President of the Orleans Parish School Board will speak at Benjamin Franklin High School’s 54th Commencement on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.  

“We are grateful to Mr. Marshall for agreeing to address this year’s graduating class,” said Principal/CEO, Dr. Timothy Rusnak. “His commitment to education and the Greater New Orleans community resonates with the mission of Benjamin Franklin High School.”  

Mr. Marshall is a native New Orleanian, educated at McCarty Elementary in the Lower Ninth Ward at what is now Martin Luther King Elementary, St. Augustine High School, Loyola University and the University of New Orleans.   Elected to the Orleans Parish School Board in 2012, Mr. Marshall currently serves as President of the Orleans Parish School Board. 

Mr. Marshall has served on several local nonprofit boards and has been a member and officer in many school and community organizations.  He presently serves on the board of directors for the Bayou District Foundation which has the responsibility for the redevelopment of the St. Bernard Housing Project area.  

He is married to a former public school English teacher and attorney Dianne Jones Marshall, father of two daughters and one son, five granddaughters and two grandsons.     

On April 22, 2014, Anna Bell Hines, sophomore at Benjamin Franklin High School, was officially honored as a State Ambassador for her work with the Louisiana Green Schools Challenge, a program of the US Green Building Council Louisiana Chapter.  Richard Hartley, Director of Special Projects for the Lt. Governor’s Office, spoke on behalf of Lt Governor Jay Dardenne, and recognized AnnaBell’s efforts to grow awareness of sustainability issues at not only her own school, but at schools throughout the State of Louisiana. 

Anna Bell herself encouraged her school to sign up for the Green Schools Challenge, making Ben Franklin the first school in the state to “Accept the Challenge.” She continued to display her leadership outside of her school’s own project by starting a Green Schools Challenge Blog and Facebook Page; leading a team of over 40 volunteers for Green Apple Day of Service; presenting the student perspective on Green Schools as a featured speaker at the USGBC Louisiana Sustainability Series; and taking an award-winning photograph that was honored on a national level by the USGBC Center for Green Schools.

Green Schools Challenge Press Conference
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - Earth Day
Benjamin Franklin High School 2:00 pm
2001 Leon C. Simon Drive New Orleans, LA 70122

Please join the Louisiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council in honoring the statewide winners of the inaugural 2013-2014 Louisiana Green Schools Challenge. Emily Riordan, USGBC Center for Green Schools, and James Garvey, Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will announce the Green Schools Challenge winners at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels.  

The 2013-2014 Louisiana Green Schools Challenge’s mission is to educate schools across the state about the benefits of green building and environmental stewardship by participation in hands-on real world projects. The Green Schools Challenge seeks to empower teachers and students by giving them the resources to make healthier and more productive classrooms. Through this program, school buildings become living teaching tools, where kids gain first-hand experience in issues of sustainability. In only its first year in Louisiana, forty Louisiana schools signed up for the Challenge, exceeding all expectations.  

Prizes are sponsored by Entergy. USGBC Louisiana will also announce the 2014 Green Ribbon Recipient School, which will be highlighted throughout its Greaux Green event season and during Greenbuild 2014, October 22-24, 2014, in New Orleans.

What: Ben Franklin High School is once again committing to beat childhood cancer. The school is partnering with the St. Baldrick Foundation for a special fundraising event raising money for childhood cancer research. 

When: April 9, 2014 3:30 pm – 5:30pm  

Where: Ben Franklin High School 2001 Leon C. Simon New Orleans, LA 70122  

Why: Volunteers will shave their heads as a symbol of solidarity with those battling cancer and help raise money for cancer research. So far, students and faculty have raised over $11,000 for the St Baldrick’s Foundation and hope to meet a goal of $15,000 by the end of the event.   Everyone is welcome to participate and donate. Students, faculty, and community members can sign up to raise money and shave their heads! To do so, please visit http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/10247/2014

Advocates for Academic Excellence in Education, Inc. (AAEE) which oversees Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS), unanimously approved a 1-yr extension of Principal/CEO, Dr. Timothy Rusnak’s employment contract at its December board meeting held Thursday, December 19, 2013. This is the third extension of his contract which will now run through June, 2016.
 
