Alumni Viewpoint
Quo Vadis English High?
By Stephen Berkowitz ’60
Stephen Berkowitz ’60
The English High School was founded because our system of government believes that ordinary men and women are capable of extraordinary accomplishments through public education.
We do not have the luxury of attracting affluent suburban students as we are not an exam school. But perhaps this is our greatest strength as our mission has always been to admit immigrants and help them become worthy men and women of society. From the Great Irish Famine of the 1840’s, to the Greeks and Italians fleeing their impoverished lands, to the Jews fleeing the murderous massacres of tsarist Russia, to the African Americans long excluded from the American dream of equality.
This trend continues to the present day, as English High welcomes newcomers looking for a better future from around the world’s hotspots.
At English High we are dealing with many different languages, different customs and cultures. Despite the strain on school resources, we have continued to educate our students with often spectacular results such as with Salma Hassan who entered English High unable to speak or read English. Yet she grew and blossomed to such an extent that upon graduation, not only was she valedictorian, but she was admitted to Smith College as a pre-med student with a four-year scholarship.
Despite these successes, in 2012 English High was faced with a possible state takeover or worse, closure. English High rallied with the battle cry by poet Dylan Thomas: “English High will not go gentle into that good night.” There will be no more falling back! No more retreating! Now, we fight! We fight for our alma mater, America’s oldest public high school, We fight to ensure our students can compete with any student in our Commonwealth. And finally, we fight for the very soul of public education.
