View source for The Beacon School

{{Short description|Public school in New York City}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{other uses|Beacon (disambiguation)#Schools}}
{{Infobox school
| name              = The Beacon School
| image             = BeaconSchoolFront.jpg
| caption           = 
| motto             = 
| location          = 
| streetaddress     = 522 West 44th Street
| city              = [[New York, New York]]
| zipcode           = 10036
| country           = United States
| coordinates       = {{coord|40.7614|-73.9960|display=inline,title|format=dms|type:edu}}
| type              = [[Selective school|Selective]] [[State school|Public]] [[High school (North America)|High School]]
| established       = {{Start date and age|1993}}
| district          = [[New York City Department of Education]]
| us_nces_school_id = {{NCES School ID|360007800592|school_name=Beacon High School|access_date= September 4, 2015|ref_name="nces_sch"}}
| principal         = Johnny Ventura
| staff             = 
| faculty           = 65 (on [[full time equivalent|FTE]] basis)<ref name="nces_sch" />
| grades            = [[Ninth grade|9]] to [[Twelfth grade|12]]
| athletics         = Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, fencing, indoor track, outdoor track, softball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, wrestling, soccer
| conference        = [[PSAL]]
| mascot            = Blue Demons
| imagesize         = 260
| newspaper         = The Beacon Beat
| president         = 
| students          = 1,585
| enrollment        = 
| colors            = {{color box|#0E4C92}}{{color box|#FFFFFF}} Blue and white
| website           = {{url|https://www.beaconschool.org/}}
| free_label        = 
| free_text         = 
| free_label2       = 
| free_text2        = 
}}

'''The Beacon School''' (also called '''Beacon High School''') is a [[college-preparatory]] public [[high school]] in the [[Hell's Kitchen]] area of [[Manhattan]] in New York City near [[Times Square]] and the [[Theater District, Manhattan|Theater District]].  Beacon's curriculum exceeds the standards set by the New York State Regents, and as a member of the New York Performance Standards Consortium, its students are exempt from taking most [[New York Regents Examinations|Regents exams]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://performanceassessment.org/consortium/cmember.html|title=Performance Assessment.org: Member High Schools|website=performanceassessment.org|access-date=2016-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629030130/http://performanceassessment.org/consortium/cmember.html|archive-date=2016-06-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> Instead, students present performance-based projects at the end of each semester to panels of teachers. In 2019, the school received roughly 6,000 applications for 360 ninth-grade seats, yielding an acceptance rate of approximately 6.2%.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/nyregion/beacon-high-school-admissions-nyc.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article|title=Why White Parents Were at the Front of the Line for the School Tour|newspaper=The New York Times|date=15 November 2019 |access-date=2022-06-02|last1=Shapiro |first1=Eliza }}</ref> 

Beacon was founded in 1993 as an alternative to the [[Regents (Examinations)|Regents Exam]]-based testing system in favor of [[portfolio assessment|portfolio-based assessment]]. The school's purpose was also purportedly to keep class sizes down and total student population at, or just above, one thousand students. Over time, Beacon was forced to accept certain aspects of the Regents-based testing curriculum, and to abandon its portfolio-assessment system as the sole method of [[graduation]], which had been the case until mid-1999. Beacon now utilizes, in its own words, "traditional testing ... [but] our students' progress is largely assessed through performance-based projects, completed individually and in groups. To graduate, students must present their best work to panels of teachers."<ref name="BeaconSchoolAims">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.beaconschool.org/curriculum/aims.php
 |publisher    = The Beacon School
 |title        = Beacon's Curriculum Aims
 |access-date  = 2011-04-30
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160519043439/http://www.beaconschool.org/curriculum/aims.php
 |archive-date = 2016-05-19
}}</ref>

==Academics==

===Overview===

The class schedule at the Beacon School is organized in bands, designated by letters A through H.  As a Beacon student advances in grade level, they are gradually given more opportunity to choose classes of their choice in the subject area of the band in question, rather than relying on their stream to do the selecting. This is both a preparatory measure for the [[university]] system of class selection, where students are permitted to select all their classes themselves on an individual basis, as well as a means of allowing students the ability to find what interests them among the course offerings.

Beacon also offers several [[Advanced Placement]] courses.  AP courses are currently available for biology, calculus, physics, and Spanish. Students take the Advanced Placement exam at the end of the course, and have an opportunity to attain college credits.

===In-school requirements===

Though the yearly schedule is broken into two [[academic term|semesters]], these are not standard United States [[college]] semesters. Most academic classes are year-long courses, so students generally return to their classes with the same teachers for the second semester. Students have the opportunity to change electives at the end of each semester. Certain science courses are offered to students on a per-semester basis.

