Ben Franklin to mark 10th anniversary of post-Katrina re-opening

The administration, faculty, staff and student body of Benjamin Franklin High School will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the reopening of the school following Hurricane Katrina on Friday, January 15, 2016.  Events will be held throughout the afternoon, from noon until 3:25 P.M.
 
The first public high school to reopen in Orleans Parish following Hurricane Katrina, Ben Franklin opened its door on January 17, 2006.  It was Ben Franklin’s 300th birthday.  On this day they opened as a public charter school. 

Extensive flooding, mold, mud and facility damage left Ben Franklin’s 1st floor unusable and the future of this institution in question.  The faculty, parents and students of Ben Franklin were determined to see the school reopened. Dedicated parents, unpaid faculty, alumni and students united to repair and clean the school.  Despite a complete loss of alumni and donor databases and limited postal service, supporters united to raise over one million dollars in private funds to ensure the continuation of the number one school in Louisiana and the spirit of excellence that is Ben Franklin High School.
 
The 10th anniversary day of celebration will include a ceremonial bell ringing, video presentations and honored guest speaker, former Senator Mary Landrieu.  The day will end with a second line of students. 
 
For a complete agenda of activities or more information contact Mrs. Christy Cowart Read ’89, Development Director, at 504-286-2615 or visit our web site at www.bfhsla.org.
 
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Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans’ most outstanding public charter school, has been preparing students for success through academic achievement since it was founded in 1957. Consistently ranked as a “top public high school in the nation” by U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, and Business Week, Franklin has received the highest School Performance Score in Louisiana, making it the #1 public school in the state, year after year.  Franklin is repeatedly named a National Blue Ribbon School, producing Presidential and National Merit Scholars each year.  The exceptional students, faculty and staff of Benjamin Franklin High School are the best and the brightest of New Orleans.