Petrides School

The Michael J. Petrides School is located on 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island, New York. It was created by Board of Education officials, and named after the late Michael J. Petrides. It opened in 1995. The school was created on a former college campus. Students apply to attend the school through a lottery system. Its current principal is Mrs. Joanne Buckheit.

Petrides educates students from Kindergarten through 12th, or senior year in high school. It has an assistant principal for each grade category (early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school). They are:

Anne M. Moore- Early Childhood (grades K-2)

Allison O'Donnell- Elementary School (grades 3-5)

BettyAnn Souffrin- Middle School (grades 6-8)

James Valente- High School (Math, Science, Technology)

The Petrides School also has lunch deans, school aids, and a widely used bus transportation system.

Daily Schedule

In the Petrides School, many activities happen. Classes officially start at about 8:00a.m. Breakfast is served every morning before classes start. At about 7:55a.m., students leave for class. In elementary school, there are seven periods whereas in middle school and high school there are eight. Students eat lunch at different times depending on their grade level, also. Elementary eats first at 10:30a.m. and have recess until 12:00p.m. High school eats from when Elementary school have recess to 11:26p.m. Middle School eats last; from 12:05p.m. to about 1:00p.m. In recent months as of 2008, high school and middle have been allowed access to the track and field complex for roughly 20 minutes a day. After lunch, students continue studying until 2:50p.m., where they are dismissed, usually by bus.

Reputation

The Petrides School has been known for its high reputation of smart and talented students who head off into prestigious colleges and universities. An average of 91 students graduate each year with a graduation percentage of 99%. However, it is highly unorganized, with many promising options available in the school, but no real organization.

Athletics

Contrary to the size of the school, there are a wide variety of sports and activities to do when the curriculum is over for the day. These sports range from track and field in the winter and spring, as well as soccer, swimming, wrestling, basketball, in the fall and winter. Softball, as well as baseball are also available.

There was an after school Football program which lasted about six months, but was scrapped by the end of the school year.

With the middle school integrated into the high school wrestling program, every summer Beat the Streets practice begins, introducing wrestling to kids to prep them for a high school career in the sport.

External links

* [http://www.petrides.com Petrides School website]
* [http://www.nycsci.org/reports/3-98%20Petrides%20School%20Rpt.pdf Broken Promise: An Investigation into the Admission Process for the Michael J. Petrides School (March 1998)]

Notable Alumni
Tristan Wilds