Bronxville Union Free School District

Bronxville Union Free School District is a public school district serving the Village of Bronxville, Westchester County, New York. In 2012, 1635 students were enrolled in the district elementary, middle and high school which are all housed within the same large building. In 2012 Bronxville High School was ranked the second best "open enrollment" high school in the US. In 2000 Bronxville High School was ranked the 5th best high school in the country by Newsweek magazine. The high school is also in the top 100 high schools in the country according to US News and is the highest ranked "open enrollment" high school in New York State.

Bronxville Public Schools
Location
177 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, NY 10708
Information
TypePublic high school
Motto"We are dedicated to bringing out the best

in all our students--their minds, their

talents, and their concern for others."
Established1922
School districtBronxville Union Free School District
PrincipalAnn Meyer [1]
Terence J. Barton
retired June 2013[2]
GradesK - 12
EnrollmentTotal K-12 1630 (as of 2017)
Color(s)Blue and Gray
Athletics conferenceSection 1 (NYSPHSAA)
MascotBronco
Websitewebsite

History

David Quattrone became the superintendent in 2005; he resigned in 2016. The district in 2016 had about 1,700 students,[3] and in 2017 it had about 1,670 students. Roy Montesano, previously of the Hastings-on-Hudson school district, became the superintendent in 2017.[4]

The community of Bronxville

Bronxville is a mile-square suburb north of New York City in Westchester County, New York.[5] It was named after Swedish immigrant Jonas Bronck.[5] The latitude is 40.938N; longitude is -73.832W.[5] It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Estimated population (2003) was 6,515 according to census data.[5] The median household income is over $200,000.[5] It is located on the Bronx River.[5] The town used to be called "Underhill's Crossing".[5] It was developed by William Van Duzer Lawrence after 1889 who purchased farmland and zoned it with large lots for single-family houses but also apartment buildings and numerous rental townhouse complexes. Lawrence founded Sarah Lawrence College in 1928 in memory of his wife.[5] The town attracted many artists and became known as an "artist's colony".[5] The public library financed a major expansion in 2001 when it sold a painting for $4.1 million.[5] The town is known for being an excellent railroad commute to Manhattan.[5] The school is centrally located in the town across from the Dutch Reformed Church of Bronxville, diagonally opposite the town hall, and across from the Bronxville public library; it is one block away from the shopping area of the town.

School structure
A new wing was added to accommodate increased enrollment.

The elementary school, middle school, and high school are located in one large building near the downtown.[6] "It's very unusual to have one campus for all three schools," said John Chambers, the former superintendent. "It creates an interconnectedness and allows students to really get to know each other. And it allows teachers to track students over the years, which all studies show is very beneficial to education."[7] The school, located on Pondfield Road, is located in a low point in the town; during particularly heavy rains in the past, the school has experienced flooding. There was a period when the school was closed for several weeks as a result of flooding. As a result, boilers and heating equipment have been moved to higher levels, and basement areas have been remodeled with moisture resistant substances in case the building is flooded again.

Staff

In 2012, the superintendent of schools was David Quattrone.[8] The high school principal is Ann Meyer, the assistant principal is Marcellus Lessane, the athletic director Karen Peterson, and the counseling director was Anne Abbatecola.[9] The middle school principal is Dr. Thomas L. Wilson.[8] The interim principal of the elementary school was Mrs. Heidi E. Menzel; the interim assistant principal was Ms.Adrienne Laitman.[10] In 2000, there were 1,400 students in the district. A limited number of out-of-district students can enroll in Bronxville High School at a yearly tuition determined by New York State and enacted by the Board of Education.[7]

Foundation
View from Midland Avenue.

The school has a foundation, created in 1991, which solicits donations from community members, alumni, corporations and others to raise monies for special programs to provide new equipment, programs, curriculum innovations, teacher training and tools.[11] Since 1991, and as of 2009, the foundation made 432 grants totaling $4.1 million of support; 2008 donations totaled $450,000, according to information from the foundation.[11]

Rankings and reputation

Bronxville has a reputation for excellent schools. The high school consistently ranks in the top 50 best high schools in the country by Newsweek and in the top 100 by US News. Bronxville High School is widely considered to be one of the top "open enrollment" public high schools in the US. In 2000 Bronxville High School was ranked the 5th best high school in the country by Newsweek. Newsweek magazine rated the district 40th in the nation in a 2012 ranking and 42nd in a 2013 ranking.[12] In 2012 Bronxville High School was ranked 2nd among "open enrollment" high schools in the country. In 2015 the district was ranked 29th in the country by Newsweek magazine.[13] Class sizes tend to be small, and students perform well on standardized test scores.[7] In 2012, average SAT scores were 1898.[7] The high school offers advanced placement courses, among them Calculus (AB and BC), English Literature, English Language and Composition, Environmental Science, Biology, Statistics and Computer Science (offered on alternating years), Chemistry, World History, U.S. History, Economics (Micro and Macro), Art History, Studio Art, French, Spanish, and Latin.[14] In 2000, every one of the high school's 79 graduates went on to higher education.[7] In 1991, Bronxville high school was one of two schools singled out by President George H. W. Bush as a "school of excellence." [15] In 2014, Bronxville Elementary School was named a Reward School for "high performance" by the New York State Department of Education.[16] The district offers musical instruction. In 2010 the average SAT score was 1950, the highest in Westchester County.

