The Herricks Union Free School District (also known as Union Free School District No. 9) is an American

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

located in western Nassau County on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The district lies within the Greater New Hyde Park area and serves a number of communities, including

Herricks Herricks is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,295 at the 2010 census. It is an unincorporated area, and is located in the southern part of Town of North ...

Garden City Park Garden City Park is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,806 at the 2010 census. History From about 1787 until abo ...

Manhasset Hills Manhasset Hills is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,592 at the 2010 census. Neighboring communities include Herricks, No ...

Searingtown Searingtown is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Village of Roslyn. T ...

, North Hills,

Williston Park Williston Park is an incorporated village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,287 at the 2010 census. History Williston Park was founded in 1926 when of land were purc ...

and Albertson.

History

The school in Herricks was established in 1813, making it one of the oldest in Nassau County. It was named for Herricks Path, a path that existed as early as 1659. By 1898, the Herricks School was one of Nassau County's last single-room schools. The Herricks Community Center is located just south of the High School. It once served as the junior high school before the current one was built. Herricks High School stands on Watermelon Hill. The land near the area was a burial ground for the Pearsall family starting in the 17th century, but the burial grounds were later removed.What Do You Know About Herricks?, What's in Your Backyard
. ''Roslyn News'', November 7, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2010. The High School opened in 1958 and had its first graduating class in 1960. Known as the "Herricks Prayer Case,

Engel v. Vitale ''Engel v. Vitale'', 370 U.S. 421 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public school ...

," in 1959 the Herricks School District a.k.a. Union Free School District #9 was sued by five district property owners. "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country," was recited as a daily procedure on the recommendation of the NY State Board of Regents. This case was decided by the

U. S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, which ruled the prayer unconstitutional in 1962. The Herricks Union Free School District celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2013.

Schools

Current

As of October 2021, the Herricks UFSD operates the following schools: *

Herricks High School Herricks High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school with 1450 students accredited by the New York State Board of Regents and the Middle States Association. The school is located in Searingtown, New York, 20 miles east of Manhattan. ...

*Herricks Middle School *Denton Avenue Elementary School *Center Street Elementary School *Searingtown Elementary School

Former

*The Herricks

Community Center Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

(1925 - 1948) was the junior high school building before the current; it currently also serves as the District's administrative offices.

Administration

As of November 2022, the Superintendent of the Herricks Union Free School District is Dr. Tony Sinanis, the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction is Elizabeth Guercin, the Assistant Superintendent for Business is Lisa Rutkoske, C.P.A., and the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources is Dina Maggiacomo.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control School districts in New York (state) Education in Nassau County, New York 1813 establishments in New York (state)