who will be performing for the team on Wednesday. 

“I am very excited and anxious for our first trial on Wednesday. I can’t wait to see how all of our hard work plays out” states senior, Alexander Sinks. 

There will be six students representing Franklin High School as an attorney, and three students representing the school as a witness, while the teams Prosecution will be there to cheer the team on. 

On Wednesday February 8th, the team’s Prosecution will be performing against Bellingham High School."

Continue reading about the Mock Trial Team online
http://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2017/01/31/meet-the-mock-trial-team/

The Mock Trial Team did win their first case last week:

Congrats to @FHSMock for the win today in our season opener. Pocket constitution to Lauren Robinson! @FranklinHSNews

— Michael Walsh (@MockWalsh) February 1, 2017

FHS Mock Trail Team for 2016-2017 (Pantherbook photo)

FHS Drama Club to perform 2 one-act plays, “The Giver” and “Gathering Blue”

From Pantherbook we share:

"On Wednesday December 21st and Thursday December 22nd, FHS drama club will be performing two one-act plays, “The Giver” and “Gathering Blue”. Both plays are set in dystopian societies with “Gathering Blue” being the sequel to “The Giver”. This week I spoke to the cast to get their insight on both plays. 

When asked about her experience in “The Giver”, Riley Halliday, who plays Fiona, said, “it has been an all around great experience, I love working with a smaller cast because we have all become very close”. Melissa Reinerston who plays Kira in “Gathering Blue” described the two separate plays as being “…especially challenging…because rehearsals felt divided, but both shows have come together really well”.

The shows are $5 dollars for students and $12 for adults and will be performed in the FHS auditorium at 7 o’clock.

Continue reading the article online
http://franklinpanthers.us/student-life/2016/12/19/drama-club-to-put-on-shows/

FHS Drama Club

Pantherbook: "FHS Sound Record Department Receives Ableton Grant"

Riley Halliday, Writer for the Franklin High School "Pantherbook" writes about the grant received for the Sound Record Department.

"It’s no secret the FHS has an outstanding resources for its sound recording department, however things just got a little more interesting. 

Mr. O’Connors, the new sound recording teacher, has already made an impact in his first months here. He recently applied for a grant from Ableton, a music software company. This Wednesday, sound recording classes and the music production club received fantastic news which included 15 new Ableton Push boards, as well as Ableton Live software.

Continue reading the article online
http://franklinpanthers.us/student-life/2016/10/24/fhs-sound-record-department-receives-ableton-grant/

Pantherbook photo for the article on the sound grant received

Find more articles in Pantherbook here   http://franklinpanthers.us/

Pantherbook is back!

Pantherbook is back online and available to the public. It is a good source of what is happening in Franklin High School written and produced by the students (with the guidance of teachers).

http://franklinpanthers.us/

Like other online news sources, it produces a Twitter feed, an RSS feed, and can be subscribed to via email.

screengrab of recent page from Pantherbook

Recent stories covered topics like:

• Harvest Stroll Prepares for Largest Event Yet

http://franklinpanthers.us/ae/2016/09/26/harvest-stroll-prepares-for-largest-event-yet/

• Meet Ms. MacLean- Featured FHS Faculty and Staff

http://franklinpanthers.us/staff/2016/09/23/meet-ms-maclean-featured-fhs-faculty-and-staff/

• Will Franklin Go Green?

http://franklinpanthers.us/student-life/2016/09/23/will-franklin-go-green/

Three things from the Pantherbook

1 - Jazz Band

On Wednesday, April 15, several FHS jazz music groups performed in the FHS auditorium, including the Jazz Workshop, Jazz Combo, and Jazz Band.  

Here is one excerpt from the concert of the Jazz Band performing the famous Duke Ellington song “Cotton Club Stomp” as directed by Ms. Rudsit. 

2 - TV Production Club

Have you ever wanted to see yourself on the morning news or just want to hone your production skills? 

Either way, Franklin High School’s TV Production Club is the place for you. New this year to any student who has completed a semester of TV Production, Video Production or Digital Journalism, the TV Club offers you the chance to produce fun content for the morning news. 

