The school is busy making final preparations to open and welcome back students, faculty and staff the first week in August. Faculty and staff will start the new school year on Monday, August 3, with three days of pre-panning, and students will return on Thursday, August 6. Teachers are already hard at work with their training on the Blackbaud Learning Management Program, which should simplify communication among students, faculty, and parents. The LMS should make it easier to toggle back and forth between in-person and remote learning, if necessary. We must all be prepared for ongoing disruption in schools during this time of uncertainty. Please review Ben Franklin Academy's re-opening plans on our website here.

Earlier this month, BFA senior, Maxwell Greenbaum, was awarded a gold medal in fencing at the 2020 Junior Olympic Championships in Columbus, Ohio! 

In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the Atlanta area and in response to the spike in student anxiety about being in group settings, we will move to remote learning to help protect the health of the school community.  Our teachers are prepared, as I described in my last letter, to communicate with each of their students daily by email, moving them through their individualized weekly, monthly, and semester plans.

Jonas Iskander, BFA senior, and Edward Ellis, an English and Philosophy teacher at BFA, attended the STAR Student and Teacher Luncheon this past Friday.

BFA Students Harper Wolf (12th) and Sarah Busch (11th) recently launched a new school newspaper, “The Spectacle”!

We have loved hearing all about our students' summer adventures over the past week and a half! Between Teacher Work Days and Wonderful Wednesdays, our faculty and staff also made the most of their summer break by traveling around the world, exploring Atlanta, and spending time with family and friends. Check out some of their adventures below!

On May 20, we celebrated our students’ achievements at our Underclass Awards Ceremony.

This week at the Troop 631 Court of Honor, BFA Junior, Maxwell Greenbaum, received several notable awards.

Ben Franklin Academy celebrated the Senior Class of 2019 with Baccalaureate on May 3 and the Commencement service on May 4.

Of the 28 graduates in the Class of 2019, 80% qualified for the HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarships and collectively earned a total of $3.68 million in scholarships to enroll in higher education programs.  

Ben Franklin Academy sophomore Kira Francklin along with her horse, Gemini, recently competed in a national equestrian competition, where she came in first place for all Juniors.

Alex Warren, BFA senior, and Wright Howell, a history teacher at BFA, attended the STAR Student and Teacher Luncheon in Decatur. 

BFA would like to congratulate civic leader and alumni parent, J. Rex Fuqua, for his well-deserved recognition as Philanthropist of the Year by the Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.

Congratulations to BFA Overseer Comer Yates and BFA parent Teya Ryan for being named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle's list of "Atlanta's Most Admired CEO Awards."