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Stuyvesant High School is named after ], the last ] governor of ] before the ownership of the colony was transferred to ] in 1664.<ref>{{cite paper|title=(Former) Stuyvesant High School|publisher=Landmarks Preservation Commission|url=http://www.stuyvesant.ourstrongband.org/LandMarkDesignation/Stuy%20Landmark%20Designation.pdf|date=]|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> The school is also commonly referred to as "Stuy," an abbreviation of Stuyvesant. | Stuyvesant High School is named after ], the last ] governor of ] before the ownership of the colony was transferred to ] in 1664.<ref>{{cite paper|title=(Former) Stuyvesant High School|publisher=Landmarks Preservation Commission|url=http://www.stuyvesant.ourstrongband.org/LandMarkDesignation/Stuy%20Landmark%20Designation.pdf|date=]|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> The school is also commonly referred to as "Stuy," an abbreviation of Stuyvesant. | ||
The school was established in 1904 as a ] school for boys, hosting 155 students and 12 |
The school was established in 1904 as a ] school for boys, hosting 155 students and 12 faculties. In 1907, it moved from its original location at 225 East ] to 345 East 15th Street, where it remained for the following 85 years. Its reputation for excellence in math and science continued to grow, and the school had to be put on a double session in the early 1920s to accommodate the rising number of students. In the 1930s, admission tests were implemented, making it even more competitive. During the 1950s, a $2 million renovation was done on the building to update its classrooms, shops, libraries and cafeterias.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuy-pa.org/files/documents/04-05ParentHandbook.pdf|title=History of Stuyvesant High School|first=Eugene|last=Blaufarb|work=Stuyvesant High School Parent Handbook|publisher=Stuyvesant Parents Association|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> | ||
In 1969, 14 girls enrolled at Stuyvesant, marking the school's first co-educational year. Now approximately 43% of the total student body is female. <ref name="NYCDOE2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.nycenet.edu/daa/SchoolReports/03asr/171475.pdf|title=2002-2003 Annual Report, Stuyvesant High School|format=PDF|author=Manhattan Superintendancy|publisher=New York City Public Schools|accessdate=2006-03-08}}</ref> | In 1969, 14 girls enrolled at Stuyvesant, marking the school's first co-educational year. Now approximately 43% of the total student body is female. <ref name="NYCDOE2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.nycenet.edu/daa/SchoolReports/03asr/171475.pdf|title=2002-2003 Annual Report, Stuyvesant High School|format=PDF|author=Manhattan Superintendancy|publisher=New York City Public Schools|accessdate=2006-03-08}}</ref> |
Revision as of 13:40, 2 June 2006
Public (magnet) secondary school in New York, New York, USAStuyvesant High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
345 Chambers Street New York, New York USA | |
Information | |
Type | Public (magnet) secondary |
Motto | Pro Scientia Atque Sapientia (For knowledge and wisdom) |
Established | 1904 |
Principal | Stanley Teitel |
Faculty | 200 |
Grades | 9-12 |
Number of students | approx. 3,200 |
Color(s) | Red and blue |
Mascot | Pegleg Pete |
Newspaper | The Spectator and The Stuyvesant Standard |
Yearbook | The Indicator |
Website | www.stuy.edu |
Stuyvesant High School is one of New York City's specialized math- and science-based public high schools, run by the New York City Department of Education. The school was founded in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side, and for 65 years Stuyvesant admitted only boys. Since 1969 it has been a coeducational environment, and after moving to its Battery Park City building the facilities for girls were put on a par with those for boys.
Admission to Stuyvesant is by competitive examination and is open to all residents of New York City with no tuition fee. The school is noted for its famous alumni, its academics, and the large number of graduates attending prestigious universities. There has been a friendly rivalry of long standing between Stuyvesant and the Bronx High School of Science over students' awards from the Intel Science Talent Search, with both schools claiming dominance at various times.
Classes were in session at Stuyvesant when a terrorist attack destroyed the nearby World Trade Center towers, and the school building served as a command post for several weeks afterwards. The school was temporarily relocated and shared facilities with Brooklyn Technical High School until its own building could be returned to its intended use. The special issue of the The Stuyvesant Spectator on the tragedy was reprinted in The New York Times.
