Bennett High School (Buffalo, New York)

Bennett High School
Bennett High School
Address
	2885 Main Street; Buffalo, New York 14214; United States
Coordinates	42°56′38″N 78°49′56″W / 42.94389°N 78.83222°W
Information
Funding type	Public
Motto	Optima Futura; (The Best is Yet to Be)
Opened	September 8, 1925
Status	Now called Lewis J. Bennett High School of Innovated Technology
School district	Buffalo Public Schools
School number	200
Grades	9–12
Color(s)	Blue and orange ;
Team name	Tigers
Yearbook	Beacon
Website	buffaloschools.org/Bennett.cfm

Bennett High School was an American high school located in the University Heights section of Buffalo, New York. It was named after Lewis J. Bennett, who donated the land for the school and for All High Stadium. Bennett High School formerly was a magnet school with three college prep programs: the Academy of International Law (similar to pre-law), Business and Computers (similar to information systems), and Education and the Arts.^[1]

History

Bennett High School was built in 1923 (cornerstone laid on November 15, 1923), opened on September 8, 1925 and was dedicated on November 24, 1925. It has four stories with 270,000 square feet (25,000 m²). It is named after Lewis J. Bennett, who donated the land for the school and for All High Stadium. Portions of the 1984 movie The Natural were filmed in All High Stadium, although it was filmed as Wrigley Field.

The school was renovated in the summer of 2005 and the summer of 2006. During this time, some students were housed at Bennett while others were housed at nearby School 63 on Minnesota Avenue.

In 2014, the alumni association and the Buffalo Board of Education worked cooperatively to bring a dramatic change to the curriculum at Bennett. In 2017, the last class of students in the original Bennett programs graduated. At the same time a new program was put into place, the Lewis J. Bennett High School of Innovative Technology. Its first graduating class was in 2020.

Notable alumni

Michael Bennett (1943 – 1987), who wrote the Broadway musical A Chorus Line dropped his last name, DiFiglia, when he went to Broadway.
Lawrence Block (b. 1938), writer
Sorrell Booke (1930 – 1994), who played Boss Hogg in the Dukes of Hazard TV show was a 1948 Bennett grad.
John Elliot (1914 – 1972), songwriter
Leslie Feinberg (1949 – 2014), author and activist
Don Gilbert (b. 1943), CFL player
Sanford Greenberg (b. 1940), American investor, philanthropist^[2]
Reed Hadley (1911 – 1974), actor
Karla F.C. Holloway (b. 1949), James B. Duke Professor of English, Professor of Law, Duke University. Dean, Humanities & Social Sciences. Was Karla Clapp at Bennett, led debate team to statewide championship.
Catherine Ryan Hyde (b. 1955), novelist, author of Pay It Forward
Rick James (1948 – 2004), funk superstar, played in the Bennett High School Band.
Beverly Johnson (b. 1952), fashion model, was a graduate of Bennett High School. She was the first Black cover model for Vogue.
Dr. John H. Kennell (1922 – 2013), doctor of pediatrics and researcher
Bob Lanier (1948 – 2022), Basketball Hall of Famer, graduated from Bennett in 1966
David Lucas (b. 1937), music producer and jingle writer, attended Bennett in the 1950s but then transferred to a school in Florida.
Isaiah McDuffie (b. 1999), NFL player
Dick Offenhamer (1913 – 1998), former University at Buffalo football coach
Robert E. Rich, Sr. (1913 – 2006), founder of Rich Products Corporation, was the starting center for the Bennett High School football team which lost the 1930 Harvard Cup to South Park 13–2.
Antoine Thompson (b. 1970), former New York State Senator
Westside Gunn (b. 1982), Rapper

School 63, where selected Bennett students were housed while Bennett was renovated.

References

^ "Bennett High School Programs". Buffalo Public Schools Website. Buffalo Public Schools. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
^ Brady, Erik. "Erik Brady: Sandy Greenberg's quest for sight found solace and hope in Darkness, his old friend". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.

External links

Buffalo Public Schools homepage

[1] "Bennett High School Programs". Buffalo Public Schools Website. Buffalo Public Schools. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.

[2] Brady, Erik. "Erik Brady: Sandy Greenberg's quest for sight found solace and hope in Darkness, his old friend". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2022-06-23.

[1]

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v t e Buffalo Public Schools
Elementary Schools	PS 3 D'Youville Porter Campus PS 6 Buffalo Elementary School of Technology PS 17 Early Childhood Center PS 18 Dr. Antonia Pantoja Community School of Academic Excellence PS 19 Native American Magnet School PS 27 Hillery Park Elementary PS 30 Frank A. Sedita Academy PS 31 Harriet Ross Tubman School PS 32 Bennett Park Montessori PS 33 Bilingual Center PS 37 Marva J. Daniel Futures Preparatory School PS 43 Lovejoy Discovery School PS 45 International School PS 48 @ 39 PS 50 North Park Academy Community School PS 53 Community School PS 54 Dr. George E. Blackman ECC PS 59 Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet Annex 59A PS 61 Early Childhood Center PS 64 Frederick Law Olmsted PS 65 Roosevelt ECC PS 66 North Park Middle Academy PS 67 Discovery School PS 69 Houghton Academy PS 72 Lorraine Elementary PS 74 Hamlin Park School PS 76 Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy PS 79 Pfc. William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence PS 80 Highgate Heights PS 81 School PS 82 Early Childhood Center PS 84 Health Care Center for Children at ECMC PS 89 Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence PS 92 BUILD Academy Community School PS 93 Southside Elementary PS 94 West Hertel Academy PS 95 Waterfront School PS 97 Harvey Austin School PS 99 Stanley M. Makowski Early Childhood Center
Middle/High Schools	PS 131 The Academy School PS 156 Frederick Law Olmsted School at Kensington PS 192 Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts PS 195 City Honors School PS 197 Math, Science, Technology Preparatory School PS 198 The International Preparatory School
High Schools	PS 206 South Park High School PS 207 Lafayette International High School PS 208 Riverside Academy High School PS 212 Leonardo da Vinci High School PS 301 Burgard High School PS 302 Emerson School of Hospitality PS 304 Hutchinson Central Technical High School PS 305 McKinley High School PS 309 East Community High School PS 335 Middle Early College High School PS 353 Newcomer Academy @ Lafayette PS 355 The New Buffalo School of Culinary Art & Hospitality Management PS 357 Pathways Academy @ East PS 363 Lewis J. Bennett School of Innovative Technology PS 366 Research Laboratory High School PS 402 Occupational Training Center
Notable Defunct Schools	PS 8 Follow Through Magnet School 13 School 24 School 44 School 57 School 60 School 63 School 77 School 87 Fosdick-Masten Park High School PS 192 Buffalo Traditional School PS 200 Bennett High School PS 202 Grover Cleveland High School PS 203 Kensington High School PS 204 Lafayette High School PS 205 Riverside Institute of Technology PS 302 Emerson Vocational High School PS 306 Seneca Vocational High School PS 307 East High School