“We’re pleased to have Dr. Rusnak continue his leadership and direction of the school,” said Mr. Duris Holmes ’80, AAEE Board President.
 
Dr. Rusnak has been with Franklin since July 2008. In his tenure, he has seen the school through a 70% percent enrollment increase, enhancement of Franklin’s academic programs, increased partnerships with the University of New Orleans and securing a solid financial base for the school.
 
“I want to thank the Board and our entire Franklin community for the trust and confidence expressed with this extended contract,” said Dr. Timothy Rusnak. “It is truly a privilege to be part of a legendary institution with a commitment to excellence.”
 

New Orleans, LA—January 15, 2014 – Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS) received a $20,000 grant from the Rex Organization’s Pro Bono Publico Foundation on Saturday.
 
The grant will help support Franklin’s partnership with the Khan Academy to offer Advanced Placement Courses in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Courses (STEM).
 
“We are honored that such an organization with a rich history of service believes in the work we are doing at Franklin,” says Dr. Timothy Rusnak, Franklin’s Principal/CEO.
 
Duris Holmes ’80, President of Ben Franklin’s Board of Directors and Francoise McHugh, BFHS’s Development Associate/Librarian, accepted the grant check at a reception at the Rex Den on January 11, 2014.

Advocates for Academic Excellence in Education, Inc. (AAEE) which oversees Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS), recently elected Mark I. Baum, AIA to its board of directors, effective immediately.

Mr. Baum, Class of 1977, is not only a Franklin alumnus, founding member and past president of its Alumni Association, but also a parent of a current Franklin student. Mr. Baum is actively involved with the AAEE Facilities Committee and the Ben Franklin Athletic Association (BFAA). He is currently the principal of the New Orleans office of Chenevert Architects LLC.

“Mr. Baum brings a wealth of experience and will play a key role in advocating for and sustaining Franklin’s goals,” said Duris Holmes, AAEE Board President.

Dr. Timothy Rusnak, Franklin’s Principal/CEO added, “We are fortunate to have Mr. Baum join our board. His strong history of support of Franklin as a graduate, coupled with his highly respected reputation as an architect is a perfect match as we map out our future.”

Benjamin Franklin High School recently received a $2000 Youth Literacy grant from the Dollar General Literacy Organization to support its literacy programs.  Specifically, the grant will allow the purchase of e-readers and electronic books to promote reading.
 
“Ben Franklin High School and its team of educators are always looking for new and innovative ways to enhance our students’ educational experience,” says Timothy Rusnak, Franklin’s Principal/CEO. “We are so thankful for Dollar General’s support of our efforts to enhance our literacy programs.”

The students will be able to check out Kindles and take them home for a few days to read one of the hundreds of eBooks that will also be purchased with the funds. With this fun and useful tool, we hope that the reluctant readers will be more inclined to read.

Ben Franklin High School to Dedicate Diversity Garden Honoring Class of 1966 and Celebrate Recycle Day
Class of 1966 was school’s first integrated graduating class

WHAT: Ben Franklin High School will celebrate its rich history with a good cause by helping “Keep Louisiana Beautiful” for two days. On November 15, the school will dedicate its new Diversity Garden filled with Louisiana native plants honoring the Class of 1966, Ben Franklin’s first integrated graduating class. The project was made possible by the Class of 1966, Eco Urban Landscaping and the United Houma Nation.   The following day the school will take part in America Recycles Day and help support cleanup and recycle programs. Collection boxes will be placed in the faculty parking lot for: used printer cartridges, used batteries, plastic and paper grocery bags as well as plastic, aluminum, paper, and cardboard recycle containers. Open to the public.  

WHEN:
Diversity Garden dedication
Friday, November 15 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm  

Ben Franklin partners with Keep Louisiana Beautiful for “America Recycles Day”
Saturday, November 16 8:00 am – 12:00 pm  

WHERE:
Benjamin Franklin High School 2001 Leon C. Simon Dr. New Orleans, LA 70122