- Fayetteville-Manlius High School (also F-M High School or FMHS) is a comprehensive New York public high school on East Seneca Turnpike in the Town of Manlius, serving grades 9-12 in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District. It is the only high school in the district, and is the successor to both Wellwood Middle School and Eagle Hill Middle School. The school is governed under the authority of the New York State Education Department, whose standardized examinations are designed and administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
- History
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Fayetteville-Manlius High School was opened in 1960 after the 1951 merger of then separate Fayetteville and Manlius school districts and subsequent need to consolidate students into a single high school. Upon this opening, a major school restructuring was implemented, as the Fayetteville High School became Wellwood Middle School and Manlius High School became Pleasant Street Elementary (which closed in 1975). A new middle school, Eagle Hill, was also opened directly next to the high school in 1965. Space requirements, due mainly to ballooning enrollment and continued reorganization as a result of the 1951 merger, prompted the district to relocate Eagle Hill to a new building on a new campus in 1972, so the high school could expand into the junior high's previous facilities. This expansion, which connected the two buildings by a hallway and an enclosed footbridge, nearly doubled the school's footprint. F-M High School served grades 10 through 12 until 1976, when the two junior high schools became middle schools, and FM High took in 9th graders.
- Traditions
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Many of the school's traditions stem from the fact that decades ago, hornets nested in a 200 year-old oak tree that formerly stood on the old high school campus (now Wellwood Middle School). Because of this, the athletic teams' mascots are the Hornets, and several of the names used for the school newspaper over the years have been hornet-related (see Extracurriculars, below). The school alma mater gives tribute to the original tree in its opening stanza, "Guarded by the old oak tree...". The alma mater is set to the melody of "Aura Lee". Its lyrics are attributed to teacher Richard Rhoades "and his music composition class". The motif can also be seen in the school colors (green and white), in the district logo, and in the name of the school yearbook (Oakleaves).
- Demographics
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As of the 2005-06 school year, there were 1577 students enrolled at F-M High School: 402 in grade nine, 409 in grade ten, 378 in grade eleven, and 380 in grade twelve. The racial/ethnic makeup of the student population was 91.8% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 4.4% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 0.8% Hispanic. Approximately 0.5% of the population, or 8 students, demonstrated limited English proficiency. Approximately 0.8% of students qualified for a reduced-price lunch, and another 3.5% were eligible for a free lunch.
- There were 106 teachers employed at the school, which calculates a student to teacher ratio of approximately 14.88:1, though it is noted that the average 10th grade core academic classes ranged from 20-25 students per teacher.
- Academics and extracurriculars
- Curriculum
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As a comprehensive high school, focus is placed on developing students as well-rounded, respectful, socially engaged, productive citizens who constantly value new learning opportunities. The school focuses on graduating all students with the minimum of a Regents Diploma, but some may also graduate with a less advanced local diploma. The Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation may be achieved with extended studies in a foreign language.
- Though the curriculum is developed and sanctioned by the New York State Department of Education, and classes are developed to prepare students to achieve success on the required Regents Examinations, most core courses offer one or two components that explore more advanced topics. The school offers standard level Regents courses, but also offers more advanced Honors courses, Interdisciplinary courses (in English and History), Advanced Placement (AP) courses, as well as Syracuse University courses offered through Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA). SU courses offered through Project Advance are taught at the high school by F-M faculty members (qualified by the University), and follow the same curriculum and are given the same credit as courses taught at the university. A large percentage of students opt to take SU courses offered through Project Advance instead of AP classes because their equally challenging curriculum is often more widely accepted for transfer credit by the students' successive colleges or universities.
- As a school that strives to develop and encourage individual character and self-confidence, F-M has been steadfast in limiting any unnecessary academic competition amongst students. It is one of the only public schools in Central New York, and part of an extremely small percentage in the country, that does not rank students publicly and does not award valedictorian or salutatorian to graduating seniors. The school also uses a 5.5 grade point scale, as opposed to the much more common 4.0 scale, and does not weigh the GPA based on class difficulty level (Regents, Honors, AP, etc). In addition, the athletic department does not participate in academic All-America honors.
- Notable achievements
- Science Olympiad
- 2004 National Champions
- Other National Finishes: 3rd Place: 2005. 4th Place: 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 5th Place: 2009
- Six consecutive New York State Championships (2003–2008).
- 2005 gold medal and 2006 blue ribbon, Expansion Management magazine's Education Quotient
- 1999, 2000, and 2006 GRAMMY Signature School
- Six-times named one of the American Music Conference's "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America".
