Scarsdale High School
Encyclopedia
Scarsdale High School is a public high school in Scarsdale, New York
, a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York
. The school was founded in 1917. In its very first selection process, the United States Department of Education
named Scarsdale High School as "one of the 144 exemplary schools to which others may look for patterns of success."
From the graduating class of 2009, 98% continued their education with college programs, and 96% entered 130 different four-year national and international colleges and universities. 15 students in the class of 2010 (4%) were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, and 66 (18%) students received National Merit Letters of commendation.
In the 2009–10 school year, SHS had a professional staff of 164 with a median teaching experience of 14 years. 98% of the faculty held a master's degree
, 76% had 30 credits or more beyond a master's, and 12% had doctorate
degrees. The student faculty ratio is 9 to 1, and its teachers have one of the highest paying salaries in the country; 44% had a base-salary of over $100,000 in 2005.
Between 2007 and 2009, Scarsdale High School made a transition from Advanced Placement (AP) to Advanced Topics (AT) courses.
termed a "homecoming bacchanal" made regional news in 2002 and sent five students to the hospital with acute alcohol poisoning. Reportedly scores of students arrived drunk at the dance. 28 of them received suspensions. The Times said the incident evoked "soul-searching" in "this iconic suburb, which prides itself on giving children every advantage." A student was quoted as saying "We are supposed to be Scarsdale, the rich people, the good people, the studious." Principal John Klemme told student government leaders that "the world is taking a perverse pleasure in Scarsdale's humiliation" and challenged them to "reclaim your school."
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
, a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. The school was founded in 1917. In its very first selection process, the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
named Scarsdale High School as "one of the 144 exemplary schools to which others may look for patterns of success."
From the graduating class of 2009, 98% continued their education with college programs, and 96% entered 130 different four-year national and international colleges and universities. 15 students in the class of 2010 (4%) were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, and 66 (18%) students received National Merit Letters of commendation.
In the 2009–10 school year, SHS had a professional staff of 164 with a median teaching experience of 14 years. 98% of the faculty held a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, 76% had 30 credits or more beyond a master's, and 12% had doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
degrees. The student faculty ratio is 9 to 1, and its teachers have one of the highest paying salaries in the country; 44% had a base-salary of over $100,000 in 2005.
Between 2007 and 2009, Scarsdale High School made a transition from Advanced Placement (AP) to Advanced Topics (AT) courses.
The 2002 "homecoming bacchanal"
What The New York TimesThe New York Times
The 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...
termed a "homecoming bacchanal" made regional news in 2002 and sent five students to the hospital with acute alcohol poisoning. Reportedly scores of students arrived drunk at the dance. 28 of them received suspensions. The Times said the incident evoked "soul-searching" in "this iconic suburb, which prides itself on giving children every advantage." A student was quoted as saying "We are supposed to be Scarsdale, the rich people, the good people, the studious." Principal John Klemme told student government leaders that "the world is taking a perverse pleasure in Scarsdale's humiliation" and challenged them to "reclaim your school."
Notable alumni
- Carl Emil Schorske '32, cultural historian
- Florence WaldFlorence WaldFlorence Wald was an American nurse, former Dean of Yale School of Nursing, and largely credited as "the mother of the American hospice movement".-Biography:...
, '34, nurse, professor, administrator - Gordon GouldGordon GouldGordon Gould was an American physicist who is widely, but not universally, credited with the invention of the laser. Gould is best known for his thirty-year fight with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to obtain patents for the laser and related technologies...
'38, physicist credited with inventing laserLaserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation... - Harris WoffordHarris WoffordHarris Llewellyn Wofford served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1995 and as the fifth president of Bryn Mawr College, and is a noted advocate of national service and volunteering...
'44, United States Senator from Pennsylvania - Bob WilberBob WilberBob Wilber is an internationally recognized American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist and band leader living in Chipping Campden, England. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber has been a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his career to present traditional jazz...
, '45, jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, band leader - Richard ForemanRichard ForemanRichard Foreman is an American playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer. He is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.-Life :...
