The Michael J. Petrides School is a public school located at 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island, New York, United States. It was created by Board of Education officials and named for their late colleague and College of Staten Island professor, Michael J. Petrides. The school opened on November 13, 1995, on the former campus of the College of Staten Island. Students apply to attend the school through a lottery system. Eighth graders going into high school receive automatic admission if Petrides is the first choice on their application. The current principal is Anthony Tabbitas.
Petrides educates students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, or senior year in high school. It has an assistant principal for each grade category (elementary, middle and high schools). They are:
Jennifer Ponzi — Elementary School (Grades pre-K - 5) BettyAnn Souffrin — Middle School (Grades 6-8) Erick Varga — High School (Grades 9-12)
The Petrides School, like many other New York City public schools, also has paraprofessionals, speech therapists, occupational and physical therapists, deans, school aides, and a widely used bus transportation system.
Admissions Admissions are by lottery for grades K-8. For kindergarten, the school typically receives more than 800 applications for 75-90 seats, of which 15 are reserved for siblings of current students (separate lottery). The handful of open seats in the upper grades are filled by lottery, as well. In ninth grade, class sizes get larger and an extra class is added to the grade. Thousands of students apply for a total of 40 to 55 new seats. These seats are filled through the city's "educational option" formula, designed to achieve a mix of low, average, and high-performing students.
Controversy Within the past, there had been certain discrepancies according to the school's enrollment policy under the past principal. This was highlighted by a noticeable prevalence to kin relations within the student body and noted recommendations within an alleged random basis lottery system for enrollment. These were recorded in a 1998 investigation report. The report also recorded the absence of critical records that would determine the extent of the irregularities."Broken Promise: An Investigation into the Admission Process for the Michael J. Petrides School", March 1998.
In November 2017, a student posed with a gun in a children's bathroom and uploaded the picture to social media. The school closed while authorities investigated, and afterward several security measures were put in place.
From January 2018 to March 2018, several rape cases have been reported as having taken place at the school.
Extracurricular activities, clubs, and athletics
High-school students have the opportunity to travel overseas. Destinations have included Italy, Hungary, and Austria. Vermont, Michigan, and Hawaii were also destinations. Fundraisers are also held to help finance the high school's annual trip Habitat for Humanity. In addition, high school students can work with younger students in the elementary school, as classroom student mentors. National Honor Society SING! Student Government Council For Unity Petrides Against Cancer Society (PACS) Petrides Anime Club Astronomy Club Billion Oyster Project Cheerleading Chess Club Cooking Club Dungeons and Dragons Club Habitat for Humanity History Club Nintendo Club LGBTQ Club Math Team Media and Tech Club My Brother's Keeper My Sister's Keeper Newspaper Passport Club Pokémon, Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh Club Spoken word Yearbook Crochet Club Spring Musical Winter Concert Spring Concert Wrestling Cross-Country Track Indoor Track Outdoor Track Lacrosse Tennis Handball Fencing Football Soccer Softball Volleyball Baseball Swimming Basketball Bowling Golf
PSAL Championships
Fencing Team
2023 2024
Football Team 2019
Baseball Team 2017
Boys' Wrestling Team 2008 2009 2010 2011
Girls' Bowling Team 2008
Boys' Golf Team 2009
Notable alumni Tristan Wilds, Actor Christine Evangelista, Actress, The Walking Dead
References
External links