| Blind Brook High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 840 King Street Rye Brook, New York, (Westchester County), 10573 United States |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public, High school |
| Established | 1973 |
| School district | Blind Brook School District |
| NCES District ID | 3624630[1] |
| CEEB Code | 334577 |
| NCES School ID | 362463003350[2] |
| Principal | Gina M. Healy |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Gender | Co-ed |
| Enrollment | 390 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Athletics conference | NY Section 1, Class "B" |
| Mascot | Trojan Warrior |
| Team name | The Trojans |
| Newspaper | FOCUS |
| Yearbook | Spectrum |
| School TV channel | BBTV Ch.77 (Cablevision), 27 (Verizon FIOS) |
| Website | www.blindbrook.org/our schools/high school/index.shtml |
Blind Brook High School (BBHS) is a public, four-year secondary school in Rye Brook, New York, United States, and is the lone public high school that serves the Blind Brook School District. BBHS is a relatively small high school; the Class of 2008 was made up of 102 students.[3] The Principal is Gina Healy. The assistant principal is Todd Richard.
Contents |
Blind Brook High School opened its doors in the fall of 1973. The construction of the Blind Brook School District's first high school came about after the community (which was the unincorporated area of the Town of Rye at the time) wanted to expand the local school district (known as District #5). This push for expansion started after the community became frustrated spending lots of money to send their children to local high schools including Port Chester, Mamaroneck, Rye Neck, and Valhalla. In addition, the Ridge Street School, which housed classes from Kindergarten to 8th/9th grades, was becoming overcrowded and could not accommodate the growing population that would become known as Rye Brook (in 1982). Land was purchased on King Street and construction was started in 1972 and ended in late 1973, months into the school year. The High School today stands on the same campus as in 1973.
In the fall of 1973, Blind Brook opened its doors with Mr. David Schein as its first principal.[4] Construction was ongoing in the new building during the first months of the school year. In fact, some classes were held at the Ridge Street School during this time.
The original building was considered modern as it contained 'open classrooms'. This setup contained classrooms that had only two walls around it. This made for an interesting and different learning environment since students walking in hallways would also be walking through classes. The building was designed in this manner as the district focused around a humanities curriculum that included interdisciplinary studies.
Even though the school opened in 1973, Blind Brook's first graduating class was the Class of 1975. This class was made up of only 4 students and the graduation took place in the middle of the school year.[5]
1997 brought the arrival of Principal Robert Chlebicki, a position he would hold until 2003. During his tenure at Blind Brook, Chlebicki helped Blind Brook move into the 21st century. In 1999, with the construction of Bellefair, a new development, and the influx of younger families to the community, the Blind Brook community started to outgrow the original high school building. A parent-school district committee, called "Let's Bond for our Kids" formed a construction plan and encouraged the community to get involved and vote. The Bond passed by a large margin, bringing construction to the BB campus for the first time since 1973. In the Summer of 2001, Portables 1 and 2 were installed to create additional classroom space during the construction.[6] These modular buildings are connected to each other, but are not connected to the main high school building. To this day, the modular classrooms, or as they are often called, the portables (even though they can not be moved), are still used for daily classes and are fairly popular among the student body.
During this time of change in the district, Susan Shirken, the Assistant Principal of the Middle/High School, left. She held this position until the arrival of Michael Mitchell in 2001.[7]
With administration change occurring, the construction project progressed. The project ultimately resulted in a Middle School wing, Middle School gym, renovated IMC (library), new Middle School and High School main offices, a 450-seat auditorium, a new front walkway and entrance, a renovated commons area, and high school classroom renovation. In addition to additions to the building, in order to meet state fire codes, the construction also resulted in traditional, 4-walled, closed classrooms. By removing wall-less classrooms, the new classroom setup left some rooms window-less. In addition, the Commons had the carpet removed and new, artistic walls were installed. These walls were poked fun at often and seemed very silly in the eyes of students, with statements of "This is a school, not an art museum!" pushing a backlash against the walls. Many wanted the walls removed, though that wouldn't happen until Blind Brook went through its second wave of construction.[8] The new auditorium was also criticized as it was too small and could not fit the entire high school and its faculty in the facility at the same time. In addition, the end-of-the-year graduation would not be able to be held in the new facility as it lacked necessary seating for guests. Graduations are held in the gym as it can accommodate the large amount of guests.
