Brentwood High School (New York)
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Brentwood High School is a
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
in Brentwood,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, United States. It is one of the largest high schools in New York State, and is in Suffolk County,
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
. It is a part of the
Brentwood Union Free School District Brentwood Union Free School District is a school district headquartered in Brentwood, New York. In 2015 Joseph C. Bond, previously superintendent of Brentwood UFSD, became the interim superintendent of Bay Shore School District Bay Shore Union ...
.


History


1951–1970

The first class to graduate from Brentwood High School was the class of 1957. Before that, public school students in the district attended
Bay Shore High School Bay Shore High School is a public high school located in Bay Shore, New York. The school serves about 2,000 students in grades 9 to 12.Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
. On the basis of this work, the foundation awarded Brentwood High School (with Hofstra as the "cooperating university") a grant of more than $300,000 for curriculum development. The Sonderling Building was completed and opened in September 1964. It was named for the then-President of the Board of Education, Edward Sonderling. During the summer of 1968 (in compliance with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968), temporary portable classrooms were constructed between the Ross and Sonderling Buildings, housing the language and health classes. The Guy di Pietro Building was later constructed between the two main buildings and named in honor of the late social studies department chair who became the Superintendent of Schools in 1973 and remained so until his death in 1985. On January 11, 1968, then-Senator
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
visited Brentwood High School and spoke to 800+ students, parents and faculty in the Sonderling auditorium. After giving a short address, he opened the floor to questions and asked his own questions of the audience.


1970–1980

On June 27, 1971, the last Brentwood senior class graduated together as one 1,400 body of students enjoying the now demolished Commack Arena as the commencement site. By June 1973 the separation between BHS Ross and BHS Sonderling was complete. The class of 1973 had two separate graduations; Ross building was at 1pm, and Sonderling was at 5pm. The total graduating class from 1973 was about 1,200 students. The commencement ceremonies were held on the athletic field on June 23, 1973. From 1974 to 1989, the student body was large enough that the two primary buildings, Ross and Sonderling, were treated as two distinct high schools. Students from North Middle School and West Middle School went to Sonderling, while students from East Middle School and South Middle School went to Ross. Brentwood High School was the site of the
Maslow-Toffler School of Futuristic Education The Maslow-Toffler School of Futuristic Education was an alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alter ...
, an
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...
high school, from 1974 to 1983.Geographic Information Systems: a Tool for Success
WXBA's first general manager was Long Island radio personality Bob Ottone, the future public address announcer for the
Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...
. The initial output of WXBA was ten watts, which meant that the signal barely made it three miles from the school under some conditions. It was upgraded in 1981 to 180 watts. Brentwood High School established an Air Force
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
(AFJROTC) in 1977. As of 2006, it was one of only two Long Island high schools to offer the program.''Brentwood Bulletin'', October 2006.
Accessed 01 January 2007.
The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
reported in 1980 that a week after Principal Stanley P. Yankowski instructed homeroom teachers to take down the names of students who did not stand for the daily recitation of the
Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...
, the practice was stopped after a teacher complained to the
New York Civil Liberties Union The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is a civil rights organization in the United States. Founded in November 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, it is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with nearl ...
."Principal to Stop Listing Those Sitting for Pledge." Associated Press, 10 October 1980.


1981–1990

WXBA moved to expanded facilities in the newly built G. Guy DiPietro Learning Center"School Roundup." ''Newsday'', 28 October 1987 during the 1988-89 school year. The Brentwood Science Olympiad team competed in the New York State Science Olympiad tournament at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
on April 16, 1988. According to ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'', the team "finished second in Suffolk County, third on Long Island and 13th out of 147 schools in the State of New York.""School Roundup." ''Newsday'', 27 April 1988. In 1988, Brentwood's AFJROTC unit was named an honor unit by the
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
. "Only the top 20 percent of all units in the nation are considered for recognition as honor unit. In addition, Lt. Col. Arthur Bennett and Master Sgt. James Waide have been named outstanding instructors," according to ''Newsday''."School Roundup." ''Newsday'', 21 December 1988. ''Newsday'' awarded Brentwood High School the High School of the Year Award in 1989.