- The high school is consistently honored by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards as having the one of the best art programs in the country. In 2006, students from the high school received a record number of national awards, including the prestigious National American Vision Award.
- The high school consistently exceeds average state and national performances on the SAT. In addition, 99% of F-M students take the exam at least once. Here are the average scores, as of 2005 (prior to the College Board's 2006 revision):
- F-M : 590 Math, 571 Verbal - 1161 Total
- State : 511 Math, 497 Verbal - 1008 Total
- National : 520 Math, 508 Verbal - 1028 Total
- Graduation Data
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F-M High School has established a long, successful history of advancing students' interest in education beyond high school. In 2006, the school graduated 100% of its senior class, 67% of whom received a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, and 28% of whom received a Regents Diploma. Of these graduating students, 98% continued on to higher education, 84% to a four-year college, and 14% to a two-year college. Of the remaining graduates, 1% continued into the workforce, and another 1% had unknown plans. The dropout rate also remained under 1%, about half of whom enrolled in a High School Equivalency or GED program.
- Extracurriculars
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The student activities program offers more than fifty clubs and activities in a wide range of interests. Student-run publications include the Oakleaves yearbook, the student newspaper called The Buzz (formerly The Sting, formerly the Hornet's Nest), and a literary magazine, Voices. The school has a Quizbowl team and Amnesty International Club.The school has a chamber orchestra, a jazz ensemble, two bands, concert band and wind ensemble and also a Pep Band, and three vocal groups: choir, the select groups chorale, and Swing 16. FM also has three major stage productions during the year. The fall show features plays by the likes of Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde including A Midsummer Night's Dream and Lady Windermere's Fan, as well as the world premiere of Speak, based on Laurie Halse Anderson's novel of the same name. The spring musical production has featured such famous shows as Les Misérables, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, Oklahoma!, and Jekyll & Hyde, and Into The Woods. The final production of the year, called Showboat, is the annual student-run talent show, a tradition reaching back several decades.
- Athletics
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F-M's 32 varsity teams compete in the American Division of the CNYCL, Section III of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) [1], and Section III of the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association [2]. A wide variety of teams claim CNYCL and Section III championships every year, and the vast majority of athletes are honored with NYS Scholar Athlete Awards. The teams include:
- All varsity teams practice and compete on the high school campus, with a few exceptions. The soccer teams compete in the village of Manlius, the hockey team practices and competes at the Cicero Twin Rinks in Cicero, New York and crew teams practice on Onondaga Lake and compete at various venues. As voters in the district have historically refused to approve the building of aquatic facilities, the swimming teams practice and compete at Nottingham High School and less frequently at Corcoran High School in the city of Syracuse.
- Notable athletic achievements
- Girl's Cross Country
- Ranked #1 in the nation (as of 09/18/09)
- Three Consecutive National Championships: 2006, 2007 & 2008 Nike Cross Nationals
- 2006 & 2007 NYS Federation Champions
- 2006, 2007 & 2008 NYSPHSAA Class AA Champions & 1997 NYSPHSAA Class A Champions.
- Boy's Cross Country
- Ranked #3 in the nation (as of 09/18/09)
- 2nd Place, 2004 & 3rd place, 2005 Nike Team Nationals (now called Nike Cross Nationals)
- 1997, 2004 & 2005 NYS Federation Champions
- 2004 NYSPHSAA Class AA Champions & 1997 NYSPHSAA Class A Champions
- 2nd Place 2008 NYSPHSAA Class AA Championship, 2nd Place 2008 NXN New York Regional Championship, 16th 2008 NXN National Championship
- Boy's Outdoor Track
- 2006 National Champion 4x1 Mile Relay (meet, Section III and NYSPHSAA record time) and 2nd Place Distance Medley Relay, 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals 2006 Penn Relays Champions in the CHampionship of America Distance Medley Relay.
- Boy's Indoor Track
- 2006 National Champion 4x1 Mile Relay (meet record time), 2006 Nike Indoor Nationals
- Girl's Lacrosse
- National Rankings: #4 (2004) and #3 (2005) by LaxPower
- 2004 & 2005 NYSPHSAA Class A Champions and 2006 NYSPHSAA Class A Runners-up
- Boy's Lacrosse
- 1988 NYSPHSAA Class A Runners-up
- 1993 NYSPHSAA Class A Runners-up
- Girl's Crew
- 1st Place, Girls 2nd 8+, 2006 New York State Scholastic Rowing Association (NYSSRA) Championships
- Girl's Tennis
- 2003 & 2004 NYSPHSAA Doubles Champions
- 14 consecutive Section III titles
- undefeated since 1993
- Boy's Tennis
- 12 consecutive Section III titles
- undefeated since 1995
- Facilities
- Recent Facilities
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Subsequent additions and renovations have allowed the school to keep up with advances in technology, increases in enrollment, and changes in curriculum.
