James I. O'Neill High School

That's the place I went to high school.  I can't recommend it to anyone as I thought it totally sucked.  But that was my experience.  Others I know feel differently.

But it was a fascinating place for one reason, it was a mashup of four completely different communities.  I'll let Mike Doughty, who also went there, about ten years after I did, tell the story, since he already did on his blog:

There were four towns feeding our high school's student body; West Point, where I lived, was generally the obsessively high-achieving, secretly-haunted kids of Army officers. Highland Falls and Fort Montgomery were, respectively, lower-middle and working-class towns characterized by extreme resentment at living in West Point's shadow.

Garrison was where the rich kids lived. On that side of the river--the East--was the commuter train to New York, Grand Central Station. This was an extreme demarcation--the West side of the Hudson is forever the thrift side for lack of of this pipeline. Garrison kids tended to wear clothes bought at Canal Jean in the city, had excellent multicolored Vans shoes, and good cars.

That was James I O'Neill High School and I was "the obsessively high-achieving, secretly-haunted kid of Army officers".

My niece Julia goes there now.  I think she likes it a bit better than I did.  I sure hope so.

Jackson and Tony Alva, well known to the commenters on this blog, went there.  I think they liked it better than I did.  They can do what they always do and let you know in the comments.

I doubt Mike Doughty reads my blog, but if he does, I'd love to know what he thought about O'Neill.

I did get an email about six months ago from a woman I knew in high school named Betsy who happened upon my blog.  She said, "are you the Fred Wilson who graduated from O'Neill High School in 1979".  I replied "yes, that would be me, the arrogant punk know it all kid".  She replied, "yes, that's how I remember you".

Now with my oldest daughter in high school, I am reliving through her all the messed up emotions of those years.  Sucking In The 70s.  Exactly.

Comments

[jackson]

I feel that O'Neill did not prepare me for college. My first year at college was disasterous, and I feet that was due to a lack of seriousness on my part that I was allowed to develop at O'Neill. I got good grades at O'Neill without any effort whatsoever. I never studied. I did no homework. All I did was party. At the University of Maryland, when I apllied the same work ethic, none, I got very different results. My dad was upset that I wasted his money. I think he should blame O'Neill and not me.

[Tony Alva]

I blame nobody but myself for wasting Dad's money at University Of Maryland, but my O'Neill experience was a mixed bag. The O'Neill I went to could be a very violent place, but also a great mix of some strange cultures. I learned to get along with different people by going to O'Neill HS for four years. I don't have any love for the place, or it's teachers sans a couple, but I do cherish the better times I had there and regret not making an effort to learn more.

From Mike D.'s descriptive, it would appear it's the same place without the violence and the kickass smoking patio.

[Doug Mayer]

Wow, I had no clue Mike Doughty went to O'Neill. I went there thinking that the Pataki kids were the most famous O'Neill alumni.

I was a Fort Montgomery kid, but I was in classes with all of the West Point kids. My family moved into town as outsiders when I was little, so we didn't really fit into the "working-class" aesthetic. Interesting note: in the 18 years I lived in Fort Montgomery, I saw a total of one black family that lasted more than a year.

I witnessed the same types of segregations and apathy. Garrisson kids (or G-Town as they refer to themselves) were, on the whole, nothing more than rich alcoholics who considered themselves too artsy to care. Highland Falls kids were segregated amongst themselves; you had the kids whose apathy created a ghetto for themselves and left high school with 2 kids and a drug habit and the kids whose families (more like local clans) helped found the town and made friends with the Garrisson kids and got drunk. West Pointers were usually religious zealots and fiercely repressed in all things social.

And then there was my crowd. We were a rare breed, at least at the time. We were aware that O'Neill posessed the ability to teach and prepare us for the best universities in the country if only we were willing to put in the extra effort. Poor grades meant you were weak, stupid, and were going to end up a "townie". It was this that motivated us, aided by the fact that teachers are much nicer if they percieve that their students give a damn about the material. We were Honor Society kids, environmental and peace activists, volunteers, budding philosophers, literature buffs, naturalists, amateur policy analysts, and musicians/poets. Teachers loved us. We all went to great schools (M.I.T., Princeton, U. Mich., SUNY ESF, Penn St., Boston U.,etc.). That crowd is still active, though exclusive.

