Author:	Brett Carter
	Grade:	Junior
	School:	Franklin Pierce HS
	Mascot:	Cardinals
	League:	SPSL 2A
	Classification:	2A

Proud to be a Cardinal

Recently, my high school, Franklin Pierce, has been making strides to become one of the best high schools in the state. Franklin Pierce is located in a town called Midland, just on the outskirts of Tacoma. Roughly 1200 kids attend the school. We are a part of the SPSL 2A. We are a high poverty school, but we don’t let that stop us from achieving our goals.

The students here at Franklin Pierce, along with a stellar staff, have been working hard to not only meet, but to exceed standards. Franklin Pierce was recognized earlier this school year as a School of Distinction, for the steady improvement in our reading and math scores on state mandated exams. Only 19 high schools in Washington State received this honor in 2012! Our students believe that being a School of Distinction is much more than a plaque we get to put on the wall of our office to collect dust. Most students here take school very seriously. Currently, there are 9 students in the senior class alone who are maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and many more are taking a vast variety of AP Courses.

Here at Franklin Pierce, we have found that students who participate in our school sports tend to maintain higher GPA’s than that of the regular student.  As a three-sport athlete myself (football, basketball, and baseball), I know this is true. Our girl’s wrestling team is the two-year reigning Academic State Champions, and will be looking for a “three-peat” in winter 2013-2014. We have great participation in sports at FP, not only from our student athletes, but also from our fans and parents. We added intramural sports this year, and they’ve been a big success. Our “Scream Team” gets all decked out in red, black, and gold, and makes sure they are heard at games, rooting for the Cardinals! We also get a lot of support from the Franklin Pierce Booster/Alumni Club; they have over 120 members and do a great job helping teams raise money to pay for things the regular budget just can’t cover.

My school also has a very diverse demographic. We come from several different ethnic backgrounds and bring different cultures to the school. Our Leadership group has identified the need to bring our cultures together to create better acceptance of why people are the way they are, or think the way they think. Recently, our Leadership group attended We Day in Seattle.

Following that inspiring experience, they’ve been trying hard to implement the mindset of “We-Not Me” throughout the school. Finally, something very unique to our school is the motivational posters taped to the walls in every hallway. They bring out the life in the school and tend to put smiles on the face of students when they realize the significance of the message being put forth.

Franklin Pierce is an impressive school. I’ve enjoyed my past three years here, and am proud of the successes we have had. With only one year left, I’m looking forward to graduating and becoming a third-generation Franklin Pierce High School Alumni. Go Cards!

We are proud to be Cardinals!