Curtis High School, 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 ...

, is one of seven public high schools located in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

, New York City,

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 * '' ...

. It was founded on February 9, 1904, the first high school on Staten Island.

History

Curtis High School is named after nationally prominent Republican writer and orator George W. Curtis, who lived nearby. The school was the first public building built following the consolidation of Greater New York. It was part of a plan to erect a major high school in each of the outlying boroughs, with

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was founded in 1786 as Erasmus Hall Ac ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Morris High School in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, and

Flushing High School Flushing High School is a four-year public high school in Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education. As of the 2020-21 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,4 ...

in Queens being the other three. It was designed by the architect

C. B. J. Snyder Charles B. J. Snyder (November 4, 1860 – November 14, 1945) was an American architect, architectural engineer, and mechanical engineer in the field of urban school building design and construction. He is widely recognized for his leadership, i ...

. The cornerstone was laid in 1902, it was completed and opened 1904. The original building of brick and limestone is dominated by a large square turreted tower inspired by English medieval models. The first principal was Columbia graduate Oliver Durfee Clark, who served 1904 to 1906. The second principal (1906–1912) was Harry Freeman Towle, a graduate of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

. Additions were made to the building in 1922, 1925 and 1937. John M Avent (Columbia Graduate, author) was principal from 1924 to the late 1940s. Curtis was designated a New York City

Landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

on October 12, 1982. The gym and cafeteria wings were added at a later date as additions to the original building's

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

architecture.

Academics

Curtis offers an

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

Scholarship Honors program with accelerated curriculum and

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 ...

courses, and courses include nursing,

NJROTC 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 ...

, performing arts, visual arts, business/computer institute, CoOp, human and legal studies, journalism institute and school for international services.

Extracurricular activities

Curtis offers a robotics team, National Honor Society, chess club, Key Club, black and Hispanic awareness clubs, film club, Moot Court, the Curtis Players, jazz band, orchestra, dance, symphonic band, the ''Curtis Log'' (newspaper), ''Crosswinds'' (yearbook), math team, criminal law and justice mentoring program, peer mediation and conflict resolution programs.

Sports

Curtis fields over thirty varsity teams, including a

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

team, as well as

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

/ cross country,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

teams. In addition, Curtis club teams include boys' varsity and junior varsity, and girls' varsity

Ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *''Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *''The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilatio ...

teams. The Curtis High School Track was named after

Abel Kiviat Abel Richard Kiviat (June 23, 1892 – August 24, 1991) was an American middle-distance runner. He was the oldest living American Olympic medalist at the time of his death. He competed for and coached the Irish American Athletic Club, and was la ...

and the Baseball Field was renamed

Bobby Thomson Robert Brown Thomson (October 25, 1923 – August 16, 2010) was a Scottish Americans, Scottish-born American professional baseball player, nicknamed the "Staten Island Scot". He was an outfielder and right-handed batter for the New York Giants ( ...

Field in 2007

Enrollment

Curtis has a total enrollment of about 3,006 and is open to residents of New York City entering either ninth or tenth grade. Enrollment requirements vary depending on which of the ten "houses" the student is going to be enrolled. There are zoned programs where enrollment is based mostly on geography, with Staten Island residents having priority over all other boroughs. Within Staten Island, geographical areas closer to the school have priority over all other areas of Staten Island. Most other programs rely either on the prospective student's grades and city standardized tests or specialized enrollment tests. The school's population is 38% African American, 31% Hispanic, 22.9% White and 7.5% Asian.

Feeder patterns and admissions

All New York City students entering high school must apply to schools, as there are no zoning boundaries for high schools in New York City. Only special zoned programs have geographical restrictions whereby certain areas of Staten Island have priority over all of the rest of New York City.

Notable alumni

Vincent Robert Capodanno Vincent Robert Capodanno Jr., M.M. (February 13, 1929 – September 4, 1967) was a Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldw ...

, US Navy chaplain, received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

after dying under fire in Vietnam.

Father Capodanno Boulevard Father Capodanno Boulevard, formerly Seaside Boulevard, is the primary north-south artery that runs through the Arrochar, South Beach, Ocean Breeze, Midland Beach, and New Dorp Beach neighborhoods of the New York City borough of Staten Island. ...

is named for him, as is the * Joseph F. Merrell Jr. (1926–1945), posthumously awarded United States Medal of Honor for combat in World War II. A ferry is named for him. *

Jeb Stuart Magruder Jeb Stuart Magruder (November 5, 1934May 11, 2014) was an American businessman and high-level political operative in the Republican Party who served time in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. He served President Richard Nixon in var ...