I don't think O'Neill sucked, but it definitely didn't provide any motivation to do well. You had to supply your own.

Oh, my friend Matt and I turned the smoking patio into an organic garden with the funds we raised in the Enivronmental Club we founded. Someone had to do something with that gaping piece of concrete.

[Thom Rafferty]

Hi Fred,

I was in the O'Neill High School Class of 1978 with your brother, Rod. I grew up in the village of Highland Falls which had "Highland Falls High School" right in the center.

The Village of Highland Falls disowned it's high school when it changed it's name to "James I. O'Neill" and moved out of the Village. After that the villagers didn't attend High School events, the students didn't think they were in a community when they were in the school and the budgets didn't pass. Lack of funds limited school quality of life.

For example:

The building was designed with a "student lounge". It said so right on the blueprints. But there was never any furniture purchased for the student lounge. So students had to sit on the floor like pets. I was one of the working class kids mentioned above. But no matter how little we had at home, we always had chairs.

Between myself, my siblings and my cousins, 17 Raffertys graduated from Highland Falls / O'Neill High School between 1970 and 1990. Only two live there now and they're recent returners. The lack of community identity at the school may have contributed to the exodus from the community following graduation. Giving new meaning to...

Go Raiders!
Thom Rafferty

[Christine Lupinski]

I too attended O'Neill High School (Class of 1990). I do agree that there were "groups" based on the town you came from. Myself being from Highland Falls. I also found that if you were willing to look past that you could make some lifelong friends. My best friend since high-school was from Garrison, one of my other close friends was a Pointer. Yes most of the kids from each town did fit the "image" outlined in other posts, but there were exceptions to the rule. I for the most part enjoyed my time at JIO and am glad for the friends I made there.

Christine Lupinski Class of 1990

[Mandy Carroll]

I agree with Christine completely. The post that labeled Highland Falls residents as "lower middle class" seems a bit off. I came to Highland Falls at the age of 6 with my parents and older sister from Scotland, my birthplace. My father, the late, great Dr. Carroll was a hard working, dedicated, wonderful man who gave it all to the "locals". We had a beautiful home, travelled extensively and never wanted for anything. Regarding the comment that we had "extreme resentment living in West Point's shadow" is just absurd. My first boyfriend, Dave Cameron, was a Colonel's son. Alot of my closest friends were from West Point. Todd Taylor, Leslie Maladowitz, Anne Kirby just to name a few. Not once did I ever resent them.
I do agree with the fact that O'Neill did not properly prepare us for college. It is the same today. My oldest son graduated last year from O'Neill and is a freshman at SUNY Cortland. He did well at O'Neill without really applying himself much. He's doing well at Cortland but, as he himself pointed out to me, he is working hard at keeping his grades above average in his quest to successfully pursue his major, sports management. So, all in all, I have alot of wonderful memories about my days there, many (not THAT many!!) moons ago. Signing off here.....Mandy (ANNE) Carroll, class of '74.

[Mary Rafferty Hertzog]

As one of the 17 Raffertys that graduated from Highland Falls/O'Neill - I feel compelled to add my two cents.

I was in the first graduating class of O'Neill. Moving the high school out of town had a serious economic impact on "downstreet" as we could no longer walk to the Pickwick, Tony's, Benny Havens and other places for lunch. I missed having the school on Mountain Ave I still consider it MY high school.

As Mandy and others have said - attitude was everything as it is today. I married a Colonel's son. I had friends from all four communities. Not every family was "lower middle class" in Highland Falls. Not everyone resented West Point. My uncle made a very good business in the shadow of West Point. My aunt worked civil service as did many of my cousins.

As an educator, I can tell you that college prep in high school is not addressed in No Child Left Behind. What is the priority? Preparing students for the high stakes testing. Also any teacher that I have seen with high "these kids better get ready for college" standards has been told to back off because we need to have as many straight A students as possible. Parents like that, parents vote for the budgets......

For those of you that did not enjoy your years at O'Neill - I am truly sorry. I feel you wouldn't have been happy anywhere else.

There are plenty of doctors, lawyers, scientists, CEO's etc. that are alumni of our school. Attitude is everything. Working hard when you get to college is important no matter where you went to school.

Mary Rafferty - Class of 1972

[Debbie Murphy]

I too had a totally sucky four years at O'Neill High School. I hated, hated, hated it. My youngest child is due to graduate this June and I'm thrilled. However, I have been very active in this school district to try to make someone else's time not so sucky. I coach for them, I volunteer for them and I hope that I have made a difference for at least one child! And that has been rewarding. Maybe some of you who have had bad experiences can do the same to make changes that you feel did you unjustices. As for me, I'll keep trying to make a difference!

[Dan Cafarelli]

One person's unhappy experience speaks more to that person's personality than to fact.

The mix of all made me a better human being. The Cafarelli's moved to HF from NYC in 1969. The move bewildered me totally.

Made close friends from all 4 communities. Married a Sgts. daughter from WP whom is still the love of my life.

Partied down with my Garrison friends Riceman, Bellsy, Cardaci (RIP), Livermore (RIP) and the Gomes sisters.

Vacek & Z (HF 74) remain my best friends to this day.

Webb, Perry and Frosty Rhine (WP, HF74) close friends whom were officers kids who shared passions for the heathen weed. Their parent's stature made no impression on me in the least then or now. Screw class consciousness, God bless America.

As for prep to college, it is what you make it. We have become a society of victims, we take no reponsibility for our own actions.

Mary and I married in 77 (HF grad 74), we worked midnights 40hr/wk at Letchworth and went to RCC full time for 2 years. Continued bachelors programs in Michigan.

You make your own destiny. O'Neil gave me plenty for college prep and more in the real world of private business. Mary and I have kicked ass in what we do...I thank O'Neil for it gave me.

[Mary Scott]

I agree with the opening comment posted by Dan Cafarelli. "One persons unhappy experience speaks more to that person's personality than to fact". I also agree with Mandy Carrolls post.
I graduated from O'Neill in 1986. I don't recall resentment, rich alcoholics, or the kids from H.F and F.M that left school with drug problems or kids. That was the most outrageous statement I have read.
When I was in school several of us from all 4 communities planned and executed our weekend get togethers which were spent in the homes of the Devines, Wilsons, Andersons, and several others all from post. To mention a few from Garrison were the Tomassio, Adams, Thom, and Will homes.
We had a complete blast, times I will remember always. Great friendship were made and some still stand strong today.
It seems those who had a bad experience, or have ill feelings towards the kids from all 4 communities chose not to interact with others, and the opinions that were formed are their issues.
As far as the education I received, I am happy with it. I didn't have to attend an Ivy League School or be a part of an active, but yet exclusive crowd to become a well rounded, positive, educated, professional individual with an incredible career.
I enjoyed my years at O'Neill!

[Meme Dugger]

Hello I came across this site looking for info on James O'neil. Our family may be relocating to West Point in August and I have two daughters that will attend O'neil. We certainly are not rich and are middle class. My oldest is a senior and I am really concerned about her moving her last year of high school.We are moving from the Virginia/DC area near other military. I am very concerned by the blogs I read on this site as to what type of school my daughter's are going in to. If there is anyone who has children or know of any who are currently students at O'neil please email me with your comments. Thanks from a concerned mom

[john]

I grew up in Garrison, graduated O'Neill in '72. I was not rich. I didn't know many kids who were rich. Most of the rich kids went away to school. Interesting perspective. Probably now that Manhattanites have discovered Garrison, it is very rich. I do agree about the experience there. O'Neill/HFHS was certainly not my favorite experience. It never felt at all inclusive to me. I found that regardless of grouping, most were seriously judgemental. Fortunately, there were some that were nice, otherwise it would have been completely unbearable. I never hung with anyone outside school. Rather lonely. At least my interest in theater gave me a social outlet.

