Education in Bay Ridge

When teaching local history to students, it provides a great opportunity to look at the history of schools in the area. There is a rich history of how education has developed to what it is today, and the New York City board of Education is one of the largest Departments in the entire country.  By exploring what going to school was like in the past, students can receive a better understanding of what life was like in general in the past. It also helps personify the experience as students will be able to truly understand the issues that kids like them faced in the past. 

In looking at Bay Ridge, it is best to divide the schools by school type. As in Education there are Public schools, which are federally funded and free for all students. The New York City Department of Education must follow the state and federal guidelines as far as curriculums and programming. There is also private schools which can be either parochial (faith based) or a private institution where the individual school makes the curriculum and students pay tuition. The last type of school would be charter schools, which are free to students and the parents and community members have a better say in the curriculum and programming. In Bay Ridge there are no charter schools yet, so for this post we will be focusing solely on public and private schools. 

Schools in Bay Ridge

   

I created the image above as well as a MyMaps to show all the schools in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. There are sixteen schools in Bay Ridge, ranging from elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. 

All the Private Schools in Bay Ridge are as follows:

1. Fontbonne Hall for the Sciences - This is an all-girls Catholic High school located at 9901 Shore Rd, Brooklyn, NY.
2. St. Patrick Catholic Academy - This is a co-ed nursery through 8th grade Catholic School located at 401 97th St, Brooklyn, NY.
3. Visitation Academy - This is an all-girls nursery though 8th grade Catholic School located at 8902 Ridge Blvd, Brooklyn, NY.
4. Stepping Stones Nursery School - This is an independent private school for children ages 2 - 4. This is located at 245 86th St, Brooklyn, NY.
5. Adelphi Academy - This is a co-ed nursery through 8th grade independent private school located at 8515 Ridge Blvd, Brooklyn, NY
6. Dimitrios and Georgia Kaloidis Parochial School - This is a co-ed independent private school for nursery through 8th grade. 
7. Bay Ridge Prep - This is a co-ed kindergarten through 12th grade independent private school located at 8101 Ridge Blvd, Brooklyn, NY.
8. Xaverian High School - This is a recently co-ed Catholic High School. Located at 7100 Shore Road, Brooklyn, NY. An interesting point about Xaverian is that it was historically an all-boys school, and only started to accept girls in 2016. 
9. Holy Angels Catholic Academy/St. Anselm Catholic Academy - This was a co-ed nursery though 8th grade Catholic School located at 337 74th St, Brooklyn, NY. It is being discussed that St. Anselm and Our Lady of Angels would combine to become Bay Ridge Catholic Academy. Students from both schools would attend classes in the St. Anselm building located at 365 83rd St, Brooklyn, NY.
10. Poly Prep Country Day School - This is an independent private school for grades ranging from nursery to 12th grade. This is located at 9216 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY.

All the Public Schools in Bay Ridge are as follows:

1. ADAPT Community Network William O'Connor Bay Ridge School - This is a co-ed Public preschool for young  children with severe learning disabilities, located at 420 95th St, Brooklyn, NY.
2. Fort Hamilton High School - This is a co-ed Public High School that is located at 8301 Shore Rd, Brooklyn, NY. 
3. P.S. 185 Walter Kassenbrock School - This is a co-ed Public Elementary School ranging in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade. Located at 8601 Ridge Blvd, Brooklyn, NY.
4. P.S. 102 The Bay View School - This is a co-ed Public Elementary School ranging in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade. Located at 211 72nd St, Brooklyn, NY.
5. P.S./I.S. 30 The Mary White Ovington School - This is a co-ed Public Elementary School and Middle School ranging in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. 

Before It Became A School

Some of these schools have a long history that shed light on the past in Bay Ridge. One such school is the 

Visitation Academy. The Visitation Academy is one of the oldest private school in the area of Bay Ridge area, which started in 1855. The campus is 7.5 acres of land, with a beautiful pond and backyard space for the students. Originally, the campus and main building was the Inebriate Home, where alcoholics could receive help during the mid 19th century. This home was heavily publicized in the media as it was serving a large area (Brooklyn, Staten Island, and even people in New Jersey). As the sisters of the Visitation continued to build their presence, the Inebriate home was closed and a school for girls was opened in its place. 

The article above from “Inebriate Home: Description of the Proposed New Building” New York Times August 23, 1869. It was accessed from here.

 

The site where Fort Hamilton High School is today was previously owned by the Van Brunt Family. The Van Brunt's mansion was used as a clubhouse for the Crescent sporting league, where according to Past and Present: The Crescent Athletic Club, Bay Ridge by Suzanne Spellen,

"...in its heyday, the club’s facilities here in Bay Ridge were busy with all kinds of activities, and the Crescent’s teams played other sports clubs, Ivy League college teams, and other amateur athletic teams, some from other countries."

By having such a large and significant presence in the community, it seemed like the Crescent club would last forever. Unfortunately, the Great Depression had a major impact on the club, and the owners were forced to sell their properties. This led to the NYC DOE purchasing the land and creating Fort Hamilton High School in the year 1942. Due to the expansive athletic grounds on the property, Fort Hamilton students are able to enjoy athletic spaces such as a full length football field. Sadly the boathouse with access to the water is no longer standing, but the opportunity to learn about the previous tenants and owners of the land where students went to school is quite interesting.

This image of the Crescent Clubhouse in 1908 was accessed from here. 

Here is an image of current day Fort Hamilton High School.

In learning about the history of the location of schools, as well as what bringing students attention to the various types of schools in their neighborhood, it allows for a deeper appreciation and understanding in the students. Often times, students only think of their world as being the distance between their homes and their school. By opening students eyes to the other schools and therefore opportunities in their area, it can further help the incentive of the NYC DOE's 'college and career readiness'. 

A great learning opportunity would be for schools in Bay Ridge to collaborate and work together, possibly towards some community service events. Many of the kindergarten to 8th grade schools have partnerships with the local high schools to prepare their students for high school and beyond. It is the understanding and appreciation for the rich history of Bay Ridge, as well as continuing to build the strong sense of  community amongst the students in Bay Ridge. 

Kadinsky, Sergey. "Inebriation to Visitation: Hidden Pond in Bay Ridge." Hidden Waters Blog. January 21, 2016. https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/inebriation-to-visitation-hidden-pond-in-bay-ridge/. 

Morris), Suzanne Spellen (aka Montrose. "Past and Present: The Crescent Athletic Club, Bay Ridge." Brownstoner. May 10, 2013. https://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-the-crescent-athletic-club-bay-ridge/.