Huntington School Briefs
Huntington High School was built over parts of 1957-58 on a 36 acre parcel of land carved out from the old H. Bellas Hess estate that encompassed several hundred acres stretching from New York to Oakwood Road. The entire Big H Shopping Center was constructed on land that once made up part of the estate.
The original sections of the high school building cost $4.77 million to construct. In 1964, a large addition was made to the existing structure at a cost of $1.425 million. In October 1977, the district owed $3,300,175 on the bonds used to finance the building's construction. The debt was completely satisfied during the 1994/95 school year.
After the extension was completed the building contained 81 regular classrooms, 22 smaller classrooms, 16 larger classrooms, two cafeterias, a gym and an auditorium
The building has 272,905 gross square feet. Its capacity as currently utilized is 1,584 students. Full utilization, including converting office space back into the classroom space that was intended by architects, would increase capacity to 2,038 students based upon State Education Department guidelines and the district's current class size policy.
Budget Meetings
On Monday, April 4 the Huntington School Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Jack Abrams School auditorium. The meeting will include a discussion on the 2011/12 draft budget. There will be presentations by Assistant Superintendents Joseph Giani and David H. Grackin on staffing, transportation, employee benefits, debt service and inter-fund transfers.
Trustees will meet again on Monday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jack Abrams School auditorium. There will be a presentation by Mr. Grackin on revenues and a general re-cap of the draft budget. Trustees are then expected to adopt a budget. Residents will vote on the adopted budget on Tuesday, May 17 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Huntington High School lobby.
The public is invited to attend both budget meetings. Time will be set aside for public commentary.
Donations Accepted
Huntington School Board members have accepted donations from J. Taylor Finley Middle School physical education teacher Tim Madden and the Organization of Music Parents of Huntington (OOMPAH).
Mr. Madden donated an elliptical training machine to the Finley fitness room. It is valued at $500. OOMPAH donated eight digital audio recorders, two Flip video cameras and an iPod Touch to the district's music program.
Ron Wilson is Impressed
The visit to Huntington High School by former NFL players Keith Davis and Devin Wyman was applauded by Ron Wilson, a school dean and junior varsity football coach.
Mr. Wilson said the players "both did an outstanding job of reaching out to our young people and keeping them fully engaged throughout the assembly. Dozens of our students- white, black, Hispanic, big, small, etc., approached me after the assembly just wanting to reflect on some of the topics discussed. It was truly amazing and because of it, I believe many of our young who have been struggling and think that it's over, are all trying to make that 'U-turn' that Mr. Davis and Mr. Wyman were talking about."
PARP at Washington School
The Parents as Reading Partners program at Washington Primary School kicked off on March 8. It runs through April 5. This year's theme is "Reading is a Thrill," said Georganne White, the library media specialist at the school.
Ms. White said the Huntington School District has participated in the state's PARP program for the past 36 years. "It is our goal to have 100 percent participation in this program," she said.
Students are encouraged to read for at least 15 minutes each day, either with another reader or by themselves. Students submitting a signed reading record each week receive a special gift from the Washington PTA.
SEPTA Grocery Totes
The Huntington School District's Special Education Parent Teacher Association is selling insulated large (16" x 12" grocery totes. SEPTA said the reusable totes are the solution to one-use plastic bags.
SEPTA said the bags are "good for your school district, good for SEPTA, good for the environment and good for you!"
To order a bag (one for $6 or two for $10) send a check payable to SEPTA to Huntington SEPTA, 50 Tower Street, Huntington Station, NY 11746.