[daphne semenoff pearce]

I'm coming back to JIO/HF this july for a class reunion.(1985) I'm looking forward to it even tho I've pretty much lost contact with everyone I graduated with. Yes, I'll admit that I was pretty apathetic about my HS experience in general (after all, this was my 3rd HS). I think it's pretty ridiculous to say that JIO or whatever did'nt prepare one for college, what exactally does college prepare you for??? Certainly not the real world! I hope to have a good time at the upcoming reunion. I thought JIO made up and interesting culture and had friends from all 4 communites. By the way I was one of those colonels daughters that lived behind Lusk Reservior, and I never thought of WP as being filled with religious zealots and fiercely repressed in all things social....if that was'nt such a narrow minded leftist statement I'd laughed. Oh never mind, I just did! I didn't think JIO was that bad, its what you make it. Just like everything else in life.

[sam m]

hey if this website is still up and running, id like to say that oneill is kinda sucky since we are now 1.9 million dollars in debt....no joke...but we do have a lot more clubs....ski/snowboarding is my fave. Oh and i believe that i go to school with ur neice..Julia..if ur last name is wilson. Were senoirs now...she's one of my good friends, my first when i moved here. okay signing off...sam. m class of 2007.

[Ted Stratakos]

I'm a 1975 graduate of O'Neill HS, having attended the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades there. I was having a nostalgia-inspired Google-moment and thought I'd try to scare up a little current info about my old high school when I came across this site.

I lived at Saint Basil's Academy in Garrison and for the life of me I can't recall very many students of the Garrison contingent who were rich, but then my memory isn't what it used to be. I do know that my particular circle of friends certainly didn't include anyone rich.

I don't have any really horrible memories of my years at O'Neill, but I don't have any truly shiny ones either. I was one of those kids who had absolutely no idea as to what he wanted to do after high school, and in hindsight I could probably have used a bit more guidance counseling than I got.

I graduated in the middle of the pack and had several rough years before I finally got my act together, went to college, and wound up in federal law enforcement. I can't blame O'Neill for my rough start out of the gate though.

Reading some of the previous posts brought a lot of memories flooding back. There were a couple of teachers at O'Neill who made a lasting impression on me, Mr. Nick and Mr. Messina being two of them.

I've lost touch with everyone I went to school with, except for my closest friend at the time Rob Walker, and there was a 20-year gap there too.

I wonder how some of the old bunch are doing now: Basil and Tina Diamond, Chris MacDonald, Scott Valenti, Fran Hard, Pat Galligan, Vinnie Rush, Ted Rathgen, Hugh Maher, etc. Have 31 years really passed since those days?

Anyway, this has been a nice walk down memory lane, but enough's enough of that.

RIP to my friend Wobbles, who died way too young.

Peace.

[Hugh Maher]

here I am

[Josh Narel]

I have to say I enjoyed JamesI.O'NEILL. Its not the school. Its the staff who works the school. Point the fingers were they should be pointed at.

Peace

[Mike B.]

Great blog post.. Sadly I was a West Pointer, but I wasn't the best of the crop type.. I was just an average B student. Mrs. Strong (Art Teacher) who retired the year I graduated introduced me to the art world. She was one of my favorite teachers in that school. Though I felt I could of learned more, not just in art but in everything else. I felt limited.. Our school didn't have money for a darkroom, modern equipment for video production, new computers, new books, art supplies, and more, but they did have a lot of money for the football team lockers and equipment and the STEROTYPED Native American mascot logos on gym floor.. OH THAT REALLY IS GOING TO HELP MOST OF THE STUDENTS!

