The Roslyn-Flower Hill Elementary School (also known as the Flower Hill Elementary School, the Flower Hill Neighborhood School, or simply as the Flower Hill School) was a local,

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 ...

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

located within the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill in 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 * '' ...

. It was operated by the

Roslyn Union Free School District The Roslyn Union Free School District (also known as Union Free School District No. 3) is an American public school district located in Nassau County, on Long Island in New York, United States. The district serves the entirety of the villages ...

History

Need for new schools, mid-to-late 1940s

Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the United States saw a

population boom Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

and the rise of mass

suburbanization Suburbanization is a population shift from central urban areas into suburbs, resulting in the formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence of the movement of households and businesses out of the city centers, low-density, peripheral urba ...

. The Greater Roslyn area was no exception to this, leading to many new suburban housing developments being constructed throughout the area around this time.

Proposals made, 1948

In response to the influx of new residents and students within the district's boundaries, Roslyn's then-superintendent, George Edison Bryant, proposed building the Roslyn-Flower Hill Elementary School in Flower Hill (as well as two other new elementary schools in the district). He stated during a 1948 school board meeting that 1,600 homes were located in the district prior to World War II, and there were as many new homes being built following it, and new schools needed to be constructed in order to increase the district's capacity as a result. Bryant, who at one point was a Flower Hill resident, proposed making this school a 5-classroom neighborhood school to serve children in Flower Hill zoned to attend Roslyn's schools, and serve as a community center for the neighborhood. The 1-floor, 5-classroom Roslyn-Flower Hill Elementary School and the nearby Highland Elementary School in Roslyn Estates (which was approved by the district as part of the same project) would be among the first neighborhood schools of their type in this portion of New York State, which were built to resemble a home as opposed to a stereotypical, "institution-like" structure; this design method was used to make the transition from being home to being at school easier for young students. The school would also feature playgrounds for year-round use.

Land acquired, January 1949

In January 1949, the Roslyn Union Free School District took ownership of the future school's property. The property, which had an area of more than , was purchased by the school district for a cost of approximately $5,000 per acre (1949

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

Plans approved, September 13, 1949

During a September 13, 1949 school vote, voters in the Roslyn Union Free School District approved the construction of the Roslyn-Flower Hill Elementary School, to be built on the property in Flower Hill purchased by the district that past January. The estimated total cost for the school was $265,000 (1949 USD), as per the amount allocated in the budget for the school's construction.

Roslyn-Flower Hill Elementary School, 1950s – 1980s

The school was opened on January 12, 1953, and was located at the end of Center Drive in Flower Hill. The village's Broadridge housing development is located at the former school's southern end, with Woodland Road in what would eventually become the Wildwood at Flower Hill housing development at its northern end.''Map: Wildwood at Flower Hill'' (Map). March 30, 1967 – vi
Nassau County Public Records
''Map: Flower Hill Broadridge'' (Map). February 25, 1942 – vi
Nassau County Public Records
A flag-raising ceremony took place at 9 AM that morning, during which the students congregated around the flagpole. Boy scouts, girl scouts, and cub scouts were all represented at the ceremony, as well. The flag, which was donated to the Roslyn School District by the parents of the students, was raised, and a bugle was sounded. This was followed by students reciting the

Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...

, and then singing "America". Superintendent Bryant then came forward, greeting and speaking to the students. The ceremony lasted approximately 15-20 minutes, and was short due to the cold weather. The school was often used as a place in which community meetings were held – including a public hearing in the 1970s regarding a controversial rezoning plan, which would downsize a

greenbelt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

area adjacent to

Hempstead Harbor Hempstead Harbor (also known as Hempstead Bay) is a bay hugging the northern coast of Long Island, New York. Located off of the Long Island Sound, it forms the northernmost portion of the political border between the Nassau County towns of Oyst ...

in order to create an industrial park. Over 250 residents were in attendance for that meeting, which took place inside the building. The Roslyn-Flower Hill Elementary School served Roslyn students residing in the area between

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

and

third grade Third grade (also called grade three, equivalent to Year 4 in England) is a year of primary education in many countries. It is the third school year of primary school. Students are usually 8–9 years old. Examples of the American syllabus *In ...

. The school was designed by the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

-based firm of Moore & Hutchins.

Hepatitis scare, 1974

In 1974, an incident occurred when a kindergarten teacher in the school contracted

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

. As a result of the teacher's illness, children in the school were sent home with letters for their parents, assuring them that the chances that the disease would spread was very remote, and health officials concluded that there was no need for the children to be inoculated.

Closure, 1980

The school served the community until September 1980, when it was closed, due to the declining enrollment numbers following the baby-boom era; district enrollment totals decreased by 23% between 1966 and 1975. It was the fourth school closed by the Roslyn Union Free School District within an eight-year span due to these enrollment declines. Many parents in the community were concerned over the district's plans to close the school, and, during a school board meeting on March 13, 1980, the Roslyn Board of Education was presented with a petition signed by 774 residents, protesting the Flower Hill School's closure. Despite the community's efforts to keep the Flower Hill School opened, its closure was approved by the Roslyn Board of Education during the next board meeting on March 24, 1980, during which the school board voted 6-to-1 in favor of doing so. Financial burdens were cited by the school district as a reason for the school's closure, and it was estimated in 1980 that by closing the school, the district would be able to save roughly $100,000 (1980 USD) annually.

After the school, 1980s – present

Following the Roslyn School District's closure of the school, the building was briefly used as an early childhood center before that program was moved to the former Village School in the neighboring village of Roslyn. After its closure, Flower Hill residents and officials attempted to purchase some or all of the property with the intentions of turning it into a neighborhood park, complete with a playground and sports facilities. Their efforts were unsuccessful, as the Village of Flower Hill was unable to secure the highest bid for the property. In 1982, following Flower Hill's unsuccessful bid for the property, the Roslyn Board of Education sold the vacant school to developers for $620,000 (1982

). The sale was approved by the school district in a vote of 1,079-to-344. Subsequently, the vacant school was demolished, and the property was subdivided, becoming the Mashady Estates housing development in the 1980s, and now consists of multiple single-family homes; it was developed by the N & H Development Corporation. This housing development includes 8

single-family homes A stand-alone house (also called a single-detached dwelling, detached residence or detached house) is a free-standing residential building. It is sometimes referred to as a single-family home, as opposed to a multi-family residential dwelling ...

on 15,000 square-foot (1,400 m²) lots.

Notable alum

Daniel Dorff Daniel Dorff (born March 7, 1956) is an American classical composer. Biography and career Dorff was born in New Rochelle, New York, and grew up in Roslyn, New York, graduating from Roslyn High School.A Compact Disc Recording of Three Works fo ...

– Classical composer, clarinetist, and saxophonist.

References

{{authority control Flower Hill, New York Demolished school buildings and structures in the United States Moore & Hutchins buildings