History
Stuyvesant High School is named after Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Netherland before the ownership of the colony was transferred to England in 1664. The school is also commonly referred to as "Stuy," an abbreviation of Stuyvesant.
The school was established in 1904 as a manual training school for boys, hosting 155 students and 12 faculties. In 1907, it moved from its original location at 225 East 23rd Street to 345 East 15th Street, where it remained for the following 85 years. Its reputation for excellence in math and science continued to grow, and the school had to be put on a double session in the early 1920s to accommodate the rising number of students. In the 1930s, admission tests were implemented, making it even more competitive. During the 1950s, a $2 million renovation was done on the building to update its classrooms, shops, libraries and cafeterias.
In 1969, 14 girls enrolled at Stuyvesant, marking the school's first co-educational year. Now approximately 43% of the total student body is female.
In 1957, a team of 50 students began construction of a cyclotron, with the project sponsored by the physics department. By 1962, a low-power test of the device succeeded, while by account of Matt Deming '62, a later attempt at full-power operation "tanked the electrical system for the building and surrounding area". According to Abraham Baumel, Stuyvesant principal from 1983–1994, "... I can tell you with certainty that the cyclotron never worked at Stuyvesant any more than it did for Ernest Lawrence, and he was awarded a Nobel Prize for his invention of the cyclotron. The Russians never succeeded in getting one to work, either."
In 1972, Brooklyn Technical High School, Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts were chosen by the New York State Legislature as specialized high schools of New York City. The act called for a uniform exam to be administered for admission to Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science, and Stuyvesant High School. The exam would become known as the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) and tested students in math and science. Admission to LaGuardia High School is by audition rather than examination, in keeping with its artistic mission. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, at least four Stuyvesant teachers died from AIDS. In 1992, a new, waterfront building was constructed to house the high school (see school facilities).
Stuyvesant is a quarter-mile from the former site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed on September 11, 2001. The school was evacuated during the ordeal and the students were temporarily relocated to Brooklyn Tech starting September 21 while the Stuyvesant building was used as one of several bases of operations by rescue and recovery workers. This caused serious congestion at Brooklyn Tech and required the students to go to the school in two shifts. Normal classes resumed three weeks later on October 9.
Because of Stuyvesant's close proximity to Ground Zero, some were initially concerned about the possibility of asbestos exposure to Stuyvesant. Indeed, the Stuyvesant High School Parents' Association has contested that the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) initial suggestion that the area was safe is not accurate. However, the EPA indicated at that time that Stuyvesant was safe from asbestos. Some problems have been reported, including the respiratory problems of former teacher Mark Bodenheimer, who, after having difficulty continuing to work at Stuyvesant, accepted a transfer to The Bronx High School of Science. Other isolated cases similar to Bodenheimer have been revealed. Nonetheless, there is no definite evidence that such cases relate to Stuyvesant at all, and current exposure to asbestos at Stuyvesant is improbable.
Alumni who were killed during the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center include Daniel D. Bergstein '80 , Alan Wayne Friedlander '67 , Marina R. Gertsberg '93 , Aaron J. Horwitz '94 , David S. Lee '82 , Arnold A. Lim '90 , Gregory D. Richards '88 , Maurita Tam '97 and Michael Warchola '68 .
Richard Ben-Veniste '60 was on the 9/11 Commission.
On October 2, 2001, the school paper, The Spectator, included a special full-color 9/11 insert containing student photos, reflections, and stories which was reprinted in the Nov. 20, 2001 issue of the New York Times.
In the months after 9/11, Annie Thoms, an English teacher at Stuyvesant, a 1993 alumna, and the theater adviser at the time, suggested that the students take accounts of staff and students' reactions during and after 9/11 and turn them into a series of monologues. Thoms then published these monologues as With Their Eyes: September 11th – The View from a High School at Ground Zero (ISBN 0060517182). Alexander Epstein of the Stuyvesant Standard , an independent newspaper serving the school's community, contributed the section Out of the Blue to the book At Ground Zero: Young Reporters Who Were There Tell Their Stories (ISBN 1560254270).
In the early 2000s, Gary He '02 started the now-defunct stuynet.com, a website where students could rate their teachers, although he later shut down the evaluation section after mathematics teacher Bruce Winokur threatened a libel suit. Words left on the website read "Teacher Evaluations is currently down but will soon be back better than ever. The vox populi must be heard." When Stuyvesant's official web site crashed on September 11, 2001, and during the days right after, Gary He's website was the only online source of information and moral support for the distraught Stuyvesant community. Stuynet.com now lives on under its new alias, stuycom.net.
