Rome Free Academy

Rome Free Academy (commonly abbreviated as RFA) is a public high school in Rome, New York, United States. It is a part of the Rome City School District.

Rome Free Academy
Coat of arms
Address
95 Dart Circle Rome , New York 13441 United States
Coordinates	43°12′40″N 75°24′55″W
Information
Other name	RFA
Type	Public, High school
Established	1869; 155 years ago (1869) [1]
School board	Board of Education
School district	Rome City School District
Principal	Brian LeBaron [2]
Teaching staff	105 (2018-2019)[3]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,482 (2018-2019)
Color(s)	Orange and black
Song	RFA Alma Mater [4][5]
Mascot	Knight with orange plume
Newspaper	The Knight Times [6]
Yearbook	De-O-Wain-Sta[7]
Budget	$27,605,638 (2019-2020)[8]
Feeder schools	Lyndon H. Strough
Website	www.romecsd.org/o/rfa

The school moved to the former site of Griffiss Air Force Base in September 2002,^[9] having previously been located at 500 Turin St. This former site is the current location of Rome Free Academy's athletic facilities. During the 2018–2019 academic year the school enrolled 1,482 students in grades nine through twelve.^[10] It serves as the high school for the city of Rome.^[11][12]

Rome Free Academy offers a general high school education through a regular curriculum of mathematics, social studies, English, science, art, music, health, and a selected foreign language. Rome Free Academy also includes a multiple business classes.^[13]

Rome Free Academy's sports teams are called the Black Knights. The school colors are black and orange.^[14] Notable in recent history is the addition of a comprehensive Positive Behavior Initiatives and Support (PBIS) initiative, which includes a range of measures to help solve student behavioral problems.^[15][16]

Attendance boundary

The district (which is the high school attendance boundary) includes the majority of the City of Rome. It also includes portions of the following towns: Annsville, Lee, Verona, and Western. The Rome school district includes the census-designated places of Lake Delta and Westernville.^[17]

Notable alumni

• Ben Baldanza, former CEO of Spirit Airlines
• Joseph H. Boardman, transportation executive^[18]
• Orlando J. Illi, Jr U.S. Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) Hall of Fame Inductee (April 2019)
• Don Healy, former NFL player
• Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball^[19]
• Tom Myslinski, former NFL player
• Edyth Walker, opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera and Vienna State Opera^[20]
• Bonnie Thunders, Roller Derby player
• Tim Russ, Actor
• Noah "Nifty" Francis, Professional CS:GO player, played for Team Envy in North America ^{[citation needed]}
• Spencer Parrish, Musical composer
• M. Woolsey Stryker, presbyterian pastor and president of Hamilton College

References

1. Gymburch, Dave (June 29, 2019). "Rome Free Academy commemorates 150th senior class with time capsule". Rome Sentinel. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
2. "Principal's Message". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
3. "Rome Free Academy public school data 2018-2019". Retrieved September 19, 2020.
4. De-O-Wain-Sta, 1946. 1946. p. 38.
5. RFA ALMA MATER Graduation 2010 (Video recording). June 26, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
6. "Knight Times". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
7. "De-O-Wain-Sta". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
8. "2019-20 NYS Transparency Report" (PDF). Retrieved September 20, 2020.
9. "Schools". City of Rome. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
10. "Rome Free Academy Enrollment (2018 - 19)". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
11. http://romenewyork.com/index.asp?org=71 City of Rome, NY website
12. http://www.romecsd.org Rome School District website
13. http://www.rfa.romecsd.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_695243/File/Course%20Catalog%202018%20-2019.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
14. http://rome.ny.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=11&url_redirect=1 Schoolwebpages.com
15. "'K'-Coins Abound".
16. "From discipline to new look lockers, many changes at RFA". Daily Sentinel.
17. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Oneida County, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2023-04-09. - Text list.
18. "Obituary of Joseph H. Boardman". 15 Mar 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
19. "RFA Class Of 1976 Graduate Rob Manfred Voted Next Commissioner Of Baseball". 14 August 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
20. "Rome Arts Hall of Fame 2015 Inductees". Retrieved August 7, 2014.

43°12′41.04″N 75°24′55.85″W