Brooklyn Technical High School

Brooklyn Technical High School is one of three primary high schools making up the specialized science circuit in New York City, the other two being Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science. "Brooklyn Tech," as the school is commonly known, has the largest enrollment of the three schools and is the sixth largest school in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. It is a member of the NCSSSMST. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education.

History

The Original Plan

In 1918, Dr. Albert L. Colston, as chair of the Math Department at Manual Training HS, recommended the establishment of a technical high school for Brooklyn boys. His plan envisioned a school with a heavy concentration of courses in math, science, and drafting with parallel paths leading either to college or to a technical career in industry. By 1922, Dr. Colston?s concept was approved by the Board of Education and Brooklyn Technical High School opened in a converted warehouse at 49 Flatbush Avenue Extension with 2,400 students.

Related Topics:
1918 - Math - Drafting - 1922

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The Building

Brooklyn Tech would occupy one more residence before settling into its current building. In 1930, as the Great Depression began, the ground breaking for the current building occurred. The school, at 12 stories high and at a cost of $6 million, opened in 1933. The school's physical offerings included two gyms, one indoor track, a pool, tens of shops and drawing rooms, a foundry, a recording studio, a broadcasting antenna, a recital hall, a library with fireplaces, a courtyard and a 3000-seat auditorium. Brooklyn Tech's founder and first principal, Dr. Colston, had an apartment built for himself in the tower of the building, and was the only person to ever live inside Brooklyn Tech.

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1930 - Great Depression - 1933

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In 1934, the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which later became the Works Projects Administration (WPA), commissioned artist Maxwell B. Starr to paint a mural in the foyer depicting the evolution of man and science throughout history.

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The Early Academics

One of the unique features of Brooklyn Tech is its system of specialization. When Dr. Colston envisioned Tech, it was to be an elite vocational high school. Its graduates would be able to get the top jobs of their day upon graudation. Thus, the curriculum consisted of two years of general studies with a technical and mechanical emphasis followed by two years of specialization.

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The curriculum would remain mainly unchanged until the end of Dr. Colston's term as principal in 1942, after 20 years at the helm. After his retirement, Tech was led briefly by Acting Principal Ralph Breiling, who was succeeded by Principal Harold Taylor in 1944. Tech's modernization would come under Principal William Pabst, who became principal in 1946 after serving as chair of the Electrical Department. Under his stewardship, he created new majors and refined older ones as students were able to major in Aeronautics, Architecture, Chemistry, Electrical and Electronics, Industrial Design, Mechanical Technology, Structural Technology, and Technical College Prep.

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1942 - 1944 - 1946

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Tech Becomes Specialized and Beyond

After Principal Pabst retired in 1964, Tech remained stable with no dramatic change until 1972. In 1972, Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science, Stuyvesant High School, and La Guardia High School of Arts become incorporated by the New York State Legislature as specialized high schools of New York City. The act called for an uniformed exam to be administered for admission to Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science, and Stuyvesant. The exam would become known as the Specialized Science High Schools Admission Test (SSHSAT) and tested students in math and science.

Related Topics:
1964 - 1972 - Bronx Science - Stuyvesant High School - New York City

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With its statewide recognition, the school had to become co-educational starting a new era for Tech. Dr. Colston's vision of a school for Brooklyn boys is now a school for New York City students of both genders.

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In 1973, Tech celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a dinner-dance at the Waldorf Astoria. Also included in the anniversary festivities was the erection of a monument, complete with a time capsule buried beneath it, in the North courtyard. The monument has eight panels and each panel has a unique design that represented each of the eight majors that Tech had at that point.

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1973 - Waldorf Astoria

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Techonological advances again changed Tech's character in 1976, as Graphics Communications became the latest major in order to prepare students in a changing world.

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In 1983, Matt Mandery is appointed principal. His appointment to principal made him the first Tech alumni to guide the school, and in 1984 under his leadership and guidance Tech received the Excellence in Education award from the United States Department of Education. As the Alumni Association is formally created, coalitions are formed with the NYC Department of Transportation and the local business-university community.

Related Topics:
1983 - 1984 - Department of Education

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Following Dr. Mandery, John Tobin is appointed Principal in 1987 and over the next five years Tech sees the Bio-Med major added to its curriculum, but at the same time the Material Science Department is abolished and the 7th floor foundry is closed. The man that leads the school at the present moment is Dr. Lee D. McCaskill, who was appointed Principal in 1992.

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1987 - 1992

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Since the year 2001 to Present, Brooklyn Tech has been undergoing many modenizations and renovations. The most noticeable one is the renovation of the school's library entrance located on the 5th Floor center section, which is named the "William L. Mack Library". The renovation gives the library a "new look" from the outside, and at the same time preserving its old-fashioned structures, wooden tables, paintings, and book shelves on the inside. The Library, just recently had 2 Computer Labs added where students and teachers can: send/receive email, browse the web, do research, and print documents. In addition to the computer labs, all the books in the library are digitally cataloged. Students and Staff can check the library's current holdings via the 4 OPAQ terminals, and at any station connected to the internet. This new system, similar to that of which the Public Libraries use, was initially set up by Chia Hung, Chu who is a tech alumni from the Class of 2003. Asides from the library, many of the aging and old computer equipment in the classrooms and computer labs have been replaced with brand new Pentium 4 machines, made possible through various grants offered by Caretech, the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Association, and other Tech Alumnus and Organizations. To date, there are still many ongoing projects, which have yet been completed in the whole modernization process, that will keep the school and students up-to-date in the latest technologies.

Related Topics:
William L. Mack - Chia Hung, Chu - Caretech - Brooklyn Tech Alumni Association

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