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Thomas R. Proctor High School is the only high school in the Utica City School District in Utica, New York. The school was built in 1934 with funds from the Works Progress Administration and Thomas R. Proctor. It opened its doors on September 9, 1936. The school is the only public high school in Utica after Utica Free Academy closed in 1990.[2]
| Thomas R. Proctor High School | |
|---|---|
 Front entrance to Thomas R. Proctor High School off Hilton Ave. | |
| Address | |
 | |
1203 Hilton Ave. United States | |
| Coordinates | 43°04′56″N 75°12′54″W / 43.0822°N 75.2149°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | September 9, 1936 |
| School district | Utica City School District |
| Principal | Andre Paradis |
| Teaching staff | 166.79 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,689 (2021–22)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 16.12[1] |
| Color(s) | Red, black, white and silver |
| Mascot | Raider |
| Website | www |
Demographics
editProctor is a highly diverse school. As of the 2021–2022 school year, 2,689 students were enrolled. Of that, 757 (28%) were White, 722 (27%) were Black, 536 (20%) were Hispanic, 527 (20%) were Asian, 138 (5%) were of two or more races, and 9 (less than 1%) were American Indian.[1] Due to the large immigrant and refugee population in Utica, more than 40 languages have been spoken by Proctor students, among them Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.[3]
Proctor is eligible for schoolwide Title I, and about three-fourths of students in the 2021–2022 school year were eligible for free or reduced lunch.[1]
History
editThomas Redfield Proctor (May 25, 1844 - July 4, 1920) was a prominent Utica businessman and philanthropist. Thomas R. Proctor Park, which consists of land he purchased and donated to the city, is also named for him.[4][5]
In 2015, the Utica City School District was sued by six refugee students, who alleged that refugee students older than 16 who were judged to have poor English language skills were denied enrollment at Proctor High School. They were instead diverted into weaker alternative programs that focused solely on English as a foreign language and did not lead to a diploma or adequately prepare for a high school equivalency exam.[6] The suits were settled in 2016, eliminating the alternative programs.[7][8]
Athletic department
editThomas R. Proctor High School offers a variety of sports for both girls and boys to compete in at varsity and junior varsity levels.[9] The 2007 boys varsity baseball team were class AA NYSPHSAA champions.[10] The varsity cheerleading squad also holds a national title,[which?][citation needed] and placed first in all five of their competitions in the school year of 2007–2008.[11]
| Type | Fall sports | Winter sports | Spring sports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls | Cross country, diving, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball | Basketball, bowling cheerleading, indoor track | Golf, softball, track & field |
| Boys | Cross country, football, golf, soccer, volleyball | Basketball, bowling, diving, ice hockey, indoor track, swimming | Baseball, lacrosse, tennis, track & field |
| Mixed | Cheerleading | Cheerleading | None |
Notable alumni
edit- Michael Arcuri, congressman for New York's 24th congressional district
- Richard Benedetto, journalist and professor
- Dave Cash, former Major League Baseball player
- Dominick Dawes, hockey coach and recipient of the 2009 Edward Jeremiah Award
- Bianca Devins, internet celebrity and murder victim
- Brianna Kiesel, 2015 WNBA draftee[12]
- Joseph Michael, singer (dropped out before graduation)
- Tiffany "New York" Pollard, reality star (Flavor of Love, I Love New York, New York Goes to Hollywood)
- Will Smith, American football player (New Orleans Saints)[13]
References
edit- Notes
- ^ a b c d e "THOMAS R PROCTOR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ Bottini, Joseph P.; Davis, James L. Utica Then & Now. pp. 84–85.
- ^ "Utica embraces challenges of serving refugee students". New York State School Boards Association. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "Proctor". Oneida County History Center. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Hills, Frederick S. (1910). New York State Men: Biographic Studies and Character Portraits. The Argue Company. p. 12. Retrieved July 24, 2024 – via Archive.org.
- ^ Wang, Hansi Lo (March 1, 2016). "Refugees Say N.Y. School District Blocked Them From Going To High School". NPR.org. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Harris, Elizabeth A. (May 19, 2016). "Utica Settles Lawsuit Over Refugees' Access to High School". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Chen, David W. (July 21, 2016). "Utica Settles State Claim Alleging Biased Enrollment for Refugee Students". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Digital Sports – Thomas R Proctor High School - New York - Sports, Youth Sports Leagues and Activities - Athletics
- ^ Moshier, Ron (March 27, 2016). "Sports Legacies: Reliving Proctor's state championship season". Utica Observer Dispatch. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Morrison, Angelica A. (April 7, 2008). "Proctor cheerleaders successful". Utica Observer Dispatch. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Delaney, Anne. "Kiesel "blessed and honored" to be drafted in WNBA". Utica Observer Dispatch. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ "UPDATED: Proctor's Smith shot and killed Saturday; suspect in custody". Utica Observer Dispatch. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
