Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology

Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology is a high school in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is a part of the New York City Department of Education. The school is named for Paul Robeson, a singer and civil rights activist. Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology was opened in the building formerly called Alexander Hamilton Technical and Vocational High School named after chief staff aide to General George Washington, one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution, the founder of the nation's financial system as the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. In February 1984, Alexander Hamilton Technical and Vocational High School shut its doors. Then the school reopened in the fall of 1985 with a new name—Paul Robeson High School for Business and Technology. The school, designed by Charles Snyder in the Beaux-Arts style was originally opened in 1905 as Commercial High School [1] and housed three murals by the artist A.J. Bogdanove: Commerce, Ancient and Modern (1918) on either side of the proscenium arch of the Auditorium [2] (removed in 1999, restored and relocated to Tottenville High School in Staten Island) and Education (1924) in the front lobby [3] currently draped over by a mural of Paul Robeson. The school was closed in 2011 due to failing ratings and has been reopened as Pathways to Technology High School.[4]

The controversial closure of the school in 2011 was the inspiration for a series of student protests culminating in a walkout on May 1st, 2012.[5] This led to the creation of the Paul Robeson Freedom School, co-founded by graduates of the school along with education advocates Justin Wedes and Rodney Deas.[6]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/03/building-of-the-258/
  2. ↑ Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sunday April 21, 1918 P8 "Art"
  3. ↑ Brooklyn Daily Eagle Monday March 10, 1924 p3 "Bogdanove Mural Painting to be Unveilled at Commercial High"
  4. ↑ http://insideschools.org/component/schools/school/771
  5. ↑ http://www.salon.com/2012/04/24/high_schoolers_on_strike/
  6. ↑ http://www.occupy.com/article/why-paul-robeson-would-have-walked-out-paul-robeson-high-school

Coordinates: 40°40′32″N 73°56′20″W / 40.6755°N 73.939°W / 40.6755; -73.939


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.