Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District


The Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District is a K-12 public school district located in the Town of Manlius in Central New York, enrolling approximately 4,800 students. F-M serves a large portion of the Town of Manlius, including the villages of Manlius and Fayetteville, as well as portions of Jamesville and Pompey. The district is partially funded by and governed under the authority of the New York State Education Department, whose standardized examinations are designed and administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
The district has been recognized statewide and nationally for academic and athletic excellence. In 2015, the high school was ranked #79 in the nation in Newsweek's list of "America's Top High Schools".

District history

Establishing the district

The F-M School District was established in 1951, when the then independent Fayetteville, Manlius and 11 other smaller districts united. Fayetteville High School and Manlius High School remained separate until 1954, when the Manlius School became the Jr. High for the whole district and the Fayetteville school became the Fayetteville-Manlius High School. The new Fayetteville-Manlius High School was constructed in Manlius and first opened in 1960. The former Fayetteville-Manlius High School was renamed to the current Wellwood Middle School in 1965. Manlius High School became Pleasant Street Elementary, which was closed in 1975, sold and is currently a church and daycare. From the time it was formed until the present, the district has been led by only five superintendents.

The Oak Tree and the Hornet

The oak tree is the symbol of the F-M School District and its heritage. A 200-year-old oak stood in front of what is now Wellwood Middle School until it was removed in the 1970s. The characteristics of the tree are reflected in the values, vision, and ambition of Fayetteville-Manlius. The tree is a steadfast, well-grounded, robust and distinguished entity on the natural landscape. The hornet is the school mascot, and also came from the hornets who nested in the great oak tree. A historical narrative is given by former teacher and assistant principal at F-M High School, Mr. Platt Wheeler:

Notable academic achievement

F-MStateNation
Critical Reading565484501
Math593499516
Writing560478492
TOTAL171814611509

Notable alumni

As of the 2005–06 school year, there were 4771 students enrolled in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District, with an individual grade enrollment low of 301 students in grade three and a high of 421 in grade seven. The racial/ethnic makeup of the student population was 91.0% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 5.6% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 1.3% Hispanic. Approximately 1.2% of the population, or 58 students, demonstrated limited English proficiency. Only 0.9% of the student body qualified for a reduced lunch price, and 2.9% were eligible for a free lunch.
There were 352 teachers employed in the school district, which calculates to a student to teacher ratio of approximately 13.55:1, though it is noted that the average ratio in eighth grade, and tenth grade core classes ranged from 19–25 students per teacher.

Schools

Fayetteville-Manlius' six schools are spread over four separate campuses in the village of Fayetteville and just west of the village of Manlius. Elementary and middle school students attend a particular school based on their residence within the district. Students entering Eagle Hill are typically from Enders Road and a portion of Mott Road, and those entering Wellwood are from Fayetteville Elementary and the majority of Mott Road. Students from both middle schools go on to the high school.
The district offices, varsity athletic facilities, maintenance facilities, planetarium and observatory are located on the High School campus. The transportation department is located on the Fay El/Wellwood Campus

Administration

Dr. Craig J. Tice has been Superintendent of Schools since July 1, 2015. He replaced Dr. Corliss Kaiser, who retired after 10 years as the F-M superintendent. Dr. Tice served as the superintendent of the Marcellus Central School District since 2006. F-M administrative supporting staff include:
Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education members are elected by popular vote, and serve three-year terms, beginning on July 1 of the year elected. Current members are:
F-M Athletics are renowned around the state and the country for competitive superiority, sportsmanship and academic integrity. The district's 32 varsity teams compete in the Colonial Division of the Onondaga High School League, Section III of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, and Section III of the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association. Many teams also have modified, freshman and junior varsity components.
**Fall — Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Soccer,
Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball		**Fall — Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Volleyball
**Winter — Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Indoor Track**Winter — Basketball, Bowling, ice hockey, Indoor Track, Swimming, Wrestling
**Spring — Crew, Golf, Lacrosse, Softball, Track**Spring — Baseball, Crew, Lacrosse, Tennis, Track, Polo, Handball, Cricket

In recent years, F-M has made a significant statement on the national stage in boy's Tennks, running and girls' lacrosse. The district is home to the boys tennis team which is undefeated for over 20 years, with over 200 consecutive wins. The district is home to the current national #1 girls' cross country team, who won their fifth straight Nike Cross Nationals competition on December 4, 2010. Additionally, the boys' cross country team finished as high as 2nd in the nation in 2004 and 2010 and girls lacrosse finished as high as 3rd in the nation in 2005. A wide variety of teams claim OHSL and NYSPHSAA Section III championships every year, and the vast majority of teams are honored with NYS Scholar Athlete Awards.

Alma mater

F-M's alma mater is a stoic symbol of the district's heritage. It is most commonly sung as a fight song, and is customarily sung at graduation ceremonies. The lyrics are as follows, sung to the tune of Aura Lee: