- For the school of the same name in Washington, see Curtis Senior High School.
- Curtis is a public high school located in Staten Island, New York City.
- Curtis High School is a part of the New York City Department of Education, and is one of seven Staten Island public high schools. The school was founded on February 9, 1904 and was the first high school opened on Staten Island. Admission to Curtis is prioritized by geography; Staten Island residents having main priority over other boroughs.
- History
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Curtis High School is named after nationally prominent writer and orator George W. Curtis, who lived nearby. The school was the first public building built following the consolidation of Greater New York. It was part of a plan to erect a major high school in each of the outlying boroughs – Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, Morris High School in the Bronx, and Flushing High School in Queens were the other three. It was designed by the architect C.B.J Snyder and built between 1902 and 1904. The original building of brick and limestone is dominated by a large square turreted tower inspired by English medieval models. Additions were made to the building in 1922, 1925 and 1937. Curtis was designated a New York City Landmark on October 12, 1982. The gym and cafeteria wings were added at a later date to the original building's neo-Gothic architecture.
- Academics
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IB Scholarship Honors program withaccelerated curriculum and advancedplacement (AP) courses; magnet programs inNursing, Medical Technology, ROTC,Performing Arts, Visual Arts, SportsAdministration, Business/Computer Institute,CoOp, Human and Legal Studies, JournalismInstitute and School for InternationalServices.
- Extracurricular activities
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CHS has 26 varsity and junior varsity teams,a Robotics Team, National Honor Society,Chess Club, Black and Hispanic AwarenessClubs, Moot Court, The Curtis Players, Jazz Band,Orchestra, Dance, Symphonic Band, TheCurtis Log (newspaper), the Crosswinds(yearbook), Math Team, Criminal Law andJustice Mentoring Program, Peer Mediationand Conflict Resolution Programs.
- Sports
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Curtis fields 26 varsity teams, including a swimming team, as well as golf, bowling, volleyball, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, fencing, baseball/softball, handball, tennis, track/cross country, lacrosse and football teams. In addition, Curtis club teams include boys' varsity and junior varsity, and girls' varsity Ultimate teams.
- Student body
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Curtis’ student body is quite diverse. 32.80% of the student body is White, 33.47% of the student body is African American, 27.11% of the student body is Hispanic or Latino, 6.28% of the student body is Asian and 0.33% Native American.
- Enrollment
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Curtis has a total enrollment of about 2,800 and is open to residents of New York City entering either ninth or tenth grade. Enrollment requirements vary depending on which of the 10 ‘’houses’’ the student is going to be enrolled. There are zoned programs where enrollment is based mostly on geography with Staten Island residents having priority over all other boroughs. Within Staten Island, geographical areas closer to the school have priority over all other areas of Staten Island. Most other programs rely either on the prospective student’s grades and city standardized tests or specialized enrollment tests.
- Feeder patterns and admissions
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All New York City students entering high school must apply to schools, as there are no zoning boundaries for high schools in New York City. Only special zoned programs have geographical restrictions whereby certain areas of Staten Island have priority over all of the rest of New York City.
- Notable alumni
- Lois Lowry, children's author, Newbery Medal winner twice
- Vincent Robert Capodanno, US Navy Chaplain, received the Medal of Honor. Blvd is named for him.
- Joseph F. Merrell Jr. (1926–1945) Posthumously Awarded United States Medal of Honor for combat in WWII. A Ferry is named for him.
- Jeb Stuart Magruder, Watergate conspirator in the Nixon Administration
- Amy Vanderbilt (1908–1974) Author of the best selling Complete Book of Etiquette (1952). A native of Staten Island
- Selita Ebanks, Victoria's Secret Model
- Music
- Myron Clare, R&B and Reggae singer-songwriter
Sports Alumni
- Bobby Thomson, retired Baseball Player for the New York Giants Famous for "The Shot Heard Round the World"
- Jack Hynes, member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
- James Jenkins, football player for the Washington Redskins
- Abel Kiviat, Olympic Silver medalist
- Steve Gregory, football Player for the San Diego Chargers
- Vernon Turner, former player for the Buffalo Bills
- Shemiah LeGrande, current player for the Detroit Lions
- Notable Teachers
- Andrew Barberi -Curtis football coach in the 1950s to 1970s . The SI ferry Barberi is named for him.
- Parental support
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Parents collaborate with the school'sadministration and its staff through: monthlyPTA meetings, PTA newsletters, SchoolLeadership Team meetings, Gear-Up,Principal's Consultative Council, Health Fair,HIV Aids Team, the Football, Track,Robotics & Performing Arts Parents Clubs.
- Community support
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Partnership with O’Melveny & Myers LawFirm, Liberty Partnership MentoringProgram (CSI), Gear-Up, Discovery Institute(CSI), Federal Reserve Bank MentoringProgram, Brooklyn Polytechnic UniversityCenter for Youth in Engineering and Science,Curtis HS Career Connections, St. Vincent's,Seaview and S.I. University Hospitals andGlobal Ambassadors.Corporate: Infinity Broadcasting, MIX 102.7 FM, O’Melveny & Myers LawFirmHigher Education Institution: College of Staten Island, St. John’sUniversityCultural/Arts Organization: Snug HarborCommunity Based Organization: NYCID, Liberty PartnershipHospital Outreach: Staten Island University Hospital, St. Vincent’sHospital, Egger Nursing HomeFinancial Institution: Federal Reserve Bank Mentoring Program
- Schoolwide awards and recognition
- 7-time PSAL Girl’s Bowling Championship
- 6-time PSAL Boy's Cross Country City Championship
- 4-time PSAL Boy's Football Championship
- 2-time PSAL Girl's Cross Country City Championship
- Boy's PSAL Indoor Track City Championship
- Boy's PSAL Bowling Championship
- Boy’s PSAL Golf City Championship
- Girl's PSAL Basketball "A" City Championship
- Girl's PSAL Golf City Championship
- Girl's PSAL Lacrosse City Championship
- Boy's PSAL Basketball "A" City Cahmpionship
- External links
- Curtis HS official website
- St. George Civic Association: Curtis High School
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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