Andrew Jackson High School (Queens) Explained

Andrew Jackson High School
Streetaddress:207-01 116th Avenue
City:Cambria Heights, Queens
State:New York
Zipcode:11411
Country:United States
Closed:1994
Type:Public

Andrew Jackson High School is a defunct comprehensive high school in the Cambria Heights section in southeastern Queens, New York. The school was opened in 1937, and named after former United States President Andrew Jackson. However, the city closed down the school in 1994.[1] [2] [3] At its nadir in the late 1970s, police broke up a heroin-processing factory in the school's basement.[2]

Since its closure the building was renamed Campus Magnet High Schools (also known as Campus Magnet Educational Campus).[4] It contains several different high schools centered on various professional themes: Finance and Information Technology; Humanities and the Arts; Law, Health Professions; Mathematics, Science Research and Technology.[1] [4] The 2010 graduation rate of the current schools approximated the graduation rate of the original school in 1992.[5] The multi-school campus is at 207-01 116th Avenue, at Francis Lewis Boulevard and 116th Avenue.[1] [4]

History

The design for Andrew Jackson High School was released in 1931. The plans for the school were approved by the New York City Board of Education on September 26, 1935. Ground broke on the site, at 116th Avenue and what was then Cross Island Boulevard (now Francis Lewis Boulevard), on November 18, 1935.[6]

The school, along with Samuel J. Tilden High School, Abraham Lincoln High School, John Adams High School, Walton High School, Bayside High School, and Grover Cleveland High School were all built during the Great Depression from one set of blueprints, in order to save money.[7] [8] [9] The design was based on Kirby Hall in Gretton, Northamptonshire, England. Jackson High School was built with Public Works Administration funds, as was Bayside High School.[10] The schools were designed as small campuses to provide a "somewhat collegiate atmosphere".[11] The design of Jackson High School and the other post-1930 schools, created by architect Walter C. Martin, was considered to be "a modern adaptation of the Adams, Lincoln, and Tilden High Schools", which had all been completed by 1929.[11]

Jackson High School opened on May 10, 1937, with 2,500 students, at the cost of $2.5 million. It was the last of the sister schools to be completed.[6] [12] The school was officially dedicated on September 27, 1937, when its first full academic year began, with Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in attendance.[5] [13] Upon opening, the new school relieved the overcrowded Jamaica High School, as well as John Adams High School.[6] [12] [14] The school originally served a mostly middle-class student demographic.

By 1959, the high school operated multiple academic sessions to accommodate its students.[15] By the mid-1960s, the school had transitioned from a predominantly White student body, to an enrollment that was nearly 50 percent Black, disproportionate to the student body of the rest of the borough. The changes coincided with an influx of African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans to the area, along with white flight.[5] [16] [17] [18] Around this time, the State Education Commissioner and the Board of Education began efforts to prevent "de facto" segregation in the school and the entire Queens borough; these efforts would involve transferring students to schools outside of their local district.[5] [16] [19] In September 1965, the New York City Transit Authority created the bus route along Francis Lewis Boulevard, in order to better transport students from other districts to the high school.[20] [21] In May 1967, Schools Superintendent Bernard E. Donovan announced plans to transfer 260 active and prospective students from Jamaica High School and Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village to Jackson High School, which led to protest from parents in those communities.[17] [18] [22] [23] [24] [25] The plan was rescinded by September of that year.[18] In 1968, Donovan proposed rezoning the entire Queens borough, requiring students to be bused to more distant high schools, which led to similar protests.[22] [26] The situation was compounded by the New York City teachers' strike of 1968.[27] The situation and ensuing civil unrest between the students led to increased police presence at the school,[28] and a walkout on May 19, 1969.[29] Rezoning and busing efforts continued into the 1970s, by which time the high school was predominantly Black and Puerto Rican. This included the establishment of gifted programs aimed at attracting students from other areas of Queens, including an offsite specialized school in Corona, Queens. .[30] [31] [32] [33]

In 1977, the NAACP sued the Board of Education in Federal District Court for the lack of integration in the school, accusing the Board of intentionally segregating the school "to keep other schools predominantly white."[5] [34] [35] [36] On May 16, 1978, Judge John Francis Dooling Jr. ordered the Board of Education to create a plan to integrate the school within 45 days of the ruling, to be implemented for the 1978–1979 academic year;[5] [37] [38] this deadline was suspended in June of that year.[39] The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned this decision in April 1979.[5] [40]

Around this time, the school gained a reputation for poor academic performance, high truancy and dropout rates, and low graduation rates, which continued into the 1980s and 1990s.[5] [41] [42] [43] Some also accused the city of using the high school as a "dumping ground for the borough's most unwanted minority students."[41] In 1986, Jackson High School was among the five worst city schools in terms of dropout rates and reading proficiency.[5] By 1990, the school was among 14 city high schools that received bi-weekly metal detector screenings due to increasing violence.[44] In 1993, the city planned to create a small high school provisionally called "Andrew Jackson High School Magnet School" within the building by fall of that year, but the opening was pushed back.[5] [45] In November 1993, Schools Chancellor Ramon C. Cortines began drafting new plans to close and reorganize Andrew Jackson High School, as well as James Monroe High School in the Bronx[46] On November 17, 1993, the Board of Education unanimously voted to close the high school and replace it with four smaller "magnet" or "thematic schools".[5] [47] Jackson HS and Monroe were among the first former large high schools in New York City to be reopened as an "educational campus." The school closed in spring 1994, and was reopened during the fall semester as "Campus Magnet High Schools" with new freshman students in four new schools, each occupying a single floor of the facility.[5] [48] At the time of its closure, Jackson was among 10 city schools with the most "violent or illegal incidents".[49] Half of the Jackson High School teachers were retained for the new schools. The building continued to employ metal detectors following its conversion into a campus;[5] [50] other high schools-turned-campuses had ceased screenings as part of their transition.

Campus Magnet schools

Current schools include:

Former schools included:[51] [52]

