Francis Lewis High School
Encyclopedia
Francis Lewis High School (FLHS) is a public high school
located in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Francis Lewis High School offers a number of special programs upon admission: Jacob K. Javits Law Institute (for law studies), the University Scholars Program (a highly selective program which gives its students an accelerated humanities
program with a requirement of two foreign languages), and a Math and Science Research Program (advanced studies of math, science
and statistics
). A new program starting in 2009 is the forensic academy; it has caused a large amount of interest in the Intel Science Talent Search
, with some student-created research projects including "Synthesis of Two New Alpha-Lactams" and "Suppression of Graft Versus Host Disease by Inhibition of Donor T-Cell Proliferation."
The school has approximately a 91% attendance rate and 80.5% graduation rate.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Francis Lewis High School offers a number of special programs upon admission: Jacob K. Javits Law Institute (for law studies), the University Scholars Program (a highly selective program which gives its students an accelerated humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
program with a requirement of two foreign languages), and a Math and Science Research Program (advanced studies of math, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
). A new program starting in 2009 is the forensic academy; it has caused a large amount of interest in the Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...
, with some student-created research projects including "Synthesis of Two New Alpha-Lactams" and "Suppression of Graft Versus Host Disease by Inhibition of Donor T-Cell Proliferation."
The school has approximately a 91% attendance rate and 80.5% graduation rate.
Language studies
In keeping with the school's diversity, Francis Lewis offers a plethora of foreign languages: Hebrew, French, AP French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Latin, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Spanish, AP Spanish, AP Spanish literature, AP Japanese, and AP Chinese.Honors Programs
In 1978, Francis Lewis High School was the first public high school to achieve certification to the International Baccalaureate which supplemented the AP (Advanced Placement) courses by offering college credit for work done during high school (based on the final test score). Students may choose the full program to get a full years' college credit, or just courses of interest (for credit towards single college courses such as math or humanities). There are a few honors programs at Francis Lewis. They include: Math and Science Research, The University Scholars Program, and The Jacob Javits Institute for Law.Extracurricular Activities
- Francis Lewis's drama program has performed GreaseGrease (musical)Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, Guys & Dolls, FootlooseFootloose (musical)Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
, Little Shop of HorrorsLittle Shop of Horrors (musical)Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
, Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (musical)Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
, The Wedding SingerThe Wedding Singer (musical)The Wedding Singer is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. It is based on the 1998 film The Wedding Singer.-Synopsis:Act 1...
, and HairsprayHairspray (musical)Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
in the last seven years under the guidance of Ms. Marci Finkelstein. Preparations are currently underway for the 2011-2012 performance of Legally BlondeLegally Blonde (musical)Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
.
- Francis Lewis has over fifty clubs including a Glee club, an Anti Bullying club, a cooking club and various clubs dedicated to embracing the ethnic diversity of the student population.
- The Patriot, Francis Lewis High School's newspaper, at the time advised by Marci Finkelstein, was one of three schools in New York State to win a "First Place Award" in the American Scholastic Press Association's newspaper contest for 2008 (scoring 880 of 1000 possible points). The editors of the winning June 2008 issue were Daniel Bacharach, Ana Maria Blanco, and Trinel Torian.
- During the 2007-2008 school year, three students were named Siemens Westinghouse Math, Science and Technology Regional Finalists. Two students, Israt Ahmed and Cathy Xiao Zhou were named Intel ISEF finalists. These two have also placed third in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.
- In the National Raiders Challenge in 2010, out of the 54 teams from 31 schools nationwide, Patriotettes won first in all five events
The Cabinet
Previous principals of Francis Lewis include Vincent McGarrett, August Lodato, Edward Kramer, Melvin Serisky, Robert Burns, Catherine Kalina, and Jeffrey Scherr.FLHS in the Public Eye
- In 2003, New York City artist Marshall Weber created a unique artists book by hand tearing a 1969 yearbook from Francis Lewis High School and collaging it into a vintage stamp album. Titled Souvenir the book was so popular that the Brooklyn Artists Alliance http://www.booklyn.org/artists/Marshall%20Weber.php published a limited edition version in 2004.
- In April 2007, NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein visited Francis Lewis to view the new science labs installed in 2005. He was greeted by the Boy's Step Team (Nu Gamma Psi) as well as Honors Orchestra.
- In January 2011, NYC Schools Chancellor Cathie Black visited Francis Lewis and met with select students in the Principal's Office.
