Frederick Douglass Academy
Encyclopedia
Frederick Douglass Academy (also known as FDA), formerly known as IS 10, is a co-educational
, public middle school and high school for grades 6-12 located in West Harlem
, New York City
. It is considered by many to be the best college preparatory school
in Harlem as it offers programs such as SAT
prep courses and internship opportunities. It is also one of the first high schools in Harlem to make wearing a uniform in a public school mandatory. The high school's reputation has eroded dramatically in recent years as documented in the 2010-2011 NYC Department of Education Progress Report where the school received "F" grades in both Student Progress and Student Environment (which includes student safety) http://schools.nyc.gov/FindASchool/schoolreports.htm?loc=M499&type=progressreport. New York City schools receiving grades of "D" or lower face the risk of being shut down by the DOE.
http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2009-10/Progress_Report_2010_HS_M499.pdf
. It offers many Advanced Placement courses which offer the opportunity for students to receive college credit. Some of these AP courses offered are:
ranging from an anime interest club to robotics. As of 2006, it offers the following among many other activities:
In 2006 FDA students launched The North Star school newspaper named after Frederick Douglass' own newspaper. It addresses serious issues pertaining to the student body as well major world events.
- Late Author
Bearden, Romare - Late Famous Artist
Boffman, James - Former Assistant Superintendent, Manhattan
Brown, Claude - Author
Brown, Chucky - NBA Basketball Player
Brown, Courtney - Former Director Human Rights
Carlos, Jon - Athlete / US Olympic Champion
Carpenter, Edward F. - Headmaster of Harlem Prep
Charles Hamilton
- Rapper/Entertainer
Clark, Kenneth - Late Psychologist
Cobham, Dudley - Clergyman
Crawford, Fred - Former NY Knickerbockers Player
Davis, Ozzie - Actor, Director, Producer
DeWindt, Harold - Actor
Dickens, Thomas - Judge
Felix, Ray - Basketball Player
Greaves, William - Actor / Producer
Hanson, Marshall Major Former American Council in Switzerland, Liberia, Trinidad and West Indies
Herbert, James - Olympic Track Star
Hill, Arthur - Inspector, Police Department
Jamison, Spencer - Basketball Player
Jordan, Alexander - Physician
Kuntz, William F. - Assistant District Manager Social Security Administration
Lawrence, Jacob - Artist
Lee, Butch - Basketball Player
Mangnur, Robert - Judge
McMurren, Lionel R. - Former Principal, IS 10 Department Supt. #5
Michelson, Thomas - Chief, Uniformed Police Forces
Moore, Buddy - Boxer
Overton, Joseph - Late Community Activist / School Board President
Peters, Brock - Actor
Phipps, Kenneth - Judge
Popwell, Albert - Actor
Rangel, Charles - Congressman
Ray, Gene Anthony - Dancer and Actor in 'Fame'
Roberts, James - Former Deputy Superintendent District 6
Sallid, Otis - Choreographer and Dancer in 'The Wiz'
Sena, George C. - Late Judge
Skinner, James - Clergyman
Smith, David G. - Foreign Service Officer
Thompson, William - Clergyman
Toppins, Kenneth - Physician
Wainwright, Reverent - Shiloh Baptist Church
Walker, John - Late Proprietor of Snookies Sugar Bowl
Wareham, Alton - Dentist
Wiggan, Chester - Former Principal, Morris HS
40.824117°N 73.936767°W
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
, public middle school and high school for grades 6-12 located in West Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It is considered by many to be the best college preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
in Harlem as it offers programs such as SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
prep courses and internship opportunities. It is also one of the first high schools in Harlem to make wearing a uniform in a public school mandatory. The high school's reputation has eroded dramatically in recent years as documented in the 2010-2011 NYC Department of Education Progress Report where the school received "F" grades in both Student Progress and Student Environment (which includes student safety) http://schools.nyc.gov/FindASchool/schoolreports.htm?loc=M499&type=progressreport. New York City schools receiving grades of "D" or lower face the risk of being shut down by the DOE.