1991–2000

In 1991, a plaque was hung listing military personnel who hailed from Brentwood.Gray, Katti. "The Americans Who Went to War: Brentwood Community Is Filled With Prayers and Pride For Its Hundreds in the Gulf." ''Newsday'', 3 March 1991. In 1999, 56 solar panels were installed on the Ross Building.


2001–present

In 2004, ''
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 ...
'' reported that Brentwood would be one of four Long Island school districts (the others being Hempstead,
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
and
Manhasset Manhasset is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in D ...
) to be audited by the state comptroller in the wake of charges of theft made against school administration officials in Roslyn. On
Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than di ...
in 2005, ''Newsday'' covered the dedication of a memorial to 15 graduates of the high school who had died during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.Tabatchnick, Cara. "Brentwood Honors Brothers in Arms." ''Newsday'', 13 November 2005. On December 5, 2009, the Green Machine Marching Band represented Brentwood in C.W. Post's production of "Babes in Toyland" at the Tilles Center in Brookville, New York. On October 28, 2012, the Green Machine Marching band took second place at the Syracuse Carrier dome in the division Large School II with a score of 89.05, performing its program "Conflict Without Resolution". It was beaten by Bville, with a score of 89.15. On October 27, 2013, the Green Machine Marching band performed its first show in the National Division, being the only high school on Long Island to be included in the division. It performed its show "The Blue Hour" and came in 5th place out of 8 with a score of 90.85, a personal best for the band. On November 1 of 2015, the Green Machine Marching band performed its program "The Glory of Rome" at the Syracuse Carrier dome in the National class and came in 5th place out of 8, with a score of 92.55, the current record for the National Class Long Island band.


School information

Brentwood High School is among the 19 elementary and secondary schools in the Brentwood Union Free School District in
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, New York. The school educates students from grades 10-12 (9th graders attend the Brentwood Freshman Center) and also has adult continuing education programs. According to city-data.com, the school has a total of 3,532 students: 1,371 in 10th grade, 991 in 11th grade, 806 in 12th grade, and 275 from adult continuing education. The school has two auditoriums, two gymnasiums, and six cafeterias. It is divided into three centers, Ross center, Sonderling center, and Guy Di Pietro learning center. Students who came from East or South middle schools are assigned under the Ross center, and students who came from West and North middle schools are assigned under the Sonderling center, although students attend classes in both buildings as well as with students of either building. The Guy Di Pietro learning center holds art and music classes. It also has a weight room, a gym, and a lecture center. When the middle schools were opened, they were known as junior high schools.


Sports

* Baseball (boys' varsity/JV, girls' varisity/JV) * Basketball - boys' Class AA Long Island Champions (2004, 2014, 2015) * Cheerleading * Fencing team (boys', girls') * Football (boys' varsity/JV) * Lacrosse -
Frank Urso Frank Urso (born 1954) is a former American lacrosse player and current high school lacrosse coach, best known for his collegiate career at the University of Maryland from 1973 to 1976. During those four years, Maryland won two national champion ...
, All-American, Class of 1972, after high school played at the University of Maryland and is in the hall of fame, helping the team win its second NCAA Championship in 1975. * Soccer - boys' varsity New York State Class A Champions 1958, 1989, 2008, 2010(undefeated), 2019(undefeated) * Softball - New York State Class A Champions, 2009 * Tennis (boys' varsity/JV, girls' varsity/JV) * Winter track (boys' and girls') * Spring track (boys' and girls') * Volleyball (girls' varsity/JV) * Wrestling (boys' varsity/JV/youth) * Swimming (boys' varsity, girls' varsity) *Marching Band


