Cardozo High School is known for its Mentor Law and Humanities program, offering classes in such subjects like
criminal justice,
contract law,
constitutional law,
homeland security as well as a legal internship course. The school's Da Vinci Science and Research Institute program provides students an emphasis on
science and
mathematics. The Performing Dance program, for which students are selected through an audition process, provides instruction in many different forms of dance.
The school also has a wide variety of extracurricular clubs, Navy
JROTC, activities, and athletic and academic teams.[2]
Benjamin N. Cardozo High School has an extracurricular
robotics program, led by coach and lead mentor Bernard Haggerty. Founded in 2014, The Sentinels have participated in various robotics programs and won numerous awards. The program is entirely student-funded through its students' own fundraising efforts and a marketing division, responsible for organizing larger fundraising events and attracting sponsors from businesses and colleges.[6]
The program consists of five core engineering divisions and three marketing and media divisions. Students are taught hands-on
mechanical,
electrical, and
pneumatic engineering as well as
computer science and
computer aided design. The
marketing and media divisions are responsible for organizing team events and fundraisers, budgeting, sponsor outreach, managing a team blog and newsletter, and creating teaser, reveal, and recruitment videos for the season.[7]
A Mentorship program was created in 2017, allowing many alumni to return as volunteers or mentors.[8] The program provides access to a number of scholarships, volunteer opportunities, and internship connections through
FIRST, the
U.S. Navy, and the school's
PTA.[9]
In 2014, the team was awarded the Future Glory Award at the Brunswick Eruption 2014 off-season competition.[11] In 2015, the team took home the Rookie Inspiration Award from the New York City 2015 Regional Competition.[12][13] In 2017, the team was the leading alliance in finals at the Hudson Valley Rally off-season competition in Yonkers, New York.[14] In 2018, the team played in the quarter-finals in the New York City 2018 Regional Competition on an alliance with specialized school Brooklyn Technical High School and Long Island City High School.[15] At the time Vice-Captain and Director of Marketing, Danielle Louie, was a Dean's Lists Award semi-finalist. At the 2019 SBPLI Long Island Regional Competition (#2), Nazifa Prapti was a Dean's ListAward semi-finalist, and was also awarded the MVP Achievement in recognition of their "Individual excellence, contribution, and achievement" during the competition season. At the New York City 2019 Regional, Prapti was a Dean's List Award finalist, one of the highest acclaimed awards in the entire FIRST Robotics program.[12][16] The team placed in the semi-finals during the 2019 Half Hallow Hills Robotics Invitational off-season event.[17]
The school's
Science Olympiad team consistently ranks in the top five at the New York City Regional Competition. The team won second place in 2008,[21] third place in 2009, and fourth place in 2010. On February 5, 2011, the school's Science Olympiad team ranked first for the first time since 1999[22] at the New York City Regional Science Olympiad Competition, ranking above several private and specialized high schools[23] renowned for their academic rigor. In 2012, the team ranked second at the regional competition.[24]
Debate
The
debate team won the NYC championship in 2008.[25]
Future Business Leaders of America
Cardozo's chapter of
FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) consistently places among the top students/schools on the city-level and on the state level of the competitions in various competitive events such as Marketing, Economics, Personal Finance, Business Math, Cyber Security, Parliamentary Procedures, Networking Concepts, Business Procedures, Hospitality Management, Accounting I, Sports Management, and more. Students place in the top of their competitive events.[26] In 2011, Cardozo FBLA went on to the national level of the competitions in Orlando, Florida.
