Murry Bergtraum High School

History

The school was established in 1975, in memory of Murry Bergtraum, a former President of the New York City Board of Education who died in 1973. Bergtraum joined the Board of Education on May 20, 1969. He was then elected Vice President of the Board of Education from July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1971. His widow Edith Katz Bergtraum, a public school teacher, was also politically active and a member of her local school board for 19 years. After her death in 1994, an elementary school in Queens (PS 165 in District 25) was renamed in her memory. The name "Bergtraum" originates from the German language. In the English language, it translates to "mountain dream."

Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers was still under construction in 1975 while the first class of freshmen were attending classes at Pace University awaiting the completion of the new high school. While at the Pace campus, an art instructor held a school logo contest. Many designs were submitted by the students. Ultimately the winner chosen by the staff was a student named Norberto Feliciano. The winning school emblem is circular in design with a triangle in the center that represents the schools aerial view shape. The name of the school is within double circles, and the school initials placed within the triangle. Olive branches were placed within the logo as a sign of peace as also seen in the flag of the United Nations. The logo is used on letter heads, notebooks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, team uniforms, and other school-branded items.

Bergtraum was the first academic comprehensive high school with business majors in New York City and one of the first in the United States. It was supported by the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association to prepare young people to enter the world of work and college.

Murry Bergtraum High School, along with other high schools of the Lower Manhattan area were the first schools evacuated during the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Although Bergtraum is located in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan, the school administration ordered an immediate evacuation of the building. The building was evacuated in three minutes. It was the first high school in New York City that had successful evacuation of students.

The school was labeled as a "Ground Zero" school (by the NYFD)--students were relocated to the High School of Art and Design in Upper Manhattan. The Bergtraum administration were unhappy with the relocation and appealed it, and their building was re-opened and students resumed their studies within a few days.

Bergtraum began to face new ideas of reform during the Spring Term of the 2005–2006 academic school year. Due to certain measures to improve not only performance, but also student morale, new measures and new plans began to be introduced by the Principal, and the School Leadership Team. Certain reforms include:

Bergtraum has had seven principals: Dr. Barbara Christen, Elsie Chan, Grace Julian, Barbara Esmilla who retired in June 2010, Dr. Andrea D. Lewis who chose to leave in August 2012, Lottie Almonte who was removed in August 2014 and Naima Cook at present.

Rankings

Historically, there has been an average of over 3,000 students at Bergtraum during a given year, and it has been ranked as a "School of Excellence" by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. It is well known for its girls' basketball team, having won thirteen consecutive PSAL championships as of 2011. Bergtraum offers majors in business that attracts students from all boroughs; receiving an average of 15,000 to 20,000 applications every year, making it one of the most popular schools in the city of New York. As an educational option school, it takes in students from all academic levels.

The school population is structured as follows:

Bergtraum has also been known for its unusual triangular shape, which leads to only half of the school building having windows. The exterior sides of the building have windows, while the interior portion of the building does not. Despite the design of the building, it stays very warm in the winter and very cool during the summer because of its centralized air-conditioning system.

As of spring 2007, the school would follow a 1-8 schedule, eliminating the 3-10 and leaving very few students with a 2-9 schedule.

As of September 2009, the school began to decrease its enrollment numbers to alleviate the overcrowding rate the school faced. The school's enrollment has dropped significantly from September, 2005 in which it had roughly 3,000 students enrolled. As of July 2009, that number has gone down to 2,589.

Goals

Bergtraum has eight business majors, and also allows students to take Career and Technical Education examinations, such as the Microsoft Office Specialist examination. In the accounting major, students who take the Advanced Accounting course can take an exam to obtain Certified Public Accountant qualifications. Bergtraum requires its students have a minimum of 12 business credits upon graduation.

Murry Bergtraum provides its students with what is called "dual preparation". Working in close collaboration with colleges, businesses and industries, Bergtraum offers an academic program which is integrated with skills, knowledge and career preparation. Students at Bergtraum may also be eligible for state-approved and industry-sponsored career and technical education endorsements.

School facilities

Murry Bergtraum's facilities include:

Student body

As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 999 students and 61.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.4:1. There were 677 students (67.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 42 (4.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Historically, Bergtraum's programs have catered to minority students, and the trend has not changed much since the school's opening. The ethnic composition is as follows:

Bergtraum has had more females than males in previous years. As of the 2009-2010 school year, 50.83% of Bergtraum students are female and 49.17% of Bergtraum students are male.