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. News: Dillon. Sam. Lots of Little Academics Founded With Lots of Big Ideas Produce a Variety of Results. The New York Times. May 22, 1995.
  2. News: Barbanel. Josh. Cortines, Citing Litany of Failure, Plans to Close 2 Big High Schools. The New York Times. November 12, 1993.
  3. Web site: Holloway. Lynette. A Small Strategy for Troubled Giants. The New York Times. 25 May 2015. May 16, 2001.
  4. Web site: 2016 New York City High School Directory. schools.nyc.gov. New York City Department of Education. 4 June 2015. 2015.
  5. Pezone. Michael. School Segregation in Queens, New York: From Andrew Jackson to Law Government. Social Science Docket. 2011. 54–56. Hofstra University.
  6. News: St. Albans School Opened: 2,500 Students Register at New Andrew Jackson High School. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 11, 1937.
  7. Web site: PLANS FOR 4 SCHOOLS APPROVED BY BOARD; New Buildings Will Provide Seats for 8,250 Children and Cost $2,500,000. The New York Times. 4 June 2015. September 26, 1935.
  8. Web site: FEDERAL AID ASKED FOR 2 CITY WORKS; $2,500,000 Loan Sought for Construction of Bayside High School in Queens.. The New York Times. 4 June 2015. October 4, 1933.
  9. Web site: Selby. Alexandra. Umpierrez. Amanda. Baysides' 75th. baruch.cuny.edu. The Baysider. 4 June 2015. February 2011.
  10. Web site: Tompkins. Richard. PROGRAM SPEEDED FOR NEW SCHOOLS; $25,000,000 of Construction With PWA Funds Will Be Under Way by Christmas.. The New York Times. 4 June 2015. October 13, 1935.
  11. News: New High Schools to Have Campuses; Architectural Plan of Jackson Building and Three Others to Be Collegiate in Style; Design is Modernistic; Besides Queens School, Two In the Bronx and One in Brooklyn Are to Be of This Type.. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. December 27, 1931.
  12. News: Queens High School to be Opened Monday: Andrew Jackson to Be Formally Dedicated in September-Gaynor Exercises Monday. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 6, 1937.
  13. News: Mayor Tells Boys How to Get His Job. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. September 28, 1937.
  14. News: New School Open Tomorrow. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. September 26, 1937.
  15. News: Student Transfers May Cut Crowding In Queens Schools. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. July 4, 1959.
  16. News: Hechinger. Fred M.. School Board Told To Rezone Queens: State Orders Move to End Rising Racial Imbalance in Jackson High by Fall. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. February 15, 1967.
  17. News: Farber. M.A.. Donovan Orders Students to Shift: Rezoning Plan for Queens Protested in Jamaica. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 17, 1967.
  18. News: Donovan Cancels Racial Directive: Withdraws Transfer of 60 White Students in Queens. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. September 30, 1967.
  19. News: Farber. M.A.. 4-Point Ethnic Plan For Queens School Submitted to State. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 9, 1967.
  20. Web site: Landers. Jacob. Improving Ethnic Distribution of New York City Pupils. New York City Board of Education, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare. July 3, 2017. May 1966.
  21. News: Legal Notices. 4 July 2017. Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. April 21, 1966. 27.
  22. News: Farber. M.A.. Donovan Proposes Racial Rezoning in Queens. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. February 14, 1968.
  23. News: Brooklyn Parents Support a White as New P.S. 284 Principal. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 24, 1967.
  24. News: Kihss. Peter. Queens Aide Says School Board Turns Local Officials Into 'Figureheads'. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 26, 1967.
  25. News: Queens Suits Seek to Block Shift of White Students. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. June 1, 1967.
  26. News: Currivan. Gene. Queens Parents Defy Busing Plan: Hire Own Vehicle to Send 30 to Another School. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. September 14, 1968.
  27. News: Blast Damages Queens School; 16 Seized on 3d Day of Disorder. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. December 5, 1968.
  28. News: Buder. Leonard. 40 Policemen Guarding Jackson High. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. March 1, 1969.
  29. News: Fried. Joseph P.. Queens Students Stage Walkout: High School Protesters Ask Naming of Negro Official. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 20, 1969.
  30. News: Buder. Leonard. School Rezoning In Queens Scored: Bergtraum Would End Plan Involving Hillcrest High. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. April 30, 1971.
  31. News: Burks. Edward C.. A Gain In Schools Sought In Queens: Blacks and Whites Seeking an End to Busing. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. June 20, 1971.
  32. News: Buder. Leonard. Rezoning Plan for Some Queens Schools, Outlined. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. January 19, 1975.
  33. News: Manes Assails School Zoning. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. April 27, 1975.
  34. News: Buder. Leonard. Trial Opening Today In Jackson H.S. Case. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. April 18, 1977.
  35. News: Seigel. Max H.. Nyquist Defends the Segregation Of High School in Queens Section. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. April 20, 1977.
  36. News: Status of Jackson High Called Pitiful By Judge. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. April 27, 1977.
  37. News: News Summary: Wednesday, May 17, 1978. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 17, 1978.
  38. News: Goldman. Ari L.. The Jackson High School Decision: Patterns of Segregation and the Unanswered Question. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 18, 1978.
