Hempstead High School (New York)

Hempstead High School is a public high school located in Hempstead, New York.

Hempstead High School
Address
201 President Street

Hempstead
,
New York

United States
Information
TypePublic
PrincipalStephen Strachan
Faculty116.0 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,493 (as of 2016-17)[1]
Student to teacher ratio19.2:1[1]
Color(s)Blue and White
MascotTigers
YearbookColonial
AffiliationConference A-1, Nassau County
WebsiteHempstead High School

As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,226 students and 116.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 19.2:1. There were 1,346 students (60.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 34 (1.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

History

In the early 20th century, high school students from East Meadow, Roosevelt, Uniondale (East Hempstead), and West Hempstead, in addition to Hempstead Village, all attended Hempstead High School. The tuition to Hempstead SD #1 was paid by the neighboring Common School Districts. It was not until the late 1950s that the last of these school districts built their own high schools.[2]

Design

The high school building is a three-level structure with an open courtyard in the center of the school. The school is built on a marshy area, and local legend holds that the school sinks a few inches every year. The school consists of three buildings: The "A" building, in which most of the classes are held and where the student lockers are located; the "B" building, which serves as home to the media center, administrative offices, the MCJROTC room, and a few classrooms; and the "C" building, which consists of the gymnasium, the nurses office, the auditorium, the student and faculty lunch rooms, and the science classrooms on the lower level. Renovations currently underway will relocate lockers to the school hallways, as they presently sit in the "commons" of the A building on the first floor. Hempstead High School also has an indoor swimming pool that reopened after renovations in the spring of 2005.

Academics

Once a school of high academic, music and athletic standing from the early 1900s to the mid 1970s, the school experienced difficulties during a period a change in the town and Nassau County during the 1980s into the 21st century.

Hempstead HS experienced again began to show signs of improvements with the graduating classes of 2005 and 2006. In 2004, 57% of Hempstead's students passed the Math A Regents Examination (state average: 78%), up from 28% in 2003. In English for 2004, the passing rate stood at 66%, up from 49% in 2003 (state average: 77%). In Physics, Hempstead had an 88% passing rate, compared to an 81% state average. Hempstead also offers Advanced Placement courses in English, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, United States History, French, and World History. There was an attempt to cut these classes, but a student protest in 2005 kept the Advanced Placement curriculum in place.

Extracurricular activities

Student government

Hempstead is noted for its student government program, widely accepted to be one of the most active in Nassau County. The group consists of a four-member executive council and a Senate composed of 12th and 11th grade students, and a House of Representatives, composed of 9th and 10th grade students. Elections are held in October and members must be elected every year. The executive board is elected by the Senate and the House. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have their own leader, the Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House respectively. The student government ratified its current constitution in November 2004. The student government is advised by History teacher Donald A. Jackson.

Sports

Hempstead competes in class 1A, the largest classification in Nassau County. The Tigers football team is a storied one. The current Head Coach of the Hempstead High School Varsity Football Team is Sylas B. Pratt, who played for this team when he was younger, the Tigers dominated Nassau football, once going 34 straight games without losing. They were led by coach Buddy Krumenaker who imposed a "no- nonsense" type of attitude to the program. The "Krumenacker Era" began with such outstanding players as Larry Mason, Rich McCann, Doug Cross Tony McDonald, Gregory Francis, Norris Taylor, Kevin Mcclure, John Bridges, and Derrick Payne. Star players from this era included Andre Anderson, Kevin McClure, Michael Roberts, Kenny "KB" Boyd, Daryl Singelton, Warren Stith, Rob Moore, Daren Faulk, Antoine Moore, Larry Bell, Lamont and Lenord Hough and Sylas Pratt. Moore went on to play in the NFL for the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos. The Tigers are known for their tiger or full-house and power-I formations. Hempstead High School varsity basketball has also been a powerhouse since the 1980s when Ted Adams became the head coach. The Tigers also had a long run of success with their lacrosse program under Allan Hodish in the 80s, culminating with a lot of their star players excelling in the college ranks as well. The star players from that era included Kevin Mcclure, Norris Taylor, Tony McDonald, Gregory Francis, Donald Jones, Derrick Payne, Brandon "BJ" James, Jeffrey "Newbie" Newbill, John Williams, Danny Williams, Aaron Jones, Jerry White, Arthur Barrett, Norman Deena, Brian Duncan, Darrell "Snake" Goens, Heath Hughes, Aaron Cross, Warren Stith, Andre Anderson, Rich Humphrey, Billy "Bug" Person, Tyrone Payne, James "PeeWee" Freeman and Greg DeShields.

Notable alumni

Raymond Gnieweck ('49) Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for many years.

References
  1. School data for Hempstead High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 12, 2016.
  2. http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/

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