East High School is a comprehensive high school located in the East Side of Buffalo, New York. It serves 166 students from Grades 11-12. The current principal is Ms. Rose Schneider, and the current assistant principal is Mr. Moustafa Khalil.
East High School (originally known as "East Side High School") was constructed in 1926 and opened in 1927. The building was a neighborhood school that served the Lower East Side families. The building became a symbol of rising demographic changes in the East Side when increasing numbers of African-Americans joined the student enrollment. In 1954, as part of a large redistricting initiative by the Buffalo Board of Education, East High's boundaries were redrawn so that it became "Buffalo's Negro high school".
In 1977, the school was closed due to a federal desegregation order and became Buffalo Vocational Technical Center, where students took vocational and career-oriented classes in addition to the core academics at their regular high school. This also allowed the school to become an annex to Kensington, Riverside, and Emerson High Schools. The school was close to being closed and transformed into an elementary/middle school campus in 1999, but that decision was revoked by the Buffalo Board of Education due to mounting public pressure. In 2002, the Vocational center was ultimately closed, and the building re-opened in 2005 once again as East High School.
In the spring of 2011, it was proposed that the current principal be replaced and the school would become an all-male school. Although the principal was placed on assignment within the district offices, no student demographic changes occurred. Beginning in 2015, the East High School program began to phase out due to low test scores and graduation rates. The program was replaced by a student credit recovery alternative education program known as Pathways Academy, and a new high school known as East Community High School.
Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parentheses
Mr. Charles J. Costello–1927-1948 (Vice Principal - Hutchinson Central Technical High School, retired)
Mr. Victor J. Kless–1948-1952 (Vice Principal - East High School, died)
Mr. William H. Davenport–1952-1961 (Vice Principal - Kensington High School, retired)
Dr. Robert J. Rentz–1961-1969 (Vice Principal - East High School, retired)
Mr. Alonzo W. Thompson–1969-1975 (Principal - Clinton Junior High School, named Director of Buffalo Public Schools' Office of Affirmative Action)
Mr. William D. Bennett–1975-1977 (Director of Student Activities - East High School, named Principal of Buffalo Vocational Technical Center)
Ms. Geraldine Horton–2005-2011 (Principal - Buffalo Traditional School, named Supervising Principal of Buffalo Public Schools)
Dr. Casey M. Young-Welch–2011-2016 (Principal - Academy School @ 44, placed on leave)
Ms. Janice M. Bowden [interim]–2016 (Assistant Principal - East High School, named Assistant Principal of Academy School @ 4)
Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parentheses
Mr. Charles A. Kennedy–1927-1931 (Principal - School 63, named Principal of Grover Cleveland High School)
Mr. Victor Kless–1931-1948 (Classics teacher - East High School, named Principal of East High School)
Mr. Carl S. Walz–1948-1952 (Vice Principal - Lafayette High School, named Vice Principal of Bennett High School)
Mr. Lloyd A. Miller–1952-1956 (Vice Principal - Riverside High School, named Vice Principal of Bennett High School)
Dr. Louis T. Gitlin–1953-1954 (Assistant Principal - Hutchinson Central Technical High School, named Assistant Principal of Grover Cleveland High School)
Mr. Edwin F. Rundell–1955-1956 (Guidance Counselor - South Park High School, died)
Mr. Robert Rentz–1956-1961 (Guidance Counselor - Lafayette High School, named Principal of East High School)
Mr. Robert C. McGowan–1956-1959 (Vice Principal - Riverside High School, named Principal of Lafayette High School)
Dr. John A. Demerly–1960-1964 (Assistant Principal - School 82, named Assistant Principal of South Park High School)
Mr. William F. Blomberg–1961-1963 (Social Studies teacher - Riverside High School, named Assistant Principal of Kensington High School)
Mr. Gerald S. Hare–1963-1968 (Guidance Counselor - Lafayette High School, named Interim Principal of Lafayette High School)
Mr. James F. Harmon–1963-1968 (Social Studies teacher - McKinley Vocational High School, named Principal of Woodlawn Junior High School)
Mr. Joseph M. Tomasulo–1966-1969 (Art teacher - Lafayette High School, named Principal of Wellsville Central High School)
Mr. John J. Mattimore–1968-1971 (Assistant Principal - School 35, named Assistant Principal of South Park High School)
Mr. Alfred H. Rasp–1968-1971 (Assistant Principal - Kensington High School, returned to Kensington)
Mr. Thomas A. Giordano
Mr. J. Nelson Scott–?-1971 (Industrial Arts teacher - Clinton Junior High School, named Assistant Principal of Grover Cleveland High School)
Mr. Frederick D. Ganter–1969-1972 (Social Studies teacher - Woodlawn Junior High School, named Principal of Lafayette High School)
Mr. Michael J. Anelli–1970-1971 (Assistant Principal - Riverside High School, named Principal of Riverside High School)
Dr. Wayne K. Broman–?-1977 (Administrative Intern - Cheektowaga Central School District, named Assistant Principal of Buffalo Vocational Technical Center)
Mr. Thomas A. Cosgrove–?-1977 (Math teacher - Burgard Vocational High School, named Assistant Principal of Kensington High School)
Mr. Larry J. Hunley–2005 (Assistant Principal - Buffalo Traditional School, retired)
Mr. Gary M. Tydus–2005-2006 (Assistant Principal - McKinley Vocational High School, returned to McKinley)
Ms. Ilene J. Gelber–2005-2014 (Assistant Principal - Buffalo Traditional School, retired)
Mrs. Naomi R. Cerre–2006-2010 (Assistant Principal - Grover Cleveland High School, named Assistant Principal of McKinley Vocational High School)
Mr. Alvion Johnson–2007-2009 (Principal On Assignment - Harvey Austin School, assigned to Office of School Performance)
Mr. Benjamin F. Willis–2010-2013 (Dean of Students - Westminster Community Charter School, named Assistant Principal of Tapestry Charter High School)
Ms. Maria M. Conrad–2014-2015 (Special Education teacher - East High School, named Assistant Principal of Pathways Academy)
Ms. Janice Bowden–2015-2016 (Business teacher- East High School, named Acting Principal of East High School)
Dr. Unseld Robinson [acting]–2016 (Principal - Roosevelt Children's Academy Charter School, named Assistant Principal of Research Laboratory High School)
*Denotes interim appointment
Al Cervi– Former NBA player/coach
Matt Urban, Medal of Honor recipient