Starting in 2003, Stuyvesant celebrated the 100th anniversary of its 1904 founding with a full year of activities. Events included a parade from the 15 Street building to the Chambers Street one; a meeting of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology; an all-class reunion; and visits and speeches from notable alumni. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke at the class of 2004 graduation.
Enrollment
Stuyvesant has a total enrollment of about 3,200 and is open to residents of New York City entering either ninth or tenth grade. Enrollment is based solely on performance on the Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT) , formerly known as the Specialized Science High School Admission Test because the three schools which used that test were all science oriented. Those original three schools were Stuyvesant, the Bronx High School of Science, and Brooklyn Technical High School. The list of schools using the SHSAT has since grown to include all of New York's specialized high schools excepting Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, for which entry is by audition rather than examination. The test score necessary for admission to Stuyvesant since its relocation to its Battery Park City campus has been the highest thus far of the schools . Admission is currently a matter of score on the examination, as well as an individual's pre-submitted ranking of Stuyvesant among the other specialized schools. Of New York City's 90,000 eighth-graders, about 22,000 sit for the test each year, while about 800 of the highest scoring applicants are admitted to their first choice school. Ninth and rising tenth graders are also eligible to take the test for enrollment, though far fewer students are admitted this way.
Those who score in the second-highest score bracket are offered admission to their second-choice school, while those who score in the third-highest bracket are offered admission to their third choice school. According to Article 12 of New York education law, "Admissions to the Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, and Brooklyn Technical High School shall be solely and exclusively by taking a competitive, objective, and scholastic achievement examination, which shall be open to each and every child in the city of New York." . The current admission policy is avaialble from the NYC Department of Education. According to the Department of Education, Stuyvesant accepts students solely based on their performance on the SHSAT, although former Mayor John Lindsay and community activist group ACORN have argued that the exam may be biased against African and Hispanic Americans.
Stuyvesant has contributed to the education of several Nobel laureates, winners of the Fields Medal and the Wolf Prize, and a host of accomplished alumni. It consistently leads the nation in number of National Merit Scholarships and is second to none in the number of Intel Science Talent Search Semi-Finalists and Finalists. Stuyvesant sends nearly all its students off to four year universities and around 15 percent go on to the Ivy League. Stuyvesant graduates earn an average SAT score of about 1400 (685 verbal, 723 math). Recently, there were two students who achieved perfect scores on their SAT I and SAT II tests, an unusual accomplishment. Stuyvesant also was the high school with the highest number of Advanced Placement exams taken, and also the highest number of students reaching the mastery level. Stuyvesant celebrated the graduation of its centennial class in 2004.
School facilities
By the 1980s, the East 15th Street building was no longer a quality educational facility by modern standards, and the student body had also increased to several thousand and could not be accommodated by the five-story building. The New York City Board of Education secured an agreement with the Battery Park City Authority for a new building, and construction began in 1989. The new ten-floor building, located near lower Manhattan's financial district, was constructed at a cost of about $148 million, and includes 65 classrooms with about 450 computers on 13 networks, 7 pairs of escalators, various indoor sporting facilities including two gymnasiums and a pool built to Public Schools Athletic League standards, a theater with acoustics and lighting to accommodate music and drama productions, two lecture halls with movable partitions, a skylit cafeteria overlooking the Hudson River, 12 science laboratories (including a molecular biology lab and an analytical chemistry lab) and special shops for instruction in ceramics, photography, wood, plastics, metal work, robotics, and energy studies. One room in the Stuyvesant building, called the "Museum Room", is a replica of one of the rooms in the old Stuyvesant building, with desks, chairs, a table and blackboard from the old building, as well as period style paint and flooring. The room is dedicated to teacher Dr. A. Edward Stefanacci, who died in 1993. The school's library has a capacity of 40,000 volumes and overlooks Battery Park City.
The New York City Department of Education reports that public per student spending at Stuyvesant is slightly lower than the city average. However, Stuyvesant also receives some private contributions. Shortly after the new building was completed, the $10 million TriBeCa Bridge was built to allow students to enter the building without having to cross the busy West Street.
