William Cullen Bryant High School, or William C. Bryant High School, and W.C. Bryant High School, or Bryant High School for short, is a secondary school in

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, United States serving grades 9 through 12.

Name

It is named in honor of

William Cullen Bryant William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the ''New York Evening Post''. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poetry ...

, an American

romantic poet Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Enlightenment ideas of the 18t ...

, journalist, and long-time editor of the ''

New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

''. He is most known for his work as one of the creators of Central Park in Manhattan, New York.

Statistics

As of 2021, The school has 2,141 students enrolled; the ethnic make-up of the school is 54% Hispanic, 25% Asian, 14% white, and 7% black. The school has a four-year graduation rate of 87%. and an attendance rate of 84%. In 2017, New York City Department of Education gave it a in-general school rating of Proficient.

History

The school was founded in 1889. A new building was built between 1902 and 1904 in the Dutch Kills section of Long Island City on Wilbur Avenue (now called 41st Avenue).Long Island City's Big New High School
. ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle''. February 26, 1902. p. 9. John T. Woodruff was awarded a $169,874 contract () to build the school. It was a four-story brick building with a capacity of 1,455 students. The new building opened on September 12, 1904. Bryant moved to its current site on 31st Ave in 1930, and the former building became

Long Island City High School Long Island City High School, commonly abbreviated L.I.C. or LICHS, is a public high school in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. The present building was built in 1995. The school had an enrollment of around 2,500 in 2015. Demographics As ...

In popular culture

*The School Song of William Cullen Bryant High School

' *William Cullen Bryant was the school in the popular film ''

A Bronx Tale ''A Bronx Tale'' is a 1993 American coming-of-age crime film directed by and starring Robert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced by Jane Rosenthal, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's 1989 play of the same name. It tells the coming of ...

''.

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

visited the school. *Two episodes of the hit TV show ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

'' were shot in the school. One was shot in the lunch room. The episode featured

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

who visited the school. The episode was called " Granny Pants". *In episode 13 of season one of ''

Archie Bunker's Place ''Archie Bunker's Place'' is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of ''All in the Family''. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979, to April 4, 1983. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough ...

'' titled "Man of the Year"

Archie Bunker Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands * Archie Blake (mathematici ...

says he graduated from the school in 1940.

Notable alumni

Herb Abrams Herbert Charles Abrams (July 9, 1955 – July 23, 1996), also known by the nickname Mr. Electricity, was an American professional wrestling promoter from Queens, New York, who founded the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1990. Early life ...

(1955-1996), founder of the Universal Wrestling Federation *

Susan Anspach Susan Florence Anspach (; November 23, 1942 – April 2, 2018) was an American stage, film and television actress, who was best known for her roles in films during the 1970s and 1980s such as ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970), '' Play It Again, Sa ...

(1942–2018), American stage and film actress *

Panayiota Bertzikis Panayiota Bertzikis is an author, public speaker, and women's rights activist. Life and works Panayiota Bertzikis is a United States Coast Guard veteran who founded the Military Rape Crisis Center in August 2006 while she was still on active dut ...

(Class of 1999), executive director and founder of the Military Rape Crisis Center * Edward Bryant Jr. (1954– , Class of 1972), inducted into The Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2016, received a Doctorate in Martial Arts, DMA in 2017, and a Baltimore City Public School mathematics/computer teacher, 1977 – 2011. *

Fernando Caldeiro Fernando "Frank" Caldeiro (June 12, 1958 – October 3, 2009) was an Argentine-born American scientist and NASA astronaut. Early life and education Caldeiro was born on June 12, 1958, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but considered New York City and ...

(1958–2009), astronaut *

Eugenie Clark Eugenie Clark (May 4, 1922 – February 25, 2015), popularly known as The Shark Lady, was an American ichthyologist known for both her research on shark behavior and her study of fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. Clark was a pioneer in the fie ...

(1922–2015), ichthyologist known for both her research on shark behavior and her study of fish in the order

Tetraodontiformes The Tetraodontiformes are an order of highly derived ray-finned fish, also called the Plectognathi. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the order Perciformes. The Tetraodontiformes are represented by 10 extant families and at least ...

. *

Florence Finney Florence Donady Finney (March 19, 1903 – May 28, 1994) was an American politician and civic leader who served as the first woman president pro tempore of the Connecticut State Senate from 1973 through 1974. A Republican representing Greenwich ...

(1903–1994), first woman to serve as president pro tempore of the Connecticut State Senate. *

Veronica Gedeon Veronica Gedeon (1917 – March 28, 1937) was a 20-year-old''Girl, 20, And Mother Slain With Lodger In Home In 50th Street'', New York Times, March 29, 1937, pg. 1. commercial model from Long Island City whose murder (along with her mother, Mary, a ...

(1917–1937),

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...

native,

commercial model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Though ...

, 1937 New York City murder victim *

David Horowitz David Joel Horowitz (born January 10, 1939) is an American conservative writer. He is a founder and president of the right-wing David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC); editor of the Center's website ''FrontPage Magazine''; and director of Disco ...

, biographer and conservative intellectual. *

Joel Klein Joel Irwin Klein (born October 25, 1946) is an American lawyer and school superintendent. He was the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States, serving more than 1.1 million st ...

(1946– ), New York City Department of Education chancellor from 2002 to 2011 *

Richard Kline Richard Kline (born April 29, 1944) is an American actor and television director. His roles include Larry Dallas on the sitcom ''Three's Company'', Richie in the later seasons of ''It's a Living'' and Jeff Beznick in '' Noah Knows Best''. Early ...

(1944– ), played Larry Dallas on classic ABC-TV sitcom ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom ''Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single roomma ...

''. He also performed on Broadway in '' City of Angels'' and is a member of the Lincoln Center Repertory Company. *

Winifred Lenihan Winifred Lenihan (December 6, 1898 – July 27, 1964) was an American actress, writer, and director. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making her debut in 1918. Although she portrayed the would-be eloper Anne in ''The D ...

(1898–1964), stage actress and director who played

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's play '' Saint Joan'' on its debut in 1923 *

Billy Loes William Loes (December 13, 1929 – July 15, 2010) was an American right-handed pitcher who spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1950, 1952–56), Baltimore Orioles (1956–59) and San Franci ...

(1929–2010), former Major League baseball pitcher who played in the World Series, winning for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

in 1955, was born in the area and attended Bryant High School. He also played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. *

Lou Lumenick Louis J. Lumenick (born September 11, 1949) is an American film critic. He was the chief film critic and film editor for the ''New York Post'' where he reviewed films from 1999 until his retirement in 2016. He is currently researching the histor ...

(1949– ), New York Post metropolitan editor and film critic. * Ollie Mack, retired NBA player *

Mike Maloy Michael Alvin Maloy (May 10, 1949 – February 3, 2009) was an American-Austrian professional basketball player who played in the United States (in the ABA) and in Austria (in the OBB). College career Maloy attended Davidson College &ndash ...

, basketball player *

Sam Mele Sabath Anthony "Sam" Mele (January 21, 1922 – May 1, 2017) was an American right fielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he led the Minnesota Twins to their first American League championship in . Early li ...

(1922–2017), Major League Baseball player and manager *

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary ''Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

(1908–1984), star of musical comedies on Broadway and in Hollywood, was born in Astoria and graduated from Bryant. The school's auditorium was named the Ethel Merman Theater in 1989 during its centennial celebration. *

Suze Rotolo Susan Elizabeth Rotolo (November 20, 1943 – February 25, 2011),''The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia'', 2006, pp. 592–594, Michael Gray, Continuum known as Suze Rotolo ( ), was an American artist, and the girlfriend of Bob Dylan from 1961 to 1964. ...

(1943–2011), an American artist,

book artist Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

, author, but best known as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's girlfriend between 1961 and 1964. She is the woman walking with him on the cover of his album ''

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album ''Bob Dylan'' had contained only two original songs, this album ...

''. * Moe Spahn (1912–1991), basketball player * Fred Van Dusen (1937-2018), Major League Baseball player for

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Remy Ma Reminisce Mackie ( Smith; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. In 2006, she released her debut stu ...

Rapper/Actress

References

External links

School Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant Public high schools in Queens, New York Long Island City