Forest Hills High School (FHHS) is a high school in Forest Hills,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Dedicated in 1937, it educates students in grades 9–12 and is operated by the

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

. The school serves students from Forest Hills and

Rego Park Rego Park is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Rego Park is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, to the east and south by Forest Hills, and to the west by Middle Village. Rego Park's boundaries include Queens ...

, as well as other nearby Queens neighborhoods such as

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

East Elmhurst East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars ...

, Elmhurst,

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushing ...

, Jackson Heights,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

Maspeth Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside to the north; Sunnyside t ...

, Middle Village, and Woodside. FHHS has often been extremely overcrowded throughout its history, often running several overlapping sessions. Traditionally, a large percentage of FHHS graduates have gone on to attend colleges. The school is a recipient of the silver medal from '' U.S. News & World Report''s list of the best high schools in the nation.

History

Plans for a new high school were in the works since 1937, when the Board of Education announced plans for "a new building at Forest Hills High School, 110th Street and Sixty-sixth Road, Queens, or$2,900,000". In 1938, while announcing plans for new construction, the Cord Meyer Development Company, already responsible for the development of most of Forest Hills, mentioned that plans for a high school were under consideration, in order to accommodate the growing population of families in the area and their demands for quality, public education. In 1939, the Board of Education planned to build a new school adjoining "the World Fair's Grounds" (today's

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushi ...

), in order to alleviate overcrowding at Newtown,

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

, and

High Schools. Local residents were sending their kids to the aforementioned schools, since the growing community at Forest Hills did not yet have a local high school. It was expected to cost $3,225,000 (), and it was to be built in a modified Georgian design. The vice president of the board at the time, Ellsworth S. Buck, called it "the most beautiful educational structure in the city... establishing a high point in the city's building program". It was to have shades of red brick, a gray slate roof, and a limestone trim. The school design was innovative in and of itself, with the gymnasiums and auditorium separated from the main unit (building). This created separate gymnasiums for boys and girls, with the extended wings forming a plaza. In order to meet the conditions of the locality, it was designed to be three stories high, with a total of allotted to it. Partly due to its lot size, an athletic field was built into the back part of the lot, with a grandstand designed for 3,000 people and a "spacious" field for football and track. Designed by the architect

Eric Kebbon Eric Kebbon (June 6, 1890–April 18, 1964) was an American architect. Eric Kebbon's full name was Harold Eric Kebbon. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 6, 1890 to Gustave Adolph Kebbon, born in Sweden, and Datie Louise Eldridge. He died ...

, ground was to be broken in six months, and the school was expected to open its doors in September 1940. The school was formally dedicated on April 29, 1941 (it opened on February 3), 7 months behind schedule, but coming in under budget at a total cost of $2,550,000 (). It was hailed as an architectural masterpiece, "representative of the forward looking objectives of the New York City administration". The dedication ceremonies were attended by Mayor La Guardia. During his speech to the students of the newly dedicated school, he warned them to not be quitters, a subtle reference to the events of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

brewing on the international scene. The school's final version was a simplified version of the Georgian style, with red brick for its exterior, a buff limestone trim, and grey-black slate for the pitched roofs. At the time of its opening, in addition to regular classrooms, it contained an art shop, a "home-making" room, a model apartment, a cooking room, three art rooms, an art weaving room, a sewing room, a music room, a museum, a library, four typewriting rooms, two "business practice" rooms, ten science classrooms, a science lecture room, laboratories, an exhibit hall, and large separate gymnasiums for girls and boys. The auditorium was spacious, with almost 1,200 seats (there were 3,400 students at the time). It had a commanding view of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. ForestHillsEntrance

Almost immediately, the school developed a reputation for excellence. In 1949, four students from the school qualified to compete in the

Westinghouse Science Talent Search Westinghouse may refer to: Businesses Current companies *Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the company that manages the Westinghouse brand, with licensees: **Westinghouse Electric Company, providing nuclear power-related services **Westinghou ...

(known today as the Intel Science Talent Search), two more than

Bronx Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Spec ...

at the time. In 1968, it made history as the first school to produce three Westinghouse Scholars in one year. The school's strong science program offered courses simulating a research environment similar to the one in which adult scientists worked. The school was involved in a fight regarding the construction of a low-income housing project in Forest Hills, as well as a proposed rezoning program that would have excluded sections of the community from attending the school. The school was running triple sessions at the time, and it was feared that the influx of new families would exacerbate the already severe overcrowding at the school. The rezoning was proposed to alleviate the potential overcrowding, by sending some students to the newly opened Hillcrest High School, which was also bitterly opposed by the local community. The rezoning was approved by the courts, despite the battle waged. Some parents tried to enroll their children anyway at Forest Hills, but they were denied. The proposal at the center of the entire controversy, the construction of a housing project, led to accusations of name calling, racism, and anti-Semitism. It was eventually cited by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

when declaring a federal government moratorium on building public housing. By then, Forest Hills "had become shorthand for the racial and class tensions that underpinned much of the national debate about public housing, between its liberal advocates and its conservative opponents". The school was also notably involved in a fight against

forced busing Race-integration busing in the United States (also known simply as busing, Integrated busing or by its critics as forced busing) was the practice of assigning and transporting students to schools within or outside their local school districts in ...

. It was discontinued in 1988.

Academics and admissions

Special programs offered in the school include the Carl Sagan Science/Math Honors Academy, the Law & Humanities Institute, the Academy of Instrumental Music/Performing Arts, the Drama Academy, and the zoned program, which are all used as a basis for admissions (a more detailed review of the admissions criteria into these programs is explained further below). Upon acceptance and arrival into the school, other programs, such as Medical Biology/Health Professions and Hospital Science (a year-long program where students intern at a local hospital for one semester; known as Med-Bio), the Academy of Public Service (APS), the Richard A. Brown Honors Law Institute (known as Brown), the Business Academy, Flags Academy (Foreign Language Academy for a Global Society, with a focus on the use of foreign language in the international business community), the Virtual Enterprises Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program are also offered. The school also offers College Now Courses, in collaboration with the

City University of New York (CUNY) The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pro ...

. Its CUNY College Now partner schools are

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

and

LaGuardia Community College LaGuardia Community College is a public community college in New York City. It is in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in and part of the City University of New York. LaGuardia is named after former congressman and New York City mayor ...

. The school offers several methods for potential students to apply to the school, with several of its programs among the most popular in the city, which are described below.

Law & Humanities

The Law & Humanities Institute received 4856 applications for 68 seats in 2011. Students in the Law Academy at FHHS take part in a four-year course of study that takes them from an introduction to law and legal writing through a study of civil and criminal law as well as constitutional law. Students within the program have the opportunity to take part in internships with New York law firms and the Queens District Attorney Office, and also benefit from partnerships with

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Fordham Law School Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test tak ...

and

Hughes Hubbard & Reed Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP ( a.k.a. "Hughes Hubbard" or "HHR") is a multinational law firm headquartered in New York City with offices in the United States, France, and Japan. The firm's history dates back to the late 19th century, when it co ...

. Each year, select students (typically juniors and seniors) participate in citywide Moot Court and Mock Trial competitions, demonstrating the skills they have developed in the program. Students also have the opportunity to produce a law journal and participate in the Forest Hills Youth Court, a program run in conjunction with Queens Borough Patrol North and the District Attorney's office. Admissions to the program is based on the Ed-Opt (Educational-Option) Formula, a program designed to attract a wide range of academic performers. Students applying to an Educational Option program are categorized into one of three groups based upon the results of their 7th grade standardized reading test score: Top 16% (High), Middle 68% (Middle), and Bottom 16% (Low). From the applicant pool, half the students are chosen by the school administration and half are selected randomly. However, students who score in the top 2% on the 7th grade English Language Arts reading exam will automatically be matched to the Ed-Opt program if they listed it as their first choice. If a child is in the top 2%, it is indicated on the application next to the reading score. This methodology applies to all Ed-Opt programs within the NYC DOE high school admissions system.

The Carl Sagan Science/Math Honors Academy

The Carl Sagan Science/Math Honors Academy is a program for Queens residents or students that offers intensive honors level courses in authentic science and math research, and seminars in advanced mathematics and statistics.

The Academy of Instrumental Music/Performing Arts & The Drama Academy

The Academy of Instrumental Music/Performing Arts offers an instruction on all vocal, band and orchestra instruments, while the Drama Academy provides study in acting and theater communication. Applicants must audition to be considered.

Zoned

For the Zoned program, students must apply and live in the geographic zoned area of the high school in order to receive priority. Students who list the Zoned program as their first choice in the application and live within the geographic zoned area are automatically accepted.

College readiness

For the 2013–2014 school year, FHHS offered

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

classes in

Art History Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, Calculus AB/BC, Computer Science A (frequently referred to as AP Java),

Human Geography Human geography or anthropogeography is the branch of geography that studies spatial relationships between human communities, cultures, economies, and their interactions with the environment. It analyzes spatial interdependencies between social i ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, Physics C,

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

Macroeconomics Macroeconomics (from the Greek prefix ''makro-'' meaning "large" + ''economics'') is a branch of economics dealing with performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. For example, using interest rates, taxes, and ...

, English Literature and Composition,

Environmental Science Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geograp ...

French Language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

, United States Government and Politics,

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

Spanish Language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

Spanish Literature Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wit ...

Statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...

United States History The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

, and World History. As a general rule, FHHS administrators require students to take AP exams during the month of May. Fee waivers are available for students who qualify for free lunch. The percentage of students who took any AP exam and scored a 3 or higher was 28.8% in 2012–2013. The average

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

scores were 523 in Math, 489 in Critical Reading and 492 in Writing. The average ACT scores were 25 in Math, 22 in English, 23 in Reading, and 22 in Science.

Extracurricular activities and clubs

The annual theater competition known as

SING! ''SING!'' is an annual student-run musical production put on by some high schools in New York City. It is a theater competition between the various grades, with the setup between grades differing from school to school (such as sophomore-freshman vs ...

pits seniors, juniors, and "sophmen" (freshmen and sophomores working together) against each other in a race to put on the best performance. Started in 1947 at Midwood High School in Brooklyn, SING! is a tradition at many New York City high schools. At Forest Hills, folk-rock legend

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

participated in SING! as a student at FHHS in the late 1950s.

Leslie Urdang Leslie R. Urdang (born 1956) is an American film producer and theatre executive. Education Urdang attended Forest Hills High School in New York City, where she was Chairman of ''Senior SING! 1972'' during her senior year, and at which she wa ...

, now a major Hollywood producer, chaired Senior SING! in 1972. SING! is now a huge school-wide event — in 2005, nearly 500 students participated. The entire production is written, produced, directed and funded by students. Forest Hills Comic Con For the past 4 years, the Forest Hills High School's comic book club has put on an annual "Comic Convention." It has been going on since 2016. The event is normally in May on a day in the weekend and features many different guests and artists selling autographs, doing commissions, and participating in panels. Over the past they have gotten C.J. Ramone from the Ramones, Marty Grabstein (Courage the Cowardly Dog) and Marvel Comics artist Sean Chen, as well as many more. Anyone from the public is encouraged to come and participate in the many events including karaoke, video game competitions, art, cosplay and dancing competitions, and more. The past few have been a few success, even getting coverage from the news. Forest Hills offers a wide range of clubs and activities. Clubs *

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

* Art Club * Cheerleading * Chess Club * Chinese/Korean/Japanese Clubs * Comic Book Club * Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Club *Girl Up Club * Indian Club * Italian Club * Japanese Club *

Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. As a student-led organization, Key Club's goal is to encourage leadership through serving others. Key Club International is the hig ...

* Latin Dance Club * Multicultural Club * Poetry Club * Russian Club * Shakespeare Club * Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Activities * Arista/

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

* ''Bio‐Medical Journal'' * Community service programs * Dance * Debate Team * Fashion Design * Math Team *

Mock Trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting ...

Moot Court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...

* Performing arts (Broadway production) * Peer mediation and negotiation * Photography * Robotics Team * School newspaper (''Beacon'') *

* Student government * We the People competition * Yearbook (''Forester'')

Athletics

Forest Hills currently competes in the

Public Schools Athletic League The Public Schools Athletic League, known by the abbreviation PSAL, is an organization that promotes student athletics in the public schools of New York City. It was founded in 1903 to provide and maintain a sports program for students enrolled in ...

