Samuel J. Tilden High School - Tilden High School During World War II

Tilden High School During World War II

In 1942, Samuel J. Tilden H.S. was the first Brooklyn high school to hold a mass blood drive. This was one of many ways that World War II affected students at Tilden. During the war, new home economics curricula were introduced to better prepare girls for the war effort. Girls took cooking classes that taught them how to cook more with less, as everyday ingredients were rationed and shipped off to soldiers. There were no food surpluses, and soldiers were the main priority at the time.

Other students supported the war by purchasing more than $15,000 in United States Savings Bonds and Stamps (see war bonds) to help the government finance military operations, leading the nation in money raised by students. Over 100 girls knit sweaters and scarves in conjunction with the British War Relief Fund and American Red Cross. The Red Cross also agreed to send instructors to teach nursing and first aid methods; if the war were to last long enough, the girls would become nurses-in-aid to care for wounded soldiers.