Jamaica High School (New York City)
Encyclopedia
Jamaica High School is a four-year public high school in Queens
, New York
. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education
.
, Queens
at the corner of 167th Street and Gothic Drive. The school building was designed by William H. Gompert
and built in 1925. At the time of construction, the school building was the largest in the United States. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20299381&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574905&rfi=; it earned designation as a New York City landmark in 2009 http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/JamaicaHighSchooldesigrep.pdf. In its heyday in 1950, Jamaica High School's 4600 students were the most in all of Queens. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20299381&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574905&rfi=.
In 2009, the New York City Department of Education made plans to close the school, citing a graduation rate that "has stagnated below 50% for years." This decision was challenged in court, resulting in alternative plans for the future.
Academy of Finance
Jamaica High School Academy of Finance students can participate in after-school Exploring Programs, where students are to be mentored by professionals in a field. They also take special trips and are offered an internship during the summer of their junior year based on their grades, networking skills, and good economic standing.
Gateway to Higher Education Program
Founded in 1986, the Gateway Program prepares low income and minority public school students for college and the pursuit of health and science-related careers.
The Gateway Program offers summer placements and summer internships to the students, in partnership with various universities, museums, hospitals, research laboratories and other institutions. Gateway provides its teachers with ongoing professional development and keeps students and their group of teachers together throughout high school to maintain continuity.
Gateway Students also participate in the Bridge to Medicine Program at York College. During their senior year, students spend time at the York College to gain experience of the medical profession.
Law Institute
In the Law Institute, students gain experience of the legal profession, with visiting solicitors from White & Case
and professors from nearby St. John's University. They are offered courses like Introduction to Law, Criminal Law and Constitutional Law.
Engineering
The Engineering Institute focuses on robotics and is strongly math-based, for students who can maintain good academic standing.
College Now
The College Now Program at Jamaica High School gives students the opportunity to take college level courses in the high school setting. A wide variety of English and Math classes are offered before or after school and students receive up to three college credits and one high school credit per course. Students start in their junior year, and are entitled to one course per semester. Therefore, a Jamaica High School College Now Student can leave with twelve credits, the equivalent of a semester of college, for free.
Advanced Placement
Courses are also offered in Art History, Biology, Calculus, French Language, French Literature, Government and Politics: United States, Spanish Language.
name=Alumni/>
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
, 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...
. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
.
History
The campus is located in JamaicaJamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
at the corner of 167th Street and Gothic Drive. The school building was designed by William H. Gompert
William H. Gompert
William H. Gompert was the Architect & Superintendent of School Buildings for the New York City Board of Education. According to research published by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Gompert was educated at Adelphi Academy,...
and built in 1925. At the time of construction, the school building was the largest in the United States. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20299381&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574905&rfi=; it earned designation as a New York City landmark in 2009 http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/JamaicaHighSchooldesigrep.pdf. In its heyday in 1950, Jamaica High School's 4600 students were the most in all of Queens. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20299381&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574905&rfi=.
In 2009, the New York City Department of Education made plans to close the school, citing a graduation rate that "has stagnated below 50% for years." This decision was challenged in court, resulting in alternative plans for the future.
Academic Offerings
Special academic programs include the Academy of Finance, Gateway, Law, Business, Engineering, College Now, and Advanced Placement.Academy of Finance
Academy of Finance
The Academy of Finance was first established in 1982 by the National Academy Foundation. The Academy of Finance is one of the four member programs sponsored by the National Academy Foundation...
Jamaica High School Academy of Finance students can participate in after-school Exploring Programs, where students are to be mentored by professionals in a field. They also take special trips and are offered an internship during the summer of their junior year based on their grades, networking skills, and good economic standing.
Gateway to Higher Education Program
Gateway to Higher Education (program)
The "Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education", begun as the Gateway to Higher Education program was started in New York City in September 1986. Its initial goal was to prepare high school students from demographics underrepresented in science, medicine, and technology, for higher education in...
Founded in 1986, the Gateway Program prepares low income and minority public school students for college and the pursuit of health and science-related careers.
