Kensington High School is a former high school located in Buffalo, New York. Named for the Kensington neighborhood it is located in, the building is located at 319 Suffolk Street in Buffalo. It currently serves as home to the Frederick Law Olmsted School at Kensington.
Kensington High School is one of three Art Deco buildings in the City of Buffalo. The building was constructed in the 1930s and opened in 1937, operating for 67 years. The school was closed in 2003 due to a myriad of reasons including poor academic performance, a high concentration of students in poverty, the threat of take over from New York State, increasing student violence, as well as the school district's financial crisis.
In the years that followed, Kensington housed adult GED and vocational classes, and was one of the locations for Buffalo's Opportunity Program, an alternative school service for suspended students, as well as the temporary home of Hutchinson Central Technical High School while it was renovated from 2005-2007. It was later announced that the building would be the home for Olmsted High School. Olmsted was operated at Kensington from 2007-2010 before the building was renovated by LPCiminelli from 2010-2012. In Fall 2012, Kensington reopened to Olmsted students.
Kensington was also home to the Buffalo Academy of Science and Math, a small magnet high school, from 1989-1993 when it was moved to Riverside High School.
Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parenthesis
Mr. Thomas J. McDonnell–1937-1947 (Assistant Principal - Grover Cleveland High School, passed away)
Mr. Charles J. Monan–1947-1950 (Principal - South Park High School Annex, returned to teaching at South Park High School)
Mr. John M. Chassin–1950-1955 (Vice Principal - Kensington High School, retired)
Mr. Garnett F. Roberts [interim]–1955-1957 (Director of Center Schools - Buffalo Public Schools, retired)
Mr. Frank J. Kelly–1957-1966 (Vice Principal - Kensington High School, retired)
Mr. Angelo J. Gianturco–1966-1977 (Vice Principal - Grover Cleveland High School, named Principal of City Honors School)
Mr. Rocco A. Lamparelli [interim]–1977 (Supervising Principal - South Buffalo Public Schools, returned to position)
Mr. Gerald H. Hesson–1977-1982 (Principal - Fillmore Middle School, named Principal of Buffalo Traditional School)
Mr. Stanley J. Wegrzynowski–1982-1985 (unknown, named Director of Science Education for Buffalo Public Schools)
Dr. Richard A. Marotto–1985-1986 (Assistant Principal - Burgard Vocational High School, named Principal of Lewiston-Porter High School)
Mr. Mark L. Balen–1986-1990 (Vice Principal - Seneca Vocational High School, named Principal of Seneca Vocational High School)
Mrs. Yvonne Hargrave–1990-1993 (Principal - Kensington Prep, named Assistant Superintendent for Integration of Buffalo Public Schools)
Mr. Robert M. Barton–1993-2001 (Principal - Buffalo Alternative High School, named Principal of Seneca Vocational High School)
Dr. Eileen H. Czarnecki–2001 (Assistant Principal - Grover Cleveland High School, named Acting Principal of E.C.C. 90)
Ms. Geraldine Horton–2001-2003 (Principal - Buffalo Vocational Technical Center, school closed)
Previous assignments and reason for departure denoted in parentheses
Mr. John Chassin–1937-1950 (Principal - South Park High School Annex, named Principal of Kensington High School)
Mr. William H. Davenport–1950-1952 (Assistant Principal - Fosdick-Masten Park High School, named Principal of East High School)
Mr. Abraham Axelrod–1952-1955 (Assistant Principal - Bennett High School, named Principal of Lafayette High School)
Mr. Frank Kelly–1955-1957 (Assistant Principal - Lafayette High School, named Principal of Kensington High School)
Mr. Louis T. Masson–1957-1962 (Science teacher - Riverside High School, retired)
Mr. Wilber E. Unger–1962-1966 (Science teacher - Lafayette High School, named Project Administrator of Buffalo Public Schools)
