Benjamin Franklin High School For Finance & Information Technology

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) took up multiple pursuits in his life including writing, inventing, and representing the U.S. in the government. As a child and young adult, Franklin did not have access to formal education but independently studied through books, experiences, and relationships.

Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and started off working under his father as a candle maker and then his brother as an anonymous writer. In 1723, he left his family life in Boston and moved back and forth between London and Philadelphia. After 18 months he settled in Philadelphia he supported himself by owning a print house and managing a news publication ‘Pennsylvania's Gazette’. The paper gained the colonies’ favor and became one of the major newspapers competing with brands like The Essex Gazette, The Connecticut Journal, and The New York Gazette.

Franklin retired from the communications and media business in 1748. Leaving him with time to explore other sectors of his life. He began to pour into shaping his country by becoming a part of the conversations in Congress. Spending 28 years as a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, concocted the Albany Plan which fought against imposing British taxes, and collaborated to create a draft for the Declaration of Independence. Amongst his political endeavors, he continued his education in research of electricity, eventually inventing the lightning rod in 1752.

Franklin’s love of education was not only harbored in personal studies but manifested in the establishment of a library and school which are now known as the University of Pennsylvania. In 2014, Benjamin Franklin High School For Finance & Information Technology was established by the NYC School board. It specializes in allowing its students to get professional certificates in computer science.

Sources:

“Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)”, British Broadcasting Corporation, accessed June 10, 2024 https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/franklin_benjamin.shtml

“About Benjamin Franklin”, Yale University, accessed June 10th, https://benjaminfranklin.yalecollege.yale.edu/about-us/about-benjamin-franklin

“Benjamin Franklin High School For Finance & Information Technology”, Inside Schools, accessed June 21, 2024 https://insideschools.org/school/29Q313#

Curated Collection: the STEAM Society

This STEAM collection spotlights the famous scientists whose achievements set in motion pivotal moments in history. ANATOMY + ART **I.S. 061 Leonardo Da Vinci** Although he is most recognized as the painter of projects like the Mona Lisa and the Burlington House Cartoon Da Vinci was invested in inventing and how art, science, and mathematics intersect. BIOLOGY + PIANO **George Washington Carver High School for the Sciences** George Washington Carver invented machinery to make cultivating crops more efficient and used the fruits of his labor to invent household essentials like bleach, glue, and flour. ELECTRICIAN/ INVENTOR + PUBLICIST **Benjamin Franklin High School for Finance & Information Technology** Benjamin Franklin’s career extended way outside of politics. Outside of founding his own business and contributing to the moral pillars of the United States, Franklin was committed to inventing and experimenting with how electricity could assist everyone. PHYSICS/ SOUND ENGINEERING **P.S. 205- The Alexander Graham Bell School** Alexander Graham Bell invention of the telephone was revolutionary for communication. It allowed for the public access of long-ranged conversations and local information, connecting communities nationwide. CHEMISTRY **M.S. 158 Marie Curie** Marie Curie was well known in both the science community for being the first woman to earn a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903. Curie went on to earn another Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE + LITERATURE **Rachel Carson Intermediate School** Rachel Carson set environmental advocacy in motion when she argued against anthropogenic stresses on wildlife. Her works of writing have allowed for the education of the public to these dangers as well as voiced a call to action for the ban of the chemicals. MECHANIC and DRAFTSMAN + LITERATURE **Latimer Gardens** Along with the greatest inventors of the times, Lewis Latimer was self-taught in mechanical engineering. He worked with names like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison and Hiram S. Maxim to form the base plans for the inventions we have today. Latimer was just as much an artist as a scientist.