Hempstead High School (New York)

Hempstead High School
Address
201 President Street Hempstead , New York United States
Information
Type	Public
Principal	Stephen Strachan
Faculty	116.0 FTEs [1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,493 (as of 2016-17) [1]
Student to teacher ratio	19.2:1 [1]
Color(s)	Blue and white
Mascot	Tigers
Yearbook	The New Tiger
Affiliation	Conference A-1, Nassau County
Website

Hempstead High School is a public high school located in Hempstead, New York, United States. It is the Hempstead Union Free School District's only high school. ^[2]

As of the 2014–15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,226 students and 116.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 19.2:1. There were 1,346 students (60.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 34 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. ^[1]

History

In the early 1920s, students from surrounding towns attended high school in Hempstead. It was not until the late 1950s that the last of these school districts built their own high schools.^{[ citation needed ]}

In July 1970, Hempstead High School was burned down under presumably suspicious circumstances only 20 minutes after summer school classes were dismissed for the day. ^[3] By 1972, a new Hempstead High School was built and students returned to normal location for classes. A middle school was built on the site of the old high school.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2014, Hempstead schools came to the attention of the New York State Education Department after a school document was leaked. This document revealed that 33 Hispanic students had been signing in for attendance each morning, only to be told to return home because there was not classroom space for them. ^[4] The state later found that the number of excluded students may have been as high as 59, and threatened to remove school officials if they did not implement reforms. ^[5] In a 2015 agreement with the New York Attorney General, the school agreed to implement new enrollment procedures and hire an independent monitor. ^[6]

Academics

Once a school of high academic, music and athletic standing from the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, the school experienced difficulties during a period of change in Hempstead and Nassau County between the 1980s and early 21st century. ^[7] Regents examination scores in 2004 saw a relative improvement from 2003, though many classes such as Math A and English were still below the state average.^{[ citation needed ]}

Extracurricular activities include a student government program. Hempstead's athletic teams compete in Class 1A of Section 8.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable alumni

• A+ (Andre Levins; born 1981), rapper noted for his hit "All I See", attended Hempstead High School and named his album released in 1999, Hempstead High .
• Tavorris Bell (born 1978), Harlem Globetrotter
• Spider Harrison, DJ and entertainer
• Reuben L. Haskell, U.S. Representative
• Tu Holloway (born 1989), basketball player for Maccabi Rishon LeZion in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
• John Mackey, football player, Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers, Pro Football Hall of Famer, graduated 1959.
• Rob Moore, football player, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos, graduated 1986.
• David Paterson (born 1954), Governor of New York (2008–10), graduated 1971.
• Ray Platnick (1917–1986), press and war photographer.
• The Product G&B, a singing duo best known for their collaborative hit with Carlos Santana, "Maria Maria"; both attended Hempstead High School.
• Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, Hempstead High 1975–78, music producer
• Vivian Schuyler Key (1905–1990), American artist, designer ^[8]
• Raymond Gniewek ('49), Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. School data for Hempstead High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 12, 2016.
2. "Long Island Index: Interactive Map". www.longislandindexmaps.org. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
3. ""Hempstead School Destroyed By Fire"The New York Times, July 25, 1970, p. 15". The New York Times. 25 July 1970. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
4. Mueller, Benjamin (2014-10-21). "Requirements Keep Young Immigrants Out of Long Island Classrooms". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-03.
5. Mueller, Benjamin (2015-02-19). "New York Compels 20 School Districts to Lower Barriers to Immigrants". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-03.
6. Sugarman, Julie (2021). "From Plyler to Sanctuary: U.S. Policy on Public School Access and Implications for Educators of Transnational Students". The students we share : preparing U.S. and Mexican educators for our transnational future. Patricia C. Gandara, Bryant Jensen. Albany. ISBN   978-1-4384-8324-5. OCLC   1244535296.
7. Bilello, Suzanne (September 7, 1989). "A New Start For Troubled District: Braced for crises in Hempstead". Newsday . pp. 5A – via ProQuest.
8. Bontemps, Alex; Fonvielle-Bontemps, Jacqueline; Driskell, David C. (1980). Forever Free : Art by African-American Women 1862-1980. Alexandria Virginia: Stephenson Incorporated.

External links

• Hempstead Schools Website
• Long Island School Rant

40°41′48″N73°37′54″W / 40.69667°N 73.63167°W / 40.69667; -73.63167