Flower Hill is as Beautiful as Ever
Flower Hill Elementary School was erected in 1954 in response to the huge upswing in enrollment the Huntington School District experienced during the post-World War II era. This was a time when large tracts of land were gobbled up by developers for housing units.
The basic design and layout of Flower Hill closely mirrored that of its sister schools, Southdown and Washington. All three were built at the same time, using identical materials. The Flower Hill site, which includes 14 acres of land, is nestled in a beautiful area of the school district, full of flowering trees.
As students poured into Huntington in the 1950’s, the School Board acted to address the situation by proposing an additional wing be built onto Flower Hill in 1958, just four years after the original structure went up. Residents supported the idea, which resulted in the current dimensions.
Flower Hill features an attractive entrance area and the building is classic red brick in appearance. A second parking lot was recently built to better accommodate the needs of employees and parents visiting the school. More site improvements are planned.
According to a long range planning study completed by Western Suffolk BOCES last spring, Flower Hill contains 21 rooms of more than 550 square feet. Among these, 17 are used for self-contained instruction. Four other rooms are used for physical therapy, ESL services, computer instruction and art, reading and music classes. Smaller spaces are used for speech, math, occupational therapy, psychological services, remedial instruction and speech therapy.
The school has a gym with a stage in it, which allows for the space to be used as an auditorium, a cafeteria for breakfast and lunch and a well-equipped library and media center. Outdoors there are two playground areas. The school’s original kindergarten playground is slated for a complete makeover this coming year. A large garden area has been created behind the gym, between the building’s two wings. To descend into the basement, which is really just one large room, you must exit the building and utilize a separate entrance.
Flower Hill threw itself a 50th anniversary party three years ago, as did its counterparts Southdown and Washington. At one time or another, the school has housed students ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade. Today it services those in grades K-3.
During the last school year, Flower Hill operated at 81 percent of its functional capacity of 389 students. Marlon Small serves as the school’s principal, providing faculty, students and staff with educational leadership and guidance.
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