William Howard Taft High School (New York City)

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William Howard Taft High School was a high school in South Bronx, New York City.

The school was operated by the New York City Department of Education.

Taft H.S. is located in a formerly impoverished, crime and drug-infested slum area. Being located in the "South Bronx", in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Taft H.S. earned a notorious reputation as one of the most crime, violence, and gang-ridden schools in the city.

This was in marked contrast to its past glory in the 1940s-1950s as one of the Bronx's premier public high schools - both in sports and academics. In that era, a majority of its graduates went on to higher education. Famous graduates included Stanley Kubrick and the singer Eydie Gorme.

As is the case in many American inner city public schools, metal detectors were installed to prevent students from bringing weapons in the school. Determined students found ways to circumvent the system, for example, by sneaking weapons through windows or passing them through back doors.

The danger of working at this school was highlighted in May of 1997, when Jonathan Levin, an English teacher at the school and the son of former Time Warner chairman Gerald M. Levin, was murdered by a former student in his Manhattan apartment. Although few incidents were as grave.

Of the 629 students that attend this school, virtually all were Hispanic or African American. On any given day, attendance hovered around 86%, despite having 10 truancy officers assigned to the school.

After becoming a symbol of New York City public school failure, the school was gradually phased out and replaced with smaller schools and is no longer accepting new students.

The last graduating class was in June 2006 and the building is now used for:

Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications
High School of Medical Science
Bronx High School of Business
The Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School
Urban Assembly Academy for History and Citizenship for Young Men 2004
DreamYard Prep

[edit] Quotes

"Taft is what is left after almost everyone else has made their choice" - Michael Winerip, New York Times
"Although we may have a bad reputation we are striving for success." - Student
"Guidance counselors at other schools say, 'If you misbehave, we're sending you to Taft,'" - Maggie Bec, Taft teacher
"Taft - Training Animals For Tomorrow" - Anon.