Staten Island Technical High School
Encyclopedia
Staten Island Technical High School (also referred to as Staten Island Tech, S.I.T.H.S., or simply Tech), is one of the nine specialized public high school
s in New York City
. It is located in the New Dorp
neighborhood of Staten Island
. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education
. It consistently ranks among the best schools in New York City
in graduation rate, Regents test
scores, and attendance. In its most recent progress report, the New York City Department of Education assigned it the highest possible grade of "A".
neighborhood of Staten Island, after New Dorp High School
, which had occupied the building since it was built in the 1930s, moved to its current location on New Dorp Lane. The technical courses were taught in the annex, while the vocational courses stayed in St. George. Through the advocacy of parents, staff, and students, Staten Island Tech was made an independent high school by the New York City Board of Education in May 1988. Nicholas M. Bilotti, who had been serving as director of the annex, was appointed principal of the new high school.
The school admitted students based on their seventh-grade class grades and standardized test scores until 2005, when it was added to the group of New York City's specialized high schools and therefore began using the New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
to screen prospective students. Thus, it became the first and only specialized high school on Staten Island.
In 2011, Staten Island Technical High School was ranked #13 in the nation on U.S. News and World Report's Best High Schools for Math and Science list, beating Stuyvesant High School as the #1 specialized high school in New York City for math and science.
, electronics
, and Lego robotics
. Students can also choose from thirteen Advanced Placement courses offered at the school. Science AP classes are AP Chemistry
, AP Biology
, AP Physics B
, and AP Physics C
. The history AP classes offered are AP US Government and Politics, AP US History, and AP World History
. Language AP classes are AP English Language and Composition
, AP English Literature, AP Russian Language and Culture
along with AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC. The school previously offered classes in Cisco
networking, computer programming
, and technical drawing
, but were cut due to budget limitations. In addition, the school operates College Now, a program run by Kingsborough Community College
. College Now courses offered include business, statistics, and sociology. Optional electives for Junior and Senior students include creative writing and Forensics
. This challenging curriculum results in average SAT score of 1930 among Staten Island Technical High School alumni.
Freshman science fair winners at Staten Island Technical High School are invited to join the school's Science Engineering Research Program, more commonly known as SERP. Students remain in this program until their senior year. Throughout their high school career, they participate in various competitions including the Intel Talent Search, NYCSEF (New York City Science and Engineering Fair), ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair), and the Quality of Life
competition.
, soccer, volleyball
, wrestling
, fencing
, swimming
, and track
. The MSIT Football team won the 2010 PSAL Cup Championship, defeating the Petrides School
22-0. Staten Island Tech's Boys Track team made back to back Cross-Country state appearances in the '06-'07, '07-'08, '08-'09, and '09-'10 XC seasons. The Boys Track team recently won the Varsity and JV city championships in a record breaking fashion. In 2008 Varsity and JV won the City Championships and in 2010 JV Got Second Place. In the '09-'10 season, the Boys Track team dominated the XC borough championships. The MSIT cross country Team won freshman, sophomore, junior varsity, and varsity borough championships in the '09-'10 season. The MSIT Class of 2013 Track/Cross Country Team is dominant, getting 2nd place in The 2009 Cross Country Freshman/Sophomore City Championships, 2010 Indoor Track and Field
Freshman/Sophomore City Championships, and winning the 2010 Outdoor Track and 2010 Cross Country Freshman/Sophomore City Championships. In the 2010-2011 season, they won the PSAL Freshman/Sophomore Cross Country Championships title running a blistering 4th place and 8th place double. The Class of 2014 got 3rd place in this meet. The class of 2013 got 3rd place in the Indoor Freshman/sophomore championships, losing by a mere 8.5 points. The girls class of 2014 won this meet.