===Internships and community service===

The school does not require its students to do [[internship]]s, but internship opportunities are available for those that want to pursue them. A minimum of 50 hours of [[community service]] hours is a strictly enforced graduation requirement, and can be fulfilled however a student likes, as long as they clear the work with a community service leader in writing before beginning it. The community service program is led by a faculty advisor but taught by a group of dedicated 11th and 12th graders called "The Community Service Leadership Team". This group of students plan lessons and activities to get lowerclassmen excited about community service placements across the city at non-profits such as the Added Value Farm in [[Red Hook, Brooklyn]] and Community Voices Heard in [[East Harlem]].

Beacon states:

<blockquote>''Every tenth grader (15-16 year old) at the Beacon School takes the Community Service class in either the Fall or Spring semester. We try to provide internships that are educational for students and at the same time meaningful for the community. Beacon students reflect on their experience in written journals and in a weekly classroom seminar.''

''Beacon students are expected to work five hours per week over a semester (about 4 months) in a site that they select" but they may complete the hours through the course of 1 year. They may negotiate any work schedule that is convenient to themselves and their community service site. A total of 50 hours is required for passing credit in the course. Students who complete 75 hours are eligible for "honors" credit.''{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}</blockquote>

==Campus==

===1993 to 2015===
For its first two years, the Beacon School was located inside [[Fordham University]]'s Lincoln Center Campus. It also utilized [[John Jay College of Criminal Justice]]'s facilities for physical education. From 1995 to 2015, the school was located three blocks from Jay, at 227 West 61st Street, a former warehouse completed in 1919, alongside the Amsterdam Houses, a group of [[New York City Housing Authority]] projects. The Beacon School location has been replaced by West End Secondary School.<ref>{{Cite web|title=School Opening in Beacon HS Space to Use City as Extension of Classroom|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140915/upper-west-side/school-opening-beacon-hs-space-use-city-as-extension-of-classroom|access-date=2021-10-28|website=DNAinfo New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=WEST END SECONDARY SCHOOL|url=https://www.westendsecondary.com/|access-date=2021-10-28|website=WEST END SECONDARY SCHOOL|language=en-US}}</ref> It was in an area with many other schools, including Public School 191 and [[Abraham Joshua Heschel School]] across the street.

===2015 to Present===
[[File:Beacon HS 522 West 43d St entrance jeh.JPG|thumb|The school's 43rd street entrance]]
As of September, 2015, Beacon occupies a seven-story building located at 522 West 44th Street, between 10th and 11th avenues. The building, previously  used as a book warehouse by the [[New York Public Library]] was sold to the [[New York City|School Construction Authority]] for $45 million in August, 2011. Construction began in August, 2012, with a ground breaking ceremony attended by high-ranking city officials including City Council Speaker [[Christine Quinn]], [[New York City Department of Education|Department of Education]] Chancellor [[Dennis Walcott]], and [[New York City Mayor|Mayor]] [[Michael Bloomberg]].<ref>"City Breaks Ground on New Beacon School in Hell's Kitchen" {{cite web |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120814/hells-kitchen-clinton/officials-break-ground-on-new-beacon-school-hells-kitchen |title=City Breaks Ground on New Beacon School in Hell's Kitchen - Hell's Kitchen & Clinton - DNAinfo.com New York |access-date=2015-09-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923225131/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120814/hells-kitchen-clinton/officials-break-ground-on-new-beacon-school-hells-kitchen |archive-date=2015-09-23 }}</ref> The building, built by [[Skanska USA]] for $88 million, houses a full-sized cafeteria, black-box theater, dance studio, auditorium, film lab, and library, with writing labs, art studios, and study spaces throughout the building.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bdcnetwork.com/skanska-build-beacon-high-school-new-york-city|title=Skanska to build the Beacon High School in New York City|website=Building Design + Construction|date=15 August 2012|last=Gregorski|first=Tim|language=en|access-date=2019-09-17}}</ref>

==Culture==

The Beacon School offers extracurricular activities such as after school [[theater]] and [[studio]] stage crew, [[book]] club, a [[rock climbing]] club, a [[dance]] club, a Live Poets Society, [[entrepreneurship]] club, art club, music performance, a [[Photograph|photo]] club, an [[architecture]] club, a senior committee (populated by seniors who are responsible for helping with plans for graduation and the annual senior trip), a [[Model United Nations]] club, and a [[debate]] team. Beacon has had a student government since 2016, with members representing the student voice in the school leadership team. The school also has social justice clubs and affinity groups, such as Black Student Union, Muslim Student Union, Asian Student Union, Integrate Beacon and Young Democratic Socialists. It has charity clubs, such as Project ABLE, which raises money for libraries in Africa, and the Kids for Kids Club, which raises money for local and nonlocal causes.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

