HomeMy WebLinkAbout03 Chapter pg 65-102 Lehman, RSS, RSCS, Parks 2026-06-01 ...1004AM 65
Chapter 03
Common School District No. 5 acquires
Irving Lehman mansion with 9.95 acres on Ridge Street in July 1946
To relieve overcrowding at the red brick, 1936 Ridge Street schoolhouse, on July 18, 1946, Common School District
No. 5 paid $20,000 to widow Sissie Straus Lehman for 9.95 acres of the 45.7-acre Irving Lehman estate.
Above: Illustration of Irving Lehman mansion at 390 North Ridge Street by resident Robert H. Blattner.
As of 2024, the original color illustration hangs in the BBRUFSD District offices, after hanging for decades
on the wall of the Ridge Street School main office, with the other illustrations by resident Robert Blattner.
Below: April 4, 1946 land survey showing 9.9533-acre portion of Irving Lehman estate acquired on July 18, 1946.
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The 9.95-acre parcel included the circa-1907, Lehman stucco mansion, frame barn, outbuildings like the stone tool
house that RSS alumni will remember as our beloved “Scout House” (used during Cub Scouts Day Camp to store
vending machines and supplies), situated next to the RSS soccer field, and the stucco cottage where Herbert E.
Haeger, Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth Stein Haeger lived for 29 years (October 1954 to June 1973) of their 34-year
tenure as RSS custodians from 1949-1973.
1970 Kedalion yearbook photo of Bruno Ponterio on upper blacktop by tunnel from 1955 wing to 1966 New Cafeteria,
with the “Scout House” (1907 Lehman estate’s stone tool house) in the distance by the soccer field with an excerpt of
the April 4, 1946 land survey showing the referenced stucco cottage and “Scout House”
Fun Fact: After the Haeger’s retirement in June 1973 and departure from the RSS cottage, newly-hired BBHS/MS
social studies teacher Wilbur (“Doc”) Johnson took up residency in that RSS cottage for 11 years from August 1973
to July 1984. My classmates and I have fond memories of playing basketball with “Doc” Johnson on the RSS rear
blacktop courts in Summer 1973. We were 16yo, 1972 RSS grads heading back out-of-district for our second year
(11th grade) at Mamaroneck HS; and Bil was a Yale-educated, pony-tailed teacher we had never encountered before
in District No. 5. It was the 1970s, though, and Blind Brook High School was a progressive, bold experiment.
Mamaroneck High School was innovative in so many ways, and where most members of the RSS Classes of 1970,
1971 and 1972 went for grades 10-12. MHS had an open campus where kids could come and go, at will. Lots of great
food options like Walter’s Hot Dogs, Sal’s Pizza, McDonald’s, Cook’s etc. As a 2,500-student high school (over 600
students per grade), MHS had several alternative schools within it, like S.W.A.S. (School Within A School), K.I.C.
and H.O.P.E., where students needing a less structured learning environment, could thrive.
As a group at Mamaroneck High School, we were referred to as the Ridge Streeters. While we made up only about
10-12% of each of the MHS classes of 1973, 1974 & 1975, we were welcomed by the faculty/ administration as not
only did we represent tuition revenue for the district’s budget, but we reportedly elevated SAT scores for the
Mamaroneck school district. Same was anecdotally reported about the RSS Class of 1969 attending Valhalla High
School for grades 10-12. Something must have been done well during our years of development at the K-9 Ridge
Street School.
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The updated 1942 G.M. Hopkins atlas excerpt (below) shows the proximity of the 431 N. Ridge Street red brick,
K-8 school to the 45.7-acre Irving Lehman estate (0.3-mile to the south), prior to the July 18, 1946 sale of 9.95 acres
to District No. 5 and the same-day sale of the 35.75-acre balance of the Lehman estate to Manhattan builder,
Crystal Bros., Inc. (Fabian M. Crystal), who contemplated building a spacious home, but never did. The 35.7-acre
vacant land changed hands a couple of times before being developed as Sections 3, 7 & 13 of the the Country Ridge
subdivision in 1957-1966, except for a 5.044-acre parcel donated by developer Mannie Shapiro to the Ridge Street
School in a June 1, 1955 deed.
Excerpt of 1929 G.M. Hopkins atlas, Plate 42 (revised as of March 1942).
NOTE: Camp Lehman structures by a Blind Brook tributary (see left of “Irving Lehman” label) had
been used as a summer day camp, which is now where the 133 and 141 Country Ridge Drive lots
and the Rockinghorse Trail “paper street” terminus at The Blind Brook Club fence line are located.
