1976: From Program to School

During the summer of 1976, the staff and students were surprised with the announcement from Associate Superintendent Murray that the school-within-a-school program was to become an independent honors school located at Main and Delavan (the PS #17 building) with further ties to Canisius College (library privileges and use of the pool in Koessler Center across the street) and the addition of grades 5-8! Honors and Waterfront were the first two "magnet" schools (attracting students from across the city) that would reshape the Buffalo Public Schools in response to Federal Judge John Curtin's order to desegregate the schools.

The middle school students and many of the middle school teachers were moved from gifted education classes from other elementary schools, especially PS #81. There were about 175 middle school children and 175 high schoolers during the 1976-77 school year.

The year started off shakily, for this was the year of the infamous teacher strike, and during the first couple of weeks of school, students saw most of their teachers picketing outside the building.

The strike foreshadowed additional conflict among the faculty. The Middle School and the High School had two distinct faculties and this division was exacerbated by a power struggle between the Middle School/building principal (Jane Morris) and the High School principal (Bennett principal Ron Meer). Further, a philosophical debate ensued because the middle school program emphasized acceleration (City Honors), while the high school emphasized enrichment for students of varying abilities.