The new building is one of the 5 additional sites of P721M, a school for older (aged 15-21) students with multiple disabilities and mental retardation. Wheelchair-bound students can sometimes be seen throughout the building. Some teachers remark on the unusual juxtaposition of the gifted with the disabled.
Glass boxes set into various places in the building's wall hold mementos from the year of each graduating class. Items displayed include water from most large rivers, mud from the Dead Sea, a Revolutionary War button, pieces of the 15 Street Stuyvesant building and of monuments around the world, and various chemical compounds. In 1997 the mathematics wing was dedicated to Dr. Richard Rothenberg, the math department chairman before his death from a sudden heart attack in 1997. The Rothenberg memorial, commissioned in his honor, is a wall made up of 50 of these boxes, each featuring a concept in mathematics.
Academics
Stuyvesant students undergo a college preparatory curriculum including four years of English, history, and a laboratory-based science, three years of math (though most student opt to take four years) and foreign language, a semester each of introductory art, music, health, computer science, and two lab-based technology courses (although there are several exemptions by which students may be excused from technology education in their senior years).
Stuyvesant offers students a broad selection of elective courses; some of the more unusual offerings include robotics, physics of music, astronomy, and the mathematics of financial markets. Most students take calculus, and the school offers math courses through differential equations and linear algebra. A year of technical drawing used to be required; in its first semester students learned to draft by hand and in the second drafting was done by computer (CAD). Now, students take a one-semester class called Technology Graphic Communications (equivalent to the former year of drafting), and a semester of introductory computer science, in order to introduce the mainly science-oriented students to computer programming early in their career.
A variety of Advanced Placement courses (31 are available at Stuyvesant ) offer students the chance to earn college credits; a few students earn enough to start college as a sophomore. In 2004 Stuyvesant began complying with Department of Education regulations mandating that Advanced Placement courses be weighted by a factor of 1.1 in grade point averages. However, this caused widespread outcry among students, faculty, and teachers, and in 2005, Stuyvesant was granted special permission to revert the weight of AP courses back to 1.
Computer science enthusiasts can take two additional computer programming courses after the completion of advanced placement computer science: systems level programming and computer graphics. There is also a 2 year computer networking sequence which can earn students Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification.
Stuyvesant's foreign language offerings rival those of many colleges, including the basics like French and Spanish as well as German, Latin, Hebrew, Japanese, and Italian. In 2000, Mandarin Chinese and Korean for native speakers were introduced in response to Stuyvesant's burgeoning Asian American population. Courses are also offered in Arabic and Greek, but these courses, along with Korean, may only be taken as electives.
Stuyvesant's Biology and Geo-science department offers courses in Molecular Genetics/Biology/Science, human physiology, medical ethics, medical and veterinary diagnosis, human disease, anthropology and sociobiology, vertebrate zoology, laboratory techniques, medical human genetics, botany, and psychology. The Chemistry and Physics department offers organic chemistry, physical chemistry, astronomy, engineering mechanics, and electronics.
Although primarily known for its strength in math and sciences, Stuyvesant is also home to a robust music program and offers students ten music groups, ranging from a symphonic orchestra and jazz ensemble to a chamber choir. Comprehensive programs in the humanities offer students courses in British and classical literature, philosophy, existentialism, debate, acting, journalism, and a host of creative writing and poetry classes. The history core requires a year of ancient, European and American history, as well as a semester of economics and government. Humanities electives include American foreign policy, civil and criminal law, Jewish history, "prejudice and persecution", "race, ethnicity and gender issues", small business management, and Wall Street.
Stuyvesant has recently entered into an agreement with City College of New York, in which the college funds advanced after-school courses that are taken for college credit yet are taught by Stuyvesant teachers. Some of these courses include physical chemistry, linear algebra, advanced Euclidean geometry, and women's history.
Grade point averages at Stuyvesant are calculated to two decimal places; some argue that the distinction is overly fine and encourages excessive grade competition, while others use the theory of significant digits to argue that they are irrelevant. Nevertheless, the practice continues. The practice is not entirely unprecedented; in calculations for honors and other designations, the University of Chicago calculates grade point averages to four decimal places.
