‘It’s a big day for Franklin’: High school recognized for excellence after push for district improvements

FRANKLIN — Franklin High School Principal David Levesque had a stellar secret.

Levesque diligently bided his time, until Wednesday morning, when the big-reveal moment finally rolled around. Students, staff, and district and city leaders were called to the gymnasium under the guise of a safety meeting.

After weeks of waiting, the moment was finally here.

The school community learned Franklin High School was named a 2026 School of Excellence, after years of tremendous growth and innovation, showcasing quite the comeback during a time when finances were pulled tight.

Jacqueline Coe, board member of the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards, congratulated the school, who lauded the moment with cheers, whistles and applause.

“You are incredibly blessed with teachers who are prepared and empowered and so committed to share their interests with you, create courses, continuously improve instruction, and work hard to create opportunities for you,” Coe said. “Excellence is about showing up and engaging even when circumstances are hard.”

Next, Levesque finally got his chance at the podium.

“It’s a complete community and complete group effort, but you are the ones making a difference in the community,” he said, bursting with pride while addressing students. “What you’ve done in the past four years is incredible.”

The years-long culmination of hard work resulted in future-forward changes for students to come, including a better roadmap to success.

Change over time

The creation of a Portrait of a Graduate program, beginning in 2019, was a big deal for FHS, as it laid the foundation for prioritizing district needs going forward. This really jump-started the momentum for improvement.

The Portrait of a Graduate includes community input and a dynamic learning experience, so all students graduate with the skills, knowledge and commitment to reach their goals. There are six competencies demonstrated in all courses: learning, wellness, community, resourcefulness, responsibility and humanity.

According to the Golden Tornadoes’ application for the award, submitted by Levesque: “The resulting Portrait has become our compass, guiding decision-making in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and culture. Despite significant socioeconomic challenges, limited local resources, and generational barriers, our students remain creative, hardworking, and hopeful. Our educators and community partners are united in their mission to ensure that every young person is seen, supported, and empowered.”

The Portrait of a Graduate was put into effect in 2021.

Since then, the school has implemented Project Blocks, along with longer class times, leading to more staff collaboration and the hiring of a culture and climate specialist in 2024.

“Transitioning to Project Blocks forced us to develop new teaching strategies that would not only help teachers create innovative classes but also provide the support they needed to be effective in this new process,” the application reads. “We worked carefully and purposefully, offering school-wide professional development, individual coaching, and reimagining our leadership structure.”

It was a new process for all involved, but resulted in more meaningful instruction.

“Project Block classes are built from scratch, with teachers selecting rigorous standards and designing relevant activities. The new schedule provided significantly more time for teachers to collaborate and plan, creating meaningful learning opportunities,” the application reads. “Students also gained a renewed passion for learning and suggested courses they would like to see offered. FHS teachers and students are encouraged to be creative and use their community to develop real-world skills.”

In addition to the classroom blocks, WE CONNECT time was also built into the schedule, creating an opportunity “for students to connect with a specific teacher, review grades, have class meetings, and create a supportive community.”

These changes made a world of difference in positive outcomes, and landed Franklin High School some accolades. 

‘A great day for Franklin’

Superintendent of Schools Dan LeGallo could barely contain himself on Wednesday. When special guests arrived at the district office ahead of the announcement, they were taken aback by the gathering of people milling about.

“It’s a great day for Franklin,” he said to each, seemingly tickled to soon reveal the exciting news.

After the announcement in the gymnasium, LeGallo took in the moment from the sidelines.

“It's an amazing accomplishment. It's been a long journey,” he said, looking out to the students in the room. “There's plenty of work still left to do. We're going to keep on, trucking on.”

Telling the students and staff his secret was just icing on the cake for him, Levesque said.

“It was great — and a relief. Having to keep this news from everyone for weeks was really difficult. Oh, but so worth it.”

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.