  39. News: Judge Eases Deadline For High School Plan On Balancing Classes. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. July 6, 1978.
  40. News: Abandoning Andrew Jackson High. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. April 27, 1979.
  41. News: Kurtz. Howard. RACIAL QUOTAS AND THE 'TIPPING POINT'. 2 August 2016. The Washington Post. October 19, 1987. New York.
  42. News: Chambers. Marcia. ...and Students at One of Them Discuss Integration. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 20, 1977.
  43. News: Fiske. Edward B.. Education; Index Can Rate School Performance Numerically. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. January 17, 1984.
  44. News: Teacher and Student Wounded in Queens. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. March 6, 1990.
  45. News: Dillon. Sam. Theme Schools Face Hurdles In Opening. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. June 19, 1993.
  46. News: Hevesi. Dennis. Reorganization Has Familiar Ring at Queens High School. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. November 13, 1993.
  47. News: Magnet Schools Approved. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. November 18, 1993.
  48. News: Gootman. Elissa. Herszenhorn. David M.. Getting Smaller to Improve the Big Picture. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. May 3, 2005.
  49. News: Jones. Charisse. Report Shows Violence Rising in Schools. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. August 13, 1994.
  50. News: Hemphill. Clara. Small Isn't Always Better. 2 August 2016. The New York Times. November 8, 2003.
  51. News: Bockmann. Rich. Campus Magnet gets new HS. 2 August 2016. Times Ledger. August 30, 2013.
  52. News: McRae. Tess. Two Campus Magnet Schools Will Enter Final Year. 2 August 2016. Southeast Queens Press. July 10, 2015.
  53. Web site: Best Of The Queens Music Scene: Behind The Beat. Stephen . McGuire . https://web.archive.org/web/20120207151914/http://www.queenstribune.com/guides/BestofQueens2004/Pages/BestofQueensMusicians.htm . February 7, 2012 . 2004. queenstribune.com . January 25, 2017.
  54. Norwich, William. "Only in New York, kids! New York's lady of dish Cindy Adams on her new perfume called, what else, Gossip", The New York Observer, October 27, 1997. Accessed September 26, 2019. "'I wasn't anything,' Mrs. Adams said, recalling when it looked like she would never even graduate from Andrew Jackson High School in Hollis, Queens-she couldn't pass the sewing requirement."
  55. Capuzzo, Jill P. "Obama Seldom Asks His Pollster to Play the Role of an Oracle", The New York Times, February 3, 2008. Accessed September 26, 2019. "Mr. Benenson grew up in Laurelton, Queens, and attended Andrew Jackson High School, where, he said, battles over integration helped shape his political philosophy for life."
  56. Koplowitz, Howard. "Cambria Hts. author delivers his message", New York Post, March 31, 2011. Accessed September 26, 2019. "'Me and my friends used to explore the city. I knew the streets pretty good,' Boone said during an interview at his Cambria Heights home, referring to his days as a track star at Andrew Jackson High School, where he attended many meets in the city."
  57. News: Schwartz. Larry. Celtics tried to pass on ultimate passer. ESPN.com. 2015-11-21.
  58. News: Cornell's center. Casper Star-Tribune. January 20, 1944. 6. Newspapers.com. July 2, 2020.
  59. https://books.google.com/books?id=zJrtBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA265 Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition
  60. [Lani Guinier|Guinier]
  61. [Sam Roberts (newspaper journalist)|Roberts, Sam]
  62. News: St. John's Boo Harvey Says Life Can't Get Any Better. March 11, 1990. Sandy. Keenan . Newsday; latimes.com . New York. The fifth-year senior honored a commitment to speak to his former team at Andrew Jackson High about doing the right thing..
  63. News: Jam Master Jay, 1965–2002. Village Voice. November 5, 2002. Harry . Allen . January 25, 2017.
  64. Web site: HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5180 . Virginia's Legislative Information System . 2014 . 2021-05-25.
  65. http://peachbasketsociety.blogspot.com/2018/05/bill-kotsores.html Bill Kotsores
  66. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171635/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/vince-matthews-1.html Vincent Matthews
  67. Web site: Joe Morton Biography and Filmography 1947. 2015-02-06. Hollywood.com. en-US. 2016-06-19.
  68. Web site: Lupica . Mike . Lupica: New York tale at the NCAA Tournament . March 18, 2012 . New York Daily News . https://archive.today/20120711060116/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-18/news/31205821_1_coach-eric-barnett-basketball-players-ncaa-tournament/2 . July 11, 2012 . dead .
  69. Web site: Parks' best not enough for Campus Magnet in loss to 'Dozo . Braziller . Zach . 15 December 2010 . New York Post.
  70. http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/pub/departments/childrensstudies/conference/pdf/scarborough_new_bio.pdf William Scarborough
  71. Web site: The Shangri-Las!. Redbirdent.com. 2015-11-21. June 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150622221317/http://www.redbirdent.com/slas1.htm. dead.
  72. Web site: Biography. theshangri-las.com. 2015-11-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20160908211904/http://theshangri-las.com/Biography.htm. 2016-09-08. dead.
  73. Staff. "Larry Smith, the 'King of Beats,' Has Passed Away", Complex (magazine), December 19, 2014. Accessed September 26, 2019. "He eventually dropped out of Andrew Jackson High School to master his craft by going on the road."
  74. Mitchell, Verner D.; and Davis, Cynthia. Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement, p. 325. Accessed September 26, 2019. "Lorenzo Thomas was born in the Republic of Panama on August 31, 1944.... Upon graduating from Andrew Jackson High School, he enrolled at Queens College (now part of the City University of New York) and received a BA in English in 1967."

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