2002-2003 brought much change to Blind Brook High School. A new look, new technology, and new traditions changed the style of the culture through the halls of Blind Brook. A (non-merged) football team, albeit at the Junior Varsity level, was created, bringing football to Rye Brook after a long hiatus of any type of recreational football. The football team was originally made up of 25 students and practiced at Ridge Street School.[9][10] Parking issues at the then-IBM building between the High School and the building's owners continued, resulting in tense negotiations between the two groups.[11] Three International Baccalaureate classes (12th grade English, 11th grade Chemistry, and Theory of Knowledge) were added to the Blind Brook menu of classes in order to create a more difficult and challenging curriculum, though after months of discussion and debate, the Board of Education voted 4 to 1 against the continuing of the program in March 2003.[12] The end of the school year also brought the resignations of Blind Brook's top administrators, long-time principal Robert Chlebicki and assistant principal Michael Mitchell, leaving a sense of uncertainty to the Blind Brook community.[13] Chlebicki left Blind Brook for the North Shore School District on Long Island as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction.[14][15]
Blind Brook's administration was still up in the air in 2003-2004 school year as an interim principal was hired while the search for a new principal continued. Anthony Baxter and Jane Wermuth were hired for the positions of principal and assistant principal, respectively.
Blind Brook's future curriculum plans were also in limbo after the International Baccalaureate plan was rejected. A new strategy was put into action by the Board of Education to investigate the AP program and to see if it would be a good fit for BBHS. From 2004 to 2006, Blind Brook added numerous AP classes to the its class offerings. In addition to new AP classes, Blind Brook, in the 2005-06 school year, also added Latin as an elective to its menu of course offerings.[16]
In early 2005, the Blind Brook community was once again outgrowing the High School building. This gave school officials no other choice than expand onto the high school building once again. A Bond vote was conducted and passed by a high percentage. With this bond passed, construction returned to the Blind Brook campus for the second time in only 5 years.
Construction, however, did not start until late 2005, around October, because of problems with architect plans and a slow permit approval by the New York State Education Department. In the 2005-06 phase of construction, a new middle school cafeteria, fitness center, science labs, HS and MS classrooms, and new athletic fields were built.[17][18] Problems arose when students became concerned with the future of the Rock, a tradition Blind Brook students take part in every year as the Senior class paints it.[19] The problem was fixed as the rock was moved out of harm's way. The new fields feature synthetic grass, the idea behind them giving teams more flexibility in when they can use they fields and how often they do so.
A significant retaining wall malfunction delayed the construction of the soccer/football field as it had to be rebuilt.[20] The manufacturer had announced that the wrong type of stones were chosen for the wall, meaning all retaining walls on the campus had to be taken down and rebuilt. This set the field projects back several months and the wall was finally completed in October 2006. The company who installed the wall and provided the stones paid for the damages. The upper field contains an artificial turf baseball field and the lower contains a 6-lane track and an artificial turf lacrosse/soccer/football field in it. Because of the new field space, girls lacrosse was started in 2007 at the JV level. The baseball field, complete with stands, backstop, and sliding-dirt cutouts, was completed in mid-October 2006[21] while the soccer/football field wasn't complete until the Spring of 2007 and the track wasn't complete until July 2007.
