BCHS senior overcomes lots of odds in the face of adversity
Blake Franklin lined up Friday, May 21 with fellow Brantley County High School graduates to receive his diploma. To an onlooker, he may have seemed like an average teenager.
After all, he enjoys working on cars, clocks in to a job after school and has maintained a longterm relationship with his girlfriend.
However, there is more to Franklin than meets the eye — even beyond his impressive feat of graduating with honors. Among other achievements, he was selected to receive BCHS’s Student Excellence Award, given to one exceptional student per academic year.
Franklin was also the only student in his region to be formally recognized for general excellence by the South Central Georgia Learning Resource Center (GLRC) and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE).
But Franklin’s academic strides have not come easily. Throughout his junior and senior years, he has battled a harsh reality at home.
“On my birthday (August 11, 2024) I had a pain right here,” Franklin’s mother, Krystalin Kricket explained, pointing to her gall bladder. “I thought it was like gas or something, because I woke up with it.”
After deciding to go in to work as a nurse that morning, Kricket quickly discovered she was in no condition to care for patients.
“I went to lay down, and I was trying to go to sleep,” she recalls after returning home from work. “It was like something just stabbed me … I was laying there like, ‘What in the world was that? I have never felt anything like that before,’ and then it happened again and again and again.
“It was raining a tsunami that night. The ambulance got stuck in my yard. I had to wait for another ambulance … it was crazy. And then they found the tumors and did the biopsy.”
With his mother suddenly diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, Franklin had a choice to make.
“A lot of kids in the situation that Blake had thrown to him would have been like, ‘I’m done with this, I’m gonna quit school and help my mom, ’” said BCHS representative, Shannon Rhoden. “But, it ended up pushing him harder.”
Since Kricket’s diagnosis, Franklin has made the intentional decision to rise to the challenge at school and at home.
“I was just thinking, ‘well, that happened. I can’t fail now,’” he stated.
In addition to achieving a perfect attendance record and straight A average in his senior year, Franklin also dual enrolled at Coastal Pines Technical College (CPTC), where he intends to receive Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) certification.
“It’s not even like at home he can take a break,” said Kricket. “One day my husband injured his back, so he didn’t get to go to work. It was the same day I had chemo. Usually my husband sits up there with me, after we drop Blake’s sister off at school.
“So, he took his sister to school, came back to the house, got me and his dad, took me to chemo, then he had to take his dad to Glenn Immediate Care and get him back to Brantley. When he got his daddy settled at the house, Blake had to go get my medicine and then get me settled back at home.”
But a busy home life has in no way impeded Franklin’s love and determination for learning.
Franklin shared his teachers at BCHS inspired him to reach his goals.
“Mr. (Stuart) Thrift and Mr. (Dave) Raczynski ... those are my favorite teachers,” Franklin said. “They helped me in 11th grade when it all started.”
“Blake invited them to his (Student Excellence Award) presentation, and they both came,” stated Rhoden. “Really smart guys, and I mean, you can relate to them ... they care. I’ve worked in other high schools and here it’s personable — we’re not just numbers. You can tell the students are different … it’s a family here.”
Franklin was especially thankful for the encouraging relationships he was able to build with teachers in light of bullying he endured early on at BCHS. He shared the bullying was never violent, but its persistence pushed him to achieve more academically and beyond.
“It builds character,” he said.
After earning his HVAC certification from CPTC, Franklin expressed possible interest in furthering his HVAC education. Careers in technology and engineering may be in his future, as well.
This summer, Franklin is taking some time between semesters to work and save up money which he plans to put toward finishing his studies.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, there have been some nights when I wish I could just quit,” Franklin said shyly. “God has definitely helped me through some of the hard times and kept me going.”
Kricket noted her son’s faith in God has definitely grown over the past two years.
“That’s why I said to him, ‘Don’t worry about going to school this summer,’” Kricket said. “I feel like God’s saying, ‘Take a break.’ I know he needs it.”
Kricket added in closing, “I’ve got three kids, and I love my three kids, but even from day one, Blake’s definitely had a different drive, and he’s always, always, always been helpful.”
Rhoden agreed she had observed Franklin’s commitment to helping others in a classroom environment.
Franklin and his mom mused he has a lot in common with the old Toyota he drives.
The car has been a constant in the family for over 20 years — always there if another car breaks down — and has survived several mishaps, including a flooding incident. But there are scripture stickers on the back window and it is still going strong.
Pictured are (l-r) Brantley County faculty member Shannon Rhoden, Blake Franklin and his mother, Krystalin Kricket. Photo by MALLAN GILL