, lawyer, advisor to President Nixon, Watergate conspirator * Ralph J. Lamberti, Staten Island borough president *

Alfred E. Santangelo Alfred Edward Santangelo (June 4, 1912 – March 30, 1978) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. From 1957 to 1963, he served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Life Santangelo was born on June 4, 1912, in New York C ...

, United States Congressman *

Loring McMillen Loring McMillen (March 10, 1906 – March 19, 1991) was Staten Island's official historian who preserved the works of Alice Austen and worked to restore Historic Richmond Town. Biography He was born in Staten Island on March 10, 1906. He ...

, Official Staten Island historian, and one of the founders of the Richmondtown Museum

Arts and music

Florina Kaja Florina "Flo" Kaja (born September 1, 1982)''U.S. Public Records Index, Vol 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American reality television personality, singer and actress native to Staten Island, New York. She is mostl ...

, reality TV star *

Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, including ''The Giver Quartet,'' ''Number the Stars'', and ''Rabble Starkey.'' She is known for writing a ...

, children's author, two-time

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

winner *

Amy Vanderbilt Amy Osborne Vanderbilt (July 22, 1908 – December 27, 1974) was an American authority on etiquette. In 1952 she published the best-selling book ''Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette''. The book, later retitled ''Amy Vanderbilt's Etiquet ...

(1908–1974), author of the best-selling ''Complete Book of Etiquette'' (1952). A native of Staten Island *

Emily Genauer Emily Genauer (July 19, 1911 – August 23, 2002) was an American art critic for the ''New York World'', the '' New York Herald Tribune'', and '' Newsday''. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1974. Biography She was born on Staten Islan ...

, art critic, won a Pulitzer Prize for newspaper reporting. *

Mario Buatta Mario Buatta (October 20, 1935 – October 15, 2018) was an American interior decorator. Early life and education Born in West Brighton, Staten Island, New York, he was the son of Felice Buatta, who worked as a violinist and bandleader under th ...

, famous interior designer *

Betty Aberlin Betty Aberlin (born Betty Kay Ageloff; December 30, 1942) is an American actress, poet, and writer. She is best known as Lady Aberlin on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', a role she played for the entirety of the show's 33-year run. Life and c ...

, children's television actress known for

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debut ...

, poet, activist *

Selita Ebanks Selita Ebanks (born 17 February 1983) is a Caymanian model and actress."Selita Ebanks" ...

, Victoria's Secret Model *

The RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

, hip-hop recording artist, and producer, and member of the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

. In his song "Sunshower", he raps, "Old Earth got nervous, walked me to Shaolin, sent me to Curtis" * Richie Castellano, singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and keyboard player for the Blue Oyster Cult * David O. Stewart '69, historian and author *

Michael Henry Heim Michael Henry Heim (January 21, 1943 – September 29, 2012) was a professor of Slavic languages at the University of California at Los Angeles. He was an active and prolific translator, and was fluent in Czech, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Hung ...

(1943–2012), literary translator, inducted as a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

* Robert F. Gleckner (1925–2001), English professor, author and editor; internationally renown William Blake and Lord Byron scholar and Romanticism expert.

Sports

'42, baseball player for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, famous for " the Shot Heard 'Round the World" * Jack Hynes '37, Soccer Hall of Fame and MVP of the American Soccer League * Frank Fernández, Major League Baseball player, Yankees, Athletics, Senators, Cubs * James Jenkins, former football player with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

*Andrew J. Barberi, football player and longtime Curtis High coach. Staten Island ferry '' MV Andrew J. Barberi'' is named for him. * Dominique Easley, current player for the L.A. Rams * Halil Kanacevic, professional basketball player *

'08, Olympic Silver medalist 1912 *

Steve Gregory Stephen 'Steve' Gregory (born 1945) is an English jazz saxophonist and composer. He plays tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophone as well as the flute. Biography and career Gregory was born in London. At St. Paul's School he learned guit ...

, football player for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

* Vernon Turner, '01 former player for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Anthony Varvaro Anthony Michael Varvaro (October 31, 1984 – September 11, 2022) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox from 2010 to 2015. After Varvar ...

