Hempstead High School (New York)

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

History

In the early 20th century, high school students from Garden City, East Meadow, and Roosevelt, 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 1950s that these school districts built their own high schools.

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 an academic power in the 1980s, Hempstead 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

• A+ (Andre Levins), rapper most noted for his hit "All I See", attended Hempstead High School and named his album released in 1999, Hempstead High.
• Tavorris Bell, former Harlem Globetrotter
• Reuben L. Haskell, a U.S. Representative, March 4, 1915 – December 31, 1919.
• John Mackey, football player, Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers and Pro Football Hall of Famer, graduated 1959.
• Rob Moore, football player, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos, graduated 1986.
• David Paterson, Governor of New York (2008–2010), graduated 1971.
• The Product G&B, a singing duo best known for their collaborative hit with Carlos Santana, "Maria Maria", both members attended Hempstead High School.
• Brian Pumper, actor and director.
• Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, Hempstead High 1975–1978, Music Producer, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Slick Rick, Bell Biv Devoe, Vanessa Williams, etc.

Beneida Smith, Superior Court Reporter, Broadcast Captioner

External links

• Hempstead Schools Website
• Long Island School Rant

Coordinates: 40°41′48″N 73°37′54″W / 40.69667°N 73.63167°W / 40.69667; -73.63167