Every youngster and family is welcome at Flower Hill Primary School. That’s just how it is and always has been. It’s been that way since September 1954 when students flooded into the building for the first time and it’s no different today.
There has been an assortment of grade configurations in the building over the past 66 years, but there has always been one constant: Flower Hill is a melting pot that mirrors the town and country.
All of those cultures mix together seamlessly from morning to night. It is amazing to watch more than 300 students spread across kindergarten through third grade interacting as friends and classmates without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, economic status or anything else. They are just kids who enjoy each other’s company and love one another.
Flower Hill teachers Alexandra Franco and Debra Ravo spearheaded the “One School, Many Cultures; Let’s Celebrate” project. The duo sent letters to families asking for them to share with what country and state they have lived in before coming to Huntington, including parents and grandparents. The response was overwhelming.
A map being updated daily at the school includes over 50 locations of origin, with each represented by a pin and a flag. The new bulletin board is located in the main lobby and Principal Lucia Laguarda said it’s an effective reminder that although everyone at Flower Hill is unique, they are all members of one school community.