Nigel Franklyn is a stealthily prompt administrator. Traveling to Park Slope every day from the far reaches of Queens, his commute exceeds an hour, and yet he is consistently behind his desk by 7am. When asked if he has ever been late, the reply was a firm, “No.” Most MBHS students start their day at 8am–many even later, but Mr. Franklyn hits the ground running every day a full hour before the first period begins. While it is impossible to have perfect lifetime attendance, at the time of this interview in early 2024, Mr. Franklyn assured us that he had not missed a single day this school year.
As the school’s Assistant Principal of Organization, Franklyn–who oversees the school’s programming–has a great impact on the life of the typical Millennium Brooklyn High School student. But have you ever wondered what goes on in his day to day life? We all know he’s a man of great responsibility and diligence, but his life outside of the John Jay Building has remained a mystery to the students of Millennium…until now! Behind the man who creates our schedules and prints out report cards is a lover of milkshakes and classic cars–with a family of his own.
Mr. Franklyn is a well known character in the MBHS halls–you may have been on the receiving end of his stern gaze if you’re running late for class–but his daily responsibilities remain a mystery to some. We know that by title he is an Assistant Principal, but what duties fall under that designation? Franklyn himself describes his job as “maintaining how the school is run, and making sure kids are in the classes they need and want to take and they will graduate.” More specifically, he keeps a close eye on how kids are moving year by year as they advance towards graduation and he intervenes with students who are chronically late or absent to reverse these trends. He also manages students’ complaints about teachers–but he does not just acknowledge any gripe. Nearly all students have complaints about teachers, and Franklyn is well aware of this–so he will only address complaints that follow specific guidelines: a complaint must be made in private and must reflect a violation of school protocol. For one, it is unacceptable to just waltz into his office while there are other people around and start spewing your complaints at him. For example, a student who arrives at school and is forced to take an unannounced assessment would yield a valid complaint in Franklyn’s eyes. Franklyn might call to further investigate the situation–ensuring he hears both sides of the story. Franklyn aims to make sure that the teacher and the student will be able to put their differences aside and tolerate each other for the rest of the year. However, he will not look into complaints that stray far from his set criteria. A student might argue that a teacher graded their work unfairly. But if the teacher was explicit that students were required to write a specific way, and the student lodging the complaint did not follow those guidelines, then Franklyn believes that it would not be fair to raise the issue with the teacher.
Mr. Franklyn is renowned for his name memorization skills, which have led many students to speculate who his favorite student is. Is it the valedictorian? The punctual pupil who is on time every day, without fail? The fashionista who wears the best outfits? We wish we could provide you with a satisfactory answer but he claims to not have a singular favorite student. However, Franklyn did reveal to these intrepid reporters that his favorite class is the grade that he works most closely with–tenth, which many (or at least these sophomore writers) claim to be the superior class in the Millennium community–even if some of them struggle to arrive to school on time.
Although Mr. Franklyn gives off the demeanor of a resolute captain of the ship MBHS, even a punctual assistant principal has bad days. Mr. Franklyn lifts himself out of the slump of a stressful day by treating himself to the classic treat of a Chips Ahoy cookie. Our AP’s unexpected sweet tooth doesn’t stop at mere cookies; Nigel takes pride in being a milkshake aficionado and, after years of careful study, has determined the best milkshake in Brooklyn: the Carvel vanilla and chocolate mix–with whipped cream on top. However, in his coffee order, Mr. Franklyn strays away from the sweet–he enjoys a classic dark roast from Starbucks.
Based on the love he receives from the students of Millennium, it’s no secret working with children comes naturally to Franklyn. Franklyn is extremely passionate about The New York Giants but that is not the only thing that draws him to watch games weekly. When we asked him if he has ever attended a Giants game he responded with, “No not yet – I want to do it with my daughter because that’s an interest we share.” Franklyn’s love and care for the youth stretches beyond the students of Millennium–he is a doting father to his daughter who will be graduating college this year. The care that Franklyn shows to the community around him does not go unnoticed; everyone knows that Mr. Franklyn will be waiting promptly at his desk by 7am ready to inspire the students of Millennium every day from now until the end of the school year.
