Click on photo to enlargeFront: Sandy Adams
First row: x, Carol Klass, Bob Bond
Others: Bobby O'Brian, MaryAnn Scala, Linda Kenley, Carole Arnesen, Joe Guidice, George Fox, Betty Barger, David Ruder, Marcia Feinberg, Carol Howell, John Smiros, Billy Jack, Bob Smith, Margaret O'Neil, Billy Goldman, Danny LaPadula.
A HISTORY LESSON
In the earliest years of Levittown, the school population exploded and there were not enough classrooms while at the same time there was a shortage of teachers. Numerous substitute teacher were used to fill the void. This photo is from the 1951-52 school year.
According to Lynne Matarrese in "The History of Levittown, New York", "By the fall of 1951, 1,200 kindergarteners were still on triple session and grades one through seven were on double session. In 1951, Northside School was erected and Summit Lane quickly followed, opening in 1952. The first high school, Levittown Memorial, was built on Abbey Lane and opened in 1953."
As a result, the children in this photo were in a sparkling new building. Many had changed schools two or three times before Northside was opened. Some graduated from Division Avenue High School in 1960. They finally had stability and after elementary school, that quality continued because they attended Division Avenue for both junior high and high school if their families remained in Levittown. Many families moved away.
Amazingly, this photo is almost 60-years old. Therefore, so is Northside School.
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Thank you to Sandy Adams for sharing this photo from her collection of memories.
6 comments:
My first permanent teaching job was as a replacement sixth grade teacher at Northside Elementary when it was still a "teenager" in 1970. I had been substitute teaching various things (out of certification) at Divison Ave. HS after coming home from Vietnam and getting out of the army when Dr. John McCormick offered me the position at Northside. I recall teachers there saying that Jack Lenz had been the assistant principal at N'side and later went on to become principal at another Levittown school (Abbey Lane, I think). My sixth grade classroom was right down the hall from where my grandson now attends second grade at N'side.
Was anyone in Mr. Spatola's fourth grade class at Northside School that same year? I no longer have the class picture. Pat McD.
Bob Bonacci, class of 1961
When I was a freshman football player at Colgate, we had a game against the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As I ran down the field on one play, I halted because I spied Jack Lenz as one of the officials. He was my fifth grade teacher. I was so surprised and happy for the coincidence that I wanted to strike up a conversation, which both he and my coach wished to eschew. We did exchange a few words at the games conclusion. I walked away with the feeling that he was truly surprised to see me in college rather than jail!
Was there a Billy Goldman in the class of 1960? Or is that Billy Goldhammer?
Billy Goldman never went to our high school. Bill Goldhammer graduated in 1961.
"Coach Lenz," as we called him, was also a fantastic football coach who led the "Levittown Bears" football team (Pop Warner League) to several huge championships around 1959-60 ish.
He was beloved by those of us who were fortunate enough to play for him.
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