According to Ms. Moreau, who runs the TV Club, they are working on funny commercials and PSAs ( Public Service Announcements) to make the morning news more interesting. When asked on how she would sell TV Club to an undecided student Moreau said: “It’s fun to work with other students and produce content that you care about.”

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/ae/2015/04/16/ladies-and-gentlemen-the-tv-club/

3 - YMCA Leaders Club

What’s better than making an impact with your best friends? That’s what the YMCA Leaders club is all about. 

YMCA Leaders Club

The Leaders club is a great way to get community service hours because members are required to get at least six hours a month, but it is also a great place to make friends and build lifelong relationships. 

One of the advisors of this club, Nate Packert, said: “We give back to the community through volunteering our services where needed. We are a group of thoughtful committed people who are trying to make a change for the world around us.”

Continue reading the Pantherbook article here
http://pantherbook.org/student-life/2015/04/15/helping-the-community-one-leader-at-a-time/

Pantherbook Roundup: PARCC, human rights club, Trivia Bee

Pantherbook has been publishing more frequently so there are several good items to share. Pantherbook is the student effort reporting on FHS and Franklin providing a great opportunity to practice writing while using the various publishing and social medai tools available today.

1 - What do the students think about PARCC?

The newly introduced PARCC test has caused confusion and server failure for students and some staff at Franklin High School (FHS). Information from the administration can elucidate the background, purpose, and future of PARCC. 

First, PARCC is not yet a done deal. The question of whether or not it will be implemented will be voted on in early September by the Board of Education and the State. 

This new form of state testing is meant to judge a student’s college and career readiness. It tests application of skills as opposed to recitation of memorized information.

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/student-life/2015/04/05/a-walk-in-the-parcc/

2 - FHS students getting active discussing human rights

Young activists are welcome to come discuss social issues both within the school and beyond at Franklin High School’s Human Rights Club. 

Junior Olivia Pavao started the club in early January. She attended a Summer at Brown where she met students who had human rights clubs at their own schools, and was inspired to bring one to Franklin High School. 

“We have the GSA, we have Anti-Bullying. Combining those and making them more inclusive of a lot of different people would better our school,” said Pavao.

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/student-life/2015/04/08/discussion-and-activism-at-the-human-rights-club/

A shot from the FEF Trivia Bee (Abigail Weinberg)

3 - they reported on the recent Trivia Bee

On Wednesday, April 8, the Franklin Education Foundation held its 18th annual Trivia Bee at the Horace Mann Auditorium. Many members of the community participated, including several FHS students. The event raised thousands of dollars that go directly toward helping our town’s educational system. 

According to their Facebook page, the FEF is “an independent, non-profit, community-based organization developed to support to innovation and excellence in education… by funding grants for teachers and other staff within the Franklin public school system.” 

The Trivia Bee is an event that helps carry out this mission. Each year, students, parents, local business owners, teachers, and other school faculty members can participate in a trivia competition consisting of several rounds. This year’s trivia theme was movie trivia.

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/top-stories/2015/04/09/franklin-community-shows-skill-in-trivia-bee/

From Pantherbook: Hollywood Nights, R-word, Science Night

A quick recap of three articles recently posted to Pantherbook worthy of sharing here:

Say goodbye to Lovefest and hello to Hollywood Nights, a collection of skits to be performed by FHS theatre students on April 8 and 9. 

The traditional Lovefest, an annual skit-based production, was scrapped this year due to a number of reasons, ranging from snow days to administration’s desire for a more serious play

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/ae/2015/03/18/hollywood-nights-takes-lovefests-place/

pantherbook logo

A great many words that have had relevant meaning in society have fallen out of favor but none so much as the R-word. 

The students of Best Buddies have been advocating a campaign to end the use of this word. One of the advisors of Best Buddies, Mrs. Connolly, made claims that some videos supporting this campaign would be released, but no date of release has been revealed. 

While it has had a purposeful meaning in medicine, the phrasing has been changed and along with it, the connotation of the R-word. The word has degraded to an insult and slang instead of a medicinal term.

