Flower Hill Primary School honored nearly two dozen youngsters this week, presenting each of them with coveted Star Student Awards.
The group of exceptional young people was recognized for outstanding effort and performance throughout the month of January. Their names were announced over Flower Hill’s public address system and each of them was given a certificate to show their classmates and later bring home to their loved ones.
Flower Hill's Star Student Award recipients were celebrated with a special bulletin board.
Principal Lucia Laguarda gathered the students in the main lobby for a group photo. A special bulletin board was created to give the youngsters another opportunity for recognition.
January’s honorees include:
Kindergarten: Ava Tortora, Ava Jimenez, Dean Michaelian, Genesis Cuadra Bonilla and Felix Perdomo Menjivar
First grade: Alan Bardales Arevalo, Elena Prior, Miguel Herrera III, Leilani Dixon, Shelby Meystrik and Dana Mejia Mendoza
Second grade: Jordan Aguilar Rivera, Benjamin Burke, Nicolina Santoli and Ruth Ulloa Redondo
Third grade: Brandy Marroquin, Hillary Galvez Jerez, Manpreet Kaur
Fourth grade: Cecilena Monge Moreira, Kaida Kyra Boles, Jeremy Allen, Katherine Ramos Panameno and Isabella Rodriguez
Flower Hill’s “Star Class” for January belonged to first grade dual language teacher Erika Brignati.
Flower Hill School History
Flower Hill Elementary School was erected in 1954 in response to a surge in enrollment experienced by the Huntington School District during the post-World War II era. Huge tracts of wooded land and farms were snatched up by developers who later erected thousands of houses throughout the area.
The basic design and layout of Flower Hill closely mirrors that of its sister schools, Southdown and Washington. All three were simultaneously constructed, using identical materials. The Flower Hill site, which includes 14 acres of land, is tucked into a beautiful area of the school district, crammed with flowering trees.
As students poured into Huntington during the 1950’s, district trustees moved to address the space crunch by proposing an additional wing for Flower Hill. Residents supported the idea and the structure went up in 1958, resulting in the current dimensions.
Flower Hill features an attractive entrance area. The building’s exterior consists of classic red brick. A second parking lot was constructed to better accommodate the needs of employees and parents visiting the school.
In addition to regular classrooms, Flower Hill contains space used for self-contained instruction, physical therapy, ENL services, computer instruction and art, reading and music classes. Smaller spaces are used for speech, math, occupational therapy, psychological services, remedial instruction and speech therapy.
The school also has a gym with a stage in one end, a cafeteria for breakfast and lunch and a well-equipped library and media center. There are two outdoor playground areas for student recreation and exercise.
The school’s original kindergarten playground has been replaced with modern equipment. An extravagant garden area was created behind the gym, between the building’s two wings. To descend into the basement, which is really just one large room, you must exit the building and utilize a separate entrance. That area is used strictly for storage.
Flower Hill threw itself a 50th anniversary party in 2004, as did its counterparts Southdown and Washington. At one time or another, the school has housed students ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade. Today it services those in grades K-4 with an enrollment of 360.