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Judge Irving Lehman and his wife, Sissie Straus Lehman, acquired the 45.7-acre tract in January 1906, built their
house, and lived there until Mr. Lehman’s death at age 69 on September 22, 1945 of a heart ailment following a July
1945 broken ankle injury in the woods on his Ridge Street property. Ten months later, widow Sissie Straus Lehman
sold off the 45.7-acre estate in the two aformentioned July 18, 1946 deeds: (i) 9.95 acres to the school district; and
(ii) 35.75 acres to Manhattan builder Fabian Crystal. Below is a 1917 photo of the circa-1907, Lehman mansion.
Circa-1917 photo from Views of Rye book by realtor Blakeman Quintard Meyer, self-published in 1917.
(Library of Congress https://lccn.loc.gov/18001579 )
As part of his distinguished legal career, Irving Lehman was appointed to the New York State Court of Appeals for
the term of 1924-1937 and re-elected for a second term of 1937-1951. Judge Lehman was elected Chief Judge of the
New York Court of Appeals in 1939 for the term of 1940-1946. Irving Lehman’s younger brother, Herbert H.
Lehman, was Governor of New York State from 1932-1942, such that during 1940-1942, the two brothers headed
up the executive and judicial branches of New York State. Their father, Mayer Lehman, and two uncles founded the
investment firm of Lehman Brothers, in 1850 in Alabama as a mercantile business using cotton as a trading
commidity. They helped form the New York Cotton Exchange in 1870. Lehman Brothers grew into one of the
premier Wall Street investment banking firms, until going bankrupt amidst the 2008 global financial crisis.
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Sissie Straus Lehman (1879-1950) married Irving Lehman (1876-1945 ) in 1901. Sissie was the daughter of famed
philanthropist and merchant Nathan Straus (1848-1931), who with his brother Isidor Straus (1845-1912), became
partners in department store, R.H. Macy & Co. (later simply known as Macy’s) in 1888; and then co-owners outright
in 1896. They purchased Joseph Wechsler’s stake in Wechsler & Abraham department store in 1893; and changed the
name to Abraham & Straus. Tragically, Sissie Straus Lehman’s uncle, Isidor Straus, and wife, Ida Blun Straus, died
in the sinking of the RMS Titanic 🇬🇧 ocean liner, that hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, on April 14, 1912.
1925 photo (above) of celebration of the 50th anniversary of the April 28, 1875 wedding of Nathan Straus (1848-1931)
and wife Lina Gutherz Straus (1854-1930), at their Driftwood summer home on Orienta Point in Mamaroneck, NY
that they purchased in 1914. Seated, right to left, are: Irving Lehman, Sissie Straus Lehman, Nathan Straus and Lina
Gutherz Straus. Photos/Link to February 2010 newsletter with profile of Driftwood (below), via Straus Historical
Society https://www.straushistoricalsociety.org/uploads/1/1/8/1/11810298/newsletter_february_2010.pdf
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Below is a 1934 photo of Judge Irving Lehman (standing) in his Ridge Street home … site of the 2021 BMPRSS
Cafetorium & outdoor courtyard, with physicist Albert Einstein and wife Elsa, and Sissie Straus Lehman (far right).
Albert and Elsa Einstein with Judge Irving Lehman and his wife Sissie in Port Chester, New York in 1934,
Leo Baeck Institute, F 13767 https://www.lbi.org/griffinger/record/244213
https://digipres.cjh.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE9386752
May 1946 proposal to convert Irving Lehman mansion to school use
with pair of new, 2-story additions with 4 classrooms at each side
District No. 5 voters approved an $18,078.25 operating budget at the May 7, 1946 Board of Edication meeting for
the 1946-1947 school year. Also discussed was the pending contract to purchase the 9.95-acre portion of the Irving
Lehman estate for $20,000 and a possible conversion of the Lehman mansion for school use: a principal’s office,
large entrance hall, combination cafeteria/ auditorium with stage and dressing alcoves on the first floor … a library,
teacher’s rooms and health clinic on the 2nd floor … plus a pair of new, 2-story additions (4 classrooms, stairwells
and lavatories in each wing) at each side of the Lehman mansion. The July 18, 1946 deed had a provision that the
school be named the “Irving Lehman School” as also reported in the below May 8, 1946 The Daily Item article.
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May 8, 1946 The Daily Item article reveals intial plan was to convert mansion into the “Irving Lehman School,” but a
subsequent January 28, 1947 The Daily Item article, reported how Irving Lehman’s widow, Sissie Straus Lehman
withdrew her prior permission to use Lehman’s name after she was offended by rhetoric by District residents over
use of the name, as her attorney pointed out how she accommodated the District in every way without negotiating
price and desired acreage with the prime Ridge Street frontage.