Staten Island Tech also maintains an active theater program, including productions such as SING!
and a spring musical. The theater program is directed by drama teacher Heather Brown in coordination with the school's Tech Crew, a group of students tasked with maintaining the theater and operating sound and lighting for the school's auditorium. In 2011, the school installed a new television studio that will work closely with the Tech Crew and provide a different aspect of technical operations. Tech also hosts more than forty-five clubs. Of particular note, the school's Junior State of America
chapter won the 2008 Chapter of the Year Award bestowed by the national organization. In addition, Staten Island Tech.'s JSA Chapter boasts the highest amount of members for any club in the entire school.
Staten Island Technical High School's robotics team is one of the many fairly developed teams in the city. The team competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition
as Team 375, or "The Robotic Plague", and consistently manages to make it into the semi-finals. In the 2006 season they were the Regional Winner in addition to winning the Chairman's award for their robot, the "Rambo". and have even won the Autodesk Inventor
Animation Award at the New York City Regional, and has won the Chairman's award in New York City in 2006.
Staten Island Technical High School appears in a recurring Saturday Night Live clip in which curators from the Staten Island Zoo air "documentaries" about animals, sent to them by students.
Staten Island Technical High School also appeared in the 1998 film Joe the King.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s in 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 located in the New Dorp
New Dorp, Staten Island
New Dorp – an anglicization of Nieuwe Dorp, Dutch for New Village – is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. The community lies near the foot of Todt Hill, with Grant City immediately to its north, Oakwood bordering to the south, and...
neighborhood of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. The school is 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. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
. It consistently ranks among the best schools in 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...
in graduation rate, Regents test
Regents Examinations
Regents High School examinations, sometimes shortened to the Regents, are mandatory in New York State through the New York State Education Department, designed and administered under the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York...
scores, and attendance. In its most recent progress report, the New York City Department of Education assigned it the highest possible grade of "A".
History
Staten Island Tech was founded in 1982 as an annex of Ralph R. McKee Vocational-Technical High School, located in the New DorpNew Dorp, Staten Island
New Dorp – an anglicization of Nieuwe Dorp, Dutch for New Village – is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, United States. The community lies near the foot of Todt Hill, with Grant City immediately to its north, Oakwood bordering to the south, and...
neighborhood of Staten Island, after New Dorp High School
New Dorp High School
New Dorp High School, administered by the New York City Department of Education, is a public school located on the East Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island in the New Dorp neighborhood. The school is located at 465 New Dorp Lane next to Miller Field, an army airport turned park,...
, which had occupied the building since it was built in the 1930s, moved to its current location on New Dorp Lane. The technical courses were taught in the annex, while the vocational courses stayed in St. George. Through the advocacy of parents, staff, and students, Staten Island Tech was made an independent high school by the New York City Board of Education in May 1988. Nicholas M. Bilotti, who had been serving as director of the annex, was appointed principal of the new high school.
The school admitted students based on their seventh-grade class grades and standardized test scores until 2005, when it was added to the group of New York City's specialized high schools and therefore began using the New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
Specialized High Schools Admissions Test
The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is an examination administered to eighth and ninth grade students residing in New York City and used to determine admission to all but one of the city's Specialized High Schools.The results come in February. The test is given in the autumn for admission...
to screen prospective students. Thus, it became the first and only specialized high school on Staten Island.
In 2011, Staten Island Technical High School was ranked #13 in the nation on U.S. News and World Report's Best High Schools for Math and Science list, beating Stuyvesant High School as the #1 specialized high school in New York City for math and science.
Curriculum
The curriculum at Staten Island Technical High School is purely college preparatory, focusing on science and engineering. The mandatory engineering classes taken by students are AutoCADAutoCAD
AutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided design and drafting in both 2D and 3D. It is developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC...
, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, and Lego robotics
Lego Mindstorms
The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...
. Students can also choose from thirteen Advanced Placement courses offered at the school. Science AP classes are AP Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, AP Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, AP Physics B
AP Physics B
AP Physics B is an Advanced Placement science course that is divided into nine different sections: Newtonian Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics, Waves and Optics, and Atomic and Nuclear Physics. The course is equivalent to a one-year college course that...