(PSAL), and fields teams in many different sports. They include: Fall sports * Varsity bowling (boys' and girls') * Cross country (boys' and girls') * Varsity soccer (boys' and girls') * Varsity and JV volleyball (girls') Winter sports * Varsity and JV basketball (boys') * Girls' varsity basketball * Indoor track (boys' and girls') * Wrestling (boys') Spring sports * Varsity baseball (boys) * Varsity softball (girls) * Varsity volleyball (boys) * Outdoor track (boys' and girls') * Varsity tennis (boys' and girls') * Varsity handball (boys' and girls') * Varsity lacrosse (girls) Beginning in September 2012, in addition to the standard PSAL eligibility requirements, FHHS, with a vision of strong academic expectations, began requiring all student athletes to maintain a minimum overall GPA of 75.

Recognition

In June 1998, US President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

cited FHHS's "academic and extra-curricular excellence", and it became one of only 124 "Blue Ribbon" schools nationwide. In 2000, US First Lady

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

delivered the commencement address, per invitation of Luis Miranda and Crystel Debs. Jacob J. ("Jack") Lew, a 1972 graduate of FHHS, was then the Clinton administration's Director of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

, having been elevated to the post two years earlier. In the 2011–2012 school year, the school was featured on CNN in a story on how large high schools can succeed. CNN interviewed the principal and produced a video about the daily routine of the school. The school was awarded its fourth consecutive "A" in a row by the NYC Department of Education, a sign of excellence awarded by the city – making it the only non-specialized school to receive such a distinction in the city.

Student body

Enrollment and demographics

According to statistics provided by the New York City Department of Education, there were 3,840 students enrolled at Forest Hills for the 2014–2015 academic year. * 25% identified as Asian. * 10% identified as Black. * 34% identified as Hispanic/Latino. * 30% identified as White. * 2% identified as other races. 6% of the overall student body were classified as

English language learners English-Language Learner (often abbreviated as ELL) is a term used in some English-speaking countries such as the US and Canada to describe a person who is learning the English language and has a native language that is not English. Some education ...

(ELLs), and 53% were eligible for free lunch. 16% of students were with IEPs. 33% were from families deemed eligible for HRA assistance, while 3% were classified as living in temporary housing.

Notable alumni

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

('46), composer *

Remy Banks Remy Jose Banks (born 1988) is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of the New York music collective World's Fair, currently signed to Fool's Gold Records. Banks is also member of the music group Children of the Night, with fellow ...

('06), rapper *

Joey Beltram Joey Beltram (born 6 September 1971) is an American DJ and music producer, best known for his pioneering singles "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" and for remixing Human Resource (band), Human Resource's "Dominator (Human Resource song), Dominator". ...

, Musician, Techno *

Francine D. Blau Francine Dee Blau (born August 29, 1946 in New York City)Cicarelli, James and Julianne Cicarelli''Distinguished women economists''.Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003, pp. 36–40, . is an American economist and professor of economics as well as ...

('63), economist * Chuck Blazer ('61) sports executive *

Art Buchwald Arthur Buchwald (October 20, 1925 – January 17, 2007) was an American humorist best known for his column in ''The Washington Post''. At the height of his popularity, it was published nationwide as a syndicated column in more than 500 newspaper ...

('43; drop-out),

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winner * Ching Ho Cheng ('64), artist *

Ron Chernow Ronald Chernow (; born March 3, 1949) is an American writer, journalist and biographer. He has written bestselling historical non-fiction biographies. He won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 2011 American History Book Prize for his ...

('66), author of ''Hamilton'' * Roberta F. Colman ('55), biochemist * Peter Daempfle ('88), author * Despot, American hip hop artist *

Ian Eagle Ian Eagle ( ; born February 9, 1969) is an American sports announcer. He calls NBA, NFL, and college basketball games on CBS, TNT, and TBS, as well as Brooklyn Nets games on the YES Network and French Open tennis for Tennis Channel. Other ...

, sports announcer *

Ronnie Earl :''This article refers to the musician. For the district attorney of Travis County, Texas, see Ronnie Earle.'' Ronnie Earl (born Ronald Horvath, March 10, 1953, Queens, New York, United States) is an American blues guitarist and music instructor ...

('71), blues guitarist born Ronnie Horvath * Gilbert Eisner, épée fencer * Eugene Fidell ('61), lawyer and expert in military law *

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 ...