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/student-life/2015/03/19/spread-the-word-to-end-the-word-2/

On Thursday, March 13th – Franklin High School’s Science National Honors Society (SNHS) chapter hosted an exposition of intro-level science experiments and demonstrations for Franklin’s elementary and middle school students. Students and their parents toured Thursday’s “Science Night” in throngs, enjoying the night’s demonstrations and activities with smiles of wonder and fascination. 

Serenaded by string instruments as they ascended up to the second and third floors, participants were directed to the four science classrooms where the event took place. Heading towards the biology lab with his parent, one younger participant compared the string ensemble to “an orchestra”.

Continue reading the article here
http://pantherbook.org/top-stories/2015/03/29/science-national-honors-society-hosting-of-science-night-a-huge-success/

From Pantherbook: Drama Club success, Melodic Minors

Franklin’s Drama Club won a spot at the Dramafest semifinals for the first time in 10 years for its production of Rebel Without a Cause last Sunday.  

Dramafest is an annual threatre competition hosted by the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild featuring one-act plays from various local high schools. 

- See more at: http://pantherbook.org/uncategorized/2015/03/02/drama-club-reaches-dramafest-semifinals/#sthash.ZVQDOkaO.dpuf

pantherbook.org

Meet the Melodic Minors, FHS’s very own boys a cappella group! 

The group was started this year by senior Nate Wild and sophomore Gabe DeBenedict because they wanted to do a cappella for their outside-of-school chorus honors requirement. Alongside Gabe and Nate are members Zach Tassinari (senior), Andrew Rizoli (junior), Kevin Buckley, Ben Cohn, and Dan Schratz (freshman). 

- See more at: http://pantherbook.org/student-life/2015/03/04/meet-the-melodic-minors/#sthash.hrKq48OP.dpuf

Student choice for graduation robe color

From Pantherbook we find and share the results on the graduation gown discussion that took place in and around Franklin High School recently. Student Editor Caroline Cafasso writes:

On Friday, February 5, the FHS Student Government finalized the plans for the FHS graduation robes after a student poll showed that almost 69% of those who voted support having each student choose between blue and white for what color graduation robe they want to wear. 

Student government allowed the student body to have the final say in the matter. After several weeks of discussion, they gathered the most feasible and popular options in a Google poll where everyone could vote via Its Learning. 

According to Class of 2015 President Conor Lemanowicz, FHS voted overwhelmingly for the option to have each student choose his/her own graduation robe color between blue and white. 

“I was very satisfied with the result,” Conor said. “It was a compromise that was able to satisfy the vast majority of the student body. Ultimately our goal was to eliminate any gender discrimination in the robe tradition in a manner that would be acceptable for the students. I think we achieved that goal.” 

FHS student celebration at graduation (Pantherbook photo)

- See more at: http://pantherbook.org/top-stories/2015/02/24/in-case-you-missed-it-fhs-comes-to-a-graduation-robe-decision/#sthash.bmPkPzyc.dpuf

Related posts

FOX 25 story from Dec 2014
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/27608696/debate-over-graduation-gowns-underway-at-franklin-high-school

The Franklin Matters posting sharing Pantherbook article on the issue
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/12/graduation-gown-discussion.html

"what makes MSSNG more impressive ... absolutely massive scale"

From Pantherbook, we find this article on the MSSNG project share worthy:

In the past few weeks, Autism Speaks has launched a massive, new campaign in order to raise awareness of and study the genomic information behind Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Called the MSSNG Project, it is already catching the attention of large-scale communications organizations such as Fox Business and Bloomberg TV. 

According to the project’s website, “Autism Speaks is collaborating with Google to store sequenced data from MSSNG on the Google Cloud Platform, providing an open resource for scientists worldwide to access and share autism research.” (AutismSpeaks.org).

Continue reading the article at pantherbook: http://pantherbook.org/news/2015/02/06/autism-speaks-the-mssng-project/#sthash.TftQQAOu.dpuf

screen grab of pantherbook webpage