Hornets Believe: Butler, Licht Celebrate Local High School’s Prestigious Honor
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
December 19, 2008
Each year, US News & World Report evaluates over 21,000 public high schools in the country, as part of its annual rankings of learning institutions. It was an amazing enough feat that out of all of those schools, New Orleans’ Benjamin Franklin High finished 16th. It’s an even more astonishing accomplishment when you consider that among the elite high schools selected by US News & World Report, Benjamin Franklin was the only one that was impacted in the recent past by a natural disaster.
Benjamin Franklin High, which is located on the campus of the University of New Orleans, was shut down in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. But due to the diligent work of the school’s faculty and staff, it re-opened on Jan. 17, 2006, just 4 1/2 months after Katrina.
The school held a ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 18, to recognize the honor bestowed by US News & World Report. Hornets guard/forward Rasual Butler, Hornets TV play-by-play broadcaster Bob Licht and members of the Honeybees dance team attended the ceremony to congratulate students at Benjamin Franklin. As a reward for their noteworthy achievement, the Hornets handed out free tickets to the students, who will attend New Orleans’ Dec. 30 home game against the Washington Wizards.
“This is an amazing story,” Licht told the students in an afternoon assembly. “You are inspiring to all of us in New Orleans. It’s an amazing story that is still ongoing, because those of us who went through Katrina know that we’re still recovering. Benjamin Franklin is a great example that you can do bigger and better things, now that the storm is somewhat behind us.
“We are here to celebrate your resiliency. You are now known as being among the best students not only in New Orleans, but also the country.”
Following the ceremony, Butler spent a half-hour taking pictures with students and talking to them about education. The seven-year NBA veteran was impressed by the conversations and complimented the school on its honor.
“To be the 16th-best public school in the nation, that’s unbelievable, especially if you think about how they had to rebuild the school,” Butler said. “For them to do that in four months was an unbelievable feat.
“Just to see how excited the students are here and how serious they take their education – as they should – is a great thing. To see how driven everyone is here is great. If the teachers had that much drive to do (rebuild the school rapidly), you can only imagine what they’re like in their classrooms on a daily basis. The kids here are very intelligent. Even for someone my age, it’s very motivating and inspiring to meet kids like these.”
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
December 19, 2008
 
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Benjamin Franklin High, which is located on the campus of the University of New Orleans, was shut down in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. But due to the diligent work of the school’s faculty and staff, it re-opened on Jan. 17, 2006, just 4 1/2 months after Katrina.
The school held a ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 18, to recognize the honor bestowed by US News & World Report. Hornets guard/forward Rasual Butler, Hornets TV play-by-play broadcaster Bob Licht and members of the Honeybees dance team attended the ceremony to congratulate students at Benjamin Franklin. As a reward for their noteworthy achievement, the Hornets handed out free tickets to the students, who will attend New Orleans’ Dec. 30 home game against the Washington Wizards.
“This is an amazing story,” Licht told the students in an afternoon assembly. “You are inspiring to all of us in New Orleans. It’s an amazing story that is still ongoing, because those of us who went through Katrina know that we’re still recovering. Benjamin Franklin is a great example that you can do bigger and better things, now that the storm is somewhat behind us.
“We are here to celebrate your resiliency. You are now known as being among the best students not only in New Orleans, but also the country.”
Following the ceremony, Butler spent a half-hour taking pictures with students and talking to them about education. The seven-year NBA veteran was impressed by the conversations and complimented the school on its honor.
“To be the 16th-best public school in the nation, that’s unbelievable, especially if you think about how they had to rebuild the school,” Butler said. “For them to do that in four months was an unbelievable feat.
“Just to see how excited the students are here and how serious they take their education – as they should – is a great thing. To see how driven everyone is here is great. If the teachers had that much drive to do (rebuild the school rapidly), you can only imagine what they’re like in their classrooms on a daily basis. The kids here are very intelligent. Even for someone my age, it’s very motivating and inspiring to meet kids like these.”
