About
The Bennett @ fssanews.com is the official school newspaper of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, located in Astoria, NY. Since 2014 The Bennett has been awarded and recognized by Baruch College’s High School Journalism Newsies competition as one of the best high school newspapers in NYC. Our paper has won multiple awards for reporting, feature stories, local news, website design and best overall newspaper.
The student-run online newspaper has also been recognized by Adelphi University’s Annual High School Press Day awards ceremony.
FSSA students have the unique opportunity to take a college-level journalism class, learn how to report, edit and design news while getting an education in news literacy (an important skill that leads to becoming a competent voter and decision maker).
Throughout the years, FSSA’s journalism class has been visited by famous journalists (Gay Talese), morning television news hosts, 880 WCBS News radio, The Wall Street Journal and ProPublica.
We strive to provide interesting news and perspectives that capture the essence of our unique student body and its surrounding art community.
Thanks for reading and supporting “local” journalism.
In 1999, the great American singer and painter, Tony Bennett, and his wife Susan Benedetto, a public school teacher, were inspired to start a public high school for young artists. They dreamt of a school that would integrate the arts with rigorous academics, require a commitment to community service, and help students cultivate a lifelong love of, and dedication to, their artistic passions and crafts.
Over the next years, Tony and Susan received invaluable assistance from the NYC Department of Education and local leaders as they endeavored to turn their dream into reality. In 2001, the school opened in temporary quarters for 250 students. The school was named Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a tribute to the memory of Tony’s best friend and colleague.
With the help of many friends and supporters, in 2009 Frank Sinatra School of the Arts opened its new extraordinary home, located at the vibrant Kaufman Astoria Studios complex, in Astoria, Queens, Tony Bennett’s cherished hometown.
The school receives ongoing support from Exploring the Arts, the nonprofit organization founded by Tony and Susan, which helps provide funding for the school’s arts program as well as external internship and scholarship opportunities for its students.