School District’s Mission Remains Constant

The Huntington School District is maintaining a determined focus on its mission, as teachers and students kicked off the 2023/24 school year in fine fashion.

The official mission statement was adopted three decades ago during the tenure of Superintendent Richard B. Stock, but school officials say it remains just as relevant today as it was then.

The district’s mission, which was reviewed by teachers prior to the start classes, results in all employees working toward the same goals. New teachers in the district studied and discussed the mission statement during the group’s orientation program in late August. The statement is reproduced each year on the inside cover of the school district calendar and guide, which is available for download on the district website.

The mission statement reads: “Recognizing the strengths of our district’s traditions, its history of community support, the diversity of our population and our commitment to educational excellence, the mission of the Huntington Union Free School District is to educate students by effectively teaching an enriched body of knowledge through the active participation of all students, building upon their unique talents and abilities to produce creative, self-assured, responsible citizens who are capable of critical thought and action.”

The Huntington School District traces its origins to 1657 when Jonas Holdsworth was hired as the first school teacher. According to local archives, the first day of public education was February 11, 1657. The first school was built about 1660, somewhere near the Town Green; probably on Park Avenue. Many grade schools were built after that, but there is little mention of them in the town records.

All these years later, public education continues to flourish in Huntington. About 4,400 students will be educated in the district’s eight buildings during the 2023/24 school year.