James Madison High School (Brooklyn)

James Madison High School
Address
3787 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11229
Coordinates	40°36′36″N 73°56′52″W / 40.61°N 73.9477°W / 40.61; -73.9477Coordinates: 40°36′36″N 73°56′52″W / 40.61°N 73.9477°W / 40.61; -73.9477
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1925
Principal	Jodie Cohen
Grades	9 to 12
Number of students	3,072
Color(s)	Black and Gold
Mascot	Knight
Newspaper	The Moment
Website	www.madisonhs.org

James Madison High School is a public high school located at 3787 Bedford Avenue, in Brooklyn, New York's Madison section with students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of Region 6 in the New York City Department of Education. The current principal is Jodie Cohen.

Established in 1925, James Madison has graduated four Nobel Prize winners, famous musicians, authors, sports players, and a United States Supreme Court Justice. Following the 2008 election there are two sitting U.S. Senators, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), who are graduates of James Madison. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is also a graduate, as is former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN).

Academics

James Madison High School is organized in accordance with the House system. There are eight houses, each having a Teacher Coordinator, a Guidance Counselor, and an Assistant Principal assigned to supervise and assist students.

Special programs

Most students who apply to James Madison High School have the opportunity to apply to a specific "House". The most notable houses in Madison are:

• Law Institute: The Law Institute is designed for successful Social Studies students. In addition to being taught reasoning and communication skills, the students develop an understanding of American Legal institutions. Students in the Law House take classes/participate in activities such as Model U.N, Mock Trial, Moot Court, We The People, Legal Economics, Criminology Advanced Placement Economics. This is by far one of Madison's most popular programs.

• Bio-Medical Institute: The Bio-Medical Institute is generally referred to as simply, Bio-Med. In this honor program, students who are interested in the Sciences take such classes as Biology, AP Biology, Chemistry Honors, AP Chemistry, Physics Honors, Pathology,Laboratory Techniques, and Science Research. Students in this program are offered internships in health science facilities as well as the opportunity to participate in local and national science competitions.

• Math Academy: The Math Academy has students who are given the opportunity to study mathematics and computer science. Students in this House take some of the following classes: Advanced Placement Computer Science, Advanced Placement Calculus AB, and Advanced Placement Calculus BC.

• Music House: The music house features a staff of highly qualified teachers, who serve in affording students with the opportunity to participate in courses such as: Music Technology, Jazz Band, Marching Band, String Ensemble, Orchestra, Beginning Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Classical Guitar, Chorus, Musical Theater Workshop, Percussion and more. The music households a minimum of 6 annual concert performances at the Sonia Lerner auditorium within the high school. The music program also hosts concerts outside the school building and facilitates a variety of displays of student achievement within the community.

• The Humanities House: provides overall historical context to the program. This program offers an interdisciplinary approach to learning; it combines the best of both English literature and social studies.

• Information Technology House: One of the newer houses at Madison. Known informally as the I.T. House, it is one of the only programs in NYC high schools that offers students the chance to take the Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel certification exams for free.
• Academy of Finance

Some of the other houses include:

• The International House (for students of limited English proficiency)
• The Media Arts House
• Madison Academy of Community and Civil Service

Classes

Special classes

Microsoft Certification

AP classes

There are many AP classes offered at James Madison High School. These classes include:

Honor/elective classes

Along with these AP classes, Madison offers a wide number of honor/elective classes. Some of these include:

Madison also offers a wide number of music/art electives, which students are allowed and encouraged to take.

Visions

James Madison High School will be a learning community that embodies Madison’s philosophy that, "Education is the true foundation of civil liberty." Through an instructional program that promotes high achievement and provides equal access through motivation, academic rigor, appreciation of the strength of diversity, inquiry, scholarship a celebration of originality and the development of nobility of character, we will nurture and support a community of lifelong learners.

Main campus

James Madison High School is a six-floor red brick building with many rooms.