('58),

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning folk-rock singer of the duo

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

Ernie Grunfeld Ernest Grunfeld (born April 24, 1955) is a Romanian-American former professional basketball player and former general manager in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In college at the University of Tennessee, he set a new record as the sch ...

, former NBA player and former GM of the Washington Wizards * Maurice Harkless ('11), NBA player *

Marty Ingels Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...

(born Ingerman), actor *

Susan Isaacs Susan Isaacs (born December 7, 1943) is an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter. She adapted her debut novel into the film ''Compromising Positions''. Early life, family and education She was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Helen Asher ...

('61), novelist and screenwriter *

Dennis Jacobs Dennis Jacobs (born February 28, 1944) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Education and career Born and raised in New York City, Jacobs graduated from Forest Hills High School ...

, Court of Appeals judge,

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate juri ...

Tony Kappen Anthony George Kappen (April 13, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American professional basketball player. A 5'10" guard who did not attend college and had previously attended Forest Hills High School in Queens, Kappen played for the Bosto ...

('37), professional basketball player *

Robert Katzmann Robert Allen Katzmann (April 22, 1953 – June 9, 2021) was a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served as chief judge from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2020. Early life Rober ...

('70), Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit *

Bob Keeshan Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He created and played the title role in the children's television program '' Captain Kangaroo'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longes ...

, portrayed

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

Charles Kelman Charles David Kelman (May 23, 1930June 1, 2004) was an American ophthalmologist, surgeon, inventor, jazz musician, entertainer, and Broadway producer. Known as the father of phacoemulsification, he developed many of the medical devices, instrume ...

, ophthalmologist, inventor, and jazz musician *

Gary Kurfirst Gary Kurfirst (8 July 1947 – 13 January 2009) was an American music promoter, producer, manager, publisher, and record label executive. Kurfirst founded Radioactive Records, whose acts included Live, Black Grape, Ramones, Big Audio Dynamite, ...

, promoter, producer, manager, and record label executive inspiring the creation of the

Woodstock Festival Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

* Nathan Leventhal, New York City Deputy Mayor, President, Lincoln Center * Jacob J. ("Jack") Lew ('72), US Secretary of the Treasury (2013–17) *

Frank Lorenzo Francisco Anthony "Frank" Lorenzo (born May 19, 1940) is an American businessman. He is well known for his management of Continental Airlines and Texas International Airlines, between 1972 and 1990, through airline deregulation. Lorenzo also le ...

, business magnate *

George Low George Michael Low (born Georg Michael Löw, June 10, 1926 – July 17, 1984) was an administrator at NASA and the 14th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Low was one of the senior NASA officials who made numerous decisions as m ...

('43),

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

administrator and

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

president * Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, socialite and real estate developer *

Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he w ...

('69), bassist of the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

(dropped out) *

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

('69), singer of the

Johnny Ramone John William Cummings (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004), better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American musician who was the guitarist and a founding member of the Ramones, a band that helped pioneer the punk movement. ...

('66), guitarist of the

Tommy Ramone Thomas Erdelyi (born Tamás Erdélyi; January 29, 1949 – July 11, 2014), known professionally as Tommy Ramone, was a Hungarian American record producer and musician. He was the drummer for the influential punk rock band the Ramones for ...

('67), drummer of the

Marc Rich Marc Rich (born Marcell David Reich; December 18, 1934 – June 26, 2013) was an international commodity, commodities Trader (finance), trader, hedge fund manager, financier, businessman, and financial criminal. He founded the commodities company ...

(non-grad), commodity trader pardoned by President Clinton * Thomas F. Rosenbaum, President of California Institute of Technology *

Dave Rubinstein David Rubinstein, also known as Dave Insurgent (September 5, 1964 – July 3, 1993), was an American singer and co-founder of the New York-based hardcore punk band Reagan Youth. Rubenstein founded the band with guitarist Paul Bakija when both w ...

, singer of

Reagan Youth Reagan Youth is an American anarcho-punk band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein (Dave Insurgent) and guitarist Paul Bakija (Paul Cripple) in Queens, New York City in early 1980. History Initial career (1980–1990) Rubinstein and Bakija a ...