- Two new wings for science and music and a renovated library media center were opened in 1998, followed by a renovation of the auditorium in 1999.
- Since 1998, the school has opened seven computer labs spread throughout the school, in an ongoing commitment to making contemporary technology accessible to all students. Together, these labs contain almost 200 computers, in addition to a computer in every classroom.
- In 2000, to accommodate the school's nationally-renowned, award-winning art programs, the district opened one of the most extensive art facilities of any public school system in Upstate New York. The new wing includes classrooms and studio space for drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, and digital media. Existing photography facilities remained intact and have since been updated to accommodate digital technologies.
- 2000 saw the opening of a television studio, FMTV, which develops and broadcasts a student-run morning news program and special events to every classroom in the school.
- In 2003, after acquiring farmland adjacent to the campus, the school opened a new access road, expanded student parking lot, and additional athletic fields. Consolidated maintenance facilities, and a state-of-the-art observatory opened in 2004, also as a result of this acquisition.
- An expanded counseling suite and administrative office was opened in 2004.
- The fitness center was expanded and equipped with state of the art equipment in 2008. The overpass was renovated and numerous classrooms were re-purposed.
- Notable Incidents
- "Grinding"
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During the 2006–2007 school year, the school gained national attention due to controversial policies implemented at school-sponsored dances. Catching the attention of the New York Times in a December 17, 2006 article, was the decision by principal James Chupaila to ban "grinding", or any forms of perceived "suggestive dancing styles", at school dances, and to cancel one dance altogether for fear it could become a moral and legal liability. The story was also featured in the New York Observer, and on the front page of The Post-Standard. Chupaila's decision led to the cancellation of the remainder of class dances, with the exception of the school's popular spring charity fundraiser, Dance Marathon.
- Cheating scandal
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During the 2007–2008 school year, F-M was again in the news when the FBI was consulted in an investigation at Fayetteville-Manlius High School.At a faculty meeting Administrators disclosed that there was breach in computer network security.One student was caught trying to remove an electronic monitoring device (a hardware keylogger) from a school computer on October 24, 2007. Another student was caught trying to break into the school earlier that day, and the third was found waiting in a nearby car.Further investigation implicated eight students altogether, two of them graduates attending college (Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University). The students face criminal charges, some of them charged with multiple felonies.
- Notable alumni
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The school district, in conjunction with the Fayetteville-Manlius Education Foundation, has instituted a Fayetteville-Manlius Hall of Distinction, which is said "to recognize and celebrate Fayetteville-Manlius for the accomplishments of its graduates." These are the most notable alumni who have been inducted, among many others:
- 2000
- Steve Altes, humorist - Class of 1980
- Tom Rafferty, pro football player - Class of 1972
- William Short, co-developer of the Acoustic Wave Music System (commonly known as Bose) - Class of 1969
- Nancy Harvey Steorts, former chairman of the Consumer Products Safety Commission - Class of 1955
- Chris Wedge, Academy Award winning film director - Class of 1975
- 2001
- Christopher Moeller, comic book artist, writer and illustrator - Class of 1981
- 2004
- Laurie Halse Anderson, children's author and young adult novelist - Class of 1979
- Manuel Ares, Jr., department chair, molecular biology, U.C. Santa Cruz - Class of 1973
- Jonathan Murray, co-creator and executive producer, The Real World - Class of 1973
- 2005
- Wayne Trivelpiece, director of Antarctic Seabird Research, NOAA - Class of 1966
- 2007
- John Beattie, Senior Intelligence Officer, NCIS - Class of 1976
- The awards are now biannual, with no inductees listed for 2006.
- An alumni database was recently reintroduced on the district web site.
- Barry Bonds
- External links
- NYS Education Department 2005-06 Comprehensive Information Report
- NYS Education Department 2005-06 Accountability and Overview Report
- District Links
- F-M High School Website
- F-M Education Foundation
- F-M Alumni
- F-M Football
- Fm Class of 1982 Official Website
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- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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