Valley Stream Central High School District: Our District -- History

Our History - Our District Story
The Valley Stream CHSD Archive

Revitalization of the Valley Stream C.H.S.D. for the 21st Century

Joint 75th Anniversaries in the Year 2000
The year 2000 marked the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the
Village of Valley Stream. It also marked the 75th anniversary of the creation
of a Central High School District in Valley Stream.

The Formation of Central High School District
No. 1 of the Town of Hempstead, 1925

The rosebud-shaped area constituting the present boundaries of the
Valley Stream Central High School District came into formal existence by
state legislative provision in 1925. Before that time, elementary school graduates in Valley Stream traveled to high schools in Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Queens and other
neighboring communities to further their education.

In February of 1925, voters in the three Valley Stream Elementary
Districts-13, 24 and 30-petitioned the state legislature to form a Central
High School District, whose boundaries would be coterminous with the
combined outer boundaries of the three component Elementary Districts.
The creation of such a district-officially designated as Central
High School District No. 1 of the Town of Hempstead - was made possible by a
NYS Education Law provision in 1917, legalizing the formation of central
high school districts by residents of two or more adjacent elementary school
districts. The purpose of the act was to promote the federation of union
free and common school districts in the state.

Only five such districts (three being in Nassau County) were created
in the state before the law was revoked in 1944 and replaced by a provision
for centralization on a K-12 basis. The other two Nassau County central high
school districts formed were Sewanhaka and Bellmore-Merrick, both still in
existence. The fourth and fifth, in Westchester and Erie counties, have
since been dissolved.

Name Changed to Valley Stream C.H.S.D, 1973

Central High School District No. 1 remained the name of Valley
Stream's Secondary School District until July 1973, when the state removed
the numbers from school district names to clarify the locations and types of
school districts (The exceptions were Valley Stream Districts Thirteen,
Twenty-four and Thirty, whose numbers were changed from numerals to the
spelled-out versions.). In clarifying the location and in removing the numeral,
in 1973 the official name of Valley Stream's Secondary School District became the
"Valley Stream Central High School District." However, the shorter version "Valley
Stream High School District" has commonly been used over the years (and is
inscribed on the exterior wall of the district office at One Kent Road) to
avoid confusion with "Central High School," one of the District's four
secondary schools.

The First Central High School, 1925-29

Even before the formation of Central High School District No. 1 in 1925, Elementary District 24 began offering a high school education to some of its graduates, beginning in September of 1923 at Brooklyn Avenue School. Principal was C.V. Ryan, with Harry W. Gross hired as an assistant principal and teacher for the fall of 1924.
In September of 1925, after the formation of Central High School District No. 1, a wooden two-story clapboard building on Wheeler Avenue just east of Corona Avenue was refurbished and designated as the high school for the district.
Called Central High School or often “the old wooden school,” this eight-room building had formerly been used as an elementary school in District 13 from 1905 until 1925, when the present red brick Wheeler Avenue Elementary School opened.
The first principal of this first Central High School was Harry W. Gross, assisted by 10 faculty members. Eight seniors received diplomas in the first commencement, which was held June 22, 1927, in the new Wheeler Avenue Elementary School auditorium.
The first Central High School, which had become a cherished landmark in the community, was unfortunately demolished in August 1930, after the present Central High School on Fletcher Avenue had opened.

The First Board of Education, 1925

The members of the first Board of Education of the new Central High School District No. 1 were: seated, left to right, Henry Baumann, William L. Buck (President), Herbert Biddulph, Frank Kondla; and standing left to right, William Fare, Albert Dowdeswell, Frank Hendrickson, John Beresford and Walter Van Tassel. Buck Elementary School, built in District 24 in 1952, was named in honor of William L. Buck, who served on the District 24 Board for over 25 years and was the high school district board’s first president. In fact, Mr. Buck served 15 terms as president of the high school district board, covering the years 1925-38 and 1940-42. He was employed as an engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad and later served as Deputy Sheriff of Nassau County.

Since Central High School District No. 1 originally consisted of only one school, the principal of Central High School functioned as the chief administrative officer of the district and eventually came to be called supervising principal or District Principal. The title Superintendent of Schools was not used in Valley Stream until 1978, when a new state law changed the title to conform to that used by most school districts in New York State.

Eight administrators have served in this capacity since the district was organized in 1925. They are “District Principals” Harry W. Gross (1925-41) and Paul T. Wohlsen (1941-46), who doubled as principals of Central High School; District Principal Richard M. Udall (1946-64); District Principal/Superintendent of Schools Dr. Walter D. Stille (1964-84); Superintendent of Schools Dr. Glenn E. Grube (1984-92); Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donald A. Howard (1992-97); Superintendent of Schools Dr. Martin G. Brooks (1997-2000); and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ronald D. Valenti (2000-present).

In 1941, Harry Gross left the District Principalship to be appointed to the wider position of Superintendent of the Second Supervisory School District of the Town of Hempstead, with jurisdiction over approximately 23 school districts that did not yet have superintendents. These included the central high schools of Valley Stream Central, Mepham in Bellmore-Merrick, and Sewanhaka. Mr. Gross held this position until his retirement in 1967. He also served terms as president of the NYS Association of District Superintendents of Schools and president of the National Association of County and Rural Area Superintendents.

