New Utrecht High School

New Utrecht High School is a coeducational public high school located in Brooklyn, New York. It serves grades 9 to 12, and falls under District 20 of the New York City Department of Education.

New Utrecht High School
Address
1601 80th Street

Brooklyn
,
New York, 11214
Coordinates40°36′48″N 74°00′11″W
Information
TypePublic
Established1915
School district20
School codeK445
PrincipalMaureen Goldfarb
Faculty206
Enrollment3,488
Student to teacher ratio19:1
Color(s)White and Green
Team nameUtes
NewspaperThe New Comet
InformationPhone: 718-232-2500 Fax: 718-259-5526
Websitenewutrechthighschoolnyc.com

History

Nineteen Dutch settlers founded the town of New Utrecht on January 16, 1657, named after the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands, from which their leader came.

It was from this early colony that New Utrecht High School received its name. The school was established in 1915 as an offshoot of Bay Ridge High School, which up to that time had been coeducational. With the creation of New Utrecht High School, Bay Ridge became a school for girls only, while New Utrecht was an all-boys school.

The first home of the school, which had a population of 350 boys, was a wooden building on 86th Street near 18th Avenue. Irving Hazen was its first principal, and the school colors, green and white, were selected as a compliment to Hazen's alma mater, Dartmouth College.

Although the first graduating class had only sixteen boys, the growth in student population was rapid. In November 1924, the present building on 80th Street and 16th Avenue was opened, with a student body of about 2,300 and in February of the next year girls were admitted for the first time. Since then, three girls have been elected to the presidency of the student government. In the next few years, the school continued to grow, until it consisted of a main building and four annexes, comprising a total of nearly 11,000 boys and girls. This was the largest student body in the world.[1]

Activities

Student Government

New Utrecht has an active student government, which is elected every October. For close to a century the student government positions were mayor, deputy mayor, secretary, treasurer, and student representatives from each grade. The mayoral theme was a longstanding tradition that stemmed from the fact that New Utrecht (the neighborhood) was named by Dutch settlers after the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In 2015, the student government decided to change the name of the two major positions of mayor and deputy mayor to student body president and student body vice president. The New Utrecht High School Student Government is responsible for allocating funds to clubs, as well as organizing a School Spirit Week, a Thanksgiving Dinner, a Toy Drive, and other annual school-wide events.

There is also a Senior Council composed of a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The Senior Council is responsible for organizing Senior events, such as the Senior Class Brunch and Senior Trip, creating the Senior Class sweatshirts, voicing concerns of the Senior Class to the administration, and keeping the Senior Class informed.

School Leadership Team

The School Leadership Team (SLT) consists of representatives from the school administration, parents, teachers and students. The students are usually two active students, one junior and one senior, who voice the concerns of the student body. The SLT meets monthly to discuss and work on issues related to implementation of the school's mission and vision. A P.T.A. meeting follows immediately after.

Productions at New Utrecht High School

There are four productions held annually at New Utrecht: the Talent Show, the Chinese New Year Show, the Fashion Show, and the International Show.

The Talent Show is open to anyone who has talent, whether it be singing, dancing, magic, comedy or any other form of entertainment. The sound crew, lighting crew, stage crew, construction crew and booklet crew are composed entirely of students. The show is usually held in December.

The Chinese New Year Show is put on near the Chinese New Year. It has singing, dancing, acting and other forms of entertainment, revolving around Chinese culture. The Chinese Club at New Utrecht has a partnership with a non-profit organization called the Chinese-American Planning Council.

The Fashion Show production at New Utrecht High School is student run and consists of students in the New Utrecht Fashion Society creating their own clothes and having their friends model them. The show is usually held in March or April.

The International Show is held in April or May and, like the others, is completely student run. It is similar to the Talent Show but focuses on other countries around the world.

Clubs

New Utrecht offers clubs for students, including:

  • Student Organization
  • Arista Society
  • Art Club
  • Asian Club
  • Chinese Chess/Gaming Club
  • Chinese Debate Club
  • Chess & Game Club
  • Creative Problem Solving Club
  • Dance Club
  • Disc Jockey (DJ) Club
  • Glee Club
  • History Club
  • LGBTQ+ Student Association
  • Photography Club
  • Robotics Club
  • Sound Club (Audio/Visual)
  • Stock/Investigating Club

Advanced Placement

New Utrecht offers Advanced Placement courses, including:

  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP Calculus BC
  • AP World History/Human Geography
  • AP United States History
  • AP United States Government and Politics
  • AP Comparative Government and Politics
  • AP Micro-Economics
  • AP Macro-Economics
  • AP English Language and Composition
  • AP English Literature and Composition
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Physics
  • AP Biology
  • AP Psychology
  • AP Computer Science A

Academies

There are several academies (programs that offer employment-oriented training in specialized fields) at New Utrecht, which include:

  • Academy of Business of Technology
  • Academy of Medical Professions and Health Careers
  • Academy of Legal Studies
  • Academy of Hospitality and Tourism
  • Academy of Art and Design
  • Honors Academy

Some academies are associated with NAF, a non-profit organization originally known as the National Academy Foundation.

Alumni

Notable alumni include:

New Utrecht High School is the venue for key scenes in the 1947 movie It Happened in Brooklyn, starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, and Peter Lawford.

The front and rear views of the school building were employed in opening and closing scenes of the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which starred New Utrecht alumnus Gabe Kaplan.

  • The entranceway of the
    school, 2013
  • The rear of the school, 2013
  • The school in 2003
  • The school in 2003
  • The school in 2003

References
  1. Silberstein, Rachel (2015-09-29). "Save The Date: New Utrecht High School Celebrates 100 Years On October 24". BKLYNER. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  2. "New Utrecht (Brooklyn, NY) Baseball". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  3. Levin, Jay. "Harold Martin, former Bergen County freeholder and state Assemblyman, dies", The Record (Bergen County), October 20, 2010. Accessed November 24, 2019. "Harold Martin was born in West New York and grew up in Brooklyn, where his family operated a successful menswear store. He graduated from New Utrecht High School and studied political science and economics at Rutgers University, from which he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees."
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