Mr. William Blomberg–1964-1978 (Assistant Principal - East High School, named Assistant Principal of Riverside High School)
Mr. Alfred H. Rasp–1966-1969 (Assistant Principal for Instruction - Lakewood High School, named Assistant Principal of East High School)
Mr. Charles L. Sodaro–1968-1971 (Assistant Principal - Southside Junior High School, named Assistant Principal of Riverside High School)
Mr. Alfred H. Rasp–1971-1978 (Assistant Principal - East High School, unknown)
Mr. Daniel J. Krzesinski–1978-1987 (Assistant Principal - Genesee Humboldt Junior High School, named Assistant Principal of McKinley Vocational High School)
Mr. Thomas A. Cosgrove–1978-1979 (Assistant Principal - East High School, unknown)
Mr. Fritz F. Hessel–1979-1981
Mr. Daniel J. Geary–1981-1984 (Assistant Principal - South Park High School, named Assistant Principal of Seneca Vocational High School)
Mr. Gary R. Lopez–1984-1985 (Physical Education teacher - Buffalo Public Schools, named Assistant Principal of Riverside High School)
Mrs. Yvonne Hargrave–1985-1987 (Assistant Principal - Campus West School, named Principal of Kensington Prep)
Mr. James J. Christmann–1987-1989 (Assistant Principal - City Honors School, named Principal of Cheektowaga High School)
Mr. William J. Bell–1987-1988 (Assistant Principal - McKinley Vocational High School, named Assistant Principal of Buffalo Alternative High School)
Mr. Gerald D. Pope–1988-1992 (Assistant Principal - South Park High School, named Assistant Principal of Kensington Prep)
Mr. Thaddeus F. Weselak–1990-1993 (Assistant Principal - Kensington Prep, named Assistant Principal of Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts)
Mr. Jon G. Lyon–1992-1993 (Science teacher - Buffalo Traditional School, named Assistant Principal of Grover Cleveland High School)
Mr. Daniel Krzesinski–1993-1995 (Assistant Principal - Kensington Prep, retired)
Mr. Gary Lopez–1995-1999 (Assistant Principal - Buffalo Public Schools, named Assistant Principal of Riverside High School)
Mr. James J. Pautler–1999-2002 (Electrical Vocational teacher - Seneca Vocational High School, named Principal of Burgard Vocational High School)
Mr. Carlos J. Villarroel–?-2002 (Spanish teacher - Kensington High School, named Assistant Principal of Grover Cleveland High School)
Mr. William A. Kresse–2002-2003 (Assistant Principal - Musselman High School, named Assistant Principal of South Park High School)
From 1987-1993, Kensington High had a satellite school, "Kensington Prep" for its ninth graders, in an effort to provide a structured atmosphere for its freshmen and attract more Caucasian students. The school was located at the former Archbishop Carroll High School at 1409 East Delavan Avenue, and offered enriched programs in mathematics, sciences, and computers. The school was closed in 1993, and 9th graders returned to Kensington.
Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parentheses
Ms. Yvonne Hargrave–1987-1990 (Assistant Principal - Kensington High School, named Principal of Kensington High School)
Ms. Barbara A. Schnell–1990 (Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services - Buffalo Public Schools, named Interim Principal of Hutchinson Central Technical High School)
Mrs. Doris H. Erickson–1990-1991 (Principal - South Park Prep, retired)
Mr. Gerald H. Hesson–1991-1992 (Principal - Buffalo Alternative High School, retired)
Mr. Gerald D. Pope [interim]–1992-1993 (Assistant Principal - Kensington High School, named Assistant Principal of Buffalo Traditional School)
Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parentheses
Mr. Alfred H. Rasp–1987-1989 (Assistant Principal - Burgard Vocational High School, named Assistant Principal of Seneca Vocational High School)
Mr. Thaddeus Weselak–1989-1990 (Guidance Counselor - Burgard Vocational High School, named Assistant Principal of Kensington High School)
Mr. Daniel Krzesinski–1990-1993 (Assistant Principal - McKinley Vocational High School, named Assistant Principal of Kensington High School)
