District 30 turns 90

A century ago, the education system in Valley Stream looked very different than it does today. There were fewer students and fewer schools. District 30 and the Central High School District were still years away from creation.

This year, the youngest of Valley Stream’s three elementary districts will be turning 90. That feat will be celebrated at District 30’s annual PTA Founders’ Day event next week at the Clear Stream Avenue School.

“This is very exciting, to be a part of history,” said John Singleton, the 10th principal of Clear Stream, who was hired in 2009. “There aren’t too many institutions that have been around for 90 years.”

In 1922, the need for a school in the growing west end of Valley Stream became apparent, as students were attending either Wheeler Avenue in District 13, Brooklyn Avenue in District 24, or Elmont. Those districts were becoming overcrowded, and children in the west end of the village had to travel long distances to school.

After considering several options, Nassau County Second District Superintendent Wellington C. Mepham ordered the creation of a new school system to be formed from portions of Districts 13, 24 and Elmont. Common School District No. 30 was officially born, and beginning in the 1923-24 school year, students in that territory would start going to school there.

The first students in District 30 attended a wood frame school on the property of Joseph Buscher. Late in the 1923-24 school year, an eight-room brick building opened up on Clear Stream Avenue. Only the four classrooms on the main level were completed at the time.

Among the first Board of Education members were Arthur J. Hendrickson, who would later become the village’s mayor, and William E. Fare, grandfather of the current mayor. The first principal, hired on Aug. 9, 1923, was George D. Coats, who had a brief and somewhat tumultuous tenure in the district. He was joined by three teachers for the first year.

Quickly, the district started to grow, and 11 teachers were needed by 1929. Before the decade was out, eight more classrooms were added onto the school.

In 1956, the school was expanded again with the addition of a gymnasium, followed by two more classrooms in 1998. The original gym, in the basement, is now the library and computer lab.

The district grew by leaps and bounds during the Baby Boom-era, necessitating more schools. Shaw Avenue opened in 1950 in the north end, Forest Road in 1952 on the south side of the district, and the small Washington Avenue School in the west end in 1956.

Carl Riccobono started school at Clear Stream Avenue School in 1948, and went there for kindergarten and first-grade before Shaw Avenue opened. Walking to Clear Stream, he used to cut through the Shaw Avenue property, until it was fenced off for construction.

Riccobono would then go on to a have 43-year teaching career in the district, 42 at Shaw. His seven children would all attend Clear Stream, from 1977 to 1997.

He remembers his principal at Clear Stream, Sherwood Quick, who then became district principal once the other schools opened. His fifth-grade teacher, Bill Van Ness, became the superintendent who hired him as a 21-year-old fresh out of college with a teaching degree.

“The weirdest thing about first starting was teaching with teachers I had,” he said. “They said, ‘Call me by my first name.’ I said, ‘I can’t.’”

Riccobono said he was very happy with the education his children received at Clear Stream. He noted that District 30 has long been a leader in many areas, including curriculum and technology.

While Mayor Ed Fare’s grandfather was on the first Board of Education, his father, Wilbur, was one of the earliest students at Clear Stream. Born in 1919, Wilbur Fare started school there within its first two years, and was also among the first group of students to receive their elementary education in District 30 from start to finish.

Ed Fare would then go to Clear Stream himself from 1967-74. “I remember walking to Clear Stream by myself, in kindergarten,” he said. “Today, parents would be horrified by the thought of that.”

In the Cold War-era, schools held many drills and one of them was the “go home drill.” Every child had a color-coded dog tag and the teacher would put them on during the drill. The students would then go outside and had stand in the corner of the school yard closest to their house. Fare said the first time, he thought he was actually supposed to go home, and found his mother waiting at the front door for him.

Fare said one of the highlights of elementary school was being a member of the Safety Patrol in fifth and sixth grades. He also enjoyed the school plays.

The mayor will be just one of several dignitaries on hand on Wednesday night. Singleton has put together a whole program featuring speakers, student performances and plenty of surprises. There will also be some historical photos around the room.

An admitted history buff, Singleton said he is excited to mark the school’s 90th anniversary with great fanfare. He loves looking at the old class pictures, seeing how much more diverse the school has become.

While the faces have changed, June Innella, a teacher in the district since 1976, noted that the values haven’t. Valley Streamers want, and demand, a solid and well-rounded education in clean and safe facilities, she explained. “The parents and community have always been concerned with the schools,” she said.

The Founders’ Day celebration begins at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Clear Stream. “It’s going to be an enjoyable evening,” Singleton said. “We plan on reminiscing over the last 90 years to honor the resilience of the district.”