In 2007, the school received attention after David Andreatta confirmed that the school took illegal trips to Cuba. At the end of the school year the teacher involved, Nathan Turner, resigned.<ref name="NYPost01">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.nypost.com/seven/04162007/news/regionalnews/hs_spurs_furor_with_cuba_trip_regionalnews_david_andreatta.htm
 |title        = HS Spurs Furor with Cuba Trip
 |author       = Andreatta, David
 |publisher    = New York Post
 |date         = April 16, 2007
 |access-date  = 2011-04-30
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081215162306/http://www.nypost.com/seven/04162007/news/regionalnews/hs_spurs_furor_with_cuba_trip_regionalnews_david_andreatta.htm
 |archive-date = December 15, 2008
}}</ref> In 2005, then [[David Paterson|Lieutenant Governor Paterson]] sent his daughter on one such trip.<ref name="NYPost02">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.nypost.com/seven/04172007/news/regionalnews/pol_in_cuban_pass_regionalnews_david_andreatta.htm
 |title        = Pol in Cuban 'Pass'
 |author       = Andreatta, David
 |publisher    = New York Post
 |date         = April 17, 2007
 |access-date  = 2011-04-30
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081121011543/http://www.nypost.com/seven/04172007/news/regionalnews/pol_in_cuban_pass_regionalnews_david_andreatta.htm
 |archive-date = November 21, 2008
}}</ref> Alumni reaction to the trips was mixed, with some alumni continuing to be involved in activism, while others have expressed frustration with the liberal leanings of their teachers and peers.<ref name="NYPost03">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.nypost.com/seven/04192007/news/regionalnews/alumni_seethe_at_club_red_regionalnews_david_andreatta______education_reporter.htm
 |archive-url  = https://archive.today/20130208145433/http://www.nypost.com/seven/04192007/news/regionalnews/alumni_seethe_at_club_red_regionalnews_david_andreatta______education_reporter.htm
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = February 8, 2013
 |title        = Alumni Seethe at Club Red
 |author       = Andreatta, David
 |publisher    = New York Post
 |date         = April 19, 2007
 |access-date  = 2011-04-30
}}</ref>

Educational travel has become an important part of the educational culture. Past destinations included India, Cuba, Spain, England, Ireland, Venezuela, France, Japan, Sweden, Costa Rica, Mexico, [[Mozambique]], South Africa, and [[New Orleans]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beaconschool.org/experience/trips.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223162643/http://www.beaconschool.org/experience/trips.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-12-23|title=The Beacon School, NYC|website=Beacon Trips|access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref>

==Athletics==
The Beacon School offers an array of athletic teams for its students. Sports including [[fencing]], [[softball]], [[Track and field|track]], [[wrestling]], [[bowling]], [[basketball]], [[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]], [[soccer]], [[Cross country running|cross country]], and [[tennis]] form a part of the culture at Beacon. 
In 2014, Beacon's tennis team won the national tennis championship as a result of taking first place at the All-American Invitational Boys Tennis Tournament in Corona del Mar, California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eastern.usta.com/news/a_national_championship_for_beacon_tennis/ |title=A National Championship for Beacon Tennis &#124; General News - News &#124; USTA Eastern |publisher=Eastern.usta.com |date=2014-03-28 |access-date=2014-06-09}}</ref> Because the school does not have a practice space of its own, the school uses many of the city's public access facilities. In addition, the boys baseball team advanced to the 2019 [[Public Schools Athletic League|Public School Athletic League]] (PSAL) AAA championship game. The game was played in [[Yankee Stadium]] on June 4 and The Beacon School lost to Gregorio Luperon HS for Science and Math with a final score of four to five.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/beacon-blue-demons-(new-york,ny)/baseball/home.htm|title=Beacon High School (New York, NY) Baseball {{!}} MaxPreps|website=www.maxpreps.com|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref>

On November 7, 2019, both the boys soccer program and the girls soccer program became city champions by defeating John Adams High School and [[Brooklyn Technical High School|Brooklyn Tech]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.psal.org/games/game-detail.aspx#012/387842|title=John Adams At Beacon High School @ St. John's University - Belson Soccer Stadium|website=www.psal.org|access-date=2022-05-25}}</ref> The games were played at [[Belson Stadium]] on the campus of [[St. John's University (New York City)|St. John's University]] in [[Queens]]. As a result, the Beacon boys soccer team was ranked #9 in [[New York State]] and has since continued to remain one of the strongest programs in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/high-school-rankings/boys-fall-region-ii/|title=UNITED SOCCER COACHES/USA TODAY SUPER 25 SPONSORED BY VERIZON — FALL BOYS — REGION II|website=www.unitedsoccercoaches.org|access-date=2022-05-25}}</ref>

