Edward R. Murrow High School

Edward R. Murrow High School is located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York and is part of the New York City Department of Education. The school is known for its theater program. Its success in the arts was recognized by Mel Brooks, who granted the school to be the first-ever to gain rights to the musical The Producers in spring 2008. It is a school of the arts where students are either music, dance, communication arts, theater, or art majors. The school was created under the supervision and leadership of Saul Bruckner, who was also the first principal of the school.

Edward R. Murrow High School
Address
1600 Avenue L

Brooklyn
,
New York
11230

USA
Coordinates40°37′15″N 73°57′33″W
Information
TypePublic school
Established1974
PrincipalAllen Barge
Grades9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Enrollment4,000+
Color(s)Green and white
Websitewww.ermurrowhs.org

Murrow H.S. opened in 1974 with Saul Bruckner as principal. The school was named for the pioneering broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow. Murrow H.S. was founded according to the pedagogical theories of John Dewey and the learning and teaching methods of John Dewey High School. Bruckner retired in 2004 and died on May 1, 2010, in Brooklyn, New York. Anthony Lodico became Murrow's second principal. In March 2012, Lodico announced his resignation from Murrow in order to accept the High School Superintendent position. On April 2, 2012, Allen Barge assumed the role of principal of the school.

Academics

Murrow's academic year is divided into two semesters. Students receive new class schedules and teachers at the end of January. The daily schedule shifts depending on the day of the week, with class lengths varying from 45 minutes to an hour, and each class meets only four times a week. Rather than having a lunch period or study halls, Murrow students have free periods called "OPTA's" (Optional Time Activities), used for studying, eating, or relaxing.

Murrow has a number of unique features including:

  • NYC High School adjusted its grade policies in 2013 so that a "U" is used instead of an "N". The letter grading system, with each letter corresponding to a numerical measurement, e.g. E = 90-100, G = 80-89, S = 79-65, U = 65 - 55, NS = below 55 (No Show = student who never reported to class), and MI for Mastery in Independent Study.
  • In calculating the average, E is treated as a 95, G = 85, S = 75, and U = 55. This means that for getting the highest grade in all classes, a student will not achieve an average higher than 95. In college admissions applications, an explanatory letter is forwarded to colleges to explain this fact.
  • Instead of using numbers to represent class periods, Murrow uses letters from A-J, excluding I. The periods are called "bands" (e.g., A-Band, D-Band). Some students take classes that meet before A-Band and after J-Band. These bands are "0 (zero)-Band" and "K-Band"
  • There are no daily "home room" meetings. Entering students are assigned to a "Student Communication Section", or SCS, and remain in that SCS until graduation. The SCS meets only on an "as needed" basis and is used solely for dissemination of school-wide administrative/logistical information (e.g., distribution of report cards or new class schedules; election of class officers); 2 morning bands are cut short to allow time for SCS to convene. For mandated citywide testing, students usually attend a half-day of classes, followed by the test in the SCS.
  • While many state-mandated courses (e.g., science- and math-based courses) are geared toward students of a particular class year, other elective courses (e.g., performing arts, physical education electives) are not; students taking these electives will usually find themselves in classes with students from other class years.

Edward R. Murrow High School is also known for its outstanding theater program. Their success in the arts was recognized by Mel Brooks, who granted the school to be the first-ever to gain rights to the smash hit musical "The Producers" in Spring 2008.

In attempt to diversify schools, some high schools in NYC, including Murrow, use the DOE's "Educational Option" model. Instead of tracking, schools admit learners of all capabilities by purposefully accepting a set percentage of students with high, middle and low test scores.[1]

The Edward R. Murrow chess team has won seven national championships, fifteen state titles and sixteen city championships. The Edward R. Murrow HS chess team's success has been chronicled in the book The Kings of New York, by sportswriter Michael Weinreb. The Kings of New York follows the 2005 championship-winning season of the Murrow Team. It was reviewed positively in the March 4, 2007 NY Times Book Review.[2] The team was personally congratulated by President Bush in the Oval Office on December 15, 2004. A movie, based on "The Kings of New York" will begin production sometime in 2014.

Student demographics

There were over 4,000 students in the school as of the 2016-2017 school year. The ethnic breakdown of the school is 28% White (non-Hispanic), 23% Black or African American, 26% Asian, 21% Hispanic or Latino and 0.2% Native American. The student/teacher ratio is 30/1. The Department of Education has released the annual Progress Reports for all high schools and Murrow.

Programs and activities

Theater

Murrow has a theater program that explores all the collaborative components of theater. Students learn all the aspects of theater including acting, technical theater, musical theater, and theater management. According to a New York Times article, students voluntarily stay after school work with theater program even on weekends and free periods. Students were painting the backdrop for the school's annual musical Into the Woods. Students prepare months before the musical. In the costume department, freshmen were busy sewing leaves and vines. Students were designing lighting sets.[3]

Music

The school has instrumental and vocal music programs that includes large ensemble, small ensemble, solo performance, and musicianship. Both programs require audition. For instrumental music, students may audition for more than one instrument. Students must bring their own instruments (except piano, tuba, double bass, harp, percussion and guitar amplifiers, which are provided by the school) and a copy of the music they are performing. For vocal music, students must perform a song without accompaniment.

In 2018, the schools music technology program hosted the Second Annual Music x Tech Fest, a show in which students and alumni performed original songs and presented music videos that they had created to raise money for charity.[4]

Fine and visual arts

The school has a discipline-based visual art program that includes studios in drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media, animation, digital media, photography, fashion, art history, and portfolio development. In 2014, the school renovated its TV studio.[5]

Bilingual programs

The school has Spanish and Chinese transitional bilingual program open to English language learners. Classes in two major content areas are taught in English and the other language.

Sports

The school offers a variety of varsity and junior varsity sports. These sports include badminton, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, table tennis and volleyball.[6] The school shares an athletic field with Midwood High School.

Extracurricular activities

The school offers extracurricular activities including academic teams, art shows, chess, community services, concerts and productions, digital media. key club, mock trial, moot court, music technology, National Honor Society, robotics, s!ng, technical theater and virtual enterprise.

Notable alumni

Transportation

The school can be reached by public transportation, including the New York City Subway's Avenue M station (Q train) as well as MTA Regional Bus Operations' B6, B9, B11, B49, B68, BM1, BM3 and BM4 routes. [8]

References
  1. Torres, Brad Lander, Ritchie. "How NYC can break the cycle of school segregation". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  2. Kaplan, James (2007-03-04). "The Kings of New York - By Michael Weinreb - Books - Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  3. Stapinski, Helene (2016-11-11). "At a Brooklyn High School, Plenty of Drama Before the Curtain Goes Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  4. "Music x Tech Fest gives Murrow HS kids chance to shine". Brooklyn Eagle. 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  5. AGISH, MERAL. "Best High Schools: Edward R. Murrow High School fills its namesake's large footprints". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  6. "School Profile". www.psal.org. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  7. "From Sunset Park to Sundance: B'klyn teen actress' star on the rise". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  8. "Brooklyn Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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