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Planning a new Ridge Street School in 1946-1951 while using the Upper Ridge Street School
and Lower Ridge Street School buildings amidst a post-war housing boom
District No. 5 voters were not in favor of the plan to build additions to the Lehman mansion as reviewed in May
1946, instead preferring a brand new building. In 1947, the 16-room, circa-1910 Irving Lehman mansion with
required modifications, commenced temporary use as schoolhouse, together with the 1936, red brick schoolhouse
up the hill. They became known as the Upper Ridge Street School (serving grades 3-6) and the Lower Ridge
Street School, (serving grades K-2 and 7-8) respectively during the September 1947 to June 1951 period, before the
1950 Ridge Street School was completed and the Lehman mansion was demolished in June 1951 … the red brick
schoolhouse was sold in August 1951 to a private nursery school, and RSS opened its doors in September 1951.
Upper Ridge Street School (1936-1951) at #431 Lower Ridge Street School (1946-1951) at #390
Illustrations by former Loch Lane resident/ school board Trustee Robert H. Blattner
Excerpt of 1929 G.M. Hopkins atlas Plate 42, (revised in 1942), showing proximity of: (a) the 1936 District No. 5, red
brick, schoolhouse on 0.929-acre parcel at 431 N. Ridge Street, known as the Upper Ridge Street School in 1946-1951
and (b) the Irving Lehman mansion purchased in 1946 with an initial 9.95 acres of the 45.7-acre estate known as the
Lower Ridge Street School, in 1946-1951 before the 1950 Ridge Street School built in front of the Lehman mansion,
opened at 390 N. Ridge Street in September 1951 … with an additional 5.044 acres donated in 1955 (see page 82).
The combined use of the Upper Ridge Street School and Lower Ridge Street School facilities was intended to
be a short term solution to house the growing population of pupils, while the 1950 Ridge Street School was being
planned and developed, as large Ridge Street country estates began to sell for residential re-development.
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The Post-War, 1950-1966 Residential Development Boom
in District No. 5 (Ridge Street School)
As depicted below in the 1937 Official Plan, in school District No. 5 (now the BBRUFSD) at that time, were in
the 1906 Byram Ridge and 1929 Tamarack Gardens subdivisions and main arteries: Harrison Avenue (renamed
Anderson Hill Road), King Street, Ridge Street, Lincoln Avenue (both sections ... south of the bridge over the Blind
Brook near Westerleigh, and the Cross Road (later renamed as Lincoln Avenue), which connects to King Street. The
Y-shaped, Roxton Road is a private roadway shown on a filed 1914 Roxton Farm subdivision plat that was never
developed, since the entire tract with internal road/driveway, became The Blind Brook Club with golf course in 1916.
Official Plan of That Part of the Town of Rye Outside the Limits of Any Incorporated Village Established By the Town
Board of the Town of Rye, N.Y. dated June 29, 1937 as prepared by J.A. Kirby Co., Civil Engineers & Surveyors, and
filed July 26, 1937 as Map No. 4495 with the County Register (Clerk). Shown by the County Clerk’s Office in two
counterparts: 4495-1 and 4495-2 (below), because of length, but spliced together (above) to display the entire
unincorporated area of the Town of Rye that became the Village of Rye Brook when it incorporated in July 1982.
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March 8, 1950, The Daily Item, promo of its 6-part series: Rye Town Grows Up! published March 13-18, 1950 the
dramatic, post-war development in the unincorporated part of Rye Town that became Village of Rye Brook in 1982.
931 new subdivision lots were created (and homes built) within school District No. 5, in 1950-1966, as follows:
(a) 151 house lots in the Rye Acres subdivison (1949-1953) on 68-acre portion of the former 112-acre farm of
siblings Daniel & Emma Merritt … plus 33 house lots in District No. 5 out of 103 total lots within the 40-acre,
1950 Rye Hills subdivision (the other 70 lots are in District No. 4) on a portion of the former Edgar F. Price estate;
meant 184 new households for District No. 5 to plan for during 1949-1953.
