- Martin Van Buren High School
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For schools with a similar name, see Van Buren High School (disambiguation).
Martin Van Buren High School Established 1955 Type Public Principal Marilyn Shevell Students 3034 Grades 9–12 Location 230-17 Hillside Avenue,
Queens Village, New York, USACoordinates 40°44′00″N 73°44′21″W / 40.7332°N 73.73918°WCoordinates: 40°44′00″N 73°44′21″W / 40.7332°N 73.73918°W Colors Red and Blue Mascot Bee Newspaper 'The Beeline' Martin Van Buren High School (MVBHS) is a public high school in Queens Village, New York. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education.
Contents
History
The school was designed by Eliot B. Willauer of the notable architectural firm Eggers & Higgins, architects on the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, as part of the Board of Education's half-billion dollar post World War II expansion program.[1][2]
The school opened in 1955 as the East Queens High School but was later renamed after the 8th President of the United States, Martin Van Buren.
Crime
According to the NYC Department of Education, Martin Van Buren High School has recently been ranked number 2 in suspension rates out of all high schools in the City of New York. Also, another study showed that robberies, assaults, and gang activity have increased in the 2009-2010 school year. The 105th Precinct patrols the school regularly during afterschool hours.
Honors Program
The school has a National Honor Society Chapter for the School. In addition to the National Honor Society Chapter, the School, also has a Scholars Program. Within the Scholars Program, students must also maintain a average of 90 in three of the four major subjects ( Math, English, Science and History) and 80 in every other class. The School, also has a Physics First program, where students take Physics in their first year of high school for students who want to take advanced science. The School also has a Robotics Team that participates in the First Robotics Competition at the New York City Regional.
Demographics
The racial makeup of the school in the school year 2009-2010 shows that Martin Van Buren High School is 82.4% Black or African American, 14.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (includes East and West Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis and Chinese, etc.), and 0.4% White. This is virtually a 100% shift from when the school was established in 1955.
Alumni
This is a partial list of notable alumni of Martin Van Buren High School. Names on this list should either have an accompanying existing article link which verifies they are an alumnus, or reliable sources as footnotes against the name showing they are a notable alumnus.
- Ilene Graff[3] - American actress and singer.
- Madeline Kahn[3] (Class of 1960) - Movie actress and singer.
- Eric Kaplan[citation needed] (Class of 1974) - Founder of Frontline Test Equipment.
- Arthur Kane - Member of the New York Dolls.
- Al Kooper - Songwriter, record producer and musician.
- Jerry Leichtling[citation needed] - Screenwriter for Peggy Sue Got Married.
- Robert Mapplethorpe - Artist.
- Tom Pecora - Head men's basketball coach of Fordham University.
- Ray Kurzweil - Inventor and futurist.
- Mario Savio (Class of 1960) - American political rights activist
- Lynne Stewart - Imprisoned civil rights lawyer
- Peter Wein[citation needed] (Class of 1968) - Radio and Television personality. Host of Peter's Livingroom, one of the most successful entertainment shows onthe Internet. Innovator and creator of The WEI Network which includes WEI Radio and WEI TV. Concert host and producer.
- George Weisgerber[citation needed] (Class of 1992) - Television personality.
- Frank Wilczek[citation needed] - awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- George Willig[citation needed] (Class of 1967) - Mountain climber who on May 25, 1977 climbed South Tower of the World Trade Center.
- Thomas G. Zimmerman (Class of 1975) - Inventor of Data glove used in Virtual Reality.[4]
References
- '^ American Architect Directory: 1956 First Edition.[1](R.R. Bowker LLC., 1955), p.606
- ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission LP-2131
- ^ a b "Martin Van Buren High School, Q435, Borough of Queens". New York City Department of Education. http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/High/Directory/school/?sid=3295. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1165387.275628
External links
Categories:- High schools in New York City
- Public education in New York City
- New York City Department of Education
- Educational institutions established in 1955
- Schools in Queens
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