, '55, playwright, avant-garde theater pioneer - Ivan SutherlandIvan SutherlandIvan Edward Sutherland is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer. He received the Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery in 1988 for the invention of Sketchpad, an early predecessor to the sort of graphical user interface that has become ubiquitous in personal...
'55, Internet pioneer - Richard HolbrookeRichard HolbrookeRichard Charles Albert Holbrooke was an American diplomat, magazine editor, author, professor, Peace Corps official, and investment banker....
'58, American diplomat - Linda McCartneyLinda McCartneyLinda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
'59, photographer, wife of Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100... - John WallachJohn WallachJohn Wallach was an American journalist, author and editor as well as founder of Seeds of Peace international camp in Maine. He was a 1964 graduate of Middlebury College, where he gave the 1999 commencement address. In 2001, Wallach also gave a special address to a joint session of the Maine...
, '60, journalist, author, editor, founder of Seeds of PeaceSeeds of PeaceSeeds of Peace is a peacebuilding youth organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1993. As its main program, the organization brings youth from areas of conflict to its international camp in Maine. It also provides regional programming to support Seeds of Peace graduates, known as... - David FeldshuhDavid FeldshuhDavid Feldshuh is a physician, playwright, and author. His 1992 play Miss Evers' Boys, based on the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, was a finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama...
, '61, physician, dramatist, artistic director at Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions... - Robert KuttnerRobert KuttnerRobert Kuttner is an American journalist and writer. Kuttner is the co-founder and current co-editor of The American Prospect, which was created in 1990 as "an authoritative magazine of liberal ideas," according to its mission statement...
, '61, journalist, editor - Jeffrey Hoffman '62, astronaut
- Nina TotenbergNina TotenbergNina Totenberg is an American legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio focusing primarily on the activities and politics of the Supreme Court of the United States. Her reports air regularly on NPR's newsmagazines All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition...
'62, journalist - Barbara KoppleBarbara KoppleBarbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two...
'64, documentary film director - Nan AronNan AronNan Aron is a public interest lawyer and civil rights advocate living in Washington, D.C., working to promote and protect public interest in national policy...
, '66, civil rights advocate, public interest lawyer - Tovah FeldshuhTovah FeldshuhTovah Feldshuh is an American actress, singer and playwright.-Early life:Terri Sue Feldshuh was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the daughter of Lillian and Sidney Feldshuh, who was a lawyer. She was raised in Scarsdale, New York, an affluent community in Westchester County and graduated...
'66, actress - Nancy Friedman AtlasNancy Friedman AtlasNancy Friedman Atlas is a United States federal judge.Born in New York, New York, Atlas received a B.S. from Tufts University in 1971 and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1974. She was a law clerk to Hon. Dudley Bonsal of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York from...
, '67, United States federal judge - George SugiharaGeorge SugiharaGeorge Sugihara is a theoretical biologist who has worked across a wide variety of fields, including landscape ecology, algebraic topology, algal physiology and paleoecology, neurobiology, atmospheric science, fisheries science, and quantitative finance...
, '68, theoretical biologist - Lizabeth CohenLizabeth CohenLizabeth Cohen is the current Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies and Chair of the History Department at Harvard University. Currently, she teaches courses in 20th century America, material and popular culture, and gender, urban, and working-class history. She has also served as the...
, '69, historian, scholar - Ojetta Rogeriee ThompsonOjetta Rogeriee ThompsonOjetta Rogeriee Thompson is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and a former Rhode Island Superior Court justice.- Early life and education :...
, '69, judge - Tom BernsteinTom BernsteinTom A. Bernstein is president and co-founder of Chelsea Piers, L.P., which was formed in 1992 to develop and operate the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex. The Chelsea Piers is a waterfront sports village located between 17th and 23rd Streets along Manhattan’s Hudson River...
, '70, films and sport executive - Judy Cheng-HopkinsJudy Cheng-HopkinsMs. Judy Cheng-Hopkins of Malaysia is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Peace building Support. She was appointed on 17 August 2009....
