Franotie Alston, Franotie Washington
1942-2018
Franotie Alston Washington was a lifelong Newark resident who served for 35 years with the Newark Public Schools, much of that time as director of art education.
Franotie Alston was born in Newark and lived with her mother Atha Alston at 97 Peabody Place, attending Summer Place School, Elliott Street School and Broadway Junior High School. In 1955, while attending Elliott Street School she was featured in the New Jersey Afro American. She received the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal for the highest academic and citizenship ratings at the school.
She graduated Barringer High School in 1959, and then attended Fisk University, where her mother had attended. She continued her exemplary academic record making the Deans List and receiving a scholarship from the National Association of College Women. Frantonie majored in Art, graduating in 1963.
Franotie earned earned a masters of arts degree in supervision and instruction, as well as other certifications, from Montclair State University and by 1968 was an art teacher at Camden Street School. By 1972, she was teaching at Barringer. She was appointed supervisor of art education / art educators in 1975, listed as “supervisor of art education at 92 Newark schools”.
In 1981, Franotie was an Education Policy Fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington. In 1983, she was profiled in the Star Ledger after helping save the art deco windows of the Robert Treat Hotel. In 1984, she served as acting administrative supervisor of the Office of Board Affairs, helping with the school board election.
In 1988, Franotie became Director of Art Education for the Newark Public Schools. She kept that position later called, director of visual and performing arts until her retirement. In 2001, while retired, she received a Governor’s Award in Arts Education.
Besides her work in the schools Franotie served on the Arts Council of the Essex area and a member of Delta Sigma Theta.
Bibliography
Barringer high school yearbooks at digital.npl.org
NJ Marriage Index
US Federal Census
“DAR Medalist” Baltimore Afro American Jul 16, 1955
“Scholarship Presentation” Montclair Times Jul 12, 1962
“List Foreign…” Chicago Defender Apr 14, 1962
Churchwell, Robert “Fisk Graduation…” Nashville Banner Jun 1, 1963
Gilliland, Paula “A plea from third grade” Star Ledger May 12, 1968
Watkins, Eileen “Newark students garner art awards…” Star Ledger May 18, 1976
“Fellowship awarded” Star Ledger Nov 22, 1981
Graham, Julia, “Chance meeting…” Star Ledger Sept 12, 1983
Kukla, Barbara, “Election campaign…” Star Ledger Feb 6, 1984
“Arts Council…” Verona Cedar Grove Times Jul 2, 1987
“Governor’s Awards” Star Ledger May 29, 2001