Extracurricular activities
Sports
Stuyvesant fields 26 varsity teams, including a swimming team, as well as golf, bowling, volleyball, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, fencing, baseball/softball, handball, tennis, track/cross country, and football teams. In addition, Stuyvesant club teams include boys' varsity and junior varsity, and girls' varsity Ultimate teams. The Stuyvesant Cross Country team has been Public Schools Athletic League Cross Country City Champions in 2004 and 2005. The Stuyvesant Swimming Team, the Pirates, have been PSAL City Champions consecutively since 2000 and Opens champions since 1995.
In 2000, Stuyvesant added a varsity ice hockey team, the first public school in New York City to do so. The team was run by students without administrative assistance for several years. There is also an annual alumni game, where notable Stuyvesant alumni hockey players such as Tim Robbins and Len Berman are a common appearance. The team has been in first place in its 8-team Chelsea Piers league every year, though it often plays teams from outside the league. Stuyvesant is also a powerhouse in fencing with a string of city championships from 1986 through 1989. Stuyvesant does not, however, have a football field, baseball field, or tennis court, though the new building does have a pool.
Clubs
Stuyvesant offers clubs, publications, teams and other opportunities with a system similar to that of many colleges. It hosts over 200 clubs ranging from "PottyRings", a club dedicated to Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, to Pink LEMONed, a Japanese rock culture club, to Help the Helpless, dedicated to community service, and the Robotics Team, which competes in the international FIRST Robotics Competition. The Speech and Debate Team is nationally recognized and arguably one of its most successful teams, with a 25+ year history of winning national championship tournaments, on an individual and team level. Other debating clubs include Junior State of America (a political debate club), and Model United Nations. The Stuyvesant Theater Community puts on 3 student-run productions a year (a fall musical, a winter drama, and a spring comedy) as well as a one-act festival and several smaller studio productions.
Publications
Stuyvesant hosts 25 publications, including many departmental magazines. The more long-lasting publications include:
- Caliper, Stuyvesant's biannual literary magazine. Caliper is one of the oldest high school literary publications in the nation, and along with monthly open mic sessions, helps the Stuyvesant literary community flourish in an environment focusing on math and science.
- Indicator, the Stuyvesant year book.
- Math Survey, the annual Math Department publication. Many of Stuyvesant's notable mathematicians were first published in Math Survey. The 1948 edition is available online.
- The Spectator, the official school newspaper
The Spectator
The Spectator is Stuyvesant's official school newspaper. It encompasses 11 sections: news, features, op-ed, arts & entertainment, sports, photography, art, layout, copy, business, and web. The departments are headed by at least two editors, all of whom encompass the editorial board of the paper. The editorial board meets daily in the Spectator journalism class, and is headed by the Editor in Chief and Managing Editor. At the start of their term, the Editor in Chief and Managing Editor select four editors to be members of the Managing Board, a group that advises the Editor in Chief and Managing Editor on matters relating to the paper. In total, there are over 250 staff members who help to produce the bi-weekly publication. The Spectator is independent from the school, but remains the prime news source for students, teachers, and adminstrators.
The Spectator is one of Stuyvesant's oldest publications, having been founded in 1915. It has a long-standing connection with its older namesake, Columbia University's Columbia Daily Spectator, and has been recognized by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism's Columbia Scholastic Press Association on several occasions, most recently in 2002.
The Stuyvesant Standard
Founded in 2001, The Stuyvesant Standard is a bi-weekly, independent newspaper published by Stuyvesant students for the community in and around the school. It covers news at school, city, state, national and international levels and contains "interest sections" such as Business, Science, Literary and Puzzle (Leisure), alongside the standard departments of Opinions, Sports, and Arts & Entertainment. Always a laboratory for innovative columns, its current columns include: "Meet This Teacher," "The Critical Lens," a space on students' opinions, "Sports Beat" and "Tomorrow's Technology Today." The Standard is distributed within Stuyvesant and throughout the surrounding community.
Despite its youth, The Standard is now one of the largest organizations at Stuyvesant. Its alumni remain close to the current staff and are very active in the paper.
Other publications
- Political Fire: An unofficial newspaper started in 2006 which deals solely with political issues.
- The Broken Escalator: A now-defunct humor publication, which has not been printed since 2005.
