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Poughkeepsie High School

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Superintendent
  
Dr. Nicole Williams

Team name
  
Poughkeepsie Pioneer

Mascot
  
The Pioneer

Teaching staff
  
88

Principal
  
Phee Simpson

Phone
  
+1 845-451-4850

Lowest grade
  
Ninth grade

Address
  
70 Forbus St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, USA

District
  
Poughkeepsie City School District

Motto
  
Every child, every day, every classroom

Poughkeepsie high school jovan atkinson dunk


Poughkeepsie High School is the public high school (grades 9-12) in the city of Poughkeepsie, NY. (Not to be confused with Poughkeepsie Day School, which is a nearby K-12 private school.) It is categorized as an inner city school district as a result of the high percentage of students living in low-income households. In the 2014-2015 school year, 73% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. PHS did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) specified by the No Child Left Behind Act in 2011-12. Poughkeepsie High School is currently the only 9-12 school within the Poughkeepsie City School District.

Contents

The school offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the following subjects:

  • Biology
  • Calculus AB
  • English Literature
  • French Language
  • Spanish Language
  • English Language and Composition
  • European History
  • United States History
  • Statistics
  • Poughkeepsie High School also has an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (AFJROTC) class, which was introduced at the end of the 2014-15 school year.

    In 2014-15, there were 1,137 students enrolled in the High School, with an average class size of 20. The student:teacher ratio was approximately 13:1. The attendance rate in the 2013-2014 school year was 93%, and the suspension rate in that same year was 22%. 30% of teachers have their Masters Degree plus 30 Hours or Doctorate.

    Poughkeepsie High School also hosts a first-of-its-kind program with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. This program has staff from the Chamber of Commerce teaching alongside a PHS teacher in the classroom. Students are taught job and career skills as well as enhanced typing. Students in the class also have an opportunity to network with local business owners. The Chamber of Commerce and High School host monthly gatherings with students from the class in which they participate in bonding activities with the local business owners. This public-private partnership with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce gives Poughkeepsie High School students access to a greater pool of resources and a chance for highly effective community outreach.

    Thank you from poughkeepsie high school


    History

    Poughkeepsie High School opened in 1857 on the second floor of an elementary school; the first graduating class was 1863. Classes were not held in 1865, but resumed in 1866 in rented space. A new building was opened in 1872.

    Yet another new building was built on North Hamilton Street in 1914 to accommodate 1,200 pupils. By the early 1950s, the population was outgrowing this building as well, and another location was sought, this time on Forbus Street. the State Education Department endorsed this move while city officials wanted to build an addition to the North Hamilton Street building. The new building on Forbus Street was completed in 1956, and students walked from the old building to the new one to celebrate the opening. Additions to the building were approved in 2002 as part of $27 million approved by voters for additions to buildings in the district that year. In 1958, the old high school building was sold to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York for $250,000. The Archdiocese would use this building to open Our Lady of Lourdes High School in April of that year.

    As part of the renovation approved by taxpayers in 2002, a new wing was added to the Forbus Street building. This wing is currently home to the science and math departments at the high school, as well as several computer labs. The addition of this wing created a small courtyard in the high school building, which was later turned into the Michelle Obama Victory Garden. This garden is managed by teachers and students at the high school and serves as an alternate route to get to classes.

    Demographics (2014-15)

    61% Black
    11% White
    25% Hispanic
    2% Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander

    49% Male
    51% Female

    Administration

    The following individuals are the Poughkeepsie High School administrative team for the 2015-16 school year:

    Executive Principal - Phee Simpson

    9th Grade Assistant Principal - Catharine Yaa Yaa Whaley

    10th Grade Assistant Principal - Dan Wilson

    11th Grade Assistant Principal - Yvonne Palmer

    12th Grade Assistant Principal - Da'Ron Wilson

    Dean of Students - Jay'Quan Floyd

    As of the 2015-16 school year, Poughkeepsie High School has introduced an Engineering, Technology, Early College High School (E-TECH) program, of which Catharine Yaa Yaa Whaley and Da'Ron Wilson are co-principals

    America's Choice School

    Under former superintendent Dr. Laval S. Wilson, the High School began to operate as an America's Choice School. The America's Choice program aims to improve the standings of schools deemed to be at-risk. The program utilizes specific teaching methods as well as intensive teacher training regimens in order to attempt to improve student achievement, test scores, and graduation rates, as well as to reduce the number of discipline problems.

    Athletics

    Poughkeepsie High School's mascot is the Pioneer, and the school colors are blue and white. As a part of a $22.8 million district-wide construction project, Poughkeepsie High School opened a new athletic complex on September 14, 2012. The complex is home to a football field, baseball field, and a soccer field, all of which are artificial turf. It services the baseball, football, soccer, and softball teams. The current sports offered at PHS are as follows:

  • Baseball (Boys)
  • Basketball (Boys)
  • Cheerleading (Boys/Girls)
  • Crew (Boys/Girls)
  • Football (Boys)
  • Golf (Boys)
  • Soccer (Boys/Girls)
  • Softball (Girls)
  • Swimming (Boys/Girls)
  • Tennis (Boys/Girls)
  • Track, Indoor (Boys/Girls)
  • Track, Outdoor (Boys/Girls)
  • Volleyball (Girls)
  • Notable Student Athletes:

  • Larry Bennerman
  • Tom Catanzaro
  • Jerome Elting
  • EJ Johnson
  • Tony Johnson
  • Dino Larry
  • Malik Lewis
  • Joe Molinaro
  • Monty Stickles
  • Time Warner Cable Scholar Athlete of the Week

    As part of Time Warner Cable's Scholar Athlete of the Week program, several Poughkeepsie High School seniors who excel in both academics and athletics received a news spotlight segment through the local Time Warner Cable of the Hudson Valley affiliate. The news segments are approximately two minutes in length and feature the scholar athlete themself as well as usually featuring a coach or teacher that is influential to the scholar athlete. The following individuals from Poughkeepsie High School have received the title of Scholar Athlete of the Week:

  • Malik Lewis (2016 Graduate)
  • Rose Spuhler (2016 Graduate)
  • Jenna Salmonese (2016 Graduate)
  • Mark Weaver (2015 Graduate)
  • Extracurricular Activities

    There are many extracurricular activities accessible to students who attend the school. Student clubs and activities include:

    Concert Band
    Gay/Straight Alliance
    Jazz Ensemble
    Multicutural Club
    Math Team
    Mock Trial
    National Honor Society
    Orchestra
    Pioneer Post (School Newspaper)
    Science Olympiad
    Sister2Sister
    Brother2Brother
    Student Government
    Wind Ensemble
    Yearbook

    Relationship with Vassar College

    As of 2008, Poughkeepsie High School graduates who are accepted to Vassar College receive a special financial aid package. This Program eliminates loans for the PHS graduates attending Vassar and replaces them with scholarship funding.

    Other Information

    Ancestry.com, which requires a paid subscription, has digitized copies of the PHS yearbook for 1921, 1922 and 1962.

    Other High Schools in the Poughkeepsie Area

  • Arlington High School (LaGrange, New York)
  • Oakwood School
  • Our Lady of Lourdes High School
  • Poughkeepsie Day School
  • Spackenkill High School
  • References

    Poughkeepsie High School Wikipedia