alumni association

John Dewey High School

Barry Fried, Principal

50 Avenue X, Brooklyn, NY 11223-5737

“Education is not something to be forced upon children and youth from without, but is the growth of capacities with which human beings are endowed at birth.” — John Dewey

Mission Statement

Vision Statement

Core principles of John Dewey's philosophy

To preserve and promote the philosophy of the Dewey experiment to benefit all generations of students who attend the school. To create a permanent and ongoing relationship between the alumni and the current students and faculty in order to provide mentorship and scholarship; to make archives available with the purpose of providing the tools with which to learn more about the “Dewey Experience” as it once was and to help shape it as it evolves.

John Dewey High School was founded and based on the educational principles of the American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey. It opened in September 1969 and is located at 50 Avenue X, Brooklyn, New York. The vision of the Alumni Association is to keep the founding principles alive at John Dewey High School by creating a “living archive” of the history of John Dewey High School to pass on to the staff and students, in hopes that they can learn from our “Dewey Experience.” We will create an ongoing relationship with John Dewey High School for the benefit the students and the school. It is our belief that the educational experience that characterized Dewey in its early years has never before been more relevant. The expansive nature of John Dewey’s educational philosophies allows students to explore their potential to its fullest extent.

Students should learn by doing
Students should learn at their own pace
A student's education should be validated by his/her experience
Grades inhibit learning and promote unwanted competition

A classroom should be conducted by many teachers and many learners, not by one teacher and many learners
If you give students responsibility, they will be responsible
Students must be active participants in their education

Committees And Objectives:

Alumni Links

Rededication Ceremony Planned to Honor Missing Dewey Students
By J. Zwerling, Editor, The Dewey Classic

Steering Committee Chair is rotating. Currently it is chaired by Harold Kramer, jdhsalumniassociation@gmail.com
. The Chair of the Steering Committee oversees the activities of all the other committees and organizes periodic meetings of the members of the Steering Committee.

Organizational Committee: Chair Harold Kramer, jdhsalumniassociation@gmail.com
. To form an organization recognized by John Dewey High School as the official "John Dewey Alumni Association"
. To create an Executive Board and Board of Directors
. To investigate becoming a 501c3 for purposes of fundraising

Networking Committee: Chair Marianne Stephan, JohnDeweyAlumni@gmail.com
. To create a vast network of Dewey alumni
. To create a database of contact information

Outreach Committee:Unchaired
. To do outreach to former faculty
. To do outreach to and incorporate recent graduates and upcoming graduates into the Alumni Association
. To create a mentoring program

Archive/Documentation Committee: Chair Sue Savodnick, jdhsarchives@gmail.com
. To document the history of John Dewey High School
. To collect data and anecdotal information from students, faculty, etc.
. To create a "memoir" of our Dewey experience

Curriculum Committee: Co Chairs
Noah Lewin alienbx@rcn.com
Naomi Berger nberger@acedsl.com
. To create a presentation for students and teachers at JDHS that can be built on to create a course curriculum
. To write a course curriculum for "The History of John Dewey High School" that will be taught at the school

Seeds of Change Committee:Chair Noah Lewin, alienbx@rcn.com

. To work with the other committees to bring about change in our education system

40th Anniversary Party Committee Chair Harold Kramer, haroldblvd@gmail.com
. To plan a 40th Anniversary Party to take place in Fall 2010, which will serve as the kick-off event for the Alumni Association.

. JDHS Reunion Information

. JDHS Archives and Documents

. JDHS Alumni Page

At the end of the school day, when you routinely say goodbye to your friends, does it ever occur to you that you might not ever see them again? Well something like this actually happened to former students of our school who knew Mitchel Weiser and Bonnie Bickwit. The pair disappeared in the summer of 1973 as they were about to attend a rock concert at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and were never heard from again. As it stands, their disappearance is one of the longest unsolved missing person cases in U.S. history. This incredible story was profiled on the television show Missing Persons, and may be seen on YouTube in two installments, at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvefF_oIu28
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZMmM-grRjQ
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr6e7eSEi08.

“I can say with absolute certainty in my mind that there was no advance plan for them to run away or do anything other than go to the fest and then come home,” said Larry Marion, a former classmate of Mitch and Bonnie, and Mitch’s best friend.
Larry explained that the original plan was for Larry and Mitch to go to the Watkins Glen Festival together and that Larry had purchased the pair of tickets. Bonnie had not been included in the plans. At the last moment, however, Larry decided not to go, and gave both tickets to Mitch. He went up to meet Bonnie at Camp Wel-Met, where she was working as a comp counselor for the summer, and then the two set off for the music festival. Mitch and Bonnie were never heard from again.

In the year 2000, friends of the missing pair reunited on the Dewey campus for a tree planting ceremony in their honor. It was decided to plant a tree on campus with a plaque as a lasting memorial to Mitch and Bonnie, because there never was a funeral or headstone for either of them.

However, this tree has been badly vandalized. Mr. Harold Kramer, Dewey Alum of the class of '75, has been instrumental in mobilizing efforts to have the tree replanted. Principal Fried responded to Mr. Kramer’s requests, saying that the custodian will help with moving the plaque “to a new site for a new tree,” and plans are in the works for a re-dedication ceremony in the fall.

M. Kramer is part of the steering committee of the John Dewey HS Alumni Association, and is also the chair of the Reunion committee, whose goal it is to plan a school wide reunion celebrating the school's 40th anniversary. We are appreciative of Mr. Kramer’s efforts on behalf of Mitch and Bonnie, and his desire to pay tribute to the rich history of our high school. It was Mr. Kramer’s wish that the current student body be aware of this vandalism to the tree and the story of Mitch and Bonnie; and because of his efforts, Mitch and Bonnie’s memories will be preserved with a rededication ceremony in the future.