Martin Van Buren High School
| Martin Van Buren High School | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1955 |
| Type | Public |
| Principal | Sam Sochet (interim)[1] |
| Faculty | 180 |
| Students | 2,350 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 230-17 Hillside Avenue, Queens Village, New York, USA |
| Coordinates | 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.
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History [edit]
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.[2][3]
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 [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2013) |
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 [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2013) |
The school has a National Honor Society chapter for the School. In addition to the National Honor Society, 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. The School also has a Robotics Team that participates in the First Robotics Competition at the New York City Regional.
School Ratings [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2013) |
Martin Van Buren High School received a "Developing" on its last Quality Review (2012), and has received Report Card grades of "C", "C" and "D". Further, the School Environment sub-section of the report has received a grade of "F" for three consecutive years.
Demographics [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2013) |
The racial makeup of the school in the school year 2012-2013 shows that Martin Van Buren High School is 56.4% Black or African American, 14.4% Hispanic or Latino, 24.5% Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (includes East and West Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis and Chinese, etc.), and 2.95% White.
Alumni [edit]
This is a partial list of notable alumni of Martin Van Buren High School.
- Donny Deutsch (Class of 1975) - Advertising executive and television personality.
- Ilene Graff[4] (Class of 1966) - American actress and singer.
- Madeline Kahn[4] (Class of 1960) - Movie actress and singer.
- Arthur Kane - Member of the New York Dolls.
- Al Kooper - Songwriter, record producer and musician.
- Robert Mapplethorpe - Artist.
- Tom Pecora - Head men's basketball coach of Fordham University.
- Julian Phillips (Class of 1973) - Television personality.
- Ray Kurzweil (Class of 1965) - Inventor and futurist.
- Mario Savio (Class of 1960) - American political rights activist
- Lynne Stewart - Imprisoned civil rights lawyer
- Frank Wilczek - awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.[5]
- Thomas G. Zimmerman (Class of 1975) - Inventor of Data glove used in Virtual Reality.[6]
References [edit]
- ^ Chan, Melissa. "‘Failing’ Van Buren principal replaced". Queens Courier. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- '^ 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. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Wilczek, Frank. "Autobiography". Nobel Media. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ A hand gesture interface device
