The school's student body represents 60 countries.[3] It is a two-timeBlue Ribbon School[4] and is accredited by theMiddle States Association Commission on Secondary Schools.[5] The school is organized into eight learning communities of approximately 400-600 students each.
New Rochelle High School's buildings are situated at the rear of a plot of land, fronted by two lakes, andHuguenot Park. The city acquired the park's 43 acres (17 ha) of land, including what is now Twin Lakes, in 1923 as the site for the community's new high school and a park. The twin lakes were one large lake that had been used for an ice manufacturing business by theMahlstedt family. At the southeast corner of the property is Mahlstedt House, where the family lived. In 1926, Mahlstedt House became the Huguenot Park Branch ofNew Rochelle Public Library, which closed in 1992, and in 1996 it became Huguenot Children's Library.[6]
A white, marble, World War II Marines Memorial is located near the causeway leading to the High School from North Avenue. The monument was dedicated on June 3, 1949, to the 15 New Rochelle Marines who died while fighting in the war.[7]
The school's campus was designed in theFrench-Gothic style by the architectural firmGuilbert and Betelle.[8] It includes a working clock tower, indoor swimming facilities, eight tennis courts, two football fields, one combined soccer and baseball field, an outdoor track, a television station and aplanetarium. The planetarium can hold 84 viewers and uses aSpitz Scidome, a 360-degree full-dome video projector with ATM-4 automation and a 5.1 surround sound audio system.[9]
The high school was completed in 1926 at a cost of over $1 million. It was originally named the Woodrow Wilson Memorial High School, but was removed by the city board of education and renamed to New Rochelle High School, sparking protests.[10][11]On May 17, 1968, school buildings dating from the 1920s and 1930s were destroyed byarson.[12] A 16-year-old high-school student with a history of setting fires to attract attention was arrested for the arson. Additions made to school buildings in 1959 and 1960 were not affected. Fire insurance allowed the school to rebuild while displaced students were accommodated at local junior high schools under a time-sharing arrangement.[13]
On August 15, 2008, two months after the 40th anniversary of the 1968 arson fire that destroyed much of the school, New Rochelle High School was struck by lightning, causing a fire that severely damaged the building's distinctive spire.[14][15]
During the spring 2018 semester at the school, three instances of violence involving students occurred; in an incident on January 18 of that year, a student was stabbed to death.[16] In 2019, a student named Z'Inah Brown was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her actions in the January 2018 incident.[17]
In 2019, the school's administrator was dismissed "for changing 212 grades for 32 students by making 'entries and changes to students' records in violation of NRHS grade-change practice and without any consistent, comprehensible or valid explanation'".[18][19]
The NRHS is organized into eight geographically defined learning communities of approximately 400-600 students each that serve as a home base for students and teachers. In each community, ninth and tenth grade students in are teamed with teachers in English, social studies, mathematics, and science. These teacher-student 'teams' remain intact for ninth and tenth grades to provide continuity for students and staff. Eleventh and twelfth grade students remain within their communities but most coursework occurs throughout the campus.[20]
The school features several departments. The Arts Department is a program that integrates Art, Music, Dance and Theater Arts within the school.[21] The school also includes a Business Education Department and its current programs of study include business, Marketing & Entrepreneurship, and Marketing and Computer Applications.[22] The Engineering and Architectural Design Department offers courses in architectural design, architectural presentation, CADD aided residential drawing and design and drawing for production.[23]
NRHS Chapter of National Honor Society, part of a national organization. Membership is based onscholarship,community service,leadership, andcharacter. To qualify, students must possess a minimum cumulative unweighted average of 87.0, show a minimum of 20 verifiable hours of community service, and display strong leadership qualities. Students meeting these requirements are interviewed and selected by members of the Faculty Council.[24]
Spanish Honor Society, open tojuniors andseniors who have shown outstanding work in Spanish for a minimum of 21⁄2 years. Final acceptance is subject to review by the NRHS Foreign Language Department in accordance with the guidelines of theSociedad Honoraria Hispanica.
French Honor Society, open to juniors and seniors who have consistently maintained a high average in French for a minimum of 3 years.
Latin Honor Society, open to juniors and seniors who have consistently achieved 90s in Latin for a minimum of 3 years.
Italian Honor Society, open to juniors and seniors who have consistently maintained a high average in their years spent studying the language.
Tri-M Music Honor Society, open to students of the Instrumental and Vocal Music Departments upon recommendation by their respective teacher.
National Art Honor Society, members must meet select national standards in art and display a strong focus on community service.[25]
Math Honor Society, open to those who maintain a high average in math throughout high school
The privatefoundation The Fund for Educational Excellence was formed to address the dramatic increase in the cost of public education by supporting aspects of the public education system that fall outside the normal operating budget.[27] The fund was established in 1998 by the Superintendent of Schools, members of the Board of Education and community leaders. The fund has sponsored several benefit concerts featuring NRHS students at major performance venues includingCarnegie Hall andAvery Fisher Hall at theLincoln Center.[28]
The on-site Museum of Arts and Culture offers exhibits and programs focused on the fine arts, history, literature, science and technology. The museum opened in 2006 and is the only Regents-chartered museum in a school in the state of New York.[29]
The school'sModel Congress Club is the oldest-and-longest-running high-school-level model congress in the U.S. The Model Congress originated at New Rochelle High School in 1964 when faculty advisor William P. Clarke sought an extracurricular outlet for bright students who were not engaged in sports.[34]Richard Nixon was the guest speaker at the club's first mock presidential convention in 1964.[34] The club is focused around debating issues through the use of bills and parliamentary procedure. The club becomes a delegation when it debates in foreign congresses, both college congresses and those associated with the United Model Congresses. Each year the school holds a Model Congress weekend, hosting "foreign delegations" from other schools.
The varsitybasketball team was a New York Section AA finalist in 2003 and 2013.
The Varsityfootball team won the New York State title in 2003, 2012 and 2019 and was a New York State Class AA finalist in 2000, 2004 and 2009 and semi-finalist in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2015.[38] The team has earned the title of New York State Section 1 AA champion nine times since 2003 including five straight times from 2006 to 2010.[39][40]
The boys varsity tennis team won the 2005 New York State doubles title. The team also were league champions in 2017 and 2018.
David Stewart (swimming '15) currently holds a NYSPHSAA Section 1 record in the men's 100-yard butterfly as of 2015.[41]
In 2005 NRHS student Lynne Lane set a Section 1 track record and was the 60-meter national champion.[36]
Throughout the years, the girls and boys track teams have won many league, county and sectional titles. In 2008 and 2010, the girls shuttle-hurdle team won national championships.[42][43]
Both the varsity and JV cheerleading teams were national champions at the 2013 Universal Cheerleading Association National HS Cheerleading Championships.[44]
In 2016, the boys varsity soccer team won its first Class AA New York State Championship since 1986.[45]
New Rochelle High School Fire of 1968 (relates the story of the fire and its consequences with both text and an extensive collection of historic photographs)
