Binghamton High School

Binghamton High School, previously known as Binghamton Central High School, is a large public high school located in the center of Binghamton, New York. The school is culturally diverse, with 1777 students from many different countries, religions, and income levels. The mascot for Binghamton High School is the Patriot with a triforce hat.

Academic Programs

Binghamton High School offers a wide variety of programs for students who are interested in excelling in a number of areas.

Advanced Placement Exams

Binghamton High School offers fourteen Advanced Placement (AP) exams, in addition to classes which focus primarily on passing the Regents Examinations administered by the New York State Department of Education.

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Binghamton High School was one of the first schools in New York to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. To this day, it is one of only two schools in its region to offer students this opportunity.

Project Lead the Way

A pre-engineering program called Project Lead The Way is offered to students who are interested. It includes such courses as Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Design and Development. This is made possible through a partnership between the school and Rochester Institute of Technology. These courses allow students, interested in going into an engineering field, an opportunity to earn college credits and eliminate beginner courses in college.

Rod Serling School of Fine Arts

The Rod Serling School of Fine Arts offers the opportunity to major in visual art, music, theater and dance. Each of these programs have a wide array of groups and talented individuals that regularly perform for the community. Most of these programs (instrumental and vocal music being the exceptions) are also offered at the IB level. It was named after the famous screenwriter and creator of The Twilight Zone series, who once attended Binghamtom High School.

Experience-Based Education Program

For students who have limited success in a traditional high school class setting, BHS offers the Experience-Based Education (EBE) program. Aimed at students who are academically able but for various reasons have not been doing well in school, the EBE program provides smaller class sizes, greater flexibility in class scheduling, more exposure to community resources and closer monitoring/feedback from teachers and counselors.

Recognitions

On the "Newsweek's" list of the "Best High Schools in America" for 2007, Binghamton High School was ranked #481 out of approximately 1,200 top high schools in the United States, based on the number of participants in AP and IB courses. [cite news | first=George| last=Basler| title=2 Tier schools among U.S. 'best'Magazine index measures students taking advanced, IB courses | date=May 22, 2007 | publisher=Press & Sun-Bulletin | url=http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/NEWS01/705220338/1001 ]

BHS is known for its wide offerings in the field of the fine arts, including one of very few high school-level steel drum bands in the United States. The steel band in particular is famous for being invited to perform and give clinics at multiple national music education and percussion conventions.

Binghamton High School's nationally-recognized College Connection program provides extensive information and resources to assist students in the college selection and application process.

Along with the musical aspect of the school's arts programs, the school puts on a selected play and full-scale musical every year. Theater Production Club builds the sets and operates the show while anyone from the student body can try out for roles.

In honor of the High school's most famous alumnus, American screenwriter Rod Serling, Binghamton High School hosts the annual Rod Serling Film Festival, which is open to all students in grades K-12 in North America.

To the guidelines set by No Child Left Behind, Binghamton High School has been found to be a "School in Need of Improvement" for four consecutive years.

Binghamton High School has the highest dropout rate in Broome County.

Binghamton High School has a great number of different girls and boys athletic teams including football, soccer, golf, tennis, basketball, wrestling, swimming, bowling, track, baseball, softball,and lacrosse. These teams belong to the Southern Tier Athletic Conference.

Notable Graduates

*Rod Serling -- known for work on the twighlight zone
*King Rice -- former University of North Carolina Basketball player and assistant men's Basketball coach at Vanderbilt University.

References

External links

* [http://www.binghamtonschools.org/school_about.cfm Binghamton High School official website]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ny/287 Factsheet on Binghamton High School]
* [http://www.rodserlingvideofest.com/ The Rod Serling Video Festival]
* [http://www.bhspatriots.com/ Official Binghamton Patriots Sports Website]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678?s=300&np=13&sort=raa The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek]