Edward R. Murrow High School
Edward R. Murrow High School, founded in
1974 by
Saul Bruckner, is located in the
Midwood section of
Brooklyn,
New York City,
New York. Murrow is a part of the
New York City Department of Education.
Murrow was founded according to the
pedagogical theories of
John Dewey, and is known for its academic excellence as well as its laid-back atmosphere.
In accordance with this philosophy, Murrow has a number of features that are not found at other public high schools in New York City, including:
-A letter grading system, with each letter corresponding to a numerical measurement, e.g. E=90-95, G=80-85, S=70-75, and No credit (N) for grades below 65.
-Optional Time Activities (OPTAs), which translate roughly into a free period during the course of the day.
-Four "cycles"-each one approximately 40 days in length-during the course of a given year.
Unlike most high schools, the school lacks sports teams; instead, it puts its funds towards its well respected art, drama, and other departments. The school includes the largest
planetarium in
New York City after the
Hayden Planetarium, and its art department offers classes such as color photography and figure painting, leading
The New York Times to declare that Murrow's "course offerings read like a college catalog".(1)
Murrow is consistently ranked one of the best high schools in the country, recognized by the
Department of Education as a
School of Excellence in
1989, and considered "one of the best schools in the nation" by
Newsweek.(2) They have had
Intel Science Talent Search semi-finalists consistently since
1996, and their
chess team was the
2004 United States National High School Champions.
Keeping in line with Dewey's theories on education, Murrow has an unusual schedule structure. Classes are divided into 4 9-week "cycles", rather than 2 semesters. The daily schedule shifts depending on the day of the week, with class length varying from 50 minutes to an hour, and each class meets only 4 times a week; there are no bells to mark off the time between classes, and no time explicitly scheduled in between. Rather than having a lunch period or study halls, Murrow students have free periods called "OPTA"s, used for studying, eating, or relaxing.
Murrow's second and current principal is Anthony R. Lodico.
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Adam Yauch of the
Beastie Boys*
Marisa Tomei actress
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Jean-Michel Basquiat artist
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Darren Aronofsky director
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Ilya Gamer Mega Millions lottery winner
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James Bohanek, Broadway and television actor
*1.
New York Times, June 13, 2001
*2.
Newsweek, May 2003
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School website*
Art department website