Academic Teams
Stuyvesant's academic teams include speech and debate, Quiz Bowl, chess, science olympiad, and math, which regularly compete successfully at major regional, national, and — at least in the case of the math team — international tournaments. A FIRST Robotics team, called Stuypulse, was founded in 2000 and has since won the New York City Regional ('03), and the New York Chairman's Award ('05). Stuyvesant also has a Model United Nations team, a JSA (Junior State of America) chapter, and a Model Congress team which compete at regional colleges.
SING!
The annual theater competition known as SING! pits seniors, juniors, and "soph-frosh" (freshmen and sophomores working together) against each other in a race to put on the best performance. Started in 1947 atMidwood High School in Brooklyn, SING! is a tradition at many New York City High Schools. At Stuyvesant, SING! started as a small event in 1972, and has grown to a huge school-wide event — in 2005, nearly 1,000 students participated. The entire production is written, produced, and funded by students. Their involvement ranges from cast, chorus, Irish Jig, Step, Bollywood Dance, Latin Dance, and tech crews. SING! begins in late November and culminates in final performances on three nights in March/April. The show sells out all three nights, raising over $30,000 for the Stuyvesant's Clubs and Pubs via the Student Union Budget.
Student body
Historically, the student body at Stuyvesant was heavily Jewish, with Asian students beginning to make an influx in the 1970s. As of 2005 the student body was approximately 51 percent Asian and 38 percent Caucasian, with Blacks and Hispanics each constituting roughly four percent of the population apiece. Russian and Indian students are well-represented, and Jews continue to comprise a large portion of the student body. About 30% of the incoming freshman class are immigrants to the United States, while 20% are first-generation Americans. As of 2005, the most common countries of origin of immigrant students were China, Russia, and Bangladesh. Stuyvesant possesses a disproportionate amount of historical minorities in comparison to national and local population distributions. (See also Demographics of New York City)
Although Stuyvesant students must reside in New York City, there is a long-standing belief that some students reside in New Jersey or Long Island, in contravention of New York City law.
Racial profile
Jeffrey Hart wrote for the Dartmouth Review, "When I went to Stuyvesant , it was about 85% Jewish. Today it is about half Asian." Yun Hee Kim called it an "Asian-dominated" school. When asked at a college information session whether Asians could claim minority status on college applications, college advisor Carol Katz answered, "Look to your right, look to your left. Asians are not a minority."
New York City Department of Education statistics reveal that as of 2005, the student body was approximately 51% Asian and 38% Caucasian, with Blacks and Hispanics each constituting roughly three percent of the population. Russian and Indian students are well-represented, and Jews continue to maintain a strong presence. About 30% of the incoming freshman class are immigrants to the United States, while 20% are first-generation Americans. As of 2003, the most common countries of origin of immigrant students were China, Russia, and India.
Controversy
Accusations of bias in admission tests
The school's off-center demographic profile and relative paucity of Black and Hispanic students have often been a source of consternation for some city administrators. John Lindsay, mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973, argued that the test was culturally biased against Black and Hispanic students and sought to implement an affirmative action program. At the protest of parents, however, the plan was scrapped and led to the passage of Article 12, stating that admissions would continue to be by examination only. Despite this, however, a small number of students judged to be economically disadvantaged and who come within a few points of the cut-off score may be given an extra chance to pass the test.
In 1996 community activist group ACORN published a report called "Secret Apartheid", calling the SHSAT "permanently suspect" and a "product of an institutional racism", claiming that Black and Hispanic students did not have access to proper test preparation materials. Along with Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew, they began an initiative for more diversity in NY's gifted and specialized schools, in particular demanding that since only a few districts send the majority of Stuyvesant's and Bronx Sciences's students, that the SHSAT be suspended altogether "until the Board of Education can show that the students of each middle school in the system have had access to curricula and instruction that would prepare them for this test regardless of their color or economic status". Jesse Shapiro, Stuyvesant valedictorian, and Micah C. Lasher, then a sophomore, published several editorials in response, and the outcome was averted. The move by ACORN mirrors the call by the African and Puerto Rican activists in the 1960s to implement affirmative action in City College of New York (CCNY), which ultimately lead to CCNY's fall in academic standing.