In 2016 Colleen Wilson of The Journal News wrote that "The district, in which 99 percent of its high school seniors graduated in 2015, has students who consistently test above the state average."[3]

Arts programs

Bronxville School District has a strong music program. In 4th grade, each student chooses a musical instrument to study. In middle school, students may choose band, chorus or orchestra. Music instruction is given three times per six-day cycle and grades are given. The Middle and High School Bands and Orchestras compete yearly in the NYSSMA competition. In 2014, 2016, and 2017, the High School Orchestra won Gold with Distinction for level VI at NYSSMA Majors. In 2014 the Middle School Orchestra won Silver.

Bronxville School District also has a strong performing arts program. Under the direction of Peter Royal, the high school presents two plays per year; a dramatic play in the fall and a musical in the spring. Past performances include Urinetown, The Sound of Music, The Diary of Anne Frank and the Heidi Chronicles. Every other year, the High School Drama Department takes performers to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform.

Athletic programs
Athletic field.

There are athletic programs for football, basketball, baseball, field hockey, track, cross country, lacrosse, mountain biking, and other sports. In 2010, Bronxville won three varsity state titles: Women's Track, Football, and Women's Soccer. The men's varsity basketball team plays Pawling High School, Tappan Zee High School, Sacred Heart - Yonkers High School, Haldane Central High School, Clark Academy, Valhalla High School, Rye Neck High School, Tuckahoe High School, Blind Brook High School, Keio Academy of New York, High School, Harrison High School, and Martin Luther King High School (Hastings on Hudson). In 2008 the girl's varsity field hockey team went to the final four competition for state champions. Also in 2008, the Boy's varsity soccer team won states. The boy's varsity football team won states 2010 (runner up to Jamestown Southwestern in 2009). Bronxville High School's football team plays other high schools including Valhalla High School, Dobbs Ferry High School, Albertus Magnus High School, Croton-Harmon High School, Rye Neck High School.[17] Bronxville also has a reputation for its excellent lacrosse program. The varsity girls team even making it to the championship every year, in the past few years. The boys varsity team won the 2014 state championship, the first in Bronxville history. Many of the lacrosse players at Bronxville continue their lacrosse careers in D1, D2, or D3 college lacrosse programs, including Yale, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, etc. It has several athletic fields including a football/soccer field with bleachers. There are four indoor gymnasiums, a library on the second floor, an auditorium, a drama lab area, and a cafeteria.

Recent developments

In the early 2000s, there was substantial construction and renovation which, at one point, generated some letters of protest from students.[18]

Notable alumni
Bronxville student Karyn Marshall, class of 1974, became the women's world weightlifting champion in 1987 and was inducted in the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2011; with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

References
  1. Zak Faillia, Daily Voice (online newspaper), April 23, 2013
  2. Chris Doyle, The Echo (BHS online newspaper), June 10, 2013, Good Bye, Mr. Barton! Archived 2014-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed June 27, 2013
  3. Wilson, Colleen (2016-06-28). "Bronxville school superintendent search begins". The Journal News. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  4. Wilson, Colleen (2017-03-22). "Hastings' Montesano named Bronxville schools chief". The Journal News. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  5. "Profile for Bronxville, New York, NY". epodunk. 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  6. "The Bronxville School". The Bronxville School (website). Retrieved 2009-08-19. In 2012 Bronxville High School was rated the second best "open enrollment" high school in the country.
  7. MARY McALEER VIZARD (November 26, 2000). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Bronxville; From Artists' Colony to Affluent Village". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  8. "The Bronxville School -- Leadership Team". Bronxville Free Union School District. 2009-09-26. Archived from the original on 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  9. "Staff directory". Bronxville Free Union School District. 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  10. "Bronxville High School". Bronxville Free Union School District. 2009-09-26. Archived from the original on 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  11. "The Bronxville School Foundation". Bronxville Free Union School District. 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  12. "2013 America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  13. Newsweek, AMERICA'S TOP HIGH SCHOOLS 2015, Retrieved May 26, 2017
  14. SUSAN DOMINUS (September 30, 2007). "The Bronxville School". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  15. MERRI ROSENBERG (December 15, 1991). "Determining What Shapes a Successful School". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  16. http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/hall-monitor/2014/08/21/award-schools-named-30-local-districts-54-schools-on-state-list-of-excellence/14402323/
  17. "Bronxville HS". USA Today / Massey/Ratings. 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  18. MIRANDA CHIU Grade 10 Bronxville High School (October 27, 2002). "Construction Disrupts Bronxville Students". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  19. Lesley Ciarula Taylor (Jan 8, 2010). "Lebowski's Dude goes Shakesperean". The Star. Retrieved 2012-06-22. Screenwriter Adam Bertocci has written Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, the Shakespeare play reimagined as the Coen brothers' film starring Jeff Bridges.
  20. Michelle Kung (January 8, 2010). ""The Big Lebowski" + Shakespeare = "Two Gentlemen of Lebowski"". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2012-06-22. But look a little closer, suggests 27-year-old Adam Bertocci ... said the Bronxville-based filmmaker/editor.
  21. Julie Carft (July 29, 1989). "Image is Heavy Burden - Weightlifter Karyn Marshall Feels Pressure to Project 'Femininity, Intelligence'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  22. Gary Robinson (Mar 1, 2003). "A Statistical Approach to the Spam Problem: Using Bayesian statistics to detect an e-mail's spamminess". Linux Journal. Retrieved 2010-09-18. This article discusses one of many possible mathematical foundations for a key aspect of spam filtering—generating an indicator of “spamminess” from a collection of tokens representing the content of an e-mail.
  23. "Gary Robinson". Google. 2010-09-18. Retrieved 2010-09-18. I make the music recommendation technology at http://www.flyfi.com -- Where I grew up Bronxville, NY Companies I've worked for Athenium, OLI Systems, Lambda Technology Schools I've attended Bard College; Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences


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