The building hosts students with special needs such as mental or physical disabilities, or hearing impairment. Students who use a wheelchair can sometimes be seen throughout the building.

The school is only one out of two in Lower Manhattan that also gives admittance to English as a Second Language (ESL) students. Out of the 3,000-plus students, 11.97% are ESL students.

Academics

Bergtraum has more business courses with more majors than all of the Manhattan business-themed high schools combined. Bergtraum and Norman Thomas High School are the only schools in Manhattan that allow students to concentrate with one major. Students not only choose the business area they wish to concentrate on, but students also face academic rigor in their regular New York State mandated education requirements. Students are allowed to have the standard 65 passing grade, but are encouraged to have an 80+ average. In an interview in Bergtraum's newspaper, The Bergtraum Voice, Claire Panazzolo, an Ex-Assistant Principal of Business, stated that she "wanted Bergtraum to be the Stuyvesant of business".

The graduating class of 2006 was accepted to 85 different colleges and universities across the country, including schools of Ivy League caliber. Popular colleges and universities include: University at Albany, Binghamton University, Hunter College, Baruch College, Stony Brook University, Syracuse University and the University of Hartford.

Business programs

Bergtraum students acquire the skills to work in a business-like atmosphere. Bergtraum is divided into 8 houses, each house representing a specific major. Students in each house, or department, study in their major for their 4 years in high school. In addition, each student must obtain a minimum of 44-50 credits in order to graduate, regardless of house. In each department, all students are mandated to take a keyboarding/business career exploration course for one year, or two semesters/terms.

Graduation requirements

Murry Bergtraum High School students face the same requirements as all students in New York City do. A minimum of 50-54 credits is required to graduate from Bergtraum, however, most of the students graduate with as many as 60 credits. Students are required to study:

Courses and programs

Bergtraum offers many courses to its students, including:

Advanced Placement courses

Advanced Placement courses, which are eligible for college credit, include Calculus AB, English language and English literature, environmental science, accounting, United States history, and world history.

Non-Advanced Placement elective courses

Bergtraum has many elective courses for students to take that tend to be more advanced in their curriculum and more rigorous in their nature:

Alma mater

The school has its own song that is, by tradition, sung at the commencement exercises every June. The song was composed by retired music teacher, J.A. Negri. Negri retired in 2007 after many years of working as a music teacher at the school.

Partnerships

Bergtraum has many sponsors, especially in the corporate field, including:

Extracurricular activities

Bergtraum has many activities for students to participate in. Such activities include the Student Government/Union, Senior Council, Council For Unity, internships on and off site, and more. Academic teams and groups include Math Team, Mock Trial, Moot Court and the National Honor Society. Other clubs include: The Black Student Union, Salsa Club, Chinese Christian Society, Christian Society, Ambassadors Club, Model UN, Chinese Talent Society, West Indian Club, The Political Action Committee and the Asian Club.

PSAL Sports Teams

The school participates in the Public Schools Athletic League. The Bergtraum Lady Blazers are the second best girls' basketball team in the entire country, and the reigning thirteen-time city champion. Bergtraum also has other sports teams, including basketball, bowling, cross country, handball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, softball, baseball, soccer, and wrestling.

Awards and recognition

Besides being ranked "A School Of Excellence" by U.S. News & World Report, Bergtraum has won countless awards in the sports area, The Kurt Thomas Investment Challenge, the ThinkQuest Awards, and the Lincoln–Douglas debates.

ThinkQuest NYC Award-winning teams, led by Ms. D'Amato, Ms Ashley & Tony Cai:

Popular culture

Dress for Success

Dress for Success days are a long-time tradition started in business high schools. This provides the opportunity for students, including those of Bergtraum; to dress in business attire. The original philosophy was to have students dress appropriately for school, but over the span of 31 years, business collaboratives expressed interest in hiring students fresh out of high school. Meaning that "Dress for Success" at Bergtraum was also created to prepare students for the demands of the workforce, and in turn, students are approached and offered internships with business collaboratives or with alumni who run their own businesses.

As of August 2007, the Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers has made dressing for success a mandatory event.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty