The Bronx High School of Science - Transforming Lives for 75 Years

The concept of a specialized science high school began as an idea in the mind of Dr. Morris Meister, the founding principal of The Bronx High School of Science. His background as a teacher and supervisor of science made him realize that intellectually gifted youngsters tended to be neglected by public education. He further believed that gifted students who shared common interests in science and mathematics would achieve excellence thereby justifying a school which grouped such students together. Dr. Meister had the vision to realize that gifted young people interacting in an intellectually challenging educational environment would be highly successful. He also felt that such youngsters would go on to be leaders in our society.

Seventy-five years later it is clear that Dr. Meister's dreams were well founded. The Bronx High School of Science has lived up to the original concept. Its many graduates have achieved at superb levels; many have become leaders in science, engineering, education, government, law and the arts.

We are proud to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Bronx High School of Science this year. A number of exciting events are planned and we encourage our alumni to join us in honoring this venerable institution. These events will include a Big Birthday Bash to be held at the school in early June. The grand opening of the Holocaust Studies Center will take place in April. Our 75th Anniversary Gala, which is a large scale fund raiser for the school, is schedule for April 20, 2013. We also hope to host several smaller scale gatherings across the country through our regional alumni groups. Please visit the Alumni Association website: alumni.bxscience.edu and the Gala website: bronxscience75.com for event information throughout the year.

Since its founding in 1938, the school has reflected societal changes. In the early 40's the peaceful growth of the school was interrupted by our country's entry into World War II, and the school reorganized its program to provide maximum support to the war effort. War-related electives such as auto mechanics, map making, and aerodynamics were established. In 1946, although the women's liberation movement was not yet with us, Dr. Meister was, again, ahead of his time. In September of that year, he opened the school to girls. The 130 young women admitted became the first females to gain admission to a specialized high school in New York City preceding its rival schools Stuyvesant (1969) by 23 years, and Brooklyn Tech (1972) by 26 years. In the 50's, the school's program had developed to such a point that its original facilities could no longer handle what had to be accomplished. A drive was begun which culminated in a new building completed in March 1959.

Dr. Meister left Bronx Science in January 1958 to become the first president of Bronx Community College. He was succeeded by Dr. Alexander Taffel who also came from a background in science teaching and supervision. His first responsibility was to organize the move to the new building, the final step of which was to move all the books in the school library. Each student took five books home on Friday afternoon and brought them to the new building on Monday morning. The new building opened a new era for Bronx Science. It provided a more spacious environment as well as new and unusual facilities. These included a mathematics laboratory housing a sophisticated IBM computer, a planetarium, a radio station, two greenhouses, an animal room, a nutrition laboratory, six advanced science laboratories for group work, and three laboratories for individual student research. During the early 60's, the curriculum was expanded and enriched to make full use of the new facilities. A number of sophisticated science and math electives were offered. However, the basic requirements for graduation remained the same throughout these many years.

During the middle 60's things at Science proceeded in a calm, scholarly fashion. However, as the period of social unrest and disturbance began to accelerate in the late 60's, it became necessary for Bronx Science to divert much of its energy towards protecting its integrity and insuring its survival. The disenchantment with the Vietnam War was reflected in student crusades. Science was not spared. During this period, the school was frequently disrupted by student protests and demonstrations. The longest teachers' strike in the history of the city occurred during this period, lasting more than seven weeks. The school was closed by Dr. Taffel and a program of free voluntary interim schools was established at churches and temples. Most of the striking supervisors and teachers took part in educating the thousands of students who attended these interim schools. Dr. Taffel then organized an advisory board consisting of parents, teachers, and students to defuse a dangerous situation resulting from the many demands made by a few hundred disruptive students. This board became the model for those required in all high schools in the city.

In the late 60's, there was an attack made against specialized schools that selected their students through an examination process. To counter this threat, the four specialized high schools, Science, Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, and Music and Art formed a Council, which is still in existence. This group consisting of faculty, parents, alumni, and friends, saved the specialized schools. It helped effect the Hecht-Calandra Law, mandating the Board of Education to maintain specialized high schools and describing the admissions procedures. There were other attacks against the school in the 70's. All were successfully beaten back.

During the 70's and 80's, enrichment of the curriculum continued. The reputation of the school had now reached the far corners of the globe. Visitors from all over the world came to Bronx Science. As a result, several schools modeled after Bronx Science have been established in the Soviet Union, the Philippines and Turkey. More recently, similar schools based on our model have been established in six states throughout the nation and are being planned in Korea, Japan, and the People's Republic of China.

In 1977, Dr. Taffel retired and Mr. Milton Kopelman became the school's third principal. He too, came from a background of science teaching and supervising. He had been Chairman of the Biology department at Bronx Science since 1961 and began his career at the school in 1949 as a substitute biology teacher.

During the late 70's and 80's, special programs were established. Focus was placed upon independent research, communication, ethical decision making, and active student involvement in the learning process through an approach called Inquiry.

In 1990 Mr. Kopelman retired and biology chairman Mr. Vincent Galasso became the fourth principal of Bronx Science. The school's budget reached its nadir during his tenure and it became abundantly clear that the very programs and features that made Bronx Science unique would no longer be funded by government sources. He and former principal Milton Kopelman were instrumental in establishing an Endowment Fund to help provide the resources necessary to maintain and preserve the Bronx Science legacy. Under Mr. Galasso's guidance, the school began to earn a reputation as a leader in computer technology and communications.

In 1994, an alumnus from the Class of 1963 and assistant principal of the Physical Sciences Department, Mr. Stanley Blumenstein, became the school's fifth principal. In order to meet the new challenges of the millennium, a Library Research Center was established and modern computer labs were constructed throughout the building. A new Distance Learning Lab was constructed with full video conferencing capabilities and a partnership with Cablevision improved and upgraded the school wide technology network allowing for the use of cable for Internet connection. A $2.3 million renovation of the science laboratories provided every student with a computer and probes at his or her station to collect and analyze data.

In June of 2000, Mr. Blumenstein left Bronx Science and a search for a new principal began. Mr. William Stark, assistant principal of Global Studies was selected as interim acting principal for the fall semester and former principal Vincent Galasso returned to take over the helm for the remainder of the school year.

In September 2001, Ms. Valerie Reidy, a Bronx Science veteran teacher and assistant principal of Biology became the school's first female principal. She looked to Dr. Meister's original concept for the school as her guide in placing more emphasis on teaching using the inquiry approach. This “guided discovery” method, in which students aren't lectured at but instead led through a lesson Socratically, enables students to develop their own understanding of the material.

The school's slogan is now "INQUIRE. DISCOVER. CREATE." Focus is placed upon independent research, communication, ethical decision making, and active student involvement in the learning process. Not only does the school expose students to advanced STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Math) focused studies, but it places equal emphasis on creating a well-rounded adult through the classics, humanities and sport.

Bronx Science has expanded its college-level course offerings over the past 4 years by 100%. Post-AP level courses now include Engineering/Robotics, Genetics, Psychology, Environmental Science, Microbiology, Forensic Science, Epidemiology, Marine Biology, Astronomy/Astrophysics, and Modern Optics/Lasers/Photonics. The curriculum is further enhanced by incorporating an outstanding speakers series into the course work thereby exposing the students to experts in various fields of study and opening their world to new horizons. Many of these speakers come from the ranks of our alumni such as Nobel Laureate, Dr. David Politzer, Pulitzer Prize winner, Clyde Haberman, and marketing gurus, Rose Marie Bravo and Leonard Lauder.

Under Principal Reidy's leadership the school has seen many improvements to its 50-year old infrastructure. Science labs have been modernized and renovated, the auditorium has been remodeled to 21st century specifications, and most of the school is now air-conditioned. Principal Reidy is most proud of the new state-of-the-art library designed to provide easy access to electronic and print information - a modern facility conductive to teaching and learning, a place to explore the sciences, humanities, literature and the arts.

It should also be pointed out that this exceptional curriculum and many of the infrastructure improvements have been made possible in part by the support of generous alumni of Bronx Science. Alumni donations via the Alumni Association and Endowment Fund help make many of the college level courses possible. The Guidance Department's College Process has also been a beneficiary of alumni support. The school's unique extra-curricular offerings like Speech/Debate, Robotics, Marine Biology Olympiad Teams, the Scholar/Athlete Program and new Lacrosse team would not be possible if it were not for alumni support. Our graduates also fund $150,000 in annual alumni scholarships.

Alumni funding has allowed Bronx Science students to accomplish extraordinary things. The girls' robotics team, The Fe Maidens, won the Imagery award at the U.S. First competition. The school had 7 Intel Semi-Finalists and 1 Intel Finalist last year, a American Academy of Neurology Research Prize, a American Museum of History Young Naturalist Award, 1 finalist and 2 semi finalists in Siemens Competition, and 4 Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Finalists. At the NYC Science and Engineering Fair, Bronx Science had 32 finalists, 5 winners, and 3 students went to International Science and Engineering Fair. First place was taken by the school at the Regional Bridge Building Competition and students were finalists in the Toshiba Exploravision competition. In 2010, Bronx Science Debate Team became the top-ranked National Forensic League chapter in the United States, a testament to the strength and depth of the program.

Principal Reidy states that, "our overall goal is to provide Bronx Science students with the best education possible by offering all the benefits (course selections, diversity, support, college opportunities) of a large school with the personalized approach of a small school environment."

Bronx Science is a reflection of societal change. Although the school has lost a share of its middle-class students, its new population, which represents a broader diversity, has proven fully capable of continuing and advancing the school's high academic standards. The original dream of Dr. Morris Meister has borne fruit during the 75 years that the school has been in existence. It continues to develop science talent and graduate young people who go on to leadership roles in many fields of endeavor throughout the world.

Bronx Science has been transforming lives for 75 years. Help us celebrate our 75th Anniversary this year!