, '70, United Nations Commissioner - John LeventhalJohn LeventhalJohn Leventhal is a Grammy Award-winning musician, producer, songwriter, and recording engineer who has produced albums for Michelle Branch, Rosanne Cash, Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Rodney Crowell, Jim Lauderdale, Joan Osborne, Loudon Wainwright, The Wreckers and many others...
, '70, musician, producer, songwriter, recording engineer - Dan BiedermanDan BiedermanDaniel A. Biederman is a prominent New York City downtown manager and pioneer in the field of privately funded urban and public space management. He is the co-founder of Grand Central Partnership, 34th Street Partnership, and Bryant Park Corporation, three Business Improvement Districts ...
, '71, urban management pioneer - Eve EnslerEve EnslerEve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
, '71, playwright, performer, activist - Kenneth I. JusterKenneth I. JusterKenneth I. Juster is a Partner and Managing Director at the global investment firm Warburg Pincus. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Juster spent over 30 years in government, law, business, and international affairs. He has served in senior positions in the U.S. Department of State and the U.S...
, '72, government official, lawyer - Tom Rogers (executive)Tom Rogers (executive)Thomas "Tom" Rogers is President and CEO of TiVo Inc., the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders . He has held this position since 2005 and is credited with continuing to steer TiVo to revolutionize the way consumers watch and access home entertainment.Before...
, '72, media executive - Ross GreenburgRoss GreenburgRoss Greenburg was president of HBO Sports from 2000 to 2011.He was executive producer for HBO Sports in 1985. During his tenure he won 51 Sports Emmys and 8 Peabody Awards...
, '73, executive for HBO Sports - Mara LiassonMara LiassonMara Liasson is an American journalist and political pundit. She is the national political correspondent for National Public Radioand also a contributor at Fox News Channel.-Early life:...
'73, National Public Radio correspondent - Charles NewirthCharles NewirthCharles Newirth is an American film producer.Newirth joined Revolution Studios in May 2000 and was responsible for the physical production of all of Revolution Studios' motion pictures...
'73, film producer - Thomas E. Ricks, '73, journalist
- Richard StengelRichard StengelRichard "Rick" Stengel is an American editor, journalist and author and is Time magazine's 16th managing editor. While best known for his work for Time, he has written a number of books including a collaboration with Nelson Mandela on Mandela's autobiography...
'73, editor of TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine - Paul J. FeinerPaul J. FeinerPaul J. Feiner is an American politician from New York. He has been Town Supervisor of Greenburgh, New York in Westchester County since 1991. He unsuccessfully ran for United States Congress twice.-Biography:Feiner graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University and holds a...
'74, mayor of Greenburg, New York - Gish JenGish JenGish Jen is a contemporary American writer.-Background:...
'74, novelist - Rick MoserRick MoserRichard Avery Moser is an actor and a former American football running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL...
, '74, National League Football player, actor - Elisabeth RosenthalElisabeth RosenthalElisabeth Rosenthal is a medical doctor who writes for The New York Times specializing in epidemic disease, and scientific and environmental matters. She attended Harvard Medical School, did her residency at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and worked at New York Hospital...
, '74, physician, journalist for 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... - Victoria RedelVictoria RedelVictoria Redel is an American poet and fiction writer who lives in New York City. She is the author of three books of fiction The Border of Truth, Loverboy and Where the Road Bottoms Out and two books of poetry: Swoon and Already the World. She has taught at , and is currently on the faculty of...
, '76, poet, fiction writer, professor at Sarah Lawrence CollegeSarah Lawrence CollegeSarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers... - Ellen WeissEllen WeissEllen Weiss is a journalist and three-time Peabody Award winner. She joined National Public Radio in 1982, eventually running the NPR News national desk and serving as executive producer of the NPR News magazine All Things Considered. She was named NPR vice president for news in April 2007 and...
'77, radio executive - Eric AltermanEric AltermanEric Alterman is an American English teacher, historian, journalist, author, media critic, blogger, and educator. His political weblog named Altercation was hosted by MSNBC.com from 2002 until 2006, moved to Media Matters for America until December 2008, and is now hosted by The...
'78, Nation columnist - Brewster KahleBrewster KahleBrewster Kahle is a computer engineer, internet entrepreneur, activist, and digital librarian.- Biography :Kahle graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and engineering, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. The...