The Village of Rye Brook, New York, at the same time, was building their fields adjacent to the BBHS campus. These fields contain a softball field and a soccer/football field.[22]
It was announced in the Spring of 2007 that Mr. Anthony Baxter would not be returning to Blind Brook for the 2007-08 school year. The Board of Education hired William Stark in June 2007 as the Interim Principal until a permanent replacement was found.[23]
In the summer of 2007, Blind Brook was the site of the 2007 Empire State Games Men's Soccer matches, which helped further show the community the new and state-of-the-art facilities Blind Brook has to offer.[24]
At the 2008 Graduation Ceremonies, the Board of Education President announced that the IMC would be renamed the Monroe E. Haas Library and IMC in honor of the outgoing board member.[25]
On April 16, 2008, it was announced that Scott Bersin, who formerly was the assistant principal at Great Neck High School North on Long Island, had been hired as the High School's new principal effective July 1, 2008.[26] [27] However, Bersin only served one year of his three year probationary appointment. At a special meeting held on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, the Board of Education accepted Bersin's resignation making Bersin the third principal to resign in six years.[28] [29]
While Bersin's resignation produced a great deal of controversy, according to newspaper reports, Vincent Galasso, the former science coordinator for the middle school and high school, was appointed as an interim principal as of July 1, 2009.[30][31]
On July 1, 2010, Gina Healey became the 6th principal of Blind Brook High School in seven years.[32] When the vice principal Jane Wermuth was the only administrator to not be given a raise by Superintendent Stark, she left for the principal position at Yonkers High School.[33]
Blind Brook High School is known for its strong educational program. In 2010, US News and World Report ranked Blind Brook # 1 in its list of best high schools in the world , up from 85 in 2009, placing Blind Brook on its Gold Medal List for the second year in a row.[37]
In 2008, Blind Brook, along with other high schools across the United States, asked Newsweek Magazine to be left off the magazine's controversial rankings. Blind Brook signed a letter to Newsweek saying that it didn't want to be on a list that ranks high schools based on the ratio of students who take advanced-placement exams.[38][39] Previously, Blind Brook was placed 89th on Newsweek Magazine's Top 100 Schools list in 2006 and 94th in 2007.[40]
BBHS, over the last nine years, has expanded the Advanced Placement program offered to students. In 1999-2000, 7 AP courses were offered. As of 2007, BBHS offers 14 AP courses in addition to high school-level-Regents classes.[3][41]
BBHS is the home to a regional BOCES program for hearing impaired students.[3]
Blind Brook has many activities and clubs that students can take part in during Activity Period and after school. In recent years, Blind Brook's clubs and teams have been recognized as top performers in their fields. These clubs range from academic teams to community groups to the arts. In 2007-08, clubs were moved from Activity Period to after-school after formal complaints by the BBHS Congress and students.[42] As a result of their moving, new procedures concerning clubs were established. These procedures require that both new and pre-existing clubs submit a complete list of members in order to obtain a one-year charter allowing them to operate.[43]
Blind Brook's FOCUS is the award winning newspaper. They are winners of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's gold medal. The paper is produced in house by the students and a faculty adviser.
What was first known as the "Underground Literary Magazine" in the early 1980s, is Blind Brook's student-produced Literary Magazine, "Alter[ed] Ego". This magazine is popular for its short stories, poems, and art.[44]
In addition to print, Blind Brook operates a cable television station through BBTV, Blind Brook's video club. This club produces original programming for the station and helps run the station.[45]
"The Movie Making Club", which was established in the beginning of the 2007 school year, has the stated purpose of creating one movie per year. The club recently produced and created a documentary on drinking among the students at BBHS.[46]
Blind Brook students are well-known for their commitment and enthusiasm towards improving the community and often surpass the 80 minimum hours required to graduate. In order to expand the community service opportunities, the Blind Brook Community Service Club organizes events with senior citizen centers,[47] holds fund raisers, and has established a Pen Pal Program with a local elementary school.[48] Another organization is the Blind Brook Soup Kitchen, a weekly soup kitchen run by Blind Brook students since its establishment in 1998. It serves the Port Chester community by serving meals to the needy and less fortunate.[49][50] In 2001, Blind Brook's Habitat for Humanity chapter was created. Since that time, the club has worked on numerous construction sites helping build homes, clean up debris, and paint churches.[51][52][53]
The students of Blind Brook run many clubs that promote social change. These clubs help inform the Blind Brook community of the issues facing today's world.
The AIDS Awareness Club's mission is to promote AIDS research and educate people about the topic.[54] Another club that also expands people's knowledge is SAGA, a Gay-straight alliance, which helps bring different groups of students together to promote acceptance among other things.[55] A very active club at Blind Brook is the SADD Club, which stands for "Students Against Destructive Decisions".[56] This club's goal is to help students make the right choices as they live their everyday lives. Topics range from drug use to drinking and driving to social issues. The club gets its message out through guest speakers, drunk driving simulators, and bake sales.[54] Another popular club at Blind Brook is the Human Relations Club.[57] This club is known for its annual weekend retreat.[58][59]
The study of foreign languages is a vital part of the Blind Brook culture. Each club uses bake sales, movie nights, and other creative means to expand the knowledge of other cultures and people.
The Language Clubs include:
Blind Brook houses many academic clubs which all strive to further educate the student body about topics of interest and expose the students to different activities.
