Flower Hill Salutes its Star Students

Flower Hill Primary School is flying high as the holidays and 2024 nears. Students are working hard and beginning to distinguish themselves.

“Last Friday, we had our monthly Star Student Assembly celebrating our November students who exhibited the Flower Hill Four; showing respect and being responsible, kind and safe,” Principal Cindy Siegel said.

Flower Hill’s November Star Student Award recipients include Mario Herrara Soto, Emely Maldonado Lemus, Londynn Scipio, Alexis Jimenez, Ariana Lopez, Ronan Halder, Santos Sanchez Yanes, Wisell Garay Rodriguez, Adonis Tica Prado, Zyla Thomas, Adrian Palma Lopez, Benjamin Waldman, Isaac Sandres, Brody Burke, Henry Launer, Nathan Goepel, Elijah Ellis, Sarah Palacios Jimenez, Evie Waters, Ryland Vandegrift, Livia Correa, Stanley Guevara Guerro, Lydia Lim, Yaretzi Moreia Alvarez, Rudy Langumas and Jose Rosales Lopez.

On Monday, Flower Hill’s Welcoming Committee greeted a new first grade student “with signs and big smiles,” Ms. Siegel said. “The students love being a part of this tradition here at Flower Hill.”

Flower Hill 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 features classic red brick. A second parking lot was constructed in the past decade 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. 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-3.