History
Frederick Douglass Academy was created in 1991 by "Ms. Patricia Black, Manhattan Superintendent of High Schools, Dr. Bertram Brown, Community School District 5 Superintendent and Dr. Lorraine Monroe (former Deputy Chancellor of Instruction)." http://schools.nycenet.edu/region10/fda/ It was created as a need to enforce better education in the inner-city area. More importantly, its mission is to have all its students graduate and matriculate. Dr. Gregory Hodge was the founding FDA principal, which inspired a series of other FDA's to be developed (seven in total). It should be noted that recently Mr. Hodge, retired after it as was announced that the school received a " D " rating in a recent progress report ( 2009-2010/ NYCDOE progress report). The future of FDA leadership will now be decided by a c-30, which is expected in the next two months.http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2009-10/Progress_Report_2010_HS_M499.pdf
Academics
Frederick Douglass Academy prides itself in its rigorous curriculum which aptly prepares students for collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
. It offers many Advanced Placement courses which offer the opportunity for students to receive college credit. Some of these AP courses offered are:
- BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
- CalculusCalculusCalculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
AB - Calculus BC
- ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
- English LiteratureEnglish literatureEnglish literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
- European History
- French LanguageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
- Micro-economics
- Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
- Physics C: Mechanics
- Spanish LanguageSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
- StatisticsStatisticsStatistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
- U.S. History
- U.S. Government & Politics
Extracurricular activities
Frederick Douglass Academy offers many extracurricular activitiesExtracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education...
ranging from an anime interest club to robotics. As of 2006, it offers the following among many other activities:
- AnimeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
club - ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
club - Building with Books club - This club (not created at FDA) focuses on local community service simultaneously with building schools in third-worldThird WorldThe term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
nations such as Nicaragua and Ghana. On average, two or three students go abroad to these countries to help build the schools from scratch with money raised locally. - RoboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
- FDA linked up with For Inspiration and Recognition of Technology (FIRST) robotics league. The inception of the school's chapter—in 2005—proved to be remarkable as the team finished in second place, displacing Stuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
and Bronx ScienceBronx High School of ScienceThe Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
. - School newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
club
In 2006 FDA students launched The North Star school newspaper named after Frederick Douglass' own newspaper. It addresses serious issues pertaining to the student body as well major world events.
Varsity Sports
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(M) - BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- FencingFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
- HandballAmerican handballAmerican handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
(F) - Indoor Track
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- Outdoor Track
- Soccer (M)
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
(F) - TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball 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.The complete rules are extensive...
Partnerships
Frederick Douglass Academy's business partnerships include a variety of companies.- HBO -- The HBO mentoring program in FDA is an important asset to the school as it pairs high school students with HBO employees. In such manner, students gain insight to the professional world and receive advise such as how to write a resume or prepare for a college interview.
- Gap -- The Little Shop of Scholars is FDA's school store—affiliated with Gap—which has everything from school uniforms to holiday gifts. The merchandise are gifts from Gap. The monetary proceeds go to graduating seniors in the form of scholarships.
- Harlem Children Society—This program partners FDA with Harlem Children Society—indirectly with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterMemorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
, the renowned cancer research institution. FDA students part of the program are able to be paired up with research mentors and are placed in research labs. Students take part in research ranging from nutrition to neurology. This program gives students who have an interest in science and medicine a great hands-on experience. Students involved in the past have been able to assume important roles in the lab as they have done tasks ranging from performing perfusions on lab mice to DNA ligations. - Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
-- As a college preparatory school, FDA spends a great deal of effort in providing SATSATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
-prep courses catered mostly to juniors and seniors. With Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the school has a Let's Get Ready chapter. The program has been proven effective as it generally increases the students' SAT scoresSATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
by placing the students in appropriate groups that target the students' specific problems, be it math or the verbalLanguageLanguage may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
section. - The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
-- Every year a senior is offered a scholarshipScholarshipA scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
for outstanding scholarly articles awarded by a New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
affiliate. Thus, seniors are motivated each year to compile their most outstanding written pieces in hope of winning the prestigious scholarship. - Sullivan & CromwellSullivan & CromwellSullivan & Cromwell LLP is an international law firm headquartered in New York. The firm has approximately 800 lawyers in 12 offices, located in financial centers in the United States, Asia, Australia and Europe. Sullivan & Cromwell was founded by Algernon Sydney Sullivan and William Nelson...