The Gateway Program offers summer placements and summer internships to the students, in partnership with various universities, museums, hospitals, research laboratories and other institutions. Gateway provides its teachers with ongoing professional development and keeps students and their group of teachers together throughout high school to maintain continuity.
Gateway Students also participate in the Bridge to Medicine Program at York College. During their senior year, students spend time at the York College to gain experience of the medical profession.
Law Institute
In the Law Institute, students gain experience of the legal profession, with visiting solicitors from White & Case
White & Case
White & Case was founded in New York in 1901 and has grown into one of the world's leading global law firms. The firm has since expanded, and has practice groups in emerging markets including Latin America, Central & Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as in Europe...
and professors from nearby St. John's University. They are offered courses like Introduction to Law, Criminal Law and Constitutional Law.
Engineering
The Engineering Institute focuses on robotics and is strongly math-based, for students who can maintain good academic standing.
College Now
The College Now Program at Jamaica High School gives students the opportunity to take college level courses in the high school setting. A wide variety of English and Math classes are offered before or after school and students receive up to three college credits and one high school credit per course. Students start in their junior year, and are entitled to one course per semester. Therefore, a Jamaica High School College Now Student can leave with twelve credits, the equivalent of a semester of college, for free.
Advanced Placement
Courses are also offered in Art History, Biology, Calculus, French Language, French Literature, Government and Politics: United States, Spanish Language.
School Statistics
1214 Students:- 45% Black
- 25% Asian
- 19% Hispanic
- 1% White
- Attendance 74%
- Free Lunch 44%
- Graduation Rate 52%
Achievements
- Jamaica High School Girls Track won the New Balance Award
- Principals for a Day have been actors Ed Lover and Steve Harvey and gold medal Olympic winner and graduate of Jamaica High School, Bob Beamon
- Jamaica High School holds an annual boat race in their pool, where students combine laws of physics and art skills, http://jamaicahighschool.org/ATH/boatrace/abramo.html
Notable alumni
- Obba BabatundéObba BabatundeObba Babatundé is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C...
, '69, (1951-), Motion picture actor, television actor Dawson's CreekDawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
, appeared on Broadway in Dreamgirls. - Bob BeamonBob BeamonRobert "Bob" Beamon is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, which remained the world record for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. This is the second longest holding of this record, as...
, Olympic athlete and world record holder in the long jumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
for 23 years. - Ato Bolden, Olympic athlete.
- Paul BowlesPaul BowlesPaul Frederic Bowles was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator.Following a cultured middle-class upbringing in New York City, during which he displayed a talent for music and writing, Bowles pursued his education at the University of Virginia before making various trips to Paris...
, '28. (1910–1999), Author and Composer. - Art BuchwaldArt BuchwaldArthur Buchwald was an American humorist best known for his long-running column in The Washington Post, which in turn was carried as a syndicated column in many other newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary...
, '43. Pulitzer Prize Winning Humorist and cartoonist. - The CleftonesThe CleftonesThe Cleftones were a doo-wop group from Queens, New York. They were formed in 1955 at Jamaica High School. The group consisted of Herbie Cox , Charlie James , Berman Patterson, , William McClane , and Warren Corbin . They were originally called The Silvertones...
: Charlie James (McGhee), '55; William McClane, '55; Herb Cox, '55; Berman Patterson, '55; and Warren Corbin, '55 (deceased). - William Jelani CobbWilliam Jelani CobbWilliam Jelani Cobb Ph.D. is an American author and educator, associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.-Life:...
, author - Francis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, Movie Director - Alan DuganAlan DuganAlan Dugan was an American poet.His first volume Poems published in 1961 was a chosen by the Yale Series of Younger Poets and went on to win the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry....
, '41. (1923–2003), Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet. - Gertrude B. Elion, '41. (1918–1999). Nobel Prize Winner, 1988 Physiology/Medicine.
