The Franklin Middle School PTA is asking members to nominate one person who has shown exemplary service as a teacher, administrator, or volunteer. This candidate does not have to be a PTA member to be chosen.  Email your nomination (name and a few sentences as to why you believe this person deserves the honor) to Beverly Kohrs at bkohrs@swbell.net You may also submit your nomination on paper and place in the PTA mail box in the school’s main office. Today is the deadline for entries so don’t dawdle.

The Franklin girls soccer team defeated Zumwalt Middle School 4-1 on Saturday to win district. The Franklin Falcons will take on Gaston Middle School on Jan. 14 for the City Championship.

Congratulations, and good luck this weekend!

The concession stand at Franklin Middle School is in need for a few volunteers, which is a term that should be loosely interpreted.

The net money brought in at each event will be distributed to the team/group that worked the stand at the end of the season. There are two shifts available for soccer games on Saturday and one on Monday, with space for two adults and two students each. Go to the jump for scheduling details and contact information. Read More…

I was driving past Franklin Middle School the other day and was puzzled by something. There’s an empty field on the campus’s southwest corner — empty except for a concrete structure that reminded me of the monorail tracks that wind through Las Colinas. I was in a hurry, so I didn’t have time to pull over for a inspection. But surely this structure has some other purpose that I’m too dense to deduce, right?

We learned of them too late to promote them in our Aug. 26 paper, but Franklin Middle School is hosting a series of parent-friendly events tomorrow evening. There will be a dinner of hot dogs, chips, and cookies in the cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. (Cost is $2), followed by a PTA meeting at 6 and a Mini-School at 6:30. The latter event involves parents following a condensed version of their children’s class schedules.

Meanwhile, next door at Hillcrest High School, an ice cream social/community rally that was originally set for Aug. 25 has been rescheduled for 4 p.m. tomorrow.

A good man is hard to find.

But a good woman?

Not so much.

According to One Man Dallas, women volunteer at five times the rate of men. In an effort to encourage male volunteerism, the group is highlighting 20 men who are heavily involved in charity work.

Marcus Walther, a product of Preston Hollow Elementary, Franklin Middle School, and Hillcrest High School, volunteers with the Dallas chapter of Communities in Schools. And despite misnaming that organization, and answering his questions in ALL CAPS, I think this guy deserves our support.

He’s involved with a laundry list of charities including Sports United, the SPCA, the American Cancer Society, and the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. He’s also the great-grandson of Neiman Marcus founder Stanley Marcus. But all that hasn’t given the 32-year-old a chip on his shoulder.

“I’m the guy people call up when they need an extra hand. I’m no master at anything specific but i can do lot of things OK (and that’s being very kind to myself),” said the self-proclaimed Scottie Pippen of philanthropy in his application. “I‘m a good complimentary piece. I help Michael Jordan look good. Every No. 1 needs a good No. 2, or a guy waving a towel on the bench (me).”

Voting runs until May 15, and the five finalists will be announced on May 19 with an after party at Gables Park 17. If you’re looking to catch a glimpse of the 20 candidates a little sooner, head over to the “Meet the Men” happy hour Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Park Place Mercedes Benz in Dallas.

I kinda stole all of the thunder in the headline, but if you know someone at Franklin Middle School who goes above and beyond the call of parental duty, you have 24 hours left to make a nomination for PTA Life Membership. While the nominator needs to be a Franklin PTA member, the nominee does not. E-mail your nomination (name and a few sentences as to why you believe this person deserves the honor) to Beverly Kohrs at bkohrs@swbell.net by 10 p.m. tomorrow.

For the full details, go to the jump. Read More…

We’re kicking off this weekend with a fancy new logo, so things are already looking up. Everybody knows office activity reaches an all-time low after lunch on Friday. But there will be plenty of energy at the Teachers vs. Students Franklin Middle School basketball game at 2 p.m. Tickets are $3 and will benefit the school’s athletic programs. If your Friday night dates are in need of some variety, spice things up with an evening of ballroom dancing at Northaven United Methodist Church. Couples only, sorry singletons. The fun starts at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, bring the family to NorthPark Center for an afternoon of entertainment. An Alice in Wonderland inspired fashion show in NorthCourt starts things off at 11:30 a.m., followed by Carmen Marco Valvo signing her book Dressed to Perfection at 1 p.m. at Neiman Marcus. Finally, catch a performance of “The Professor Brainius Show” at 2 p.m. at NorthCourt.

While the rest of the weekend has been fun and games, on Sunday there’s a chance you could save a little girl’s life. One-year-old Ayelet Galena is battling a rare bone marrow disorder and is need of a transplant. Find out if you could be a match by registering at Congregation Shaare Tefilla between 9 a.m. and noon. At this stage in the process, all that’s needed is a simple cheek swab. Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60.

Dalton Bray, Marshall Honaker, Michael Wakefield, and Will Wakefield at the National History Day competition.

Franklin Middle School brought 15 competitors to Fair Park on Saturday for the regional round of National History Day, an academic program for elementary and middle school students. Besides shedding light on the past, the competition helps students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and research skills.

This year’s theme is: Debate and Diplomacy in History…Successes, Failures, and Consequences. Some of the winning entries included: Dalton Bray, third place for junior individual documentary, “Bleeped Out,” Marshall Honaker and Michael Wakefield, second place for junior group exhibit, “White Light, Black Rain,” and Will Wakefield, first place for junior individual documentary, “M14 vs M16.”

First and second place winners will move on to the state competition on May 6 and 7 in Austin.