, Atlanta Braves relief pitcher * Shemiah LeGrande, current player for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Isaiah Wilkerson Isaiah Jamal Wilkerson (born November 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Dorados de Chihuahua of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He finished his collegiate career in 2011–12 as the Great West Confer ...

, basketball player * Irv Constantine, NFL player *

Sonny Ruberto John Edward Ruberto onny(January 2, 1946 – March 25, 2014) was a backup catcher and pinch runner in Major League Baseball who played over parts of two seasons for the San Diego Padres (1969) and the Cincinnati Reds (1972). Listed at 5' 11", ...

, major league baseball player *

Terry Crowley Terrence Michael Crowley (born February 16, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and utility player from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Oriol ...

, major league baseball player *

Elmer Ripley Elmer H. Ripley (July 21, 1891 – April 29, 1982) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball at seven different schools and for several professional teams. Early life Ripley was born in Staten Island, New York on July 21, ...

, early pro basketball player and college coach

Parental support

Parents collaborate with the school's administration and its staff through monthly PTA meetings, PTA newsletters, School Leadership Team meetings, Gear-Up, Principal's Consultative Council, Health Fair, HIV AIDS Team, and the football, track, robotics and performing arts parents clubs.

Community support

Partnerships: * Liberty Partnership Mentoring Program (CSI) * Gear-Up * Discovery Institute (CSI) * Brooklyn Polytechnic University Center for Youth in Engineering and Science * Curtis HS Career Connections * Global Ambassadors *Corporations: ** Infinity Broadcasting ** MIX 102.7 FM **

O’Melveny & Myers O'Melveny & Myers LLP is an American multinational law firm founded in Los Angeles, California in 1885. The firm employs approximately 740 lawyers and has offices in California, Washington, D.C., New York City, Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, Lo ...

Law Firm *Higher education institutions: **

College of Staten Island The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a public university in Staten Island, New York. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the City University of New York system. Programs in the liberal arts and sciences and professional studi ...

** St. John's University *Cultural/arts organizations: ** Snug Harbor *Community-based organizations: ** NYCID ** Liberty Partnership ** P.A.S.S. *Hospital outreach: ** Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home **

Staten Island University Hospital Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) is a member hospital of Northwell Health. It is a major tertiary referral center in Staten Island, New York City. SIUH is a two-campus, 668-bed specialized teaching hospital. Occupying two large campuses ...

** St. Vincent's Hospital ** Egger Nursing Home *Financial institutions: **

Federal Reserve Bank A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts that were created by the Federal Reserve A ...

Mentoring Program

Schoolwide awards and recognition

* 7-time PSAL Girls' Bowling Championship * 13-time PSAL Boys' Cross Country City Championship (1928, 1929, 1930 ationals 1931, 1933, 1935, 1938) * 7-time PSAL Boys' Football Championship (1998, 1999, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2016, 2017) * 3-time PSAL Boys' Golf City Championship * 2-time PSAL Girls' Cross Country City Championship * 3 time Boys' PSAL Indoor Track City Championships, (first one in 1909 with help of Olympic Silver medal winner Abel Kiviat),1928 * Boys' PSAL Bowling Championship * Girls' PSAL Basketball "A" City Championship (2011, 2012, 2013) * Girls' PSAL Golf City Championship * 2-time Girls' PSAL Lacrosse City Championship (2015, 2016) *Boys' PSAL Lacrosse City Championship (2016) * Boys' PSAL Basketball "A" City Championship * Boys' PSAL Wrestling "A" City Championship * 3-time Girls' PSAL Wrestling Championship (2013, 2014, 2015) * Boys' PSAL Soccer Championship (1915, 1917) * Boys' PSAL Baseball Championship (1943, 1961, 1962) * Boys' PSAL Tennis Singles Championship (1917) * Boys' Lacrosse Semi Finals NYC (1915,2017,2019)

Other

Curtis alumn Jason Defazio was killed on 9/11. He worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center at Cantor Fitzgerald.

References

External links

Curtis HS official website

Curtis High School Association of Alumni and Friends (CHSAAF)

Class of 1974 reunion organization
{{Education in Staten Island Educational institutions established in 1904 Public high schools in Staten Island New York City Designated Landmarks in Staten Island Magnet schools in New York (state) St. George, Staten Island 1904 establishments in New York City

History

Academics

Extracurricular activities

Sports

Enrollment

Feeder patterns and admissions

Notable alumni

Arts and music

Sports

Parental support

Community support

Schoolwide awards and recognition

Other

See also

References

External links