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William Howard Taft High School (New York City)

 

 
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William Howard Taft High School (New York City)
 
 
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for schools of the same name.

William Howard Taft High School was a high school in South Bronx
South Bronx

The South Bronx is a region of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It strictly refers to the southwestern portion of the borough, and should not be confused with the southern Bronx....
, New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
.

The school was operated by the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. These schools form the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,400 separate schools....
.

Taft H.S. is located in an impoverished, high crime area. Being located in the "South Bronx", in the 1980s and early 1990s, Taft H.S. earned a notorious reputation as one of the most crime, violence, and gang-ridden schools in the country.

This was in marked contrast to its past glory in the 1940s-1950s as one of the Bronx's premier public high schools - both in sports and academics.






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for schools of the same name.

William Howard Taft High School was a high school in South Bronx
South Bronx

The South Bronx is a region of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It strictly refers to the southwestern portion of the borough, and should not be confused with the southern Bronx....
, New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
.

The school was operated by the New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. These schools form the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,400 separate schools....
.

Taft H.S. is located in an impoverished, high crime area. Being located in the "South Bronx", in the 1980s and early 1990s, Taft H.S. earned a notorious reputation as one of the most crime, violence, and gang-ridden schools in the country.

This was in marked contrast to its past glory in the 1940s-1950s as one of the Bronx's premier public high schools - both in sports and academics. In that era, a majority of its graduates went on to higher education. Famous graduates included Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick was an influential American-British filmmaker, screenwriter, Film producer and photographer. He directed a number of highly acclaimed and often controversial films....
 and the singer Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé

Eydie Gorme is an United States singer credited heavily, along with husband Steve Lawrence, with helping to keep the classic Traditional pop music repertoire alive and well....
.

As is the case in many American inner city
Inner city

The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, the term is often applied to the poorer parts of the city centre and is sometimes used as a euphemism with the connotation of being an area, perhaps a ghetto or slum, where residents are less educated and mor...
 public schools, metal detector
Metal detector

Metal detectors use electromagnetic induction to detect metal. Uses include de-mining , the detection of weapons such as knives and guns, especially at airport security, geophysics, archaeology and treasure hunting....
s were installed to prevent students from bringing weapons in the school. Determined students found ways to circumvent the system, for example, by sneaking weapons through windows or passing them through back doors.

The danger of working at this school was highlighted in May 1997, when Jonathan Levin
Jonathan Levin

Jonathan Levin was the son of former Time Warner CEO Gerald M. Levin and Carol Levin.He attended Shelter Rock Elementary School and Manhasset Jr./Sr....
, an English teacher at the school and the son of former Time Warner
Time Warner

Time Warner Inc. is the world's third largest media and entertainment Conglomerate by market capitalization , headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City....
 chairman Gerald M. Levin
Gerald M. Levin

Gerald M. "Jerry" Levin is an American mass-media businessman....
, was murdered by a former student in his Manhattan apartment. Although few incidents were as grave.

Of the 629 students that attend this school, virtually all were Hispanic
Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania . During the Modern Era, it took on a more limited meaning relating to the contemporary nation of Spain....
 or African American
African American

African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
. On any given day, attendance hovered around 86%, despite having 10 truancy officers assigned to the school.

After becoming a symbol of New York City public school failure, the school was gradually phased out and replaced with smaller schools and is no longer accepting new students.

The last graduating class was in June 2006 and the building is now used for:

  • Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications
  • Bronx High School of Medical Science
  • Bronx High School of Business
  • The Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School
  • The Urban Assembly Academy for History and Citizenship for Young Men
  • DreamYard Preparatory School


External links

  • (also source of new schools in the building)