Meet FirstLine's Ben Franklin High School Class of 2019!

As the school year comes to a close, our eighth graders are looking forward to their next journey - high school. High school is an exciting time filled with increasing moments of freedom, rigours classes, lessons learned, and growing up.

Ben Franklin High School is continuously ranked at as one of the best high schools in Louisiana, with over 80% of their graduates being college-ready. A selective high school, that not only offers rigorous academics but also varsity sports and a wide-variety of after school clubs and enrichment programs, Ben Franklin is the top choice for many incoming Freshman in the New Orleans area. We are proud to announce that some of our very own Samuel J. Green Charter School and John Dibert Community School alum will be enrolled at Ben Franklin High School in the 2014-15 school year.

Meet our students and future Ben Franklin grads:

Ryan, an eighth grader at Green Charter was accepted into every single high school he applied to. Ryan chose Ben Franklin because of the opportunities the school would provide him. In addition to playing football (he's a running back), Ryan is excited about the academics and robotics club.

Jerson, also an eighth grader at Green Charter, decided on Ben Franklin over Lusher because of the freedom the school would offer. Jerson is only looking forward, excited to leave middle school and begin the next chapter of his life. Jerson intends to play soccer and football while at Ben Franklin.

Vinny, an eighth grader at Green Charter, chose Ben Franklin because his brother goes there. Vinny said, there "is greater potential and opportunity for me there." While some students make the decision in the months leading up to 8th grade promotional activities, Vinny has known he would go to Ben Franklin since the fifth grade. In the seventh grade, Vinny decided that he would focus on writing, refining his skills and perfecting his fictional short stories. Vinny has high hopes for next year, but is confident that Ben Franklin will be fulfilling.

For Kennadi, an eighth grader at Dibert, Ben Franklin has always been a dream. It was actually her mother who sent in her application. Kennadi is quiet and hard-working, skills she thinks will allow her to excel academically in high school. In addition to joining the softball and volleyball team, Kennadi is most excited about having a locker!

Kayla is ready for a challenge. She is very much aware of Ben Franklin's reputation and is eager to work hard. Kayla was also accepted to Warren Easton and the International School, but felt that Ben Franklin would be the best fit for her personality. Like Jerson, Kayla is excited about the freedom that high school promises. But she also knows as difficult as it was to get in, it is just as hard to stay in. Kayla intends to play volleyball in addition to joining the chorus club, swim team and debate team.

UPDATE: Kayla won President of the Freshman Class! A big congrats to Kayla and the Ben Franklin class of 2019.

Karrie, an eighth grader at Dibert and Kayla's sister, will also be attending Ben Franklin. Karrie's dream is to save the environment, to save our world. Karrie has joined theatre, speech, debate, softball, swimming and the animal conservation club.

Destiny and Jalyn, both eighth graders at Dibert, are ready for a more advanced and fast-paced learning environment. While both students were accepted into nearly every school they applied to, both agreed that Ben Franklin provides a diverse environment that will enable them to meet new people, learn new things, and have new experiences.

Donald Frank, an eighth grader at Dibert, chose Ben Franklin because it is "the best school in New Orleans." While Donald is not looking forward to studying, he is ready to move on in life. Donald has joined football, the video game club, debate and drama. All the students from Dibert headed to Ben Franklin have formed a study group. Donald is glad that he will have familiar faces next year, as well as academic support.

Donald Oliver, an eighth grader at Langston Hughes Academy will also be attending Ben Franklin this August. Donald has been at LHA since the 5th grade, excelling in particular in Math and Science. He earned high school credit by performing well on the Biology EOC and Algebra EOC, so he will be headed to Franklin ahead of the curve!

Thal'neisha Weston: Has been one of the top scholars at LHA since 5th grade, excelling in particular in Social Studies. She'll be entering Franklin with EOC credit in American History, allowing her to take advanced classes as a freshman!

Orange Day for Kay

In February, we found out that one of our second grade scholars at John Dibert Community School has leukemia. On Friday, May 30th, John Dibert Community School students, staff and families came together to celebrate "Kay Day." Clad in orange t-shirts, beads, and stickers, the entire school showed support for the incredibly hard journey Kay has before her as she fights cancer. In a single day, our teachers and scholars raised $1,311.13 for Kay and her family.


Teachers have been sharing a variety of resources to talk to scholars about this disease, and what Kay is going through. While the day was filled with stories of inspiration and love, this one in particular stood out.

A lower-school scholar had forgotten to wear orange in honor of Kay Day. The student overheard a couple of teachers discussing what the money was for. He quietly left the room and came back, proudly holding three shiny pennies that he had been keeping in his backpack. The student had not yet learned about money, but he knew he had some and that it had a better purpose than in his backpack.

As we continue to show our love and support, the staff at John Dibert Community School has set up a donation page to help Kay's family cover the financial costs that come along with being diagnosed with leukemia. To show your support, please go here.

Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School Senior Lunch

Bulldog Alumni sent our seniors off with a congratulatory lunch! 