'78, artificial intelligence expert - Douglas RushkoffDouglas RushkoffDouglas Rushkoff is an American media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist and documentarian. He is best known for his association with the early cyberpunk culture, and his advocacy of open source solutions to social problems.Rushkoff is most frequently regarded as a media...
, '79, media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist and documentarian - Gary TraunerGary TraunerGary S. Trauner is a Wyoming businessman and a two-time unsuccessful Democratic nominee for , his state's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was defeated in the 2006 and 2008 general elections by Republicans Barbara Cubin and Cynthia Lummis, respectively.Trauner lost by 1,012...
'79, Wyoming politician - Aaron SorkinAaron SorkinAaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
'79, screenwriter - Earl G. Graves, Jr.Earl G. Graves, Jr.Earl Gilbert "Butch" Graves, Jr. is an American businessman and retired basketball player. He is a Scarsdale High School graduate....
'80, basketball player - Carolyn StraussCarolyn StraussCarolyn Strauss is an American television executive and producer. She was the president of the Home Box Office network's entertainment division until 2008 and was responsible for commissioning highly successful series like The Sopranos, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Sex and the City...
, '81, television executive and producer - Bryan ReynoldsBryan ReynoldsBryan Reynolds is an American critical theorist, performance theorist, and Shakespeare scholar who developed the combined social theory, performance aesthetics, and research methodology known as transversal poetics...
'83, playwright, Shakespeare scholar - Matthew KahnMatthew KahnMatthew E. Kahn is a leading American educator in the field of environmental economics. After earning his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago, he began teaching at various universities, including Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, and Tufts. He is currently a professor at the UCLA...
, '84, environmental economics scholar - Alan SchwarzAlan SchwarzAlan Schwarz is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated reporter at the The New York Times best known for writing more than 100 articles that exposed the seriousness of concussions among football players of all ages...
, '86, sportswriter - David LascherDavid LascherDavid Scott Lascher is an American actor best known for his roles in Blossom, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and the Nickelodeon show Hey Dude, in which he starred with Christine Taylor.- Life and career :...
'90, actor - Jacob M. AppelJacob M. AppelJacob M. Appel is an American author, bioethicist and social critic. He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia....
'91, bioethics scholar - Peter GroszPeter GroszPeter Grosz is an American actor and television writer.Grosz has worked as both an actor and as a producer. He is most recognizable for his "two guys" Sonic commercials. Grosz is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he worked with Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live...
'92, actor - Dan O'BrienDan O'Brien (playwright)Dan O’Brien is an American playwright whose plays include The Body of an American, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti, The Cherry Sisters Revisited, The Voyage of the Carcass, The Dear Boy, The House in Hydesville, Moving Picture, Key West, "Will You Please Shut Up?", and The Disappearance of Daniel Hand...
'92, playwright - Laura DaveLaura DaveLaura Dave is an American novelist. She is the author of London Is The Best City In America and The Divorce Party . Her most recent novel, The First Husband, was released in May 2011. Dave's fiction and essays have been published in The New York Times, The New York Observer, ESPN, Redbook, and...
'95, novelist - Andrew Ross SorkinAndrew Ross SorkinAndrew Ross Sorkin is a Gerald Loeb Award-winning American journalist, author and television personality. He is a financial columnist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Box. He is also the founder and editor of DealBook, a financial news service published by The New York Times...
'95, journalist - Lisa DonovanLisa DonovanLisa Donovan is an American actress. As of September 2011 her YouTube channel has 712,000 subscribers and 200 million video views, putting it in the top 100 channels on YouTube. Lisa is one of the co-founders of Maker Studios, which helps develop YouTube personalities.She is also a founder of...
, '98, actress - DJ ShifteeDJ ShifteeDJ Shiftee is a New York City based DJ and turntablist.- Career :Zornow is the 2009 DMC World DJ Finals Champion, the only American DJ to date to have won the DMC Battle for World Supremacy, and the youngest champion to date to have won the DMC New York City Championships...
'04, DJ, turntablist, born Samuel Morris Zornow