Townsend Harris High School

Last updated
Townsend Harris High School
THHS.png
Address
Townsend Harris High School
149-11 Melbourne Ave

Flushing, Queens
,
New York
11367

United States
Coordinates 40°44′06″N73°49′17″W / 40.735°N 73.8215°W / 40.735; -73.8215
Information
Type Public
Established1904 (refounded 1984)
School district New York City Department of Education
NCES School ID 360012204485 [1]
PrincipalBrian Condon
Teaching staff90.47 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment1,322 (2022-2023) [1]
Student to teacher ratio14.61 [1]
CampusCity: Large
Color(s)Crimson and Gold
  
MascotHawks
Newspaper The Classic
YearbookThe Crimson and Gold
Website www.thhs.qc.edu

Townsend Harris High School at Queens College (often shortened to Townsend Harris High School, Townsend Harris, or simply Townsend, and often abbreviated as THHS) is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the campus of Queens College, a public college part of the City University of New York system. The school was named in honor of Townsend Harris, the 19th-century American merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the first American Consul to Japan. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites."[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Entrance to the High School on 149th Street Townsend Harris HS.jpg
Entrance to the High School on 149th Street

Townsend Harris High School was founded in 1984 by alumni of Townsend Harris Hall Prep School, who desired to reopen their school that was closed in the 1940s. This process started in 1980. [2]

The first principal was Malcolm Largmann, a former high school English teacher with a strong belief in a classical education who also handpicked the school's original faculty. [3] Largmann served as principal of Townsend Harris from 1984 until his retirement in 2001. [4] The new school began in a small building on Parsons Boulevard, originally intended as a temporary home until a permanent facility could be realized. In early 1995, the school moved into a new building located on the campus of Queens College. [2]

In 2000, Eileen F. Lebow published a history of the original school, The Bright Boys: A History of Townsend Harris High School ( ISBN   0-313-31479-9).

Brian Condon became principal after a heated debate concerning Interim Principal Rosemarie Jahoda, which was covered extensively by student reporters from The Classic. [5]

Admissions

Over 15,400 students compete for approximately 270 seats in the freshman class each year based on their middle school grades, standardized test scores and attendance records. Admission is available to all New York City residents in 8th grade. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a minimum grade point average of 91 was required of all applicants to be considered for admission, as well as standardized reading and math scores at a minimum of the 90th percentile (4.3 on both English and Math). [6] Now, post-pandemic, beginning in 2022, students are grouped in tiers based on their final 7th grade core subjects (ELA, Social Studies, Math and Science) averages, [7] with Tier 1, an average greater than 94, having priority for admissions. A short video and a humanities/science essay are also required as part of the application process. [8]

Some seats are available for 9th graders wishing to start Townsend as sophomores, though as the number depends on the number of students who decide to leave the school during freshman year, the number varies significantly from year to year. In 2006, only 5 were available, and in 2019, just 10 seats were available to 5,000 students who applied. [6]

Academics

In addition to the standard three-year Regents English program, all students take a "fifth year" of English as freshmen in the form of a "Writing Process" composition course. In addition to the standard modern language requirement which may be fulfilled with classes in Spanish, French, or Japanese, students must meet a two-year classical language requirement which can be fulfilled by classes in Latin or classical Greek. There is also a rigorous physical education requirement, especially in freshman year, and a senior project required of students. A variety of electives and AP classes are also offered to students. As of 2004, AP World History became a mandatory subject and replaced the Regents-level course. Every subject requires students to execute at least one major project a year, with history classes requiring one per semester and English several per semester. These projects are referred to as "collaterals."

In the 2008–2009 school year, Townsend Harris offered the following Advanced Placement (AP) classes: World History, United States History, United States Government, Environmental Science, Psychology, Calculus AB/BC, Computer Science A, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin: Vergil, Statistics, French Language, Art History, Computer Science Principles, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, and Spanish Language, Spanish Literature.

The most notable feature of the school's curriculum is the senior "Bridge Year" program. Students in good standing may take up to 12 credits at Queens College at no cost to themselves. This includes an elective course taught by Queens College faculty and a required humanities seminar co-taught by Harris teachers and Queens College faculty. The curriculum and format is fairly similar to the Great Books seminars required of liberal arts freshmen at colleges around the world, with heavy emphasis on critical reading and writing.

Recently, a number of other New York City public high schools have been established that have similar "bridge year" programs. These include the High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, and Bard High School Early College.

Student body

Townsend Harris was originally an all boys school, but is now open to all.

As of 2023, the school's population is largely Asian; the 2022-23 school survey showed Asians making up 57% of the student body total, comprising the largest segment of the school's population. White students comprise 16% of the population, Hispanic students 16% and black students 6%. [9]

As of 2024, 60% of students at Townsend Harris are from an economically disadvantaged background. [10]

The school has a 99% graduation rate. [9]

Scores on standardized examinations are also high when compared to other public high schools; in the year 2005–2006, Harrisites had average scores of 628 and 632 on the SAT verbal and math sections, respectively, compared to 551 and 565 for what the city deems "similar schools" and 444 and 467 for students citywide. [11]

Accomplishments

Notable alumni

Science

Writing and journalism

Performing arts and entertainment

Business, economics, and philanthropy

Law, politics, and activism

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<i>The Classic</i> (newspaper) US student newspaper

The Classic is the student-run high school newspaper of Townsend Harris High School in Queens, New York. Frequently named the best high school newspaper in New York City by Baruch College's NYC public school journalism awards, the paper has run free of censorship and administrative review since its founding in the fall of 1984. In recent years, reporting by The Classic has been cited by publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press. Classic journalists have also been featured in various publications, including Teen Vogue, The Village Voice, and The New York Times. The paper publishes new content online on weeknights throughout the school year and publishes a print edition of collected pieces on a quarterly basis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Search for Public Schools - TOWNSEND HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL (360012204485)". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "THHS History - THAA". thaa.org. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  3. ↑ "Malcolm G Largmann Obituary (2021) New York Times". Legacy.com .
  4. ↑ "Malcolm G. Largmann, principal who brought Townsend Harris High School back to life, dies at 89". 16 June 2021.
  5. ↑ Hasan, Sumaita; Ahmad, Mehrose (April 23, 2017). "Brian Condon speaks to The Classic about his plans as new principal — The Classic". The Classic. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Townsend Harris High School". New York City Department of Education . Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Screened Admissions". web. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  8. ↑ "Admissions Criteria". www.thhs.qc.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  9. 1 2 "New York City Department of Education". tools.nycenet.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  10. ↑ "Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, NY - US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report . Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-28. Retrieved 2007-11-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ "Townsend Harris High School named 2004 21st Century School of Distinction". www.thaa.org. Archived from the original on January 17, 2005.
  13. ↑ The New York Times > New York Region > Image > The Test Results
  14. ↑ College Board Advanced Placement report to the nation 2007, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), 78
  15. ↑ "The Classic (Vol. 14, No. 6 – June, 1998)" (PDF). Townsend Harris High School, Flushing, New York. June 1998. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Assemblywoman Nily Rozic Assembly District 25". assembly.state.ny.us. State of New York. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
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