• Subbasement: Boiler Room and storage areas.
• Basement: The cafeteria is located in the building's basement.
• 1st Floor: On the first-floor main offices such as guidance and programming are located. As is the main entrance to the theater. The Music Department is in the back on the 1st floor. The library and swimming pool are also located on this floor.
• 2nd Floor: English Department, Access to Gym 1. Back of Gym 1 is the Athletic Wing staircase leading upstairs to gym 2/3 or down to the Pool
• 3rd Floor: Science Department, IT House, Language Department, Teachers Cafeteria access to Gym 2. Gym 2 shares a room with Gym 3 and has a staircase in the back leading up to Gym 4 or down to Gym 1
• 4th Floor: Science Department, Math Department, Social Studies Department, Law Department. Houses Gym4 or otherwise known as the Health room which can only be accessed by either of the 3 gyms
• 5th Floor: Science Department, Computer Repair Room, Art classes, Social Studies Department.
• 6th Floor: Offices and Photography.
• Athletic fields: Football Field, Soccer Field, Baseball Field, Tennis Courts, Track, Lacrosse Field, Roller Blading, and several more athletic facilities.

Clubs

James Madison High School has a number of clubs which are listed here in alphabetical order:

The End Hate Project

The End Hate Project is a campaign made up of high school and college students encouraging the reduction of bullying and discrimination within schools. Inspired by the 2010 Gay Teen Suicide Epidemic, The End Hate Project's mission is to provide a safe and welcoming environment where everyone is accepted. Whether it be race, religion, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, dress, body type (etc.), this club dedicates itself to raise awareness and provide resources for students bullied and undergoing hate activity.

Mock Trial

In May 2010, The James Madison High School Mock Trial team, became the New York State Champions, while representing their region of New York City in Albany. The team beat out about 600 schools, also competing for first place. It was Madison's second time appearing in Albany after 5 years, and their first time, actually winning. It was also the first time any New York City school, had ever won for the State. The team accomplished their victory with the help of attorneys from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, who always had a long-standing solid relationship with James Madison.

Sports

Madison also offers a wide range of Boys And Girls PSAL Varsity and Junior Varsity Sports Football, Soccer, Basketball, Track and field, Wrestling, Baseball, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Cross Country, Handball, and Lacrosse.

The James Madison Baseball Team is among the most successful in the school ranked fourth in the New York City PSAL and sixth including Catholic High Schools. They have been in the final four three years in a row. In 2008, the team made it to the finals but fell short. The program has put a lot of their players into college baseball and three professional players Frank Torre, Cal Abrams, Harry Eisenstat.Went undefeated in 1954 capturing the PSAL city championship team leaders (Mike Weltman) and Jackie Kahn) who went on to become a highly decorated Homicide Detective with the Miami-Dade PD

Another very successful team is the Madison Wrestling Team. (http://madisongoldenknightswrestling.com/) In addition to having many NYC Mayors Cup and City Champions, the team has posted a winning record and made the playoffs 10 out of the last 12 seasons, with an eight-year streak of making it past the first round of the PSAL Team Championships. The team was ranked #8 overall (public, Catholic and private schools combined) by MSG Varsity this past season.

James Madison High School is home to a very successful Swim Team. It has won countless competitions. It is currently coached by Mr.Davis who is retired but continues to train the swim team for each winter swimming season. He was retired in 2009. Mr.Tigre is the current swimming teacher at James Madison High School and has been for 2 years now. This is one of Madison's most prosperous teams.

Extracurricular activities

SING!, a musical competition between the grades, has been a Madison tradition for over 50 years. On November 15, 2008, the Senior/Sophomore team lost to the Junior/Freshman team for the first time in 6 years, on the 60th anniversary of SING!. The SING! theme that year was "It's Never Too Late to Change." It is one of Madison's Most popular clubs. There is a new tradition called Brooklyn SINGS, also known as "InterSING", started in 2014. InterSING is a competition between Madison, Midwood, & Murrow High Schools to see who has the best SING performance. The winning team at Madison, Midwood, & Murrow will advance on to InterSING. In 2014-2015, InterSING took place in the Joseph Anzalone Theater in Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood, Brooklyn. InterSING is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Alumni

Distinguished alumni of James Madison High School include:^[1]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Dmitry Salita