Everything in that school seemed disorganized, rushed, or delayed. Everything was always a bigger issue then it really was. The 2005 yearbook was HORRIBLE. (How many times can you place the same popular students on multiple pages and forget about every other student? I found it rude and ignorant and a waste of my money.) The Holloween party in 2004 was poorly run, seeing freshman girls dance/hump eachother and play BET on a projector in the ski lodge is not a Holloween party.

I went on and ended up at RCC to get my photo major and then will transfer somewhere else. My family doesn't have 20,000 - 40,000 dollars to drop for me to go to some rich kid college. But I can deal with that and move on, plus I am having a great time at RCC.

I will say though that JIO Highschool was an experience.. but as I have heard multiple times before from friend's who moved far away. JIO is nothing compared to REAL highschool and they don't care what anyone says.. but 80% of the students in that school are immature white trash wannabes who think partying, drinking, and football is more important then their future. I was also sexually harassed and bullied multiple times the four years I was there and I wasn't the only student who was. That really tells you the wonderful experience I had. Also many Highland Fall students had this grudge against West Point students. They are brainwashed by their parents to believe West Point is taking money from Highland Falls and that JIO is doing poorly because of the US government. This student one year almost started a fight with a friend and I about the issue which of course was not true and pointless to fight about.

So either way I don't see the school improving anytime soon. It does have a handful of great teachers.. but it isn't enough and most of the teachers there will begin to retire very soon.

[JamesR]

Debbie Murphy:

"One persons unhappy experience speaks more to that person's personality than to fact".

So you're saying it has nothing to do with any problems at home, or social exclusion from peers, or trouble fitting in because of underdeveloped social skills, or emotional problems, etc., etc., etc.?

What an awfully judgmental thing to say.

You were in a clique, weren't you?

[Jess]

Hi, I just happened to find this page and I read everyones post.
I went to highschool at James I oneill, and two of my brothers had also attended Oneill. Im was a 'Pointer' straight A student, but here's the thing. When I was there I never once thought about how seperate and clicky people where. I was never in one group, I hung out with tons of different people. YOU make things clicky when you yourself Stay in a click. And no matter where ever you go there will always be 'white trash, losers, druggies, drunks, phrat boys, nerds etc. I mean god, if we were all the same- the way you want it things would be uneventfull and boring.
Second, you are only as smart as you want to be, dont blame the school blame yourself for not pushing yourself harder and further just bc your school wouldnt.
I think some people need to get over their horrible highschool experience and move on with their lives.
where ever you are, what ever school you attend, YOU MAKE IT WHAT IT IS. so stop whinning and grow up.

[Squeaky]

Found this blog much to late ... enjoyed it anyway. Had to comment on the student lounge. The first year we did have furniture but it didn't make it through the year. I distinctly remember a couch being launched out a window. I spent a lot of time in the lounge and I think I liked it better without the furniture. Heck in that day it was very anti-establishment to sit on the floor and when I graduated in 73 that was the cool thing to be. Glad I don't have to sit on the floor these days!

[Joseph Monaco]

I'm a 1997 graduate of JIO and will attend my 10th reunion this summer. I also stumbled across this blog while searching for reunion information via Google. JIO certainly is a unique educational experience and like many have said, you only will get what you want out of it. It's not the environment (school budget, teachers, diversity of the student body) that shapes you and enables success -- it's you and only you, the student. This was also true for my college experience and everyday after. This is a valuable lesson that many of you, quite sadly, will never learn.

I'm happily married with three beautiful children and "work" as a U.S. Air Force Instructor Pilot of the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III. The sky is my office and that isn't even the limit. I'm flown to over 32 countries and every continent in just 4 years. My perspective is big and I can tell you that JIO is a good place that prepared me well for the rigorous programs of the U.S. Air Force Academy. And no, I did not rape anyone there. :-)