The Opening of the Present
Central High School, 1929

With the wooden Wheeler Avenue high school building inadequate for the size of the student body, a bond issue for $750,000 was passed in April 1928 for the construction of the present Central High School on Fletcher Avenue.
The beautiful, imposing, orange-and-cream brick and stone building, labelled “this community’s monument to knowledge” by proud Valley Stream citizens, opened to students in September of 1929. Still in existence from the December 17 dedication exercises is the program booklet which lovingly and proudly describes the features of the new high school and auditorium and lists members of the 1929 Board of Education and faculty.
Continuing as principal of Central High School in the new building was “District Principal” Harry W. Gross (1925-41), with W. Clinton Stuart as assistant principal. The faculty numbered 35, with a student enrollment of 298.
Soon the new high school was filled to overflowing, and in September of 1935 a system of split sessions was initiated. This practice lasted for 17 years until Memorial Junior High School opened in 1952. For most of these years, the senior high grades 10-12 attended from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and junior high grades 7-9 from 12:45-5:15 p.m.
“District Principal” Paul T. Wohlsen doubled as Central High School principal from 1941-46, with Edward J. Kurfess overseeing the senior high and W. Clinton Stuart overseeing the junior high grades. Central’s succeeding principals have been Mr. Kurfess (1946-71), Dr. John E. Glynn (1971-December 97), Dr. Hildegarde Ziegler (1998-2001) and Joseph Pompillo (2001-present).

The Opening of
Memorial Junior High School, 1952

Central High School, bulging over capacity with students in grades 7-12, had been operating on split shifts for 15 years when a proposition for $2.5 million was passed on April 22, 1950, to build another secondary school in the community, north of Central High School, on the corner of Fletcher and Hendrickson Avenues.
For a while it was contemplated that Central would become a junior high, with Memorial the new high school in the community. Hence the name Valley Stream Memorial High School was inscribed on the front of the school, an inscription which remains today, perennially raising questions. Later, however, it was decided to open Memorial as a junior high school for grades 7-9, keeping Central as the senior high school for the district.
Memorial Junior High officially opened in December of 1952, with the dedication ceremony held on November 11, 1953. Dr. W. Clinton Stuart, assistant principal in the old Central building and then head of the junior high grades at Central under the split sessions, became the first principal of Memorial (1952-55) and in 1955, district coordinator of curriculum and teaching. Subsequent principals have been James J. Evans (1955-68), Louis P. Schwartz (1968-78), Dr. Timothy M. Melchior (1978-96), and Robert Kaufold (1996-present).

Prior to World War II, much of the land within the boundaries of the Valley Stream High School District was still undeveloped. After World War II, the area witnessed a major residential construction boom and population explosion. Soon the need for additional secondary schools to serve students in the northern and southern parts of the school district became evident. Strongly backed by the parent/teacher associations, two referenda for $2.8 million each were passed on December 5, 1953, to build North and South High Schools.
North High School, with an architectural design practically identical to South’s, opened its doors on Herman Avenue in Franklin Square on October 31, 1955. Over the past 45 years, North has had only three principals–Charles H. Wood (1955-79), a 1932 graduate of Central High School who had been the assistant principal at Memorial Junior High, Dr. Robert T. Alden from 1979- June 2001 and Dr. Thomas Troisi from July 1, 2002 to present..

South High School opened approximately two months after North High School–on December 19, 1955. Since the building was not completed for a September opening, its 850 students and approximately 45 teachers remained at Central High School through December, on a split session basis. First principal of South was J. James Bergen (1955-77), who had worked at Central since 1933 as a language teacher and then assistant principal, also enjoying his role as a part-time scout for the N.Y. Yankees and Boston Red Sox baseball teams. Subsequent principals have been Dr. Steven R. Goldberg (1977-84), who later served as Business Administrator of the high school district (1984-95) and Assistant to the Superintendent for Administrative Services & Personnel (1995-97); Ms. Christine J. Cutting (1984-98), who started at South in 1966 as a science teacher; and Dr. Stephen C. Lando (1998-present).

Dedication and Restoration of the
Central High School Auditorium, 1987

Few high schools and communities today are graced with an architecturally-unique Art Deco auditorium dating from the 1920’s. The restoration of this community treasure had been contemplated for over a decade. Finally in 1986 through the efforts of State Senator Dean Skelos, a state legislative grant of $20,000 was obtained to initiate the project. During an approximately six-month period from June to November of 1987, the extensive refurbishment took place, with the majority of work done by the district’s own maintenance staff. Auditorium seats were recovered in a burnt orange fabric, and the original wooden arms and metal frames were restored. Brass wall and ceiling lights were refinished, as was the bronze and marble clock on the balcony overhang. The giltwork on the proscenium arch was painstakingly repainted. The sculptured friezes on the auditorium walls, depicting “The Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon,” were restored. All walls were repainted, electrical wiring was replaced, and the foyer was also completely refurbished.
In July of 1986 at the retirement of Central High School Assistant Principal H. Bertram Keller, the high school district Board of Education had officially named Central’s auditorium “The Bert Keller Auditorium” in his honor. Mr. Keller had been associated with Central for over half a century, entering as a student when it first opened in 1929, graduating in the Class of 1933, and returning after college in 1938 as an English, speech and journalism teacher, drama director, and in 1955, assistant principal. On December 11, 1987, the official dedication ceremony and unveiling of the dedicatory plaque took place at the Central High School holiday concert. As inscribed on the plaque, the auditorium was dedicated “in honor of and in appreciation for Bert’s extraordinary contributions to this school and the Valley Stream community.”

Central, North and South High Schools and Memorial Junior High each acquired additional corridor space through a $3.68 million proposition that passed on November 17, 1959.

It was not until nearly 40 years later on October 7, 1998, that voters passed a $37 million bond issue to revitalize the aging buildings with a major upgrade–to prepare students for the technological needs of the 21st century, to prepare them for the new New York State education standards and graduation requirements, and to provide for the rising enrollment.

What a perfect time the year 2000 was to revitalize Valley Stream’s secondary schools–now 45-71 years old–as the school district and village both celebrated their 75th anniversaries, and the calendar turned to the new millennium in 2000-2001.