Some of these academic clubs include the Chess Club,[63] in which students meet weekly to play chess, and JSA,[64][65] in which students debate political issues. During the presidential race, the JSA club sponsors a mock debate between the candidates.
The Blind Brook Mock Trial team has been very successful recently on all levels of the New York State Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the New York State Bar Association. The New York competition is the largest in the United States with over 375 high schools participating each year. The Blind Brook team is usually made up of 14-16 students and those wanting to join must go though an interview and question/response tryout. 6 students are assigned lawyer positions (3 for Prosecution, 3 for Defense) and 6 are given witness positions (3 for Prosecution, 3 for defense).[66] [67]
The Blind Brook Mock Trial Trojans have won the Westchester County Championship 7 times, in 1995, 1998, from 2004 through 2007, and once again in 2011. Each year between 32 and 36 schools compete for the county title.
During the team's historic 4-peat from 2004 to 2007, Blind Brook beat North Salem High School for the 2004 title, beat John Jay High School for the 2005 title, beat Harrison High School for the 2006 championship,[68] and in 2007 defeated Scarsdale High School for the title.[69]
Once the team successfully captured the county title, Blind Brook moved on to the regionals. Blind Brook is in Region IV, the "Lower Hudson Valley", which is made up of Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Dutchess and Ulster County. Blind Brook won the regional championship in 2005, 2006, and 2007.[70]
In the years that Blind Brook captured the regional title, they moved onto the state-level of the competition in Albany. In 2005 and 2006 the team were NYS Semi-Finalists and in 2007 they were runners up, losing to the Bronx School for Law, Government, & Justice.[70]
The Blind Brook Math Team is one of the more popular academic teams at the school. Approximately 60 students take part in 6 competitions throughout the school year. The high turnout can be attributed to the team's motto, "You can't hurt the team". The team has been successful in the recent past, finishing 5th and 8th in 2006 and 2007, respectively.[71][72]
The Blind Brook Model United Nations club goes on multiple trips throughout the school year.[73]
The Blind Brook Student Government is split up into four different organizations, Congress, Senate, a Shared Decision-Making Team, and Class Officers.
Congress is an elected body of Blind Brook High School which is composed of elected students, faculty, student-related personnel, administration, and parents.[74] Congress is responsible for "behind the scenes" items such as changes to the school constitution and policy issues.[75]
Senate is another part of the Student Government organization at Blind Brook. Senate consists only of students and is responsible for homecoming and other various school spirit events. Senate also sponsors other events such as an annual blood drive[76] and the annual talent show, Showtime.[77]
Class officers are responsible for running their grades with the assistance of a class advisor. Freshmen and Seniors have 5 officers and the Sophomores and Juniors have 4.[78]
Blind Brook is in Section 1, Class "C" for athletics.[79]
Soccer
Basketball
| Sport | Level | Season | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-Country | V, JV, F (All under one coach) | Fall | Co-ed |
| Football | V, Mod | Fall | Boys' |
| Field Hockey | Not Currently Offered, Last offered in the late 1970s | ||
| Soccer | V, JV, Mod | Fall | Boys', Girls' |
| Girls' Tennis | V, JV, Mod | Fall | Girls' |
| Volleyball | V, JV, Mod | Fall | Girls' |
| Cheerleading | V | Fall, Winter | Girls' |
| Girls' Swimming | V | Fall | Girls'
|
| Basketball | V, JV, 9th Grade, 8th Grade, 7th Grade | Winter | Boys', Girls' |
| Gymnastics | Not Currently Offered, last offered in 2007-08
|
||
| Ice hockey | V | Winter | Boys'
|
| Boys' Swimming* | V | Winter | Boys'
|
| Ski | V | Winter | Co-ed
|
| Track | V, Mod | Spring | Co-ed |
| Wrestling | V | Winter | Boys'
|
| Baseball | V, JV, F, 8th Grade, 7th Grade | Spring | Boys' |
| Softball | V, JV, 8th/7th grade | Spring | Girls' |
| Boys' Tennis | V, JV, Mod | Spring | Boys' |
| Lacrosse | JV | Spring | Girls' |
| Golf | V | Spring | Co-ed |
| Step Team | V | Winter | Girls |
| Dance Team | V | Winter | Girls |
V = Varsity, VB = Varsity B, JV = Junior Varsity, F = Freshmen, Mod = Modified
N/I = need information, – = not applicable