New Utrecht High School

New Utrecht High School is a public high school located in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education under District 20 and serves students of grades 9 to 12.

New Utrecht High School
Main entrance, 2023
Address
1601 80th Street

Brooklyn
,
New York, 11214

United States
Coordinates40°36′48″N 74°00′11″W
Information
TypePublic high school
Motto"Every Student Matters,
Every Moment Counts"
EstablishedSep. 13, 1915
School district20
School codeK445
PrincipalSvetlana Litvin
Faculty225 FTE[1]
Enrollment3,118 (2022-23)[2]
Color(s)Green and White
Team nameUtes
InformationPhone: 718-232-2500
Fax: 718-259-5526
Websitenewutrechthighschoolnyc.com

39.6% of students are Asian-American, constituting a plurality of the student population. Despite a steady decline in enrollment the past few years, it remains one of the largest high schools in New York City, ranking 12th out of 542 high schools in the city for amount of students in the 2022-23 academic year.

History

New Utrecht High School was established in 1915 as an offshoot of the nearby coeducational Bay Ridge High School. New Utrecht High School became an all-boys school, while Bay Ridge High School became an all-girls school.

The school's first location was a wooden building on 86th Street and 18th Avenue, with a population of 350 students. Irving Hazen was the founding principal, and he adopted the green and white colors of his alma mater, Dartmouth College, as the school's colors.

In November 1924, the school moved to its present location on 80th Street and 16th Avenue, with 2,300 students. In February of the following year, girls were admitted, resulting in the school becoming coeducational. Over the next few years, the school continued to grow, consisting of a main building and four annexes, with a student population of nearly 11,000. It was the largest student body in the world at the time.[3][4] In 1930, with a student population of 9,000, it was reported that 10 communists attacked the student government while they were debating.[5]

New Utrecht High School was the scene of several racial conflicts between blacks and whites within the community in the 1970s to 1990s. In 1974, 300 black students stormed the school after a fight between a black student and a white student ended up with the former being injured, spurring rumors that it was a racial attack.[6] In 1990, a black student was shot by a group of white students stemming from an incident in the locker room.[7]

In the 2000s, New Utrecht High School underwent a major overhaul. It added a new, two-story cafeteria building, which replaced the old cafeteria located in the main building. The old cafeteria was subsequently turned into classroom space. A new entrance was also created, accompanied by a corridor connecting the cafeteria building with the main building.[8]

Today, New Utrecht High School functions as a zoned school primarily serving students living in the neighborhoods of Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, New York.

Ahead of the 2021-22 school year, LGBTQIA+ Pride flags were hung in most of New Utrecht's English classrooms and many are still on display.

Administration
Name Role
Svetlana Litvin Principal
Janan Eways Assistant Principal IA, Pupil Personnel
Marisa Martinelli Assistant Principal, Organization
Lisa Gretano Assistant Principal, Data, Testing, and Programming
Keith Matone Assistant Principal, Climate and Culture
Nicholas Como Assistant Principal, English
Iantha Chan Assistant Principal, Mathematics
Steve Mihalitsis Assistant Principal, Science
Destiny Kangas Assistant Principal, Social Studies
Kelly Lemos Assistant Principal IA, Foreign Language
Michael Repole Assistant Principal, Physical Education, Health, and Music
Alan Benzaquen Assistant Principal, Art, Technology, and CTE
Adesuwa Ohunwu Assistant Principal, ISS

Principals
Name Service began Service ended Years
Svetlana Litvin 2021 Active 2[lower-alpha 1]
Maureen Goldfarb 2006 2021 15
Howard J. Lucks[9] 1997 2006 9
Allen Leibowitz[10] 1985 1997 12
Michael A. Russo[6] 1971 1985 14
Isaac Hersh[11][12][13] 1957 1971 14
Francis J. Griffith[14][15][16] 1946-1950, 1955 1957 6
Abraham H. Lass[17] 1950 1955 5
Leo R. Ryan[18][19][20][21] 1942 1946 4
Maurice E. Rogalin[22][23][24] 1936 1942 6
Harry A. Potter[25][26][27] 1917 1936[lower-alpha 2] 19
Irving A. Hazen[28][29] 1915 1917 2

Demographics

A plurality of New Utrecht's student body is Asian-American, reflecting the high Asian population of Bensonhurst and the surrounding neighborhoods. A significant portion of the student population is Hispanic. Both the Asian and Hispanic percentages have increased and continue to do so, while percentages for White and Black students have consistently decreased over the past decade.