, and AP Physics C
AP Physics C
Part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program, consisting of two separate courses:*AP Physics C: Mechanics*AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism...
. The history AP classes offered are AP US Government and Politics, AP US History, and AP World History
AP World History
Advanced Placement World History is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies...
. Language AP classes are AP English Language and Composition
AP English Language and Composition
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program....
, AP English Literature, AP Russian Language and Culture
AP Russian Language and Culture
In collaboration with the College Board and with funding from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Security Education Program, an AP Russian Language and Culture course and exam is under development through the American Council of Teachers of Russian...
along with AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC. The school previously offered classes in Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
networking, computer programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
, and technical drawing
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
, but were cut due to budget limitations. In addition, the school operates College Now, a program run by Kingsborough Community College
Kingsborough Community College
Kingsborough Community College , part of the City University of New York system, is the only community college in Brooklyn, New York. The campus is located at Manhattan Beach, which is at the eastern end of Coney Island. The 71-acre campus overlooks Sheepshead Bay, Jamaica Bay, and the Atlantic...
. College Now courses offered include business, statistics, and sociology. Optional electives for Junior and Senior students include creative writing and Forensics
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
. This challenging curriculum results in average SAT score of 1930 among Staten Island Technical High School alumni.
Freshman science fair winners at Staten Island Technical High School are invited to join the school's Science Engineering Research Program, more commonly known as SERP. Students remain in this program until their senior year. Throughout their high school career, they participate in various competitions including the Intel Talent Search, NYCSEF (New York City Science and Engineering Fair), ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair), and the Quality of Life
Quality of Life
Quality of Life is a 2004 drama film, telling the fictional story of two graffiti writers in the Mission District of San Francisco.Directed by Benjamin Morgan, Quality of Life stars Lane Garrison, Brian Burnam, Luis Saguar and Mackenzie Firgens. Morgan co-wrote the screenplay with Burnam, who is a...
competition.
Athletics and extracurricular activities
Staten Island Technical High School's sports program operates in partnership with McKee High School, and their shared teams are known as the MSIT Seagulls. The MSIT teams play various sports including footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, soccer, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball 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...
, wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, 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...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. The MSIT Football team won the 2010 PSAL Cup Championship, defeating the Petrides School
Petrides School
The Michael J. Petrides School is located on 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island, New York. It was created by Board of Education officials, and named after Michael J. Petrides. It opened in 1995. The school was created on the former College of Staten Island campus. Students apply to attend the...
22-0. Staten Island Tech's Boys Track team made back to back Cross-Country state appearances in the '06-'07, '07-'08, '08-'09, and '09-'10 XC seasons. The Boys Track team recently won the Varsity and JV city championships in a record breaking fashion. In 2008 Varsity and JV won the City Championships and in 2010 JV Got Second Place. In the '09-'10 season, the Boys Track team dominated the XC borough championships. The MSIT cross country Team won freshman, sophomore, junior varsity, and varsity borough championships in the '09-'10 season. The MSIT Class of 2013 Track/Cross Country Team is dominant, getting 2nd place in The 2009 Cross Country Freshman/Sophomore City Championships, 2010 Indoor Track and Field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
Freshman/Sophomore City Championships, and winning the 2010 Outdoor Track and 2010 Cross Country Freshman/Sophomore City Championships. In the 2010-2011 season, they won the PSAL Freshman/Sophomore Cross Country Championships title running a blistering 4th place and 8th place double. The Class of 2014 got 3rd place in this meet. The class of 2013 got 3rd place in the Indoor Freshman/sophomore championships, losing by a mere 8.5 points. The girls class of 2014 won this meet.
Staten Island Tech also maintains an active theater program, including productions such as SING!
SING!
