Weldon E Howitt High School - Hi Life Yearbook (Farmingdale, NY)

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104 Years of Growth and Change PROS AND CONS OF PROGRESS It pleases me to see Farm- ingdale's school system progress the way it has. In my early years as district principal we had a good football team, but we never did anything like this year’s team” — Weldon E. Howitt “The students have changed so much since I was a student here. They are less serious; they’re more concerned with fun than with their futures — Karen Meagher, English teacher. Since its establishment by the town board and school commissioner in 1814, School District 22 had en- dured a great many changes. Back then, the school building consisted of just one room, and it was literally known in the com- munity as the little red school. From this school which was located on Conklin Street, the students of Farmingdale were moved to a four room wooden build- ing located on the present Main Street School proper- ty In 1919, when Weldon E. Howitt began his term as district principal, the school consisted of several small buildings. When I first be- came district principal, there were mostly farmers in the area, but very soon city people began to move it,” Howitt explained. The people from the city wanted the same academic advan- tages they had received in their former schools so they worked with me to make changes and additions. Due to the increased school district population, in 1953 a new high school was built on Grant and Van Cott Avenues. It was appro- priately named for Weldon E. Howitt. Between 1955 and 1961 Woodward Park- way, East Memorial, Park- way Oaks, Albany Avenue, and Northside Elementary Schools were constructed. In 1961 Mill Lane Jr. High School and Farmingdale Senior High School were opened for classes. The class of 1979 is the smallest class in six years. The Farmingdale School system which presently draws students from Amity- ville, North Massapequa, Massapequa Park, and Farmingdale reached its peak population three years ago with a graduating class of 1025. The sudden de- crease in enrolled students has forced the closing of two elementary schools. Al- though the high school’s capacity is for over 4000 students, ten years from now the population of grades ten through twelve will be approximately 2000.

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Page 13. Top: Howitt Jr. High School stands where the Nazareth Trade School stood circa 1910. Bottom: Weldon E. Howitt Jr. High School at present. Above: The Main St. brick building in 1912. Top: Schoolhouse built circa 1850 where Main Street School stands today. 12

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14 Below: The absence of students during class creates a serene atmosphere in one of the school’s four courtyards. Structural Beauty Revealed 1 Above: A rare view of the school from surrounding woods. Above Right: The front of the school serves as an early afternoon bus stop. In the hectic daily routine, students often neglect to take the time to observe the surroundings in which they spend their three high school years. While the high school's intricate ar- chitecture may appeal to some students’ sense of aesthetics, a great deal of them see it as just another school. If students could walk through the school without the distractions like crowded halls, squeaking chalk, and full classrooms, they might appreciate the maze-like structure. While traveling through the corri- dors, the numerous attrac- tive windows would be no- ticed first. The eight foot tall frames and small ledges look out onto the curved paths and deserted ben- ches of the landscaped courtyards. In their contoured design, the auditorium, the pool, the spiraled library stair- case, and the Commons serve as diversions from the box-like classrooms and long straight hallways. Although the classrooms are ordinary, many reflect a mood readily associated with the subject taught in their confines. A student’s favorite might be a science room with plants and dis- play cabinets, an English classroom with attractive posters, or a colorful ar-