The High School That Beat Katrina

It takes the support of a whole community to empower education. I think that it is awesome that parents, teachers and students worked together to open the doors of Franklin. As an educator, there is always a need to involve parents, students and teachers to positively impact education. When you'll decided to work together, it proved that we all can work together to make a difference. I hope that the positive support will continue to create a legacy of diversity within your school.

A. Carter of VA 7:40AM February 25, 2009

As a current Franklin student, I think this video is well needed and well deserved because of Franklin's high success rate. I myself also wanted to attend Karr until I heard it was no longer a Magnet school or attented to those who were gifted.This ultimately made my mother and I look for different schools, in which we found Frankin.When i heard of what they actually did and received for their hard work(scholarships and amount of children who attended college, I was astonished and greatful for a place like it. We work hard and don't take anything for granted because we know where it leads us.

Karr may be a great school,but it has changed. My brother attended Karr and he said it was just like Ben Franklin Pre-Katrina ,but since it go rid of it's admissions test, it hasn't been the same. Also, Edna Karr may have included everyone after Katrina but, everyone didn't graduate nor attend college. Franklin doesn't discriminate against anyone; we only want to continue the legacy of educating the intelligent.

Also, If Edna Karr wanted recognition for it's great deeds, they should try and uphold higher standards for kids to achieve like Franklin.

Danielle of LA 7:17PM December 08, 2008

I find Keith's statement to be yet another example of the anti-intellectual bias that pervades large parts of American culture.

As an early ('63) graduate of Franklin, I strongly disagree with his suggestion that Franklin should have been pulled back down to the status of an ordinary public high school. It does not benefit our society to have gifted students sitting bored in overcrowded classrooms where the teachers can barely handle the disciplinary problems caused by some among the academic underachievers at the same time as they are trying to give a basic education to the others, much less give the gifted the extra attention needed to challenge them and fully develop their potentials. Our universities and graduate schools are filling up with students from countries such as China and India where there is no hesitancy at all to expend resources to identify and nourish their academically gifted.

It is the shame of the American educational system that it yearly turns out masses of students who are so ill-prepared for college level work that they must take remedial courses in basic subjects before they can even attempt to take first year college courses. The New Orleans School Board should be commended and proud of maintaining such an island of excellence as Franklin in a sea of mediocrity.

Victor Thomas of CA 9:13PM December 07, 2008

As a graduate of the second class at Franklin (1958-1961) I can attest to the loyalty that graduates feel for the school. It was a much smaller school then, as they were simply adding one class, of roughly 60 students each year. However, we still managed to get about half of those studnets qualified as national merit semi-finalists or finalists.

My own memories are of the sense of "mission" even in those early days. Sputnik had just been launched in 1957 and the race was on to :catch up" to the Russians. As a result our classwork included classes in Russian, from Leon Trotsky's niece no less. In addition to the academic work, I also remember our efforts at athletics, particularly football. We could only count on 22 players, played in hand-me-down uniforms and participated in the riverside league, a compendium of smaller private schools and public schools located in smaller towns around New Orleans. In short, we made up in enthusiasm for our lack of skill and depth on the bench.At last year's reunion, our coach, our math teacher and our student councilor were all in attendance.

Since its earliest days, the school has been dogged by charges of elitism but has survived them all. At Ben Franklin, the extraordinary involvement of teachers, students, parents and alums seems to keep the momentum up. There are fine private and parochial schools in New Orleans, but for families of average means, Franklin was not just a way to advance, it was virtually the only way to get a great educational start within the public school environment.

Incidentally, Franklin was the first public school in the city to be integrated.

Eric Smith of LA 4:00PM December 06, 2008