- In April 2011, on his first day in office, NYC Schools Chancellor and FLHS Alumnus Dennis Walcott visited and toured Francis Lewis, leading the school in the Pledge of Allegiance and walking through his old hallways.
- In an episode of Seinfeld The Muffin TopsThe Muffin Tops"The Muffin Tops" is the 155th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 21st episode of the eighth season. It aired on May 8, 1997.-Plot:...
, George's replacement for his job at the Yankees was an intern from Francis Lewis named Keith.
Notable alumni
- Rick EliceRick Elice-Life:Elice earned his BA from Cornell University, his MFA from the Yale Drama School and is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard. He was the salutatorian graduate of Francis Lewis High School in Queens, New York . He is a charter member of the American Repertory Theatre...
(1973) - actor, writer, and co-writer of the book for Jersey Boys, he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2006 for Best Musical. - Francheska Gomez (2008) - actress. Played Dora the ExplorerDora the ExplorerDora the Explorer is an American animated television series created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh, and Eric Weiner. Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. The show is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network, including the associated Nick Jr. channel. It aired on CBS until...
in NickelodeonNickelodeonNickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
's Storytime Live! tour. Plays Miss Verano on Sabado GiganteSábado GiganteSábado Gigante is a Spanish-language television show that is Univision's longest-running program and the longest-running variety TV show in the world. Sábado Gigante is an eclectic and frenetic mix of various contests, human-interest stories, and live entertainment...
. - Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr. (1981) - Director/Writer/Producer of the internationally acclaimed, Peabody-Award finalist 9/11 documentary, The Heart of Steel.
- Peter GuttmanPeter Guttman (photographer)Peter Guttman is an American author, photographer, lecturer, television personality and adventurer who has traveled on assignment through over 200 countries and seven continents.-Early Life:...
(1972) - Travel journalist, lecturer, and author of five books about travel adventures, two time Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year Award winner - Deborah Holdstein - Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Columbia College ChicagoColumbia College ChicagoColumbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
and Editor of the journal, College Composition and Communication (CCC). - Mike JorgensenMike JorgensenMichael Jorgensen is a former Major League Baseball player drafted by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft...
1973 Gold Glove winnerGold Glove AwardThe Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
, played for New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals. Manager of St. Louis Cardinals in 1995. - Alan P. Krasnoff - Mayor of Chesapeake, VirginiaChesapeake, VirginiaAs of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...
- Ron ShandlerRon ShandlerRon Shandler is the author of Baseball Forecaster, an annual publication focused on applying sabermetrics to fantasy baseball, and founder of , a website with the same focus....
- founder of the Baseball HQ website and the first person to apply sabermetrics to fantasy baseball. Author of yearly "Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster" - Jonathan PontellJonathan PontellJonathan Pontell is a television director, producer and editor.A native of New York City, Pontell attended the School of Visual Arts, studying film and television...
- Emmy, Golden Globe, and George Foster Peabody Award winning television director, producer and editor. - James Văn Thạch - First Vietnamese American military adviser to the Iraqi ArmyIraqi ArmyThe Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
. Only US servicemember to be awarded the rank of Honorary Brigadier General in the Iraqi Army. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/07/prweb408426.htmhttp://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/4/prweb855714.htm - Dennis WalcottDennis WalcottDennis Walcott is the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. He succeeded Cathie Black, who resigned in April 2011 after only three months on the job....
- Chancellor of the New York City Department of EducationNew York City Department of EducationThe New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
. - Chris WeltyChris WeltyChris Welty, an American computer scientist, is a Research Scientist at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, NY, and formerly a professor in the Computer Science Department of Vassar College and a distinguished lecturer of the Association for Computing Machinery. He is best known for...
(1981) - computer scientist known for his work in the semantic webSemantic WebThe Semantic Web is a collaborative movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium that promotes common formats for data on the World Wide Web. By encouraging the inclusion of semantic content in web pages, the Semantic Web aims at converting the current web of unstructured documents into a "web of...
.
External links
- Francis Lewis High School
- The Only Official Francis Lewis High School Alumni Association Website
- So why is this principal smiling?
- School profile: H.S. 430 Francis Lewis High School — Insideschools.org
- Francis Lewis Athletic Website
- JROTC Patriot Battalion Website
- At High School in Queens, R.O.T.C.’s Enduring Influence
- The first International Baccalaureate class
- New Athletic Website
- At School in Queens, Success Draws Crowd - NY TImes