• Cal Abrams (1924-1997, class of 1942), Major-league baseball player.^[2][3]
• Maury Allen (1932-2010, class of 1949), sportswriter.^[3]
• Gary Becker (1930-2014, class of 1948), Nobel Prize winner, economics.^[4]
• Mimi Benzell (1918-1970), opera singer.^[5]
• Harry Boatswain (born 1969, class of 1987), former professional football player.^[6]
• Walter Block (born 1941, class of 1959^[7]), Austrian School economist, anarcho-capitalist theoretician, professor of economics
• Stu Cameron (born 1947, class of 1965), NJ politician, Pres. CEO NJ Bankers Assn.
• Andrew Dice Clay (born 1957 as Andrew Clay Silverstein), comedian.^[8]
• Stanley Cohen (born 1922, class of 1939), Nobel Prize winner, medicine.^[5][9]
• Norm Coleman (born 1949, class of 1966), former U.S. Senator (Republican of Minnesota).^[10]
• Robert Dallek (born 1934, class of 1952), historian.^[3]
• Roy DeMeo (1942-1983, class of 1959), mobster.^[11]
• Harry Eisenstat (1915-2003, class of 1935), Major League baseball player^[2]
• Devale Ellis (born 1984), professional football player.^[12]
• Sandra Feldman (1939-2005, class of 1956), president of the American Federation of Teachers.^[3]
• Norman Finkelstein (born 1953) political scientist, activist, professor, author.
• Sonny Fox (born 1925), TV personality.^[13]
• Leonard Frey (1938-1988, class of 1956), actor.^[14]
• David Frye (1933-2011, born David Shapiro), comedian.^[15]
• Sid Ganis (born 1940, class of 1957), motion picture executive.^[3]
• William Gaines (1922-1992, class of 1939), founding publisher of Mad magazine.^[16]
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg (born 1933, class of 1950), Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court.^[5]
• Marty Glickman (1917-2001, class of 1935), Olympian and broadcaster.^[5][17]
• Ron Haigler, basketball player.^[18]
• Stanley Myron Handleman (1929-2007, class of 1947), comedian.^[13]
• Garson Kanin (1912-1999, class of 1927), writer and director of plays and films.^[5]
• Stanley Kaplan (1919-2009, class of 1935), test preparation entrepreneur.^[17]
• Buddy Kaye (1918-2002), songwriter, musician, producer, author and publisher.^[13]
• Carole King (born 1942 as Carole Klein, class of 1958), singer and songwriter.^[19][20]
• Paul L. Krinsky (born 1928, class of 1946), U.S. Navy rear admiral.^[3]
• Martin Landau (born 1928), Academy Award-winning actor.^[5][13]
• Rudy LaRusso, five-time All-Star NBA basketball player.^[17]
• Mell Lazarus (born 1922), cartoonist.^[13]
• Andrew Levane (1920-2012, class of 1940), professional basketball player.^[21]
• Elaine Malbin (born 1932, class of 1948), opera singer.^[3]
• Bruce Morrow (born 1935, class of 1953), radio personality.^[3]
• Herbert S. Okun (1930-2011, class of 1947), diplomat.^[3]
• Martin Lewis Perl (born 1927, class of 1942), Nobel Prize winner, physics.^[22]
• Sylvia Porter (1913-1991, class of 1930), economist and journalist.^[17]
• Deborah Poritz (born 1936, class of 1954), N.J. Attorney General then Chief Justice, N.J. Supreme Court.^[3]
• Chris Rock (born 1965), comedian and actor who withdrew before graduation.^[23]
• Norman Rosten (1913-1995), poet, playwright and novelist.^[5][17]
• Dmitry Salita, professional boxer.^[24]
• Murray Saltzman (1929–2010, class of 1947), Reform Jewish Rabbi.
• Bernie Sanders (born 1941, class of 1959), U.S. Senator, (Independent of Vermont).^[25]
• Larry Sanders, British politician and brother of Bernie Sanders.^[26]
• Babe Scheuer (1913–1997) – American football player
• Ted Schreiber (born 1938), Major League Baseball player.^[2]
• Chuck Schumer (born 1950, class of 1967), U.S. Senator (New York)^[10]
• Irwin Shaw (1913-1984, class of 1929), playwright, screenwriter and novelist.^[5]
• Judith Sheindlin (born 1942, class of 1961), television personality (Judge Judy).^[3]
• Barry Simon (born 1946, class of 1962), IBM Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Caltech.
• Robert Solow (born 1922, class of 1940), Nobel Prize winner, economics.^[4][27]
• Irving Terjesen (1915–1990, class of 1934), All-American college basketball player for NYU and early professional.^[28]
• Frank Torre (1921-2014, class of 1950), professional baseball player.^[2]
• Sidney Verba (born 1932), political scientist.^[29]
• David Wohl (born 1954, class of 1971) Television and film character actor.
• Joel Zwick (born 1942, class of 1958), film, television and theater director.^[3]

References

External links

• James Madison High School
• James Madison High School Jewish Culture Club