BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
ALEX JARRELL
CEO
Alex Jarrell is CEO of Benjamin Franklin High School. A native of New York City, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, cum laude, from Northwestern University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He also holds a Master of Science in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the program's Best Thesis Award.
Before joining Franklin, Mr. Jarrell served as Chief Innovation Officer at New Schools for New Orleans, where he led citywide initiatives to strengthen public education. In that role, he secured federal grants and cultivated local and national philanthropic partnerships that invested millions of dollars in New Orleans public schools and expanded opportunities for students across the city. Earlier in his career, he taught English and social studies and later served as a school principal.
Mr. Jarrell feels lucky to work at Benjamin Franklin High School and to help ensure it remains one of the nation's premier public schools. He is leading the school's next chapter through strategic investments in academic excellence—including gains in ACT and AP performance—the student experience, and the renovation of the Human Performance Center, creating opportunities for even more Falcons to thrive.
Alex considers it a privilege to serve such an extraordinary student body. Franklin students routinely beat him at chess and on the ultimate frisbee field—a humbling reminder of how talented the Falcon student body truly is. He can be reached at AJarrell@bfhsla.org.
Meet the Three Pillars of Franklin's 2026-27 School Year
Every great school year runs on more than a calendar. It runs on people who show up for the same building, the same students, year after year, and who know exactly what role they play in making the place work. For 2026-27, those people are Mr. Donald Jackson, Ms. Amanda Morehouse and Mr. Jay Weisman, Franklin's three assistant principals, each holding down a different piece of daily life on campus.
Mr. Jackson
Assistant Principal of Operations
Assistant Principal of Academics
Ms. Morehouse
Assistant Principal of Student Life
Mr. Weisman
Mr. Jackson is starting his 14th year at Franklin, a tenure that began back in 2013. Ask him to describe his leadership style and he won't pick just one word. Strategic, resourceful, resilient and passionate all make the list, and anyone who has watched him keep the building running on a Monday morning understands why.
His favorite Franklin memory isn't about a system he built or a problem he solved. It's filled with more heart, about graduation, twice over: handing his own children their diplomas, once in 2019 and again in 2023. "There's no greater feeling as an administrator," he says. It's the kind of moment that explains why he does this work in the first place. This is a big year for his department too, with the HPC and the Rose Field unveiling both coming together under his watch, improvements Franklin students will feel the impact of for years to come.
Ms. Morehouse joined Franklin in August 2014 as a full-time English teacher, and 2026-27 marks her 13th year with the school. Ask her colleagues to describe her in one word, and "invested" comes up fast, because that's exactly how she shows up: invested in the curriculum, invested in the teachers, invested in every student's path through the building.
Her favorite Franklin moment happens every year at the same time: the gates opening for Open House. "I'm overwhelmed with pride," she says, "not just in the incredible energy and excellence our current students bring, but also in the promise and excitement of the students who are just beginning their Franklin journey." It's a moment that captures what academics at Franklin is really about: honoring where students are and building where they're headed.
Mr. Weisman is heading into his 11th year at Franklin, and if you ask him for one favorite memory, you'll get a list, because eleven years gives a person a lot to choose from. The one that sticks: announcing the Class of 2020 at their drive-thru graduation, a celebration built from scratch because the moment demanded it. Ask anyone on campus, though, and they'll probably also bring up the time he promoted Back to School Skate Night on rollerblades.
That mix, steady commitment paired with showing up for students in whatever way the moment calls for, is the throughline of how Mr. Weisman leads. He's supportive in the servant-leadership sense: present, dependable and focused on making sure students and staff alike feel backed.
Three Roles, One School. Operations, academics and student life: three different jobs, one shared commitment to the students who walk through Franklin's doors every day. Together, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Morehouse and Mr. Weisman are the day-to-day pillars holding up the 2026-27 school year.