There is a large gender gap among the student body. In the 2022-23 school year, 55.8%, or 1,739 students, were male; only 44.2%, or 1,379 students, were female. 17.7% of students have disabilities, 18.2% are English Language Learners, 76.7% are in poverty, and 77.4% are considered to be part of the Economic Needs Index.[2]

Student demographics[2][30][31]
Race Students, 2003 Percentage, 2003 Students, 2013 Percentage, 2013 Students, 2022 Percentage, 2022 Change [lower-alpha 3]
Asian 738 26.1% 1,253 38.0% 1,234 39.6% Increase 13.5%
Hispanic 666 23.5% 947 28.7% 1,119 35.9% Increase 12.4%
White 1,124 39.7% 933 28.3% 669 21.5% Decrease 18.2%
Black 302 10.7% 144 4.4% 76 2.4% Decrease 8.3%
Other 3 0.1% 17 0.5% 20 0.6% Increase 0.5%
Total 2,833 100% 3,294 100% 3,118 100% -

Enrollment
Total number of students[2][31][30][32][33][lower-alpha 4]
Year Students Change
1997-1998 2,734 N/A
1998-1999 2,594 Decrease 140
1999-2000 2,580 Decrease 14
2000-2001 2,643 Increase 63
2001-2002 2,728 Increase 85
2002-2003 2,602 Decrease 126
2003-2004 2,833 Increase 231
2004-2005 2,934 Increase 101
2005-2006 3,067 Increase 133
2006-2007 2,989 Decrease 78
2007-2008 3,007 Increase 18
2008-2009 2,821 Decrease 186
2009-2010 2,937 Increase 116
2010-2011 3,228 Increase 291
2011-2012 3,259 Increase 31
2012-2013 3,262 Increase 3
2013-2014 3,294 Increase 32
2014-2015 3,469 Increase 175
2015-2016 3,545 Increase 76
2016-2017 3,613 Increase 68
2017-2018 3,547 Decrease 66
2018-2019 3,427 Decrease 120
2019-2020 3,480 Increase 53
2020-2021 3,572 Increase 92
2021-2022 3,336 Decrease 236
2022-2023 3,118 Decrease 218

Curriculum

New Utrecht High School offers a variety of classes to fulfill the credit requirements for New York City students, including electives like art & music classes, the student government, and math team. Most academic classes are available at the Honors level for higher-achieving students, and the school offers many Advanced Placement courses, the newest of which, AP Art History, was first offered in the 2022-23 school year.

AP courses

The following is a list of AP classes currently available for students at New Utrecht:[34]

For freshmen only:

For sophomores only:

For sophomores, juniors, and seniors:

For juniors only:

For juniors and seniors:

For seniors only:

In some special circumstances, a student is eligible for an AP course that is not traditionally offered to their grade level. In order to enroll in an AP Foreign Language course, the student must have taken three years of high school language courses. For AP Art History, priority is given to students in the Academy of Art and Design.

Academies

There are several academies at New Utrecht High School, some of which offer employment-oriented training in specialized fields, which include:

  • Academy of Business and Technology
  • Academy of Medical Professions and Health Careers
  • Academy of Legal Studies
  • Academy of Hospitality and Tourism
  • Academy of Art and Design
  • Academy of Asian Studies
  • Academy of Computer Science
  • Honors Academy

Some of the academies are associated with NAF, a non-profit organization originally known as the National Academy Foundation. Each academy has their own specific guidance counselor. For students who are not in an academy; a guidance counselor is assigned based on their class code.

Proficiency

Regents scores

The following table lists a report of Regents scores from June 2022.[35] The US History and Government: Framework Regents scheduled for June 2022 is not shown because it was cancelled statewide due to a mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, and a new version of the examination was offered beginning in June 2023.[36]

Examination Students tested Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Proficient (Levels 3-5) Proficiency compared to state
English Language Arts 41% 15% 10% 24% 20% 31% 75% Decrease 6%
Algebra I 38% 9% 17% 44% 19% 10% 74% Increase 8%
Geometry 12% 34% 19% 32% 8% 8% 48% Decrease 5%
Algebra II 11% 16% 15% 32% 21% 15% 69% Increase 4%
Living Environment 19% 16% 13% 47% 23% [lower-alpha 5] 70% Decrease 4%
Earth Science 9% 33% 14% 39% 13% [lower-alpha 5] 53% Decrease 9%
Chemistry 13% 33% 24% 35% 8% [lower-alpha 5] 42% Decrease 18%
Physics 5% 24% 16% 42% 18% [lower-alpha 5] 60% Decrease 2%
Global History and Geography II 23% 11% 15% 44% 19% 11% 75% Decrease 5%