Self-segregation
In the early 2000s, Ling Wu Kong '01 published several articles in The Spectator, the school's paper , bemoaning an apparent lack of interaction between the different ethnic groups at Stuyvesant, while a junior echoed his claim, saying "Each group owns a location. On the 6th floor is the Asian clique. The 5th floor is Blacks and Hispanics. Whites hang out on the 2nd and 4th floors and outside at the wall." Most students prefer to socialize within their own ethnic groups, and like many ethnically diverse colleges and universities in the U.S., Stuyvesant has developed into a "salad bowl" — with different sections of the Stuyvesant building being implicitly reserved for members of particular ethnic groups. A series of Spectator editorials titled "Race @ Stuy" have also attempted to tackle the subject.
An Asian Students Association and a Black Students' League exist, although a 2000 request for a White Students' League was denied, with administration claiming the name connoted racism.
Students of some cliques tend to gather near Stuyvesant's two "bars," semi-circular tables embedded with lockers. Other cliques gather in different areas.
- First floor: Ping-pong area, near back door of auditorium (ping-pong players and gamers)
- Second floor: Senior bar (seniors), Atrium (senior Asians)
- Third floor: Atrium (juniors), Hallway (junior Asians)
- Fourth floor: Next to the windows overlooking the third floor (Indian and Pakistani)
- Fifth floor: "African-American bar," outside lunchroom exit
- Sixth floor: "Asian sophomore bar," the only bar besides the Senior bar with a table. Area near escalators used to be a favorite spot for card players and gamers until the area was closed due to the high level of noise and garbage. The library is also located on this floor.
Student profile
As it is a public school, Stuyvesant students attend tuition-free. Although poor students abound, the dominant social group is upper-middle class, split largely between the White Manhattanites, the Brooklynite Jews, and Asians from Queens.
Stuyvesant is like most high schools in that many pay attention to fashion; perennial favorites for girls include flares, either denim or nylon, while the boys' preferences are more fickle, ranging from JnCos during the mid-1990s to smaller jeans and North Face jackets in the later 1990s. Beat up sneakers à la Moby and brightly colored clothing are popular among Stuy's Manhattan "raver" contingent, while a few clad themselves in destitutely black gothic apparel. Blatantly lascivious clothing such as fishnet stockings and thigh-high boots are not uncommon. Stuyvesant has no dress code.
Notable people
Main article: List of Stuyvesant High School peopleStuyvesant has produced a steady stream of professional mathematicians, including more leading figures in the field than are associated with most leading universities. A number of leading physicists and chemists are also Stuyvesant alumni, as well as several well known entertainers and authors, including Charlie's Angels star Lucy Liu.
Stuyvesant alumni include four Nobel laureates:
- Joshua Lederberg (1941) - 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Robert Fogel (1944) - 1993 Nobel Memorial Prize in economics
- Roald Hoffmann (1954) - 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Richard Axel (1963) - 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Author Frank McCourt taught English at Stuyvesant before the publication of his novels Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, and Teacher Man. Teacher Man's third section, titled Coming Alive in Room 205, is all about McCourt's time at Stuyvesant, and mentions a number of students and faculty.
See also Category:Stuyvesant High School alumni
In pop culture
The Stuyvesant High School building in Battery Park City was one of the main settings of the film Hackers, although it was not mentioned by name. As in the film, Stuyvesant has no pool on the roof, despite a long history of seniors selling "rooftop pool passes" to new freshmen. It does, however, have extra floors on the roof where utilities are housed. In an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a female Stuyvesant student is murdered. The investigation leads Detectives Goren and Eames to the school, where they interview her classmates. The 2004 Tribeca Film Festival featured an ad campaign with a stylized depiction of the school entitled "Fast Times at Stuyvesant High." Also, the entrance to the high school is visible in the Beastie Boys' music video for the song Ch-Check It Out. It is seen in the beginning of the video, where the three rappers are walking down the TriBeCa Bridge.
One of the members of the Beastie Boys in the Fight For Your Right (To Party) music video is wearing a boy's red Stuyvesant High School Physical Education Leader T-shirt. This has occasionally sparked a rumor that one or all of the Boys attended Stuyvesant. They did not, however Kate Schellenbach, the band's original drummer, did.
Stuyvesant has been chronicled in popular literature based in New York City. The Jonathan Lethem novels Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude are prominent examples of this trend.
A documentary is currently being filmed about the Student Union elections at Stuyvesant.