SING! is an annual student-run musical production put on by some high schools in the Greater New York City area. It is a theater competition between the various grades, with the setup between grades differing from school to school SING! is an annual student-run musical production put on by some...
and a spring musical. The theater program is directed by drama teacher Heather Brown in coordination with the school's Tech Crew, a group of students tasked with maintaining the theater and operating sound and lighting for the school's auditorium. In 2011, the school installed a new television studio that will work closely with the Tech Crew and provide a different aspect of technical operations. Tech also hosts more than forty-five clubs. Of particular note, the school's Junior State of America
Junior State of America
The Junior State of America is an American non-partisan student-run youth organization. It is also the largest high school student-run organization in the country...
chapter won the 2008 Chapter of the Year Award bestowed by the national organization. In addition, Staten Island Tech.'s JSA Chapter boasts the highest amount of members for any club in the entire school.
Staten Island Technical High School's robotics team is one of the many fairly developed teams in the city. The team competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
as Team 375, or "The Robotic Plague", and consistently manages to make it into the semi-finals. In the 2006 season they were the Regional Winner in addition to winning the Chairman's award for their robot, the "Rambo". and have even won the Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor, developed by U.S.-based software company Autodesk, is 3D mechanical solid modeling design software for creating 3D digital prototypes used in the design, visualization and simulation of products...
Animation Award at the New York City Regional, and has won the Chairman's award in New York City in 2006.
In popular culture
Staten Island Technical High School was mentioned during the introduction to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart after an abortive attempt to recruit Mr. Stewart to speak at the Class of 2006 Commencement Ceremony by Student Organization President Boris Mirsaliyev and Vice President Michael Zinn.Staten Island Technical High School appears in a recurring Saturday Night Live clip in which curators from the Staten Island Zoo air "documentaries" about animals, sent to them by students.
Staten Island Technical High School also appeared in the 1998 film Joe the King.
Notable alumni
- Andrew Kozak, Class of 2000, television meteorologist for KOKI-TVKOKI-TVKOKI-TV, virtual channel 23 , is the Fox-affiliated television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is owned by Newport Television, a subsidiary of private equity firm Providence Equity Partners...
. - Mike Cassidy, Class of 2003, who holds the second fastest time ran by a Staten Islander at the NYC Marathon.
- Shamoon Siddiqui, Class of 2000, co-founder of book rental serviceBook rental serviceBook rental is not a new concept. Libraries have been lending books to the public for thousands of years. Generally in the US, public libraries are non-profit organizations, offering book lending services free to their patrons and are generally funded through taxes and donations...
: BookSwimBookSwimBookSwim is a private American online book rental service, offering rental-by-mail of both hardcover and paperback books. The company was launched in 2007 and has grown steadily since its inception.- History :... - Ingrid MichaelsonIngrid MichaelsonIngrid Ellen Egbert Michaelson is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter. Her music has been featured in episodes of several popular television shows, including Scrubs, Bones, Grey's Anatomy The Big C and One Tree Hill, as well as in Old Navy's Fall 2007 Fair Isle and Opel's/Vauxhall's...
, Class of 1997, musician. - Jeff BerardelliJeff BerardelliNew York City native and a graduate from Cornell University & Staten Island Technical High School, Jeffrey R. Berardelli, better known as Jeff Berardelli, AKA The Weather Professor, is an American television meteorologist for WFOR-TV in Miami. Jeff is also the creator and President of ZoomRadar.com...
, Class of 1993, television meteorologist for WFOR-TVWFOR-TVWFOR-TV, virtual channel 4.1 , is the CBS owned-and-operated station in Miami, Florida. WFOR shares its TV studio facilities with sister station WBFS-TV in Doral, near Miami International Airport, and its transmitter is located in Miramar.WFOR-TV also previously had two translator stations in the...
. - Thomas Tobin, Class of 2000, created & curates Setlist TV. A Staten Island based cable television & internet music performance program.
External links
- www.siths.org -- Home page of Staten Island Technical High School