SAT scores

The mean SAT score among New Utrecht students in Spring 2022 was a 936, with a 457 in English and a 459 in Mathematics.[37] This is over 100 points below the national average of 1050.[38]

Graduation rate

The graduation rate in June 2022 was 73.8%, a decline from 81.2% in June 2021 and 85.1% in June 2020.[39]

Chronic absenteeism

During the 2021-22 school year, 44% of students were classified as chronically absent by the New York State Department of Education, including over 57% of Hispanic students and almost 79% of black students. In comparison, around 54% of white students were chronically absent and just under 24% of Asian students, suggesting strong inequities in school attendance.[40]

Extracurricular activities

Clubs

Several clubs are available for the students of New Utrecht High School, such as The New Comet Newspaper Club, the Green Team, the Photography Club, and the Science Olympiad Team.[41]

Many after-school activities are coordinated by the Chinese-American Planning Council, which offers programs to students with the goal of advancing the Asian-American community of New Utrecht.

Events

A few special events and productions are held at New Utrecht High School:

  • AAPI Club Fair
  • Anime Event
  • AP/College Now Fair
  • Art and Music Night
  • Chinese New Year Show
  • Club Fair
  • Fashion Show
  • International Show

Student government

New Utrecht High School has a student government class which functions as an elective credit for students. Members are responsible for approving funds for clubs and organizing a School Spirit Week, Thanksgiving Dinner, Toy Drive, and other annual school-wide events.

For nearly a century, the student government positions were mayor, deputy mayor, secretary, treasurer, and student representatives from each grade. The mayoral theme was a longstanding tradition that stemmed from the fact that the neighborhood of New Utrecht was named by Dutch settlers after the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

In 2015, the student government changed the name of the two significant positions of mayor and deputy mayor to student body president and vice president. Beginning in Fall 2023, the roles of student president and vice president were abolished and replaced with a council, or group of students. Each member holds an equal role in the student government.

Notable alumni

New Utrecht High School is the venue for key scenes in the 1947 movie It Happened in Brooklyn, starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, and Peter Lawford.

The front and rear views of the school building were used in the opening and closing scenes of the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which starred alumnus Gabe Kaplan.

  • Main entrance, 2023
    Main entrance, 2023
  • View from 81st St. and 16th Ave., 2023
    View from 81st St. and 16th Ave., 2023
  • 79th St. student entrance, 2023
    79th St. student entrance, 2023
  • View of the field from 80th St., 2023
    View of the field from 80th St., 2023
  • Rear of the building, 2021
    Rear of the building, 2021
  • Mural on the field, 2021
    Mural on the field, 2021
  • View of the train from the field, 2021
    View of the train from the field, 2021
  • The entranceway of the school, 2021
    The entranceway of the school, 2021
  • 79th St. student entrance, 2021
    79th St. student entrance, 2021
  • The side of the school, 2013
    The side of the school, 2013
  • The entranceway of theschool, 2013
    The entranceway of the
    school, 2013
  • The rear of the school, 2013
    The rear of the school, 2013
  • The school in 2003
    The school in 2003