- Ashrita FurmanAshrita FurmanAshrita Furman has set more than 300 Guinness records since 1979 and currently holds131 Guinness records. He has set records on all seven continents and in more than 30 different countries...
, set more than 160 official Guinness records - Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
, '58, (1941–2002), paleontologist, geologist, historian of science - Laura Z. HobsonLaura Z. HobsonLaura Z. Hobson was an American novelist best known for her novel, Gentleman's Agreement.Born Laura Kean Zametkin in New York City, the daughter of Jewish socialist immigrants, she graduated from Cornell University. On July 23, 1930, she married Francis Thayer Hobson, owner of William Morrow and...
, '17. (1900–1986) Author. - Sheila Jackson-Lee, represents .
- Gerald S. LesserGerald S. LesserGerald Samuel Lesser was an American psychologist who served on the faculty of Harvard University and was one of the chief advisers to the Children's Television Workshop in the development and content of the educational programming included in Sesame Street, with the goal of making the material...
(1926–2010), psychologist who played a major role in developing the educational programming included in Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. - Herbert LondonHerbert London-Early life:He was born in Brooklyn, New York circa 1939 and attended Columbia University, graduating in 1960. Standing 6'5", he was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the National Basketball League, but did not play for them because of injuries. He was a social studies secondary school teacher...
, '56. Candidate for New York Mayor and Governor. - Irving MalinIrving MalinIrving Malin is an American literary critic. Malin attended Thomas Jefferson High School and Jamaica High School and graduated magna cum laude from Queens College in 1955 and received his PhD. from Stanford University in 1958. He taught at the City College of New York from 1960 until his...
, '50. Critic of postmodern fiction, editor and anthologist . - John N. MitchellJohn N. MitchellJohn Newton Mitchell was the Attorney General of the United States from 1969 to 1972 under President Richard Nixon...
, '31. Attorney General of the United States. - Walter O'MalleyWalter O'MalleyWalter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from to . He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in...
, '20. (1903–1979), Owner of the Brooklyn and L.A. Dodgers. - Letty Cottin PogrebinLetty Cottin PogrebinLetty Cottin Pogrebin is an American writer and journalist. She graduated from Brandeis University and became a writer and feminist advocate in the early 1970s. In 1971, she was one of the founding editors of Ms...
, writer and journalist. - Michael SavageMichael Savage (commentator)Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
('58, as Michael Weiner), Author of health and nutrition books, radio talk show host. - Gunther SchullerGunther SchullerGunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
, '43. Pulitzer Prize Winning Composer, Author and Conductor. - Al SeidenAl SeidenAlan "Al" Seiden was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. He led St. John's University to the 1959 National Invitation Tournament title and later played professionally with the Pittsburgh Rens of the American Basketball League.Seiden was a New York City schoolboy star at...
, '55. All-American basketball player at St. John's - Bobby SusserBobby SusserBobby Susser , and also known as Bob Susser, is a multi-award winning, American songwriter, record producer, and performer, best known for his young children's music...
, '60, Multi-award winning children's songwriter.
name=Alumni/>
- George VecseyGeorge VecseyGeorge Vecsey is an American non-fiction author and sports columnist for The New York Times. Vecsey is best known for his work in sports, but has co-written several autobiographies with non-sports figures.-Career:...
, '56, sportswriter for The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. - Dolores WilsonDolores WilsonDolores Mae Wilson was an American coloratura soprano who had an active international opera career from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. Beginning her career with major theatres in Europe, she performed in six seasons at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the 1950s...
, opera singer and musical theatre actress - Luis AriasLuís AriasLuís Arias is a Cuban-American amateur boxer in the Middleweight division. He is currently the number one rated amateur boxer at Middleweight in the U.S.-Amateur career:...
, Texas businessman, CEO of Texmotors, Inc. - Lisa Jaylee, Web & Graphic Designer JayleeLyts.NET.
External links
- Jamaica High School
- NYC Dept. of Education page on Jamaica
- www.insideschools.org
- Google Maps Hybrid Image
- http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/12/04/2009-12-04_jamaica_hs_is_passing_into_history.html