Top 100 Best High Schools 2013 – Blind Brook-Rye UFSD – Newsweek – 95/100
Top 100 Best High Schools 2013 – Blind Brook-Rye UFSD – Newsweek – 95/100
Blind Brook-Rye UFSD
The Blind Brook School District, officially known as the Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District, is a public school district that serves approximately 1,550 students in Rye Brook, New York in Westchester County. Before it was known as the Blind Brook School District, it was called District 5.
390 North Ridge Street Rye Brook, New York 10573
| Blind Brook-Rye UFSD | |
|---|---|
| Type and location | |
| Type | Public (government funded) |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Country | USA |
| Location | 390 North Ridge Street Rye Brook, New York 10573 |
| Coordinates |  41.03053°N 73.682068°WCoordinates: 41.03053°N 73.682068°W |
| District information | |
| Superintendent | William Stark |
| Schools | 3 |
| Budget | $34,082,000 (2009–2010 school year)[1] |
| NCES District ID | 3624630[1] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 1,524[1] |
| Teachers | 123.05 (on an FTE basis)[1] |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.39[1] |
| Athletic Conference | Section 1, Class C |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Other information | |
| Website | www.blindbrook.org |
The Superintendent of Schools is Mr. William Stark. He returned became Superintendent after spending a year in the Blind Brook Public Schools as the Interim Principal of Blind Brook High School.
The Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Facilities is Dr. Jonathan Ross.
The district serves about 70% of the area of Rye Brook; the remainder is in the Port Chester School District.[2]
Board of education
The Board of Education (BOE) is made up of 5 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 the School District Budget.
District Directors
Director of Physical/Health Education and Athletics
Director of Pupil Services
Director of Guidance
Director of Technology
Demographics and instruction[edit]
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 he described the scenario as being “like a private school.”[3]
Schools
The Blind Brook School District houses 3 schools in 2 buildings across the district.
The Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street Elementary School[edit]
The Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street Elementary School (BMP-RSS) serves grades 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. Mr. Ponterio was principal for about 25 years.
Currently, the Principal is Tracy Taylor. The Assistant Principal is Lori Cutrone
BMP-RSS was the first building built by the Blind Brook SD and was erected in the 1950s. Before the current building was built, a mansion standing on the property housed the school.
Before the creation of Blind Brook High School in 1973, BMP-RSS housed 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 2 graduations for BMP-RSS for the first time in its history as both the 5th and 6th grades moved on to the Middle School.
In 2006, ground was broken on a new Administration wing and the installation of air conditioners throughout the building. The construction marked the first additions to the building since the addition of the New Gym and a 2-level classroom wing in the 1960s.
Blind Brook Middle School
Blind Brook Middle School (BBMS) houses grades 6th through 8th and is on the Blind Brook Middle School-High School King Street Campus.
The Principal is Todd Richard. The Middle School associate principal is Ms. Neier. The associate principal position is shared with the high school.
The first Principal was Dr. Thomas Wolf. Dr. Wolf was key in the creation of the current BBMS curriculum during his tenure at Blind Brook from his arrival in 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, was “Principal on Special Assignment”. She became the 2nd principal in BBMS history.
Mrs. Bronson retired at the end of the 2010–2011 school year. A thorough search process during this year resulted in the hiring of Patricia Lambert as her replacement. Mrs. Lambert took over as the third middle school principal in July 2011.
BBMS 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 due to increasing enrollment, in 2002, a larger, 2-story wing with a gymnasium, computer lab, and office space 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, an MS cafeteria, lockers, along with a new faculty office room.
BBMS shares athletic facilities with the High School along with the Monroe E. Haas Library and IMC (instructional media center), LGI (large group instruction), band room, auditorium, and cafeteria.
