Fayetteville–Manlius High School

History

Fayetteville–Manlius High School was opened in 1963 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, now called House 1 and House 2, 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.

Administration

Raymond W. Kilmer is the school's current principal, and took office on July 1, 2010. His supporting staff include:

Traditions

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

Entering the 2014-15 school year there were 1460 students enrolled at F-M High School and 130 faculty members, for a student-teacher ratio of approximately 11:1.

As of the 2005-06 school year, 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. Since then the Asian student population has increased significantly, and now makes up around 15% of the school or more.

Curriculum

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 with the exception of awarding valedictorian to a graduating senior. The school also uses a 100 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

Graduation data

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

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. Fayetteville-Manlius also boasts a Model United Nations club with more than fifty participants. The club hosts an annual Central New York MUN Conference (CNYMUN), often inviting over a thousand delegates from around New York. Another extracurricular area in which the Hornets excel is Mock Trial, where in 2016, Fayetteville-Manlius High School won the New York State Mock Trial Championship with an undefeated season record. The school has a chamber orchestra, string orchestra, concert orchestra, symphony orchestra, a jazz ensemble, two bands, concert band and wind ensemble as well as a very powerful Pep Band, and three vocal groups: choir, the select groups chorale, and Swing 16. The school also has the top Ukulele Ensemble in the Central New York area. FM also has three major stage productions during the year. The final production of the year, called Showboat, is the annual student-run talent show, a tradition reaching back several decades. Fayetteville–Manlius High School also hosts a π memorization contest called "pi day" every year, typically on March 14.

Athletics

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), and Section III of the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association. 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. 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

Recent facilities

The science wing, opened in 1998, includes eight laboratories and a large group instruction room. The "overpass", at the middle of the school, connects its two main sections; "House 1" (primarily English and Social Studies) and "House 2" (primarily Science, Mathematics, and Technology). The school also opened a new Art Wing in 2000. Subsequent additions and renovations have allowed the school to keep up with advances in technology, increases in enrollment, and changes in curriculum.

"Grinding"

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

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

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 some of the notable alumni who have been inducted, among many others:

2000

2001

2004

2005

2007

2009

Not inducted