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Old 07-26-2007, 10:45 PM
 
27 posts, read 148,027 times
Reputation: 16

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so i thought maybe it would help you guys if a student from beacon high provided some insight. I just recently graduated from bhs in june of this year, and i would have to say that my experience at Beacon High was great! Beacon had a rep of being pretty bad, but thats from like twenty years ago. Since they built the new highschool, things in "B-town" have really changed. BHS has alot of programs available for their students, not as many as wappingers or arlington because beacon is a comparitivly small district, However Beacon does put alot of emphases on academics, sports, and the arts. The staff at BHS is very strict about the students being eligible to play sports and be involved in clubs. If the student is failing 2 or more subjects at any point, they are suspended for 5 weeks. If their marks do not improve within the 5 wks, they will not be able to play sports for the remainder of the season, or be involved in the play, and may be kicked out of clubs. Beacon is full of wonderful teachers, and the principal Mr. Mancari is a sweetheart! Beacon has alot of art electives, ranging from drawing and painting, ceramics, textiles, studio art, art theory and photography. There of course is band and chorus. Each student must recieve at least one art credit to graduate. Each elective is worth .5 credit so they must either a year of music, or art theory and art studio. *Art theory and art studio must be completed first if the student wishes to take other art classes.* There are also Dutchess Community College (DCC) classes available for seniors (however they must be recommended by prior teachers.) The DCC classes available are; English 101, DCC Stats, DCC Economics and Government, and DCC psychology. (the dcc gov and eco classes substitute the state Participation in Government and Econmics required classes, and the student must pass these classes to graduate) Some other electives are Introduction to Criminal Justice, Psychology, History Thru Sports, TV production, Computer Graphics, and Yearbook. Beacon may be small, but beacon really is a great town to live in. Beacons set right alongside the Hudson River, and Beacon also continues to have a growing Arts community.

Most of the kids who attend BHS are good kids. But all in all, beacon high is just like any other high school. However, beacon's diverse culture helps the kids to be more accepting of other ethnic groups, and nationalities.

The highschool itself is beautiful, the football field and track was renovated last spring, and there are several tennis courts, a baseball and softball field, and two soccer fields. There is also a beautiful swimming pool, and a great fitness center which is open to the community before and after school hours (membership required) and free to students. The school also offers a lifegaurding class which takes the place of one year of p.e. and almost all of the students who take the lifegaurd class end up working for the school. The school is air conditioned, there are 4 main computer labs, a huge theatre for the plays which are a huge success and run by Ms. Deleo. The library is opened for students a half our before school begins, and until 4pm afterschool.

Security at Beacon High has also been wonderful. There was only one threat, occuring this past school year of a possible gunman. Now I know that doesnt sound positive, but the school handled it with excellence, and it turned out that it was a false alarm and no gunman was ever in the school, and the threat actually came from someone in California. So nothing ever happened, and the students were sent home early that day, and an assembly was held the next day explaining what exactly happened. There are no metal dectetors, or bag checks as you walk into school. So far Beacon has not had any real incidents of guns/knives being brought into the school that I am aware of.


In my earlier years in the beacon district I attended South Ave Elementary, which is a magnet school, so it focused alot of music and art. However, Sargent and Glenham elementaries are probably the better of the four though.. considering that most of the top academic students in my graduating class came from either sargent or glenham. Both the valdictorian and saluditorian of the class of 2007 went to Sargent.

A new library and more classrooms were the main focus of Rombouts renovations last school year. Im not really sure how rombout is on their academics and school programs now because I havent been there in so long, but from what I've heard, it is definately better than wappingers jr high and arlington middle schools.

So i hope that my reply has helped you, and if you do decide to move to Beacon, let me be the first to welcome you!.

Last edited by xxosaryoxx; 07-26-2007 at 11:15 PM..
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Old 07-26-2007, 11:23 PM
 
27 posts, read 148,027 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Manhattan-ite View Post
Beacon is changing, and fast. The Dia:Beacon museum has been a catalyst for a renovation of Main Street (finally)- new antique stores, organic places, fine restaurants and all that. Two years ago I visited and it was a seedy place with lots of people loitering, poverty, gangsta-thug-looking types and boarded-up businesses.

In my last visit six months ago, Main Street Beacon had changed SO much, for the better. Instead of "checks cashed" it was an "organic produce" store, instead of an empty basement there was a gallery and so on. There seems to be some big real effort to clean up.

