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56-720: The Interim Superintendent of Schools is Colin Byrne. The district serves about 70% of the area of Rye Brook; the remainder is in the Port Chester School District . All of the district is within a portion of the Town of Rye . The Board of Education (BOE) is made up of five members who reside in the Blind Brook School District. An election is held each May to elect members to the BOE and to vote on

112-583: A cable television station through BBTV, the school's video club. This club produces original programming for the station and helps run the station. Blind Brook students are well known for their commitment and enthusiasm towards improving the community, and often surpass the 80 hours required to graduate. In order to expand the community service opportunities, the Blind Brook Community Service Club organizes events with senior citizen centers, holds fundraisers, and has established

168-555: A US News Report from 2016, Blind Brook is ranked #32 in New York State and #177 Nationally. The AP participation rate as of 2016 is 81%. The Blind Brook School District houses three schools in two buildings across the district (Middle and High School on same campus). The Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street Elementary School serves kindergarten to 5th grade. The building was renamed in the late 1990s in honor of long-time building principal and Rye Brook resident, Bruno M. Ponterio. He

224-535: A brick building further up the road. It was part of a gift to the school district by the Lehman family. Lehman was a prominent legal figure in New York. The principal at that time was Myrtle Ansel. Teachers were Ms's Greavy, Kohler, Eton and Messrs Bonanno and Ralph. Mr Hager was the groundsman and lived with his family on the property. Before the creation of Blind Brook High School in 1973, the elementary school housed

280-444: A comprehensive middle-school focused transition program from grade 5 to grade 6 and again from grade 8 to grade 9. Port Chester has four elementary schools. Each school serves students in grade K-5 with a total elementary population of 2,160 students in 2014–2015. The district has full day Kindergarten. Students are assigned to elementary schools by neighborhood zones. Blind Brook High School Blind Brook High School ( BBHS )

336-477: A construction plan and encouraged the community to get involved and vote for funding to build a separate middle school wing. The bond passed by a large margin, bringing construction to the BB campus for the first time since 1973. In the summer of 2000, Portables 1 and 2 were installed to create additional classroom space during the construction. These modular buildings are connected to each other, but are not connected to

392-725: A full interscholastic boys and girls sports program at the modified, junior and varsity levels. Port Chester High School's Marching Band has appeared in the movies Spider-Man 3 and Miracle on 34th Street (1994 film) and has performed in the 2003 Orange Bowl as well as the Disney World Festival of Lights. The band also participated in the 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A National Blue ribbon School of Excellence serving about 1,000 students in grades 6–8 in 2014–2015, where students are organized into “teams” each with its own team of faculty members. PCMS offers foreign language instruction, physical science instruction taught in

448-470: A letter to Newsweek saying that it didn't want to be on a list that ranks high schools based on the ratio of students who take advanced-placement exams. Previously, Blind Brook had been placed 89th on Newsweek magazine's Top 100 Schools list in 2006, and 94th in 2007. BBHS has expanded its Advanced Placement program. In 1999–2000, seven AP courses were offered. As of 2007, BBHS offered 14 AP courses in addition to high-school-level regents classes. BBHS

504-509: A more difficult and challenging baccalaureate curriculum, though after months of discussion and debate, the Board of Education voted 4 to 1 against the continuation of the program in March 2003. The end of the school year also brought the resignations of Blind Brook's top administrators, long-time principal Robert Chlebicki and assistant principal Michael Mitchell, leaving a sense of uncertainty in

560-601: A new housing development, and the influx of younger families to the community, the Blind Brook community started to outgrow the footprint of the original high school building. Further, after spending several years at the Ridge Street building, as Blind Brook grew into a 9-12 high school, the seventh and eighth grades were reintroduced back at the Blind Brook campus, adding to the crowded conditions. A parent-school district committee, called "Let's Bond for our Kids", formed

616-589: A pen pal program with a local elementary school. The Blind Brook Soup Kitchen is a weekly soup kitchen run by Blind Brook students since its establishment in 1998. It serves the Port Chester community by serving meals to the needy and less fortunate. In 2001, Blind Brook's Habitat for Humanity chapter was created. The club has worked on numerous construction sites helping build homes, clean up debris, and paint churches. The students of Blind Brook run many clubs that promote social change. These help inform

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672-531: A range of options including honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, a full complement of academic, art and music courses, and a broad range of extracurricular activities. Over 95% of graduates are college bound each year. Co-Curricular and Athletic Activities: A range of clubs is available and is designed to meet students’ school-related interests and needs, including art, choir, theater, journalism, and student government. About one-third of students participate in at least one sport through

728-547: A slow permit approval by the New York State Education Department. In the 2005-06 phase of construction, a new middle school cafeteria, fitness center, science labs, HS and MS classrooms, and new athletic fields were built. Problems arose when students became concerned with the future of the Rock , a tradition Blind Brook students take part in every year as the senior class paints it. The problem

784-479: A softball field and a soccer/football field. It was announced in the spring of 2007 that Anthony Baxter would not be returning to Blind Brook for the 2007–08 school year. The Board of Education hired William Stark in June 2007 as the interim principal until a permanent replacement was found. In the summer of 2007, Blind Brook was the site of the 2007 Empire State Games men's soccer matches, which helped further show

840-585: Is a newspaper. It has won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's gold medal. The paper is produced in-house by the students and faculty adviser. What was first known as the Underground Literary Magazine in the early 1980s, is Blind Brook's student-produced literary magazine , Impulse . This magazine is popular for its short stories, poems, and art. In addition to print, Blind Brook operates

896-591: Is a public, four-year secondary school in Rye Brook , New York , United States . It is the only public high school that serves the Blind Brook School District . BBHS is a relatively small high school; the Class of 2008 was made up of 102 students. The principal is Dr. Jennifer Chirles. The assistant principal is Mark Greenwald, a former teacher. Blind Brook High School opened its doors in

952-418: Is a school, not an art museum!" pushing a backlash against the walls. Many wanted the walls removed, though that wouldn't happen until Blind Brook went through a second wave of construction. The new auditorium was also criticized as it was too small and could not fit the entire high school and its faculty in the facility at the same time. In addition, the end-of-the-year graduation would not be able to be held in

1008-496: Is known for its strong educational program. In 2010, U.S. News & World Report ranked Blind Brook #55 in its list of best high schools in the country, up from 85 in 2009, placing Blind Brook on its Gold Medal List for the second year in a row. In 2008, Blind Brook, along with other high schools across the United States, asked Newsweek magazine to be left off the magazine's controversial rankings. Blind Brook signed

1064-550: The International Baccalaureate plan was rejected. A new strategy was put into action by the Board of Education to investigate the AP program and to see if it would be a good fit for BBHS. From 2004 to 2006, Blind Brook added numerous AP classes to its class offerings. In addition to new AP classes, Blind Brook, in the 2005–06 school year, also added Latin as an elective. In early 2005, the Blind Brook community

1120-816: The Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District , is a school district headquartered in Port Chester, New York . The district is located within portions of the Town of Rye . All of Port Chester is in the district. About 30% of the village of Rye Brook is in the district, and the remainder is in the Blind Brook School District . As of October 2014, the district had 4,517 students. The district has four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Secondary schools: Port Chester High School houses grades 9–12, with 1,576 students in 2015–2016. The students in Port Chester High School select from

1176-401: The Blind Brook community of the issues facing today's world. The AIDS Awareness Club's mission is to promote AIDS research and educate people about the topic. SAGA, a gay-straight alliance , helps bring different groups of students together to promote acceptance, among other things. SADD, "Students Against Destructive Decisions", is a very active club. Its goal is to help students make

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1232-666: The Blind Brook community. Chlebicki left Blind Brook for the North Shore School District on Long Island to become the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. Blind Brook's administration was still up in the air in the 2003–2004 school year, as an interim principal was hired while the search for a new principal continued. Anthony Baxter and Jane Wermuth were hired for the positions of principal and assistant principal, respectively. Blind Brook's future curriculum plans were also in limbo after

1288-569: The Ridge Street School, which housed classes from kindergarten to 8th/9th grades, was becoming overcrowded and could not accommodate the growing population that would become known as Rye Brook (in 1982). Land was purchased on King Street, and construction was started in 1972 and ended in late 1973, months into the school year. The high school today stands on the same campus as in 1973. In the fall of 1973, Blind Brook opened its doors, with David Schein as its first principal. Construction

1344-449: The arrival of Michael Mitchell in 2001. With administrative change occurring, the construction project progressed. The project ultimately resulted in a middle school wing, a middle school gymnasium, a renovated Instructional Media Center (library), new middle school and high school main offices, a 450-seat auditorium, a new front walkway and entrance, a renovated commons area, and high school classroom renovation. In addition to expansion of

1400-462: The arts. In 2007–08, clubs were moved from Activity Period to after-school, after formal complaints by the BBHS Congress and students. As a result of their moving, new procedures concerning clubs were established. These procedures require that both new and pre-existing clubs submit a complete list of members in order to obtain a one-year charter allowing them to operate. Blind Brook's FOCUS

1456-400: The assistant principal for the middle school and the high school, was appointed as the new middle school principal. The middle school was originally composed of a hallway of classrooms and shared the entire building with the high school. As part of a district-wide bond referendum sparked by increasing enrollment, in 2002, a larger, two-story wing with a gymnasium, computer lab, and office space

1512-473: The building, in order to meet state fire codes, the construction also resulted in traditional, four-walled, closed classrooms. By removing wall-less classrooms, the new classroom setup left some interior rooms windowless. In addition, the Commons had its carpet removed and new, artistic walls were installed. These walls were often poked fun at and seemed very silly in the eyes of students, with statements of "This

1568-651: The building. The construction marked the first additions to the building since the addition of the New Gym and a two-level classroom wing in the 1960s. Blind Brook Middle School houses grades 6th through 8th and is on the King Street Campus. The principal is Patricia Lambert, after a few years in the High School she is back in the Middle School. The first principal was Dr. Thomas Wolf. Dr. Wolf

1624-483: The campus had to be taken down and rebuilt. This set the field projects back several months. The wall was finally completed in October 2006. The company which installed the wall and provided the stones paid for the damages. The upper field contains an artificial turf baseball field and the lower contains a six-lane track and an artificial turf lacrosse/soccer/football field. Because of the new field space, girls' lacrosse

1680-532: The community the new and state-of-the-art facilities Blind Brook had to offer. At the 2008 graduation ceremonies, the Board of Education President announced that the IMC would be renamed the Monroe E. Haas Library and IMC, in honor of the outgoing board member. On April 16, 2008, it was announced that Scott Bersin, who had been the assistant principal at Great Neck High School North on Long Island , had been hired as

1736-436: The entire Blind Brook School District. As time progressed, the building held grades K to 6th. When the middle school wing of the high school was built in 2002, the 6th grade was moved to the new building. That spring brought two graduations for the elementary school, as both the 5th and 6th grades moved on to the middle school. In 2006, ground was broken on a new administration wing, and air conditioners were installed throughout

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1792-552: The fall of 1973. The construction of the Blind Brook School District's first high school came about after the community (which was the unincorporated area of the Town of Rye at the time) wanted to expand the local school district, District #5. This push for expansion started after the community became frustrated about spending much money to send their children to local high schools including Port Chester, Mamaroneck, Rye Neck, and Valhalla, without commensurate representation or influence on those districts' policies and programs. In addition,

1848-522: The former science coordinator for the middle school and high school, was appointed as an interim principal as of July 1, 2009. On July 1, 2010, Gina Healey became the sixth principal of Blind Brook High School in seven years. When the vice principal Jane Wermuth was the only administrator not to be given a raise by Superintendent Stark, she left for the principal position at Yonkers High School. In 2013, Blind Brook saw yet another change in staffing. After Healy's resignation, Patricia Lambert moved up from

1904-621: The knowledge of other cultures and people. These include BBHS Italian Club ]</ref> Spanish Club, Latin Club, and World Languages Club (which promotes all languages other than the "big 4" listed previously). Blind Brook houses many academic clubs whichll strive to further educate students about topics of interest and expose them to different activities. These include the Chess Club, in which students meet weekly to play chess, and JSA , in which students debate political issues. During

1960-469: The main high school building. To this day, the modular classrooms, or as they are often called, the portables (though they cannot be moved), are still used for daily classes and are fairly popular among the student body. During this time of physical change in the district, Susan Shirken, the assistant principal for the middle/high school, left to become an administrator in the Edgemont district. This marked

2016-469: The middle school to fill the vacant position. Lambert had served as the middle school principal for two years before her promotion. Todd Richard, the vice principal, was promoted to principal of the middle school. In 2018, high school principal Patricia Lambert became the middle school principal, and was replaced by assistant principal Derek Schuelein. Social studies teacher Mark Greenwald filled in his spot as assistant principal. Blind Brook High School

2072-403: The new facility as it lacked necessary seating for guests. Graduations are held in the gym as it can accommodate the larger number of guests. 2002-2003 brought much more change to Blind Brook High School. A new look, some new technology, and several new "traditions" changed the style of the culture throughout the school's new halls. A (non-merged) football team, albeit at the junior varsity level,

2128-1008: The presidential race, the JSA club sponsors a mock debate between the candidates. The Blind Brook Mock Trial team has been very successful on all levels of the New York State Mock Trial Competition, sponsored by the New York State Bar Association . The New York competition is the largest in the United States, with over 375 high schools participating each year. The Blind Brook team is usually made up of 14-16 students. Those wanting to join must go through an interview and question/response tryout. Six students are assigned lawyer positions (three for Prosecution, three for Defense) and six are given witness positions (three for Prosecution, three for defense). The team prides itself on its competitiveness and selectivity. The team meets every week throughout

2184-523: The right choices. Topics range from drug use to drinking and driving to social issues. The club gets its message out through guest speakers, drunk driving simulators, and bake sales. Another popular club at Blind Brook is the Human Relations Club. It is known for its annual weekend retreat. The study of foreign languages is a vital part of the Blind Brook culture. Each club uses bake sales, movie nights, and other creative means to expand

2240-464: The school district's budget. As of 2000 the district had 1,108 students and a 12 to 1 student to faculty ratio. Dr. James B. Van Hoven, the superintendent, said that district students are within "a high-powered academic program in a very intimate setting", and described the scenario as being "like a private school .". In October 2017, the district enrollment was 1,439 students with an additional 80 students attending out-of-district schools. According to

2296-503: The school year for up to nine hours total, to prepare the various materials required for a trial, as well as to prepare for spontaneous situations that may come up during testimony. The Blind Brook Mock Trial Trojans have won the Westchester County Championship at least twelve times, in 1994, 1995, 1998, from 2004 through 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2023. Each year, between 16 and 36 schools compete for

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2352-534: The school's Planetarium, hands-on experimental science courses and accelerated English, math and science strands for gifted students. The school has a bi-annual exchange program with a middle school near Madrid, Spain. Character education and community service projects play a significant role in the life of students. Extracurricular activities include sports teams, band, orchestra, choral groups, drama, astronomy and other clubs and groups. An after school program provides enrichment and academic support. Port Chester has

2408-404: The school's new principal effective July 1, 2008. However, Bersin only served one year of his three-year probationary appointment. At a special meeting held on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, the Board of Education accepted Bersin's resignation, making him the third principal to resign in six years. Bersin's resignation produced a great deal of controversy, according to newspaper reports. Vincent Galasso,

2464-450: Was "Principal on Special Assignment". She became the second principal of the middle school. Bronson retired at the end of the 2010–2011 school year. A search process resulted in the hiring of Patricia Lambert as her replacement. Lambert took over as the third middle school principal in July 2011. In 2013, Lambert moved on to become principal of the high school. Todd Richard, who was serving as

2520-625: Was built in 1973 (renovated in 2002 and 2006) and houses grades 9 through 12. According to a 2014 article in Newsweek Global, the college enrollment rate was in the 95th percentile and the on time graduation rate was in the 89th percentile. Blind Brook High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School in September 2016. The principal is Patricia Lambert and the associate principal is Derek Schuelein. Port Chester School District Port Chester Public Schools , officially known as