References
- "(Former) Stuyvesant High School" (PDF). Landmarks Preservation Commission. 1997-05-20. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
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(help) - Blaufarb, Eugene. "History of Stuyvesant High School" (PDF). Stuyvesant High School Parent Handbook. Stuyvesant Parents Association. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ Manhattan Superintendancy. "2002-2003 Annual Report, Stuyvesant High School" (PDF). New York City Public Schools. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ "The Cyclotron Committee". Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ Template:Waybackref
- Mac Donald, Heather (Spring 1999). "How Gotham's Elite High Schools Escaped the Leveller's Ax". City Journal. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- Newman, Dave (2003-09-15). "Parents' Association briefing about EPA report" (MS-Word). Retrieved 2006-03-08.
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(help) - "Daniel D. Bergstein". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Alan Wayne Friedlander". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Marina R. Gertsberg". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Aaron J. Horwitz". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "David S. Lee". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Arnold A. Lim". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Gregory D. Richards". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Maurita Tam". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Michael Warchola". September 11, 2001 Victims. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "The Stuyvesant Standard". Retrieved 2006-03-08.
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- "Stuycom.net". Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "NYC DoE Specialized High Schools Student Handbook". New York City Dept. of Education. 2005. Retrieved 2006-03-25.
- ^ "Specialized Admissions Round". New York City Dept. of Education. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- Corporation Counsel (1995-08-30). "Appeal of CARY MARK GOODMAN, on behalf of his son, MOSAH FERNANDEZ GOODMAN, from action of the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York regarding a specialized high school test". New York City Dept. of Education. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
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(help) - Saulny, Susan (2006-01-26). "New York Tops Advanced Placement Tests". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
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(help) - Muschamp, Herbert (1993-06-06). "ARCHITECTURE VIEW On the Hudson, Launching Minds Instead of Ships". New York Times. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
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(help) - "Stuyvesant promotional video" (video (WMV)). Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Graduation Requirements" (PDF). Stuyvesant High School Parent Handbook. Stuyvesant Parents Association. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- "Graduation Requirements". Stuyvesant High School. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- "Online Course Guide". Stuyvesant High School. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
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- "Stuyvesant Athletics". Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ "Clubs and Pubs". Stuyvesant High School. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- "Stuyvesant Theater Community". Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "The Spectator". Stuyvesant High School Extra-curricula's. The Campaign for Stuyvesant. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- "Awards to People". Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- "Stuvesant Robotics 694". Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- "Stuyvesant High School". New York City Dept. of Education. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ Stern, Sol (2003). "Façade of Excellence". Hoover Institution. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ Template:Waybackref
- "Stuyvesant High School". NYC Dept. of Education. Retrieved 2006-05-06.
- "Secret Apartheid II". Retrieved 2006-05-06.
- ^ Template:Waybackref
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- "Suh Films". Retrieved 2006-05-24.
See also
- Education in New York City
- National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST)
- Bronx High School of Science
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- Staten Island Technical High School
External links
- Stuyvesant HS official website
- ARISTA, Stuyvesant High School's Chapter of the National Honor Society
- Stuyvesant student union
- Stuyvesant Robotics Team
- Speech and debate team website
- Stuyvesant HS online store
- Stuyvesant HS Parents' Association
- The Campaign for Stuyvesant/Alumni(ae) & Friends Endowment Fund, Inc.
- The Stuyvesant Standard official site and supplementary site - an independent student-published newspaper serving the Stuyvesant community
- Football site
- Stuycom.Net - unofficial school website
Alumni sites
- Stuyvesant HS Alumni Association
- Math Team alumni website
- Policy Debate Team alumni website
- South Florida Alumni Association of Stuyvesant High School
- Stuyvesant H.S. Black Alumni
- Class of: 1962 | 1979 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1992 | 1993 | 1996 | 2000 | 2007
Articles
- "Façade of Excellence", by Sol Stern , Education Next on the teachers' contract
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- Gonzalez, Juan (2002). "Fallout: The Hidden Environmental Consequences of 9/11". In These Times.
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ignored (help) - US EPA. "Monitoring Data: Stuyvesant High School".
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ignored (help) - US EPA. "Monitoring Data: Stuyvesant High (North Side)".
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ignored (help) - Alex Morris (2006). "The Cuddle Puddle of Stuyvesant High School". New York Magazine.
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