Southdown Stars Sparkle in May

As the school year races to its conclusion in four weeks, Southdown Primary School continues abuzz with activities. Late last week Principal Jill Armott-Erwig and faculty members announced the recipients of May’s Splash Awards; these are Southdown’s Students of the Month.

The youngsters were recognized for their performance in and out of the classroom and all around the building and grounds. The honorees include:

Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Charlotte Piersa, Charli Macerino

Kindergarten: Jack Butkovich, Josue Avila Lopez Wells Flor, Ariana Iraheta Velasquez, Alexandra Gonzalez Galeano

First Grade: Mason Ortez Galvez, Austin Donovan Kyara Ulloa Orantes Edward Warner III

Second Grade: Sebastian Olivas, Talia Bash, Michael Macco, Zoe Flores Flores

Third Grade: Benjamin Wood, Juliette Kelly, Samantha Saravia-Ramirez

Southdown will celebrate its annual Beach Day festivities on Thursday at Gold Star Battalion Beach a short walk from the school campus. (The rain date is Friday.)

Southdown’s third grade moving up exercises will be held on Friday, June 21.

Southdown School History

When Huntington School Board members realized the district was nearing a desperate need for a school in its northwest corner, trustees lined up the purchase of an eight acre parcel carved from what was then known as the McKesson-Brown property, which featured vast open fields stretching from Southdown Road to the beach.

The district paid $38,000 for the land, which once formed a large tract surrounding George McKesson Brown’s 40-room mansion at Coindre Hall. Mr. Brown made his millions in the pharmaceutical industry. He lost much of it when the stock market crashed in 1929.

Frederic P. Wiedersum was Southdown’s architect and Paul J. Roche, Inc. served as the general contractor. Courter & Company, Inc. was the heating and ventilating contractor and Charles A. Mulligan served as the electrical contractor.

Although construction was not yet complete, the district began utilizing Southdown in September 1954 as 340 students packed 12 rooms, with the thirteenth room being used as a library.

Southdown was officially dedicated on September 18, 1954 with School Board President Richard McCormack presiding. An open house was held beginning at 1 p.m. with the public invited to tour the gleaming new structure. A formal ceremony was held at 4 p.m. after earlier ones the same day at Flower Hill (2 p.m.) and Washington (3 p.m.) School trustees and teachers were on hand to answer questions. Representatives of the district’s architectural firm and the contractors that built the structures were also present. District PTA organizations helped plan the ceremonies.

Less than four years later, the district again was straining under the weight of increased enrollment. A decision was made to build a large new wing onto Southdown and each of its sister schools. The new sections were unofficially referred to as upper grade wings. The three additions cost a grand total of $800,000. The last payment on that bond was made during the 1982/83 school year.

Southdown’s new wing was delayed by construction problems. When the 1958/59 school year opened, many classes were doubled up and others used the cafeteria and gym as classroom teaching stations. The new wing finally opened in December 1958. It brought the size of the structure to 39,600 square feet. Every inch was needed as Southdown’s enrollment that year totaled 550 students.

Southdown Elementary School was guided through those early years by Principal James J. Sherman, who stayed in the top spot for 15 years. The building has served the community well for nearly seven decades and is expected to continue doing so far into the future.