Notable alumni


1960–1981

*
Reggie Fils-Aime Reggie is a given name, usually a short form of the name Reginald. It may refer to: People * Reggie Bonnafon (born 1996), American football player * Reggie Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Reggie Bush (born 1985), National Football Le ...
, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America (2006-2019) (graduated in 1979) *
Robert Gallucci Robert L. Gallucci (born February 11, 1946) is an American academic and diplomat, who formerly worked as president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He previously served as dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service ...
, former US Ambassador at Large (1994–1996); dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (graduated in 1962) *
Larry Hoppen Larry Lewis Hoppen (January 12, 1951 – July 24, 2012) was an American musician who was a co-founder, vocalist and guitarist/keyboardist of the pop-rock group Orleans. Orleans was formed in Woodstock, New York in January 1972 by Hoppen, vocalist/ ...
, founding member of the band Orleans (graduated in 1966) *
Mitch Kupchak Mitchell Kupchak (born May 24, 1954) is an American professional basketball executive and retired player. He is the current president of basketball operations and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NB ...
, former basketball player; former general manager of the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
(graduated in 1972)"Nets Have Kupchak on List." ''The New York Times,'' 6 May 2000.More than just Luck
/ref> *
Jef Raskin Jef Raskin (born Jeff Raskin; March 9, 1943 – February 26, 2005) was an American human–computer interface expert best known for conceiving and starting the Macintosh project at Apple in the late 1970s. Early life and education Jef Raskin ...
(Jeffrey Frank Raskin, died Feb. 2005), computer scientist (graduated 1960) *
Jack Scalia Jack Scalia (born November 10, 1950) is an American actor. He has had many roles in television series (both as a regular and as a guest-star), television movies, and feature films. He is perhaps best known for his role as Chris Stamp on ''All My ...
, actor (graduated in 1969) *
Leonard H. Tower Jr. Leonard "Len" H. Tower Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is a free software activist and one of the founding board members of the Free Software Foundation, where he contributed to the initial releases of GNU Compiler Collection, gcc and GNU diff. He ...
, a founder of the
Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)#501(c)(3), 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985, to support the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed ...
(graduated in 1967) *
Frank Urso Frank Urso (born 1954) is a former American lacrosse player and current high school lacrosse coach, best known for his collegiate career at the University of Maryland from 1973 to 1976. During those four years, Maryland won two national champion ...
, member of the Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Hall of Fame and National Lacrosse Hall of FameForbes, John B. "At Johns Hopkins, Lacrosse Is No.1." ''The New York Times'', 10 April 1983.National Lacrosse Hall of Fame website
(graduated in 1979)


1981–2000

*
Craig Mack Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1971 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper and record producer, and was famous during his tenure under Bad Boy Records. Early life and career Craig Jamieson Mack was born in The Bronx, New York, and raised on ...
, rapper (graduated in 1988) *
Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...
, rapper; * James "Buddy" McGirt, boxer (graduated in 1982) *
Richard Migliore Richard Migliore (born March 14, 1964 in Babylon, New York) is a retired American jockey. He now works as a racing analyst for XBTV. He was nicknamed "The Mig," which is a type of Russian fighter jet, for his tenacious style of riding. He lives ...
, jockey, (graduated via correspondence course in 1981) *
Thomas Piccirilli Thomas Piccirilli (May 27, 1965 – July 11, 2015) was an American novelist and short story writer. Career Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. Some of his stories were include ...
, author (graduated in 1983) *
Jai Rodriguez Jai Rodriguez is an American actor and musician best known as the culture guide on the Bravo network's Emmy-winning American reality television program ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''. He has also co-authored a book with the other ''Queer ...
, member of '' Queer Eye'' (graduated in 1997) * Rahadyan Sastrowardoyo, staff editor of ''
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 ...
'' (graduated in 1981) *
Erick Sermon Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work. Career Sermon started profe ...
, rapper; also performed as part of the group
EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
*
Parrish Smith Parrish J. Smith (born May 13, 1968), better known as PMD ('Parrish Mic Doc' or 'Parrish Making Dollars'), is an American rapper from Brentwood, New York, a member of EPMD and Hit Squad. Career He attended Brentwood High School, and has rel ...
, rapper; also performed as part of the group
EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...


See also

*
Maslow-Toffler School of Futuristic Education The Maslow-Toffler School of Futuristic Education was an alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alter ...


Notes

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em


External links


Official site

1964 Brentwood yearbook photos
Public high schools in New York (state) Islip (town), New York Schools in Suffolk County, New York 1957 establishments in New York (state)