But, yes, I imagine the schools have not changed because the concentrated poverty and the subsidized housing are still there.

ehh no. i just graduated from beacon high, and the schools are ALOT better.
the new high school began its first year 5 years ago, and the gang-fights have seemed to be almost non existant. the sports teams have been doing ALOT better, and the community is more involved. yes, there maybe poverty and there may be low-income housing, but they are respectable housing, and the highschool has alot to offer the kids. rombout was just renovated last year, and the elementary schools are doing better as well. so just because the "poor houses" are still there doesnt mean the education is the same.-
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Old 07-26-2007, 11:33 PM
 
27 posts, read 148,027 times
Reputation: 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by hannahannah View Post
i've been reading this thread with great interest. beacon has made the short-list for my family, too. the diversity in combination with art scene and the lovely mountain backdrop is a compelling package -- but the schools have made me pause. i'm not as concerned with what the schools were like in the past. i'm mainly interested the commitment level of the schools, the administration, and the teachers in their efforts to improve the schools. the brand new high school is a clear sign of that commitment, but what other efforts? parent involvement? teacher reviews?

regarding the local prisons, i can't understand why that is a percieved threat to the community. i would think that the last place a former inmate would want to loiter would be anywhere near his/her detention facility. i also suspect that those facilities have little to do with their surrounding communities, by the very nature of what they are -- but i'm asking because i don't know. stigma aside, what kind of an impact do they really have?

many thanks for all your feedback.
well i can definately see your concern. the mattaewan prison is right near the highschool and the middle school. buttttt in my 7 yrs at both school, nothing has ever happened regarding an escape, or them trying to "come into the school". and the benefit of having the prison near the schools are.. more tightened security. so i really wouldnt worry too much about the prison. its safe.
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Old 08-23-2007, 05:53 AM
 
1 posts, read 4,872 times
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Wonderful input xxosaryoxx.
My sister spent the day in Beacon yesterday. They spoke with a number of locals, a retired Beacon Teacher and met with the H.S. administrator with her dtr. The input they got was all very positive. They were both very excited about the school. The scores shared with them were excellent, the quality of facility and programs were also very impressive.
The reason I am on here is to do due diligence on her behalf.
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Old 09-05-2008, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Gatesville, TX
5 posts, read 16,871 times
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Wink Just my .02 about living near prisons

I currently live in Gatesville, Texas (relocating to Beacon in December if I can find affordable housing!). Gatesville is currently home to 4 women’s prisons (one of them maximum security, where women’s death row resides), and 1 men’s prison (a variety of securities - from max all the way down to protected classes).

Many of the residents here work at the prisons, and we have schools all over town. I have lived here for over 5 years and we have never, not once, had a problem with the prison population in our community. On the contrary, we have work crews from the prisons that do all of the landscaping at the courthouse and downtown areas, farm and grow vegetables for the soup kitchen, and put up our holiday decorations in down for Christmas and Halloween.

Classes from the high school are taken on field trips to the prisons to understand and appreciate what prison life is like, and to hear personal stories about how some of them get there (like a scared straight program, but not as extreme). There has never been an escape or anything, but there is a very firm well-thought out plan that happens if there is one, and we have a drill every year just after school begins to make sure everyone understands what is to happen.

I wouldn't let the local prisons influence your decision to reside in the area. Communities that are established around prisons do not see any increase in crime, do not live in fear of escapes, and (at least here) can really benefit from the industry that it creates.

(Stepping off my soapbox)... soooo, anyone have a house for rent in the area you would like to show me?
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Old 01-25-2009, 03:14 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,324 times
Reputation: 10
Default Any updates on schools in Beacon?

Hi - this thread has been very helpful as my husband and i consider moving to Beacon from Park Slope.

Does any one have any new info/updates on the state of the schools in Beacon? The average test scores I found online don't look great, but this thread has given me hope that the schools are better than the numbers. Are they? Is there a lot of parent teacher involvement?

Thanks for any insights,

Alison
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Old 01-25-2009, 07:59 PM
 
Location: somewhere over the rainbow Ohio
2,017 posts, read 5,332,942 times
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I fail to understand where the short list with Beacon on it has come from? If a decent school is so important, why not Red Hook or further north in southern Columbia County in Germantown?
Pam
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Old 02-04-2009, 09:23 PM
 
47 posts, read 99,873 times
Reputation: 13
I would love to hear about the schools this year. although there is renovations are the renovations being made at the school. Im looking to move to dutchess and im very interested in the school system. I'm taking my son out of an A1 school here to move up there but i do not want any school that does not live up to that school. I live in the bronx so ive been around all that diversity we all speak about, poor neighborhoods, metal detectors at the schools, low scores for schools.. so trust me when i got my son into this school i was very happy, but to take him out and put him in a low scoring school I do not want to do that. if anyone has any more info on beacon it would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-09-2009, 08:24 PM
 
Location: NYC
6 posts, read 43,198 times
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Question Any new opinions/info re: Beacon Schools for 2009-2010?

My husband and I have also been thinking about Beacon as a possible move but the schools are our main concern. We love the town itself and are excited about the prospect of getting in on the ground floor and working to improve the town and the schools however we can. But we have two young kids and want them to get a good, solid and challenging education as well. Any new info or insight on this? I saw the proposed budget and was disappointed to see that the arts id ed. program was cut. Would appreciate any info that could be shared. Thanks!
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Old 05-17-2009, 09:34 AM
 
1,341 posts, read 4,894,372 times
Reputation: 607
There are many other districts to choose from...I know test scores are not everything..I have three children myself..but I wouldnt consider the beacon area for schooling. No bashing please....ask the locals..its just not a desired area--the closer you get to the beacon area..the lower the test scores..even certain wappingers schools have gone down as you get closer.



Beacon Schools

Schools in Beacon City School District, Beacon, NY.
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