JIO did not spoon food me or make anything easy, and for that I'm glad. How did it prepare me? It was the fish bowl that I needed to truly learn and grow. I ran track there before the district had the money to repair a 20+ year old track that literally had potholes in it. It was a pain in the ass dealing with certain things there but those issues didn't stop me. I was the 2001 Mountain West Conference champion for the 5000 meter run for the Air Force Academy, a Division 1 program that placed 16th in the nation that same year out of 275+ Division I cross country programs. Potholes didn't stop me! Mary Rafferty was there to see me win and she truly understands what I'm trying to say...the student is ultimately the one to blame when they make excuses for not succeeding in life. This doesn't mean that good leadership isn't needed during a person's development to point them in the right direction -- there were several teachers and coaches that did this for me at O'Neill. Even today I have mentors. In most cases, I ask for advice and help when I need it. One that doesn't seek help cannot be helped.

Looking back JIO HS was the best total educational experience I could have had as the "Colonel's son." We were not rich and I was not a straight A student. The only friends from JIO I still keep in touch with are alumni that grew up in Highland Falls and Fort Montgomery. Go figure.

Joe Monaco
'97

[Evelyn Weidig]

Wow, cool to see so many comments about O'Neill. I agree with several posters about not being prepared for college there. (except for chemistry - I passsed college chem totally based on Yara's talks!) However I also agree with the poster who talked about being exposed to a fairly diverse group there. My family (the Conleys) has been in HF since the early 1800's, cousins are still there, and there are ups and downs like every place else. I don't think my sons were prepared for college by their HS either. Anyone have a kid they think WAS prepared for the rigors of college life in a public high shcool?

[Kevin Childs]

Why so negative? Highland Falls was and is a wonderful community. It has problems, just like thousands of other communities across the nation and around the world, but it also has a core of some of the most wonderful people I've ever had the privilige to meet or be related to (all my Rafferty cousins...for example). A school with a widely diverse student body is a positive, not a negative. Some of my best dating memories involved Garrison girls (wish I'd asked a particular one out...damn!); West Point female brats were sometimes yanked from us due to being transferred; and Highland Falls beauties held their own, and do so to this day. Yes, The Mountain Avenue school was better (my humble opinion), but things change and growth happens. We had the "Sugar Shack"...."The Pickwick"...and "The Fireside". Perhaps O'Neill now must put up with the lunchroom....but I doubt it. I was one of those students who didn't take the general education process seriously; but in subsequent years, found that the teachers had used magical methods to prepare me for life. The names Lloyd, Keefe, Vail, O'Neill, Peck, Gale, Craig, Colonel Guiney, Nicolacopoulos (Big George), Hankin, Vojir, Chalk, Settle, Arena, Wood (both of them), Yarashefski, Weissman....and many others that my ancient mind fails to recall at this moment....took the teaching profession seriously. I thank them for efforts beyond the expected, to reach their students, and to instill a sense of worth that sometime took years to take hold.

In conclusion; take a closer look back at a community that continues to survive and to thrive. It wasn't so bad, was it? As with most things in this world....it is what you make it. By the way...I DO wish that I could get a Pickwick Luncheonette Cheeseburger, with fried onions and a Chocolate Egg Cream. It was the lunch of Red Raiders....and champions!

[Mary Rafferty]

Wow! What a great discussion from a diverse group of alums.

Highland Falls is and was a great place to grow up. I remember when my mother had one of her miscarriages Dr. Carroll cancelled his appointments for the afternoon and came up to our house to care for my mother and the brother that I lost. (Dr Carroll baptised the baby as I recall) Not sure if that would happen nowadays. I can't say for a fact that I knew any rich kids from Garrison, like John said they must have gone to boarding schools.

In the school I teach there is a cross section of humanity. My students are either motivated to learn or motivated to whine. Anywhere you go to school it's what you make of it.

I totally agree with the poster that college prepares you for very little. It checks a box that helps you get started in a career where the real learning begins.

I was at the AFA track when Joe Monaco won the indoor mile. His achievements speak volumes for the school. I am proud to know him.

The town has changed like many towns have. What hasn't changed is my wonderful memories of the wonderful people that touched my life. No blog can dimish that.

Mary Rafferty Class of '72