-- This partnership is a very fundamental one given that the law-firm company is the main provider of Advanced Placement-course textbooks. - Futures and Options -- This nonprofit organization serves as an umbrella to several other programs in the school as it offers "paid semester internships at private sector and not-for-profit sites in the city." http://schools.nycenet.edu/region10/fda/
Notable alumni
Baldwin, JamesJames Baldwin
James Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist and civil rights activist.James Baldwin may also refer to:-Writers:*James Baldwin , American educator, writer and administrator...
- Late Author
Bearden, Romare - Late Famous Artist
Boffman, James - Former Assistant Superintendent, Manhattan
Brown, Claude - Author
Brown, Chucky - NBA Basketball Player
Brown, Courtney - Former Director Human Rights
Carlos, Jon - Athlete / US Olympic Champion
Carpenter, Edward F. - Headmaster of Harlem Prep
Charles Hamilton
Charles Hamilton
-People:* Charles Hamilton 1st Anglican bishop of Ottawa* Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Abercorn , Scottish peer* Charles Hamilton, Lord Binning , Scottish politician* Charles Hamilton , Member of Parliament for Truro...
- Rapper/Entertainer
Clark, Kenneth - Late Psychologist
Cobham, Dudley - Clergyman
Crawford, Fred - Former NY Knickerbockers Player
Davis, Ozzie - Actor, Director, Producer
DeWindt, Harold - Actor
Dickens, Thomas - Judge
Felix, Ray - Basketball Player
Greaves, William - Actor / Producer
Hanson, Marshall Major Former American Council in Switzerland, Liberia, Trinidad and West Indies
Herbert, James - Olympic Track Star
Hill, Arthur - Inspector, Police Department
Jamison, Spencer - Basketball Player
Jordan, Alexander - Physician
Kuntz, William F. - Assistant District Manager Social Security Administration
Lawrence, Jacob - Artist
Lee, Butch - Basketball Player
Mangnur, Robert - Judge
McMurren, Lionel R. - Former Principal, IS 10 Department Supt. #5
Michelson, Thomas - Chief, Uniformed Police Forces
Moore, Buddy - Boxer
Overton, Joseph - Late Community Activist / School Board President
Peters, Brock - Actor
Phipps, Kenneth - Judge
Popwell, Albert - Actor
Rangel, Charles - Congressman
Ray, Gene Anthony - Dancer and Actor in 'Fame'
Roberts, James - Former Deputy Superintendent District 6
Sallid, Otis - Choreographer and Dancer in 'The Wiz'
Sena, George C. - Late Judge
Skinner, James - Clergyman
Smith, David G. - Foreign Service Officer
Thompson, William - Clergyman
Toppins, Kenneth - Physician
Wainwright, Reverent - Shiloh Baptist Church
Walker, John - Late Proprietor of Snookies Sugar Bowl
Wareham, Alton - Dentist
Wiggan, Chester - Former Principal, Morris HS
Other schools named Frederick Douglass Academy
Seven other schools in the New York City school system are named Frederick Douglass Academy:- Frederick Douglass Academy II Secondary School (Manhattan) (H.S. M860)
- Frederick Douglass Academy III Secondary School (Bronx) (H.S. X517)
- Frederick Douglass Academy IV Secondary School (Brooklyn) (H.S. K393)
- Frederick Douglass Academy V Middle School (Bronx) (M.S. X273)
- Frederick Douglass Academy VI High School (Queens) (H.S. 260)
- Frederick Douglass Academy VII High School (Brooklyn) (H.S. 514)
- Frederick Douglass Academy VIII Middle School (Brooklyn) (M.S. 452)
External links
40.824117°N 73.936767°W