MacArthur High School (New York)
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MacArthur High School is a secondary school located in Levittown, New York. One of two high schools in the Levittown Union Free School District, the high school is named after United States General Douglas MacArthur. In addition to the school's principal, John Bifolco, there are two Assistant Principals: Mr. Joseph Sheehan and Mrs. Joan Lorelli.
The school's mission statement is "Success for Every Student," and the school's motto is "Knowledge is Power."
According to the 2007 Newsweek Magazine issue of Top 1,200 U.S. Schools, MacArthur High School is currently ranked as # 518.[1]
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[edit] Renaissance Program
Adapted through a unanimous vote of the school's faculty in the spring of 1994, the Renaissance Program rewards students who excel in academics. Students who pass everything, including midterms, finals, and regents, are hosted at a semi-annual breakfast. Students receive cards in either platinum, gold, blue, or gray, depending upon their grade average or status as an Honor Society member. These cards entitle the students to various "special perks and privileges," including discounts on tickets to school plays and dances. The four-year Renaissance card-holders of every senior class are hosted at an additional special brunch.
[edit] Music Department
MacArthur's band is one of the school's largest groups. Performing at concerts as well as football games, parades, and the Newsday Marching Band Festival, the band is an integral part of the school. The band is led by Mr. Joseph Romano, as well as six student leaders. In tandem with the band performs MacArthur's very own kick line (Macettes) as well as the Color Guard. The band is also joined by MacArthur mascot, The General. When the band is not marching around getting crowds riled for games and events, they are known as the MacArthur Symphonic Band.
The MacArthur Symphony Orchestra is directed by Mrs. Iris Winter and performs not only at concerts, but also at local elementary schools and United Cerebral Palsy, mainly during the holidays to entertain students and others with well known holiday tunes. The Orchestra also performs at the New York State Schools Music Association (NYSSMA) festival as an ensemble.
In May of 2006, the MacArthur Symphony Orchestra and the MacArthur Band played at Hershey Park, Pennsylvania.
The MacArthur Chorus is directed by Ms. Paige Hardison and is responsible, along with the theater classes, for putting on the yearly musical with the accompaniment of the school's Pit Orchestra. In November 2006 the chorus and theater students put on their version of Bye Bye Birdie. In March 2008, MacArthur put on the musical Once on This Island, which was also directed by Ms. Paige Hardison. In addition, Ms. Hardison will direct her own Performance Theater class in their production of 'The Mouse That Roared' in April 2008 before her well-deserved retirement at the end of the school year.
[edit] MacArthur Wrestling
[edit] Notable alumni
- Sarah Anne Moore - Actress, Public Relations - South Beach, Florida
- Congressman Steve Israel
- Ballistic Bob, Long Island radio personality for stations such as WBLI,Party105.3, and WBEA.
- Keelin Curnuck, Miss New York 1996, Ms Venus Swimwear 1994 & former co-host of the ESPN exercise program BodyShaping
- Eric Morgenlender, amateur breakdancer and star mathlete.
- Gary Merideth, former child actor, starred in several notable roles such as "Child enjoying Oreos"[1]
- Keith Merideth, former star of ABC's One Life to Live, most famous for his ferverent fanbase, who protested outside NBC studios when his character was killed off from Polio. [2]
- Vincent Accardi, lead guitar and backing vocals in Brand New
- Candace Pert, aka Candace Beebe Pert, is a neuroscientist who discovered the opiate receptor, the cellular bonding site for endorphins in the brain.
- Bill Griffith, is a popular cartoonist in the United States. He is best known for his comic strip Zippy the Pinhead.
- Arturo Rodriguez, class of 1993, is the Chief Financial Office for Atari, Inc.