Athletics
Cardozo also has a large number of acclaimed sports teams, some of which are:
As of the 2018–2019 school year, enrollment was 3,617 students, and there were 176.89 classroom teachers (based on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 20.45:1. There were 1,938 students (54% of enrollment) eligible for
free lunch and 310 (9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[28]
History
Benjamin N. Cardozo High School opened in 1967.[29] The building was designed by the firm of Eggers & Higgins.[29] It was built for $7.571 million, and it was designed for a capacity of 3,213 students.[29] In 1968, the Queens Chamber of Commerce gave Cardozo High School an award for excellence in design and civic value.[30]
In March 1970, the Black Students Union gave Principal Benjamin Michaelson a list of ten requests.[31] The students wanted Black History and Art to be added to the curriculum, they wanted several racist teachers to be fired, and they wanted to have more input on which classes they took.[32] They also wanted more teachers who were black, as there was only one at that time.[32] The following month, the students had a
sit in.[31] A week later, twelve members of the Black Students Union met with Michaelson about the list.[31] When Michaelson tried to postpone the discussion to another time, the students would not allow Michaelson to leave the office and prevented others to enter the room.[31] The principal's assistant called the police, and four students were arrested.[31]
In March 1992, then-presidential candidate
Bill Clinton met with Cardozo students and answered their questions.[33] He returned in January 1998 and helped paint classrooms in Cardozo, along with many volunteers from
Americorps.[34]
Students of the school took to the athletic field in October 2013 to fight cuts to AP science and math classes.[35]
Jay Pak (Pak Dae-sik) (born 1985), Korean-American rapper and singer. Known by his stage-name, "Flowsik". Contestant on Show Me the Money Season 5.[46]
Diego Barreto (born 1995), celebrity stylist and entrepreneur, known for creating fashion content on instagram. 50
Kimberly Kwan (born 1997), private chef and social media influencer, known for creating popular foodie content on instagram and Tik Tok. 50
Notable faculty
Matthew "Matt Striker" Kaye (born 1974), former social studies teacher who was fired from his job at Benjamin Cardozo after using sick time to work as a professional wrestler.[50]
^
abcBuder, Leonard (August 21, 1967). "11 New Schools Will Open in City: 8 More Will Be Added to System Later in Fall Term". The New York Times. p. 35.
^"Chamber of Commerce Honors 17 Queens Buildings for Design". The New York Times. December 1, 1968. p. R6.
^
abcde"Principal Held in Room; 35 Students Arrested: Disorder in Queens Flares When Activists Are Told to Meet After Classes". The New York Times. April 9, 1970. p. 24.
^
abJones, Lesly (April 11, 1970). "Principal Won't Talk; Cardoza High In Limbo". New York Amsterdam News. p. 23.
^Ifill, Gwen (March 25, 1992). "Students Give Clinton A Skeptical Reception". The New York Times. p. A19.
^Bennet, James (January 20, 1998). "Clinton Seeks Additional Money To Enforce Civil Rights Laws". The New York Times. p. 6.
^"The Neighborhood News: Bayside,"
New York magazine, October 14, 2013, p. 14.
^Sengupta, Somini.
"Portrait of Young People as Artists", The New York Times, January 18, 1998. Accessed May 22, 2017. "Dawoud Bey, the acclaimed portraitist of African-American life, returned home to Queens recently.... Aklima Khan, a junior at Mr. Bey's alma mater, Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, learned to notice details."
^
abHart, John.
"The Hedgehog Shoots For Legit"Archived December 25, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine, The Village Voice, Accessed December 6, 2007. "Long before Hollywood called, Jeremy was just another Bayside kid who enjoyed afternoons playing on his favorite tree outside his home on Bell Boulevard. He attended Benjamin Cardozo High School, where he appeared in theatrical productions like Oklahoma. One of his fellow cast members was Reginald Vel Johnson, who went on to fame in the Die Hard movie series and TV's Family Matters."
^Melago, Carrie.
"Cardozo High School hurdler on fast track to Olympics", New York Daily News, August 6, 2007. Accessed May 22, 2017. "Every high school student faces hurdles - but not like Dalilah Muhammad. The Cardozo High School student is on the verge of track and field stardom after being named the fastest youth hurdler in the world this summer."
^Pete Munro, The Baseball Cube. Accessed May 22, 2017.
^Czerwinski, Kevin T.
"Notes: Vaughn uncertain of return"[permanent dead link],
Major League Baseball, May 6, 2003. Accessed March 20, 2008. "Third baseman Ty Wigginton, Mets broadcaster Howie Rose and the Dodgers' Jason Romano participated in the unveiling of a new baseball field at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens on Tuesday. Rose is a graduate of Cardozo."
^Saulny, Susan.
"Truant Teacher Who Lost Job Finds His Revenge in the Ring", The New York Times, August 12, 2005. Accessed May 22, 2017. "Mr. Kaye, a former social studies teacher at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens, lost his job after he was caught taking sick time to go on a pro wrestling tour. Now, he says, he has signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, which produces televised wrestling shows."