Principal Lucia Laguarda was excited to recognize the latest recipients of Flower Hill Primary School’s Star Student Award. The youngsters are individually and collectively impressive, to say the least.
The Star Student Award is coveted by Flower Hill students. Typically one student from each classroom is chosen monthly. Their name is called out over the public address system and they parade down to the main office with determination and pride.
December’s honorees include:
Kindergarten: Kimberly Hernandez Aparicio, Harper Pallack, Juliette Prior, Ariana Monge Moreira, Grace Hanford
First grade: David Bergmann III, Juliette Creegan, Brittany Romero-Jaramillo, Victor Avila Fugon, Natalia Hernandez Martinez
Second grade: Domenico Leotta Jr., Marien Flores, Dana Mejia Mendoza, Ella Schaefer, Zachary Goldstein, Edwin Lopez, Jr.
Third grade: Ezequiel Saravia, Matison Kindelmann, Anabelle Koelmel, Claire Dello-Iacono, Karly Maldonado, Diana Zeledon Zaldana, Bryce Gilroy, Gabriella Elliott
December’s Star Class Award went to teachers Priya Mondkar and Jaime Jerome and their students.
Flower Hill History
Lucia Laguarda is Flower Hill School's principal.
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 hundreds 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’s founding principal was Anthony Quintilian. He had been working as Nathan Hale Elementary School’s first full-time principal for six years at the time he was named principal of Flower Hill on June 8, 1954. The school opened in September of that year.
A graduate of New York University (BA, 1937) and Columbia University (MA, 1947), Mr. Quintilian grew up in Marlboro, New York, a small farming community in the Hudson Valley, seven miles north of Newburgh and near West Point.
Lucia Laguarda currently serves as Flower Hill’s principal, providing faculty, students and staff with educational leadership and guidance. Enrollment is 302 spread across grades K-3 with another 33 youngsters in the pre-kindergarten program.
Flower Hill features an attractive entrance area. The building’s exterior features classic red brick. A second parking lot was built 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 was 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. It is used strictly for storage.
At one time or another Flower Hill has served students in grades K-6.