School Historian Fascinates Washington Second Graders
On a recent afternoon, Washington Primary School second graders were treated to an entertaining presentation by school district historian Jack Abrams, who came to visit, armed with various props and artifacts, including photos of the school’s earliest days.
Mr. Abrams retired after a long career as a teacher, science coordinator and principal, including a three year stint at the helm of Washington. Today he serves as the curator of the district’s School Heritage Museum, which houses documents, mementos and thousands of historic items ranging from 100 year old school water foundation devices to the cornerstones of now demolished buildings.
During his visit to Washington, Mr. Abrams regaled students with wonderful tales of Huntington’s early years. The youngsters were mesmerized with stories of what it was like to attend school long ago. Public education in Huntington is celebrating its 350th anniversary in 2007 and Mr. Abrams is always happy to discuss the history of “formal schooling” in the community.
In fact, Mr. Abrams is so in love with the Huntington School District that he rarely stops to breathe when he has a group in front of him anxious to learn more about the district’s history and so it was during his visit to Washington. He held up artifact after artifact and asked students if they could identify the item or explain what it was used for, doing so with the enthusiasm of a second grader.
“The children absolutely loved guessing what each artifact was,” teacher Jessica Davis said. “I think they found the photograph of what Washington School once looked like more than 50 years ago fascinating. I know that all the teachers did!”
That photo was an aerial shot of Washington Elementary School at the time of its opening. It was surrounded by farmland and adjoining the school grounds to the west was a trotter horse training facility. The school’s land was perfectly flat and barren of trees and housing developments were absent from the scene.
Ms. Davis said the visit “was an extremely enriching experience for the second graders. They were able to learn so much about their community and they will carry that information with them throughout their school career.”
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