W. T. Clarke High School Explained

W.T. Clarke High School
Address:740 Edgewood Drive
City:Westbury
County:Nassau County
State:New York
Zipcode:11590
Country:United States
Type:Public high school
District:East Meadow Union Free School District
Superintendent:Kenneth Rosner.[1]
Principal:Timothy Voels
Grades:9–12
Enrollment:788 (2019-20)
Faculty:87.67
Ratio:8.99
Colors:Cardinal and Silver
Song:Alma Mater
Team Name:Rams
Newspaper:The Vanguard
Website:https://www.emufsd.us/our_schools/w.t._clarke_high_school

W. T. Clarke High School is a high school in Salisbury, New York. It is operated by the East Meadow Union Free School District, also known as the East Meadow School District. The school serves students living in Salisbury, East Meadow, and Levittown, New York. Named after Walter Tresper Clarke, a former president of the East Meadow School Board, the school opened in 1957.

As of the 2014–15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 751 students and 51.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.5:1. There were 104 students (13.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 24 (3.2% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

History

W. T. Clarke High School opened in 1957 and was designed by Valley Stream, New York-based Frederic P. Wiedersum Associates.[2] The class of 1959 was the first graduating class, while the class of 1961 was the first graduating class to have spent all four years of high school at Clarke.

The media spotlight was on the school in 1967 when Pete Seeger came to W. T. Clarke High School on March 8, 1967 to sing to an enthusiastic crowd of 1,100 inside the building, and 300 flag-waving protesters outside. The concert was a year late, but it was a victory against censorship. "Mr. Seeger is a highly controversial figure, and as such, injecting him into our community in East Meadow we thought would stir passions, create discord, [and] disharmony ...," the school board said in December 1965, when it canceled a scheduled Seeger appearance. The main question of controversy, the board said, was that on an earlier trip to the Soviet Union, Seeger had sung songs opposing the Vietnam War.[3]

Getting Seeger into the high school auditorium took court battles that went all the way to the State Court of Appeals. The state's highest court said that canceling an earlier invitation because of Seeger's controversial views violated both the state and federal Constitutions.[4]

The Nassau chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union filed an amicus brief to the Court of Appeals, playing a key role in the legal battle.

The high school was again brought into the media spotlight in January 2007 when the school's principal barred a deaf student, John Cave, from bringing a service dog to school. The principal, Timothy Voels, stated that his decision was motivated by concerns over student welfare, such as allergies.[5] [6]

The student's parents responded in early February 2007 by filing a $150-million discrimination lawsuit against the East Meadow School District, claiming that school officials subjected the student to "bias, bigotry and prejudice."[7]

Notable alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Superintendent of Schools . East Meadow Schools . East Meadow School District . 22 April 2019.
  2. News: 1957-05-05 . SCHOOL BEING BUILT ON LONG ISLAND SITE . 2024-03-20 . The New York Times . en.
  3. https://www.leagle.com/decision/196669249misc2d6431508 East Meadow Community Concerts Assn v. Board of Education of Union Free School Dist No 3, 49 Misc.2d 643, 268 N.Y.S.2d 221 (1966)
  4. [Michael Hiltzik]
  5. News: MacGowan . Carl . 2007-01-04 . Deaf student's dog turned away from school . Newsday . 2007-01-15. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070106223914/http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidog0105,0,7516076.story?coll=ny-top-headlines. 2007-01-06.
  6. News: MacGowan . Carl . 2007-01-10 . District explains barring dog . Newsday . 2024-06-05 . Newspapers.com.
  7. News: MacGowan. Carl. 2007-02-09. After LI school bars service dog, teen's family sues. Newsday. 2007-02-11. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070213093614/http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-lidog095086667feb09,0,3335583.story. 2007-02-13.
  8. Web site: Faculty Directory Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts - Barry Blaustein, Associate Professor . 2014-03-17.
  9. Web site: NASA Biographical Data: Jay Clark Buckey, Jr. M.D Payload Specialist . 2014-03-17.
  10. MrChuckD . Chuck D . 534987539359092738 . 19 November 2014 . 40 years ago I entered this high school on LongIsland. I was taught to challenge society at WT Clarke with #Audacity...
  11. MrChuckD . Chuck D . 318474276804128768 . 31 March 2013 . My Song of the Day Jackson Browne who I happened to meet up with 1996 at a Songwriters ceremony Peep THESE DAYS.
  12. Web site: Skip Jutze Baseball Stats | Baseball Almanac.
  13. News: 2nd American in Strike Waged Qaeda Media War . The New York Times . October 2011 . 2014-03-17 . Brown . Robbie . Severson . Kim.
  14. The Last Nazi Hunter . Blumenthal . Ralph . 4 April 2010 . Parade . 2010-04-04.
  15. Web site: Irene Rosenfeld on Forbes Lists #20 Power Women . . 2014-03-17.

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