2576-605: Was built. This separated most daily activities of the middle school and high school, even though the two are still both under the same building. In 2006 ground was broken on a new middle school wing which houses general education classrooms, science labs, a cafeteria, lockers, and a new faculty office room. The middle school shares athletic facilities with the high school, along with the Monroe E. Haas Library and instructional media center, large group instruction, band room, auditorium, and cafeteria. State-of-the-art athletic fields were also constructed in 2006. Blind Brook High School

2632-462: Was created, after a long absence of any type of recreational football. The team was originally made up of 25 students, and practiced at Ridge Street School. Parking issues at the then-IBM building between the high school and the building's owners continued, resulting in tense negotiations between the two groups. Three International Baccalaureate classes (12th grade English, 11th grade Chemistry, and Theory of Knowledge) were added in order to create

2688-509: Was designed this way as the district chose to focus around a humanities curriculum that included interdisciplinary studies. Its faculty, a blending of teachers already working on the K-9 Ridge Street staff with new hires committed to the open-space educational concept, began an educational adventure that lasted in spirit for over 20 years. Since the school officially opened in 1973 with Grades 7–10, Blind Brook's first graduating class

2744-412: Was fixed as the rock was moved out of harm's way. The new fields feature synthetic grass, to give teams more flexibility in when and how often they can use they fields and. A significant retaining wall malfunction delayed the construction of the soccer/football field, as it had to be rebuilt. The manufacturer said that the wrong type of stones had been chosen for the wall, meaning all retaining walls on

2800-415: Was key in the creation of the current middle school curriculum during his tenure at Blind Brook, from mid-2002 to 2007. He announced in early 2006 that he would retire on January 31, 2007. A search for a new principal took place in 2006 and the Board of Education voted on a replacement prior to the end of the 2005–2006 school year. The replacement chosen was Karen Bronson, whose title, until Dr. Wolf retired,

2856-439: Was once again outgrowing the High School building. This gave school officials no other choice than expand onto the high school building once again. A bond vote was conducted and passed by a high percentage. With this bond passed, construction returned to the Blind Brook campus for the second time in only five years. Construction, however, did not start until late 2005, around October, because of problems with architectural plans and

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2912-470: Was ongoing in the new building during the first months of the school year. In fact, some classes were held while construction proceeded around them. The original building was considered modern as it contained "open classrooms". This setup contained classrooms that had movable walls and/or book cases separating them. This made for an interesting and different learning environment since students walking in hallways would also be walking behind classes. The building

2968-504: Was started in 2007 at the JV level. The baseball field, complete with stands, backstop, and sliding-dirt cutouts, was completed in mid-October 2006, while the soccer/football field wasn't complete until the spring of 2007, and the track wasn't complete until July 2007. The Village of Rye Brook, New York , at the same time, was building their fields adjacent to the BBHS campus. These fields contain

3024-427: Was the Class of 1975, a class made up of only four advanced students, with the graduation taking place in the middle of the school year, at the conclusion of the first semester. 1997 brought the arrival of Principal Robert Chlebicki, who would hold the position until 2003. During his tenure at Blind Brook, Chlebicki helped Blind Brook move into the 21st century in many areas. In 1999, with the construction of Bellefair,

3080-413: Was the home to a regional BOCES program for hearing impaired students. However the program concluded at the end of the 2014–2015 school year. Blind Brook has many activities and clubs that students can take part in during Activity Period and after school. In recent years, these clubs and teams have been recognized as top performers in their fields. Clubs range from academic teams to community groups to

3136-462: Was the principal for about 25 years. The current principal is Tracy Taylor. The associate principal is Lori Cutrone. The building was the first built by the Blind Brook School District, and was erected in the 1950s. Before the current building was built, a mansion standing on the property housed the school. The mansion was used as classrooms before and while the school building was built. Grades 1,2, 7 and 8 were in that building and 3, 4, 5 and 6 were in

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