“Freedom and peace, for which we are all yearning.
May they endure. O Lafayette!
O Lafayette, our scared alma mater!
Within your walls dwell friendliness and charm.”
First Alma Mater (Finlandia)

Lafayette High School is situated in what was formerly the town of Gravesend. All the towns in Kings County were settled by the Dutch with the exception of Gravesend, which was first settled by a colony of English people under the leadership of Lady Deborah Moody, a woman of considerable wealth and education, who took a prominent part in public affairs, and whose home was on Neck Road. According to the New York City Ward Map of Kings County in 1899, our school is located on the former property of John Carter. This map reveals a frame house with stables on the site of our building. The land was originally swampy, sandy soil covering about ten acres.

Lafayette High School, the first building of its type, was designed to accommodate about 4,000 pupils. The cost of the site was $211,350 while the building itself necessitated an outlay of $2,820,000. There are two other high schools in the city, which are duplicates of this type – Christopher Columbus and William Cullen Bryant. Dr. Frederick William Oswald was asked to assume the principalship of the new school. Because of the fact that the new building was not ready, the school was compelled to meet in three annexes. These annexes were P.S. 180, with Mr. Joseph Grady in charge, assisted by Mr. Freilich and Mr. Abraham Margolies; P.S. 126, under the direction of Miss Dorothy K. Lewis and Mr. Robert Buda; and P.S. 192 with Mr. Walter Jacobsen in charge. On March 1939, the faculty had been increased to 156 members and the student population numbered some 4,500 boys and girls. On November 13, 1939, the formal exercises dedicating Lafayette High School took place in the auditorium. Among those present was Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia.

School activities early became an important part of life at Lafayette. On November 21, 1940, the first G.O. elections showed the following candidates victorious in the contest for school officers: Theodore Blinder, president; Gladys Deatsch, vice-president; Lillian Antin, secretary; Sabina La Salle, treasurer. Through the years principals, whether Mary Buda, Joseph Bellafiore, Leo Weitz, Irving I. Cohen, or the current Principal, Sheldon R. Friedberg [1986], recognized the importance of student activities and the Student Organization.

War came to Lafayette in 1942, when two of our faculty members, Captain Edwards and Sergeant Novak, were among the first to be called to extended active duty. Soon, other draftees were added from our faculty and student body; their names were listed on an honor roll in the front hall. Home front activities soon began: air raid drills in corridors, scrap metal and paper campaigns and the purchase of War Stamps and Bonds.
In 1949 the Tenth Anniversary Committee held an Open House and Reception with entertainment furnished by Alan Dale and Vic Damone. The Fifteenth Anniversary saw the Second Spring Carnival, a dance in the Boys’ Gym with such amusements as a “Fishing Game” devised by Go-Getters, a “Spin the Dial” booth to find a dance partner, and a simple “Ring Toss Game” for the athletically inclined where the Junior Coaches gave Brooklyn-made leis to winners. The Student Court’s Mock Trial Marriage Booth and the Speakers Bureau fortuneteller added to the affair. It was at the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary celebration that Principal Leo Weitz encouraged the formation of an Alumni Association as he honored five distinguished alumni at a special assembly and reception. Max Perlman’s Stage Crew built a giant birthday cake and alumni on the staff were asked to light the candles.

During the next 25 years many changes occurred, most reflecting changes in society in general and New York City in particular. Our school is now totally integrated. Sing continued to flourish until about 1980. The Varsity Show tradition continues; West Side Story was year’s production. Athletic excellence, of course has never faltered. Indeed, during the 1970’s Lafayette had more professional baseball players in the majors than any other high school. Johnny Franco of the Cincinnati Reds continues the tradition today. This tradition is also reflected by our continuing success in football, basketball, and other sports. However, it seemed that Lafayette might never regain its “golden glow” of academic excellence. In 1984, however, we began to sense a renaissance. We see its emergence in a variety of ways. Engineering and medical programs now draw 5,000 applications each year. Our Lincoln-Douglas Debate Team receives city-wide recognition, our Math Team now competes with the best schools in the city, including Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, the latest issues of The Marquis have received national recognition, and recent graduates attend schools like Harvard, Cornell, M.I.T., Cooper Union, and Polytechnic Institute.

“Hail to thee, dear Alma Mater!” We look forward to the next 50 years with expectation and optimism!