== Model United Nations ==
[[File:Beacon Model UN Accepts Best Delegation Award.jpg|alt=English: Beacon's Model UN team accepts the Best Delegation Award at GCIMUN 2016 in the General Assembly hall at the UN Headquarters, New York City.|thumb|312x312px|'''English:''' Beacon's Model UN team accepts the Best Delegation Award at GCIMUN 2016 in the [[United Nations General Assembly Building|General Assembly Hall]] at the UN Headquarters, New York City.]]
Beacon's [[Model United Nations]] debates solutions to international issues, and attends conferences within New York City, as well as throughout the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://bestdelegate.com/global-classrooms-new-york-liveblog/|title=Global Classrooms: New York Liveblog|date=2011-02-06}}</ref>

In 2016, Beacon's delegation placed first among 174 schools from over 30 countries in the Global Classrooms Model United Nations conference.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beaconschool.org/newsarticle.php3?id=2395 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518113600/http://www.beaconschool.org/newsarticle.php3?id=2395 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-05-18 |title=Beacon Model UN Places #1 Globally in High-Profile Conference |date=2016-05-18 |access-date=2016-06-30 }}</ref> The conference, held annually at [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations Headquarters]], is sponsored by the [[United Nations Association of the United States of America|United Nations Association of the United States]] in collaboration with the [[Lebanese American University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nmun.org/conferences/new-york.html |website=Model United Nations |access-date=30 October 2020|title=New York }}</ref>

Since 2016, Beacon's [[Model United Nations]] program has been cited at the top of ''Best Delegate'''s annual list of the world's best high school Model UN teams. The rankings, calculated based on data aggregated from the 30 most competitive [[Model UN]] conferences in North America, divide teams into groups by region and overall standing. Beacon is ranked in the Top 25 Overall category, the highest level of recognition awarded by the publication.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Leiden|first1=Erik|title=The 150 Best High School Model United Nations Teams in North America from the 2015-2016 School Year|url=http://bestdelegate.com/the-150-best-high-school-model-united-nations-teams-in-north-america-from-the-2015-2016-school-year/|website=Best Delegate|date=29 August 2016 }}</ref>

==Transportation==
The [[New York City Subway]]'s {{stn|Times Square–42nd Street}} and {{stn|42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal}} stations, served by the {{NYCS trains|Times Square PABT}}, are located nearby.<ref>{{NYCS const|map}}</ref> Additionally, [[New York City Bus]]'s {{NYC bus link|M42|M12|M11}} routes stop near Beacon.<ref>{{Cite NYC bus map|M}}</ref> Students residing a certain distance from the school are provided full-fare or half-fare student [[MetroCard]]s for public transportation at the start of each term, based on the distance the student resides from the school..<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.optnyc.org/schools/metrocards.htm|title=Student MetroCards|website=Office of Pupil Transportation|access-date=September 12, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924163301/http://www.optnyc.org/schools/metrocards.htm|archive-date=September 24, 2016}}</ref>
{{Clear|right}}

==Student demographics==
{{As of|2017}}, student demographics were as follows: 48.7% White, 22.8% Hispanic, 13.5% Black, 9% Asian, Two Races 5.7%. Approximately 65 out of 100 students are female. Students commute from all [[Boroughs of New York City|boroughs]] of New York City, however the plurality of students reside in [[Manhattan]] and [[Brooklyn]]. The school has experienced a significant decline in the number of Black and Hispanic students since its founding due to changes in the admissions policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/manhattan-beacon-school-racial-hope-dims-article-1.378593|title=Manhattan Beacon School's racial hope dims |website=[[New York Daily News]] |date=May 15, 2009 }}</ref>

==Notable alumni==
{{alumni|date=December 2022}}
* [[Elizabeth Acevedo]], poet, novelist
* [[Xiye Bastida]], climate justice activist.
* [[Hannah Berner]], comedian
* [[Nina Bloomgarden]], actor
* [[Marlon Craft]], rapper
* [[Jay Critch]], rapper.
* [[Daphne Frias]], climate, disability justice and gun violence activist
* [[Hannah Hodson]], actor
* [[Laundry Day (band)|Laundry Day]], American [[pop rock]] band formed in 2018.
* [[Alex Rando]], American [[soccer]] player for [[New York City FC II]] in the [[MLS Next Pro]].
* [[Addison Timlin]], actor

==See also==
{{Portal|New York City|Schools}}
* [[Education in New York City]]
* [[List of high schools in New York City]]
* [[Public Schools Athletic League]]
*[[Gifted education]]

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.beaconschool.org/ Official website]
*[https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/M479 DOE Website]
*[https://www.psal.org/profiles/school-profile.aspx#03300 Athletic Profile]
*[https://insideschools.org/school/03M479 InsideSchools Profile] 
{{Education in Manhattan}}
{{NYC Specialized High Schools}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beacon School}}
[[Category:Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan| ]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1993]]
[[Category:Public high schools in Manhattan]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Gifted education]]