Soon to be Bulldog Alumni sat down to enjoy a late lunch with our current Bulldog Alumni. The program included an inspirational talk by Blair Boutte, spoken word from Clark Prep staff, Charlie Vaughn, words of encouragement from Pastor Fred Luter, Jr. and award presentations. 

As one chapter ends, another begins. We know that this is only the beginning of the incredible journey each one of our graduates will take. We want to wish them the best of luck! Senior Graduation is Wednesday May 21, 2014. 

Code Academy Attends 2nd Annual National WWII Museum's Robotic Challenge

"I've failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

Meet the Dibert Team!
Jared, Macallister, Macailen, Jaylen, Marvin, Kayla, Jordan, and Greyson

These are words to live by. While John Dibert Community School's Code Academy experienced some failures at the Second Annual National WWII Museum's Robotic Challenge, there were a lot more success. 

With a team of fourth through seventh graders, Code Academy competed in the WWII Museum's Second Annual Robotics Challenge. Each of the challenges fit into a D-Day theme, as our team worked to program an autonomous robot to avoid beach obstacles, unload soldiers from a Higgins boat, and build a pipeline to the English Channel. Students competed alongside other teams from all over Louisiana along with teams from Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. 

A big shout out to the John Dibert Community School Code Academy for both their success and lessoned learned!

The team visits the real Higgins boat after a successful day of programming.

Special Olympics Field Day at Arthur Ashe Charter School

This past Saturday, Coach Tamara Schuit and a group of coaches and volunteers held the second FirstLine Special Olympics event.  As Coach T describes it, “We watched with full hearts as students from Dibert, Ashe, Green, and LHA participated in basketball, volleyball, and track and field events with coaches, volunteers, parents and siblings cheering them on. SHOUT OUTS to our amazing coaches and volunteers Ms. E, Ms. Clayton, Ms. Meekins, Ms. Landry (and her son/daughter), and our ESY peeps Donna Cavato and Jess Bloomer who helped make the day a huge success!”  Thank you Coach T and team for making this happen.

Thanks to you, they've found the dirtiest job they'll ever love

"I woke up thinking about this party!"

"This is the best party ever!"

"This is the best job I’ll ever have!"

What are these third graders at Arthur Ashe Charter School talking about? Their Compost Employee Appreciation Party, of course.  

At Ashe, the Edible Schoolyard NOLA garden team “hires” student-employees to help with composting after lunch. Even though it’s technically a volunteer position, being a Compost Employee is a pretty big deal for a third grader. 

Interested students submit applications for the position. Then, each applicant has an “interview” with a garden teacher, which sounds something like this:

What Ashe core value will you be exemplifying by being a compost employee?

“I want to help my community and keep things clean and nice.”

Why do you want to be a Compost Employee?

“The more we compost the nicer our garden looks, and I want our garden to look beautiful.”

Do you have any responsibilities at home that show that you can take on more responsibility at school? 

“I sleep at home. I sleep like an angel.”

Next, the new hires (p.s. they all get hired) are trained, sometimes by the garden teacher and sometimes by a former Compost Employee, to perform their daily duties: teaching other students how to compost correctly (no plastic bags in the compost bucket!) and collecting all the leftover food from that meal to bring to the compost outside.

When you see a third grader pulling a dirty compost bucket off the lunch tables, it's not a punitive task for bad behavior, but a reward. These students take pride in their jobs, and they ought to because their jobs are important. Thanks to kids like these, ESYNOLA composts over 20,000 lbs of produce every year across five school cafeterias.

At the end-of-the-year Compost Employee Appreciation Party on Wednesday, the workers celebrated their term of service with a snack of seasoned popcorn, a mint and fruit spritzer, and a dance party. They each received a trophy for their efforts—a tiny golden Dixie cup with a plastic insect on top. During the award ceremony, it was the students, not the teachers, who spoke about why each Compost Employee should receive an award:

“He’s a good person and helps me when I’m sad.”

“She’s a really good friend.”

“She has a lot of integrity.”

“He cares about the community and the earth.”

At the end of the party, one third-grade Compost Employee told his teacher, “When I grow up I want to be a composter and a gardener.” It doesn't get much better than that.

Clark Prep AP Government Students Visit Washington D.C.

Our very own AP Government students made a trip to Washington D.C. during the school's spring break! The trip was not only an opportunity for students to travel outside of New Orleans but it provided an amazing educational experience for students. 

Each day was packed full of events and sightseeing including museums, monuments, and exploring the city. Students also had the opportunity to visit Representative Cedric Richmond, see Senator David Vitter's office, tour the Supreme Court, tour Howard University, and even watch a play at Ford's theater! This is only a small taste of this incredible opportunity for our students.

In addition to seeing the sights, Clark Prep students worked with over 250 students from Alaska to Nebraska to New York. In no surprise, our students were some of the more out-going, enthusiastic students in the program, frequently taking the lead in workshops and group activities. The trip has left the students feeling more empowered about the AP Government test, just around the corner and know this trip has been valuable in helping them to understand history and other government concepts. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this trip possible!