References
  1. "New Utrecht High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  2. "Information and Data Overview". New York City Department of Education. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  3. Silberstein, Rachel (2015-09-29). "Save The Date: New Utrecht High School Celebrates 100 Years On October 24". BKLYNER. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  4. "New Utrecht High School - Brooklyn, NY"
  5. "RED PROPAGANDA IN SCHOOL BARRED; New Utrecht High Principal Says Government Was Attacked in History Debate.FURTHER MEETINGS HALTEDStudent Body of 9,000 IncludesOnly 10 Communists, It Is Said--One Pupil Scores Policy". The New York Times. 1930-04-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  6. Peterson, Iver (October 9, 1974). "300 Blacks Storm New Utrecht, Forcing High School to Close". The New York Times.
  7. Hevesi, Dennis (28 March 1990). "A Black Is Shot In a High School In Bensonshurst". The New York Times.
  8. "Helpern Architects | New Utrecht High School"
  9. Media, Greater (2009-09-17). "RBR Board of Education names new superintendent – Central Jersey Archives". Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  10. "They're older, grayer, better — and they'll meet at New Utrecht HS". Brooklyn Eagle. 2022-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  11. The NUHS: October 23, 1961. 1961-10-23.
  12. The NUHS: January 1965. January 1965.
  13. "ISAAC HERSH". The New York Times. 1987-07-14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  14. "Francis J. Griffith, Educator, 79". The New York Times. 1988-05-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  15. Griffith, Francis (1960). "Another Look at the Conant Report". The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. 44 (258): 59–62. doi:10.1177/019263656004425810. ISSN 2471-3317. S2CID 144516378.
  16. "New Utrecht High School - Digital Collections - Brooklyn Public Library". www.bklynlibrary.org. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  17. McFadden, Robert D. (2001-03-18). "Abraham Lass, 93, Passionate Principal and Writer, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  18. "New Utrecht High School - Comet Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY), Class of 1941, Pages 1 - 17". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  19. "New Utrecht High School - Comet Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY), Class of 1946, Page 12 of 120 | online yearbooks". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  20. "In memoriam | Brooklyn Visual Heritage". www.brooklynvisualheritage.org. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  21. "DR. LEO R. RYAN, 62, HEADED HIGH SCHOOL". The New York Times. 1966-06-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  22. "New Utrecht High School - Comet Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY), Class of 1940, Pages 1 - 17". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  23. "CITY FIGHTS ROGALIN PLEA; Accused Principal's Request for Retirement Opposed in Court". The New York Times. 1942-05-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  24. "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York". Newspapers.com. 1942-04-02. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  25. https://www.ourfamtree.org/records/principals.php/NY/Kings-Co/Brooklyn%2C-New-Utrecht-High-School
  26. "New Utrecht High School - Comet Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY), Class of 1929, Pages 1 - 17".
  27. "1918 New Utrecht..June".
  28. "New Utrecht football — going back in time". 3 October 2022.
  29. https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/TheHighSchoolsofNewYorkCity_10159232.pdf
  30. "ARCHIVE OF NEW UTRECHT HIGH SCHOOL REPORTS". New York State Department of Education. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  31. "Archive: Enrollment Data". New York State Department of Education. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  32. "Archive Enrollment Data 1994-2011".
  33. "Archive Enrollment Data 1976-1994".
  34. "AP Courses". New Utrecht High School. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  35. "NEW UTRECHT HIGH SCHOOL - NEW YORK STATE REPORT CARD [2021-2022]". New York State Department of Education. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  36. "New York U.S. History Regents canceled because of trauma potential after Buffalo shooting". CNY Central. May 24, 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  37. "SCHOOL PROFILE - TRANSCRIPT SUPPLEMENT FOR THE CLASS OF 2023" (PDF). New Utrecht High School. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  38. "Average SAT Score: Full Statistics". BestColleges. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  39. "NEW UTRECHT HIGH SCHOOL - NEW YORK STATE REPORT CARD [2021-2022]". New York State Department of Education. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  40. "NEW UTRECHT HIGH SCHOOL - NEW YORK STATE REPORT CARD [2021-2022]". New York State Department of Education. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  41. "Clubs & Events". New Utrecht High School. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  42. "Troy Ave Sets up Scholarship at High School He Went to with Banga - XXL". 13 June 2016.
  43. "New Utrecht (Brooklyn, NY) Baseball". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  44. Levin, Jay. "Harold Martin, former Bergen County freeholder and state Assemblyman, dies", The Record (Bergen County), October 20, 2010. Accessed November 24, 2019. "Harold Martin was born in West New York and grew up in Brooklyn, where his family operated a successful menswear store. He graduated from New Utrecht High School and studied political science and economics at Rutgers University, from which he received bachelor's and master's degrees."
  45. Carey, Benedict (14 September 2018). "Walter Mischel, 88, Psychologist Famed for Marshmallow Test, Dies". The New York Times.

Notes
  1. As of August 2023
  2. It's unlikely but possible that there was another principal from 1932 to 1936, as the latest documentation found of Harry Potter as principal is from 1932.
  3. Change in percentage from 2003 to 2022
  4. The table does not show available enrollment data from 1976 to 1998. You can view this data by clicking on the two references before this note.
  5. Level 4 is the highest proficiency level for this examination.
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