The continuing housing explosion during 1954-1966 brought more students, and warranted construction of the
1955, 1962 & 1966 Ridge Street School wings as re-development of large Ridge Street estates yielded the following:
(b) 280 house lots in the Elm Hill (Sections 1 & 2), Pine Ridge (Sections 1-6), Brookside and Roselyn Park subdivisions
from the former 64-acre John I. Downey estate and the 64-acre Dunlevy Milbank estate between 1956-1966;
(c) 78 house lots in the 65-acre Meadowlark subdivision (Sections 1-4) between 1956-1962;
(d) 85 house lots in the 53-acre Rich Manor subdivision (Sections 1-5) between 1950-1965; and
(e) 304 house lots in the 159-acre Country Ridge subdivision built in seventeen (17) sections between 1956-1966
District No. 5 trustees and their Building Committee ramped up planning in the 1949-1950 school year for a new
K-8 school building to be built on the 9.95-acre, former Lehman property. The District hired architect Robert A.
Green of Tarrytown in June 1950, to design the new building … to be modeled after The Transfiguration School in
Tarrytown, which Mr. Green designed, and had just been completed. It was of a similar size to suit the requirements
District No. 5 (Town of Rye) and fast tracked the process, since District No. 5 was out of classroom space.
Robert H. Blattner, who moved to 7 Loch Lane in 1945, was an art director at Reader’s Digest in nearby
Chappaqua. He created the beautiful illustrations you see herein of the 1868 King Street School, the 1936 Upper
Ridge Street School and the 1946-1951 Lower Ridge Street School (the 1907 Lehman mansion). His color originals
now hang on the wall in the District offices. They were prominently displayed for over five decades on the north
wall of the main office when it was located opposite the Old Gym in the original, 1950 wing of the Ridge Street
School. The framed illustrations were moved when the RSS main office was relocated as part of the 2019
construction project to create a new Primary Wing with cafetorium and a new, main office and entrance.
I interviewed Robert H. Blattner in 1992, at his Loch Lane home. He joined the Building Committee in Fall 1949
and was instrumental in preparing a brochure to inform the ~225 property owners in District No. 5 at the time,
about the proposed capital project in advance of the June 1950 bond vote. Mr. Blattner then served on the 3-
member, Board of Trustees for the school district in the early 1950s. Membership of the board later increased from
three to five members when its legal status changed from Common School District to Union Free School District in March
1956, as explained on page 87 hereof.
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The 7-page, Spring 1950 brochure (see below) for the proposed 1950 Ridge Street School, is shown on the next
two pages. Notice how the photo on page 6 of the brochure looks just like the RSS entrance doors and interior
hallway with cut stone (granite) at both the interior lobby walls and exterior walls by the “Old Gym” built in 1950-
1951. That’s because the brochure photos were from Tarrytown’s Transfiguration School, which was designed by
the same architect, Robert A. Green, and RSS mirrored that overall design.
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Following approval by District No. 5 voters of a projected $330,000 cost on June 1, 1950, the bids came in lower
and were awarded in September 1950 in the aggregate of $263,496 as follows: $219,000 for general construction
(D. Stolle-Duval Corp. of White Plains); $10,700 for electrical (Schaver Bros. of North Tarrytown); and $9,996 for
plumbing and $23,800 for heating (both awarded to Hauxwell & Smith of Port Chester).
Ground was broken on Monday, September 18, 1950 for the new Ridge Street School at 390 N. Ridge Street. As the
progression of the below photos reveal, the new school building was built right in front of the former Irving
Lehman mansion, which continued to operate as the Lower Ridge Street School in conjunction with the 1936
schoolhouse at 431 N. Ridge Street that was then referred to as the Upper Ridge Street School.
Above: June 2, 1950 The Daily Item article re: 98-16 vote. 9 “yes” ballots were rejected (marked by ✔ instead of ✖ ).
Below: Fall 1950 photo of Ridge Street School masonry walls underway with 1910 Irving Lehman mansion behind.
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Above: Fall 1950 photo of Ridge Street School “Old Gym” steel work, with 1910 Irving Lehman mansion behind it.
Below: March 1951 photos of entrance and “Old Gym” exteriors and the gymnasium/ auditorium’s stage interior.
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March 1951: Ridge Street School nearing completion in front of Lehman mansion used as Lower Ridge Street School
A cornerstone-laying ceremony was held on the evening of Friday, June 22, 1951 for the new 1950 Ridge Street
School, along with the commencement program for the 12-member, eighth grade graduating Class of 1951 (7 boys
and 5 girls) that included Robert Haeger and Craig MacCullough, who placed a metal box inside the cornerstone as
a time capsule containing Board of Education minutes, The Daily Item newspapers and other items.
These two boys were respectively, the sons of RSS custodians Herbert E. Haeger, Sr. and his wife, Elizabeth Stein
Haeger, and Mrs. Elizabeth MacCullough of 25 Argyle Road, who began as a full-time teacