Christopher Columbus High School (Bronx, New York)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Columbus High School is a public secondary school
located in the Pelham Parkway
, northeast section of the Bronx, New York
. It is within walking distance from the Bronx Zoo
and the New York Botanical Garden
.
It currently enrolls over 2000 students in grades 9 through 12. The student body is diverse, with students whose families come from 66 countries. Seventy-four percent of its faculty have Masters degrees. The current principal is Lisa Maffei-Fuentes.
, which offers special courses at Columbus. Jet Blue Airlines provides free transportation to faculty and students travelling between Vermont and the Bronx.
As of June 2004, Columbus High School was broken down into the Christopher Columbus Educational Campus and shared its premises with four, smaller, specialized schools:
The Bronx High School for the Visual Arts
(BHSVA), originally the first small school to move into the campus, moved out at the end of the 2004 school year. It currently resides in the old Mercy College
Bronx campus which it shares with one other small school.
The girl's volleyball team was dominant in their division in the late 80's, early 90's under the coaching of Annette Leder.
Other Columbus teams include:
Soccer team also has been successful winning divions 2 straight years 2008,2009 and in the process producing young players such as Martin Dadaj, Armand Dadaj, Alhousein Bah, Mamoudou Diallo, Malal Diallo, Endri Berisha,and Michael Asante.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in the Pelham Parkway
Pelham Parkway
The Bronx and Pelham Parkway is a parkway in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Despite the parkway moniker, Pelham Parkway is a local street, with two main roadways , and two service roads. Like other parkways in New York City, commercial traffic is disallowed, and is redirected to the...
, northeast section of the Bronx, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is within walking distance from the Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows....
and the New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
.
It currently enrolls over 2000 students in grades 9 through 12. The student body is diverse, with students whose families come from 66 countries. Seventy-four percent of its faculty have Masters degrees. The current principal is Lisa Maffei-Fuentes.
Partnerships and Special Programs
Columbus High School has been a member of the Foundation for Excellent Schools since 1997. It has a partnership with the University of VermontUniversity of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
, which offers special courses at Columbus. Jet Blue Airlines provides free transportation to faculty and students travelling between Vermont and the Bronx.
As of June 2004, Columbus High School was broken down into the Christopher Columbus Educational Campus and shared its premises with four, smaller, specialized schools:
- Pelham Preparatory Academy
- Global Enterprise Academy
- Astor Collegiate High School
- Collegiate Institute for Math and Science (Principal Estelle Hans)(CIMS)
The Bronx High School for the Visual Arts
Bronx High School for the Visual Arts
The Bronx High School for the Visual Arts , familiarly known as Visual Arts, is a New York City public high school established as an art school in 2002 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Small Schools Initiative program...
(BHSVA), originally the first small school to move into the campus, moved out at the end of the 2004 school year. It currently resides in the old Mercy College
Mercy College (New York)
Mercy College is a private, non-profit liberal arts college with its main campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and satellite locations throughout southeastern New York, including the Bronx, Manhattan, White Plains and Yorktown...
Bronx campus which it shares with one other small school.
Notable alumni
- Anne BancroftAnne BancroftAnne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
(as Anna Maria Louise Italiano), OscarAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning actress - David BerkowitzDavid BerkowitzDavid Richard Berkowitz , also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and arsonist whose crimes terrorized New York City from July 1976 until his arrest in August 1977.Shortly after his arrest in August 1977, Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and...
, the Son of Sam killer - Peter Grad, Op-Ed Page Editor, The RecordThe Record (Bergen County)The Record is a newspaper in northern New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. Stephen Borg is the publisher of The Record...
(Hackensack, New JerseyHackensack, New JerseyHackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
) - Christine JorgensenChristine JorgensenChristine Jorgensen was the first widely known person to have sex reassignment surgery—in this case, male to female.-Early life:...
(as George William Jorgensen, Jr.), one of the first people to have sex reassignment surgerySex reassignment surgerySex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble... - Paul LevinsonPaul LevinsonPaul Levinson is an American author and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. Levinson's novels, short fiction, and non-fiction works have been translated into twelve languages....
, author and media commentator on The O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
and other news venues - Lisa Maffei-Fuentes, educator and principal of Christopher Columbus High School
- Christopher Mercado, Director of Disaster Health Services and Staff Wellness, American Red Cross in Greater New York.
- Sal MineoSal MineoSalvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
, Actor, played role in Exodus - Darlene RodriguezDarlene RodriguezDarlene Rodriguez is co-anchor of Today in New York on WNBC. Rodriguez became co-anchor of the show in July 2003 after serving as a reporter for WNBC and then co-anchor of Weekend Today in New York....
(as Darlene Pomales), co-anchor, Today in New YorkToday in New YorkToday in New York is an early-morning local news and entertainment television program on WNBC in New York City, New York.It is broadcast pre-Today from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays. On the weekends, the program is branded as Weekend Today in New York and is broadcast from 6 a.m to 7 a.m. and later...
, WNBC-TV - Jeffrey KleinJeffrey KleinJeffrey David Klein is a New York State Senator representing parts of Bronx and Westchester Counties. He was elected to his first term in the Senate in 2004....
, Member of the New York State SenateNew York State SenateThe New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
, Former Deputy Majority Leader, Assemblyman for the 80th District, and Democratic District Leader - Nancy SavocaNancy SavocaNancy Savoca is an American film screenwriter, director, and producer. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she is the daughter of Sicilian and Argentine immigrants Calogero Savoca and Maria Elvira Savoca...
, Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
Grand Jury Award winning film-maker - James VaccaJames VaccaJames Vacca is a member of the New York City Council and Chair of the Transportation Committee. He represents the Bronx's 13th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Throgs Neck, Pelham Bay, Country Club, City Island, Westchester Square, Zerega, Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, and...
, Member of the New York City CouncilNew York City CouncilThe New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and... - Guy VelellaGuy VelellaGuy John Velella was a Republican New York State Senator from The Bronx.A political leader, state assemblyman, and state senator for over 30 years, Velella was indicted in 2002 with 25 counts of bribery and conspiracy for allegedly accepting at least $137,000 in exchange for steering public-works...
, former New York State Senator and Bronx Republican Chairman - Al page,football player Rutgers University
- Malal Diallo,Mayors cup MVP 2011
Teams
Main sport in the school is the Football Team: Columbus Blue Steel, which won the Bronx Championships on November 3, 2006. In 2006 Blue Steel had two All-City Players, a Linebacker and a Defensive End. The Blue Steel have gone to the PSAL playoffs four times in the last six years.The Columbus Explorers Varsity Tennis Team has acclaimed more importance in the last few years reahing the playoff 3 out of 4 years while The Girls A-Division Varsity team reached the finals in the School year of 05'-06'. Also the track team won second place in 2007 in cross country ,and that same year they won the Bronx indoor championship beating Clinton.The girl's volleyball team was dominant in their division in the late 80's, early 90's under the coaching of Annette Leder.
Other Columbus teams include:
- Girls' Teams: Soccer, Soft Ball, Basketball, Tennis, Track, Cheerleader, Step, Bowling, Gymnastics, Golf, Flag Football
- Boys' Teams: Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Track, Bowling, Golf, J.V. Football, Varsity Football, Lacrosse
Soccer team also has been successful winning divions 2 straight years 2008,2009 and in the process producing young players such as Martin Dadaj, Armand Dadaj, Alhousein Bah, Mamoudou Diallo, Malal Diallo, Endri Berisha,and Michael Asante.