* Julio Rumbaut, Media executive and former President of Telemundo Channel 51 * Jack Samet ('57), American attorney and actor *

Leonard Schleifer Leonard S. Schleifer (born 1953) is an American businessman and is the co-founder and chief executive of the biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Early life and education He was born and raised in a Jewish family, the son of Florenc ...

('70), Co-founder and CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals * Paul M. Schwartz, expert in

information privacy law Information privacy, data privacy or data protection laws provide a legal framework on how to obtain, use and store data of natural persons. The various laws around the world describe the rights of natural persons to control who is using its dat ...

and torts, Jefferson E. Peyser Professor at

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (commonly known as Berkeley Law or UC Berkeley School of Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in Berkeley, California. It is one of 1 ...

, and creator of the phrase "YOTO" ("You Only Tort Once") *

Fred Silverman Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...

(1937-2020), television producerGenzlinger, Neil
"Fred Silverman, 82, Is Dead; a TV Force When Three Networks Ruled A top executive at CBS, ABC and then NBC, he shepherded series like ''All in the Family,'' ''Laverne & Shirley'' and ''Hill Street lues.''"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', January 30, 2020. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Fred Silverman was born on Sept. 13, 1937, in New York City to William and Mildred Silverman and grew up in Rego Park, Queens. His father was a television and radio service man, his mother a homemaker. Fred graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens." *

('58), Grammy Award-winning folk-rock singer of the duo Simon & Garfunkel as well as a solo artist *

Reby Sky Rebecca Victoria Hardy (née; Reyes; ; born August 6, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her recurring appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from 2014 to 2017. Early life Hardy was born in Flu ...

, model and wrestler *

Jerry Springer Gerald Norman Springer (born February 13, 1944) is a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, producer, former lawyer, and politician. He hosted the tabloid talk show ''Jerry Springer'' between September 30, 1991 and July 26, 2018, an ...

('61), shock television show host and former

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

mayor *

Dick Stockton Richard Edward Stokvis (born November 22, 1942), known professionally as Dick Stockton, is an American retired sportscaster. Stockton began his career in Philadelphia, then moved to Pittsburgh, where he worked as the sports director for KDKA-TV ...

('60), sports announcer *

Dennis Tito Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940) is an American engineer and entrepreneur. In mid-2001, he became the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space, when he spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of ISS EP-1, a visitin ...

('58), first space tourist *

Danny Troob Daniel Troob (born February 28, 1949, in Forest Hills, New York) is an American arranger and orchestrator best known for his contributions to the Disney blockbusters of the 1990s & 2000s. He won Drama Desk awards for '' Big River'' (1985) and Rodge ...

('66), Tony- and Academy Award-winning orchestrator and arranger *

Tatiana Troyanos Tatiana Troyanos (September 12, 1938 – August 21, 1993) was an American mezzo-soprano of Greek and German descent, remembered as "one of the defining singers of her generation" (''Boston Globe''). Her voice, "a paradoxical voice — larger ...

('56), mezzo-soprano opera singer *

('72), film and theatre producer *

John Vinocur John Eli Vinocur (June 17, 1940 – February 6, 2022) was an American journalist, editor, and columnist known for his coverage of international news. He was metro editor for ''The New York Times'', after serving as the paper's bureau chief in Fr ...

, journalist * Katharine Weber, novelist *

Leslie West Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. Life and career Early years: 1 ...

, rock guitarist *

William Westney William Frank Westney (born 1947) is an American classical pianist and professor of music. Westney was the top piano prize-winner of the Geneva International Music Competition, and he appeared thereafter as soloist with such major orchestras as ...

Chairman Music Dept. Texas Tech, renowned pianist and music instructor. * Steve Wilstein ('66), National Headline Award-winning sports columnist *

Betsy Wollheim Elizabeth Rosalind "Betsy" Wollheim (born 5 December 1951, New York) is the President, co-Publisher and co-Editor-in-Chief of science fiction and fantasy publisher DAW Books, "a small private company, owned exclusively by its publishers." The la ...

, science fiction publisher

References

External links

Official FHHS website

Forest Hills High School (PSAL profile)

Principal's Office: Saul Gootnick: 'You Have to Do Baby Steps' I Schoolbook: News, data and conversation about schools in New York City
{{authority control Public high schools in Queens, New York Forest Hills, Queens 1937 establishments in New York City