Harry S. Truman High School (Bronx)

Harry S. Truman High School

Aerial view of Harry S Truman High School and Co-op City
Address
750 Baychester Avenue
Bronx, New York
United States
Information
Type Public secondary
Principal Keri Alfano
Grades 9–12
Color(s) Green/White
Mascot Mustangs
Website Truman High School

Harry S Truman High School is a public high school at 750 Baychester Avenue, in the Co-op City section of the Bronx, New York City, United States. The school is designated as an Empowerment School by the New York City Department of Education, which allows it more autonomy in choosing a curriculum. Truman shares a uniquely designed and interconnected campus with two middle schools, MS 180 and 181, and two elementary schools, PS 178 and 153. The campus was designed to be a one-stop and close-to-home solution for students and families in the Co-op City neighborhood. The main Truman building is also home to the Bronx Health Sciences High School, which occupies a portion of the third floor, and PS 176X, a special education school for autistic students, which shares a small portion of the first and second floors.

Truman High School is one of the remaining large high schools in the Bronx that has not been broken up into a number of small schools. This trend, which has been popular in the city, has seen other high schools in the borough, such as Evander Childs High School and Roosevelt High School split into a number of smaller schools that are still located in the same building.

Truman High is located in the Co-op City section of the Bronx, although many of the students commute to school from other parts of the city.

History

In 1998, Sana Q. Nasser became the principal of Truman. Under a partnership with the non-profit organization "P.E.N.C.I.L.",[1] she has created six small career-themed academies in TV Production/Media Communications,[2] Culinary Arts, Air Force Junior ROTC, Engineering & Robotics, Law, and Business Computing. The academies serve to create and maintain the benefits and feeling of a small high school, with the variety of courses and extracurricular activities that can only be offered at a large high school. Students take their academy classes every day, for all four years of high school and change academies (or enroll in more that one), if their schedule permits.

Statistical analysis done by the school has indicated that among students who participate in the academies, on-time graduation rates are significantly higher, and overall attendance, behavior and academic performance in the core subject areas has improved.[3]

On June 18, 2009, during his bid for re-election, Mayor Michael Bloomberg claimed that during his administration, reported crimes at the school had dropped by a staggering 85%.[4]

On September 6, 2013, Principal Sana Q. Nasser retired from her post as leader of the school. After 15 years as the head administrator, and 31 years in the education system, Nasser cited her desire to spend more time with family as one of the main reasons for her departure. She did indicate that her work in education in New York City would continue, but did not specify where her next position would be.

Awards and achievements

Students pose with Sade Baderinwa at WABC-TV to receive their first prize scholarship check.

In February 2011, Truman Media Academy students, while working on an internship at the Bronxnet Television network, received a daytime Emmy nomination for their work on a show called "Open 2.0" in the Teen: Program/Special category.[5][6]

In June 2011, Truman Media Academy students Ernesto Gonzalez and Ian Denton won first place in the "Get Reel With Your Dreams" scholarship competition, hosted by Sade Baderinwa of WABC-TV and The Walt Disney Company for creating a 30-second public service announcement about child abuse.[7][8][9]

In October 2011, Principal Nasser was selected to receive a NY Post Liberty Medal, for her work in creating a "small school feel, with higher graduation rates," at Truman.[10]

School facilities

Aerial Photo of the rear of Harry S Truman High School. The 3-section gymnasium appears at foreground.

Truman's main building consists of 7-stories and a basement. Athletic facilities include several dance studios, a wrestling gym, weight room, aerobics facility and large gymnasium, which can be separated into three smaller gyms. Outside, the school hosts an integrated baseball/football field, and 6-lane track and field competition area.

The school's auditorium spans nearly three stories of the building vertically, and has two tiers of audience seating. The auditorium is shared with the connecting middle and elementary schools. Students are able to access it using underground tunnels that connect the five separate buildings.

When it was built, the school housed two indoor swimming pools. An Olympic-sized competition pool, which had been closed since 1995 due to eroded pipes was reopened in January 2012. An adjacent shallow training pool, also in disrepair, was not fixed due to a lack of sufficient funds. It is now hidden from view behind a wall built during the renovation.[11][12]

Renovated Pool area at Harry S Truman High School

The Northeast Bronx Planetarium is also housed on the first floor of Truman's main building. Truman Alumnus and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. secured $375,000 in capital funds to rehabilitate the space. The renovation replaced a decades-old system of over a dozen slide projectors with two high-resolution digital projectors, operated by a computer automation system. New carpet and seating was also installed. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held in November 2011 to officially reopen the space.[13] In September 2013, a brand new Astronomy course was opened up to Truman students under the leadership of instructor Kathleen Robbins. The class meets daily in the planetarium, and several students in the program are trained to operate the digital facilities on their own.

Television Studio with anchor desk and set donated by News 12 Networks

Several areas of the building have also been customized to meet the needs of the special academies. These modifications include a television editing lab, control room and studio, as well as a radio studio on the first floor. Two classroom-kitchens were built on the 5th and 6th floors to accommodate the culinary arts program and a third is being planned for the 7th floor. The law program is housed in a custom-built courtroom and law library, complete with judge and witness benches and a jury box. The engineering and robotics program works in a competition-style field-of-play on the first floor.[14] In Fall 2013, a new museum also opened on the 6th floor, highlighting the history and evolution of the school.

Athletics

The school's student body size (approximately 2000 students) provides the benefit of having numerous athletic and extracurricular activities.

Fall sports

Winter sports

Spring sports

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ PENCIL: Transforming Schools Together
  2. ↑ Truman High School Media Program Website
  3. ↑ Bronx Principal Reinvents High School
  4. ↑ Mayor Bloomberg Announces Crime Decrease in City Schools
  5. ↑ 4 Emmy Nominations!
  6. ↑ 2011 New York Emmy Nominees
  7. ↑ Baderinwa Awards Get Reel Scholarships
  8. ↑ Words Unspoken PSA from YouTube
  9. ↑ Photos from Get Reel Scholarship Awards
  10. ↑ Bronx Principal Reinvents High School
  11. ↑ Harry S Truman's Pools Stay Closed in Baychester
  12. ↑ Insideschools.org Review of Truman High School
  13. ↑ News 12 The Bronx: Stars, Asteroids Wow Students at Truman H.S. Planetarium
  14. ↑ Insideschools.org Review of Truman High School
  15. ↑ Likely Bronx DA Has Plans from The Wall Street Journal 27 October 2015
  16. ↑ Peter Liguori Visits Harry S. Truman High School from YouTube

Coordinates: 40°52′27″N 73°49′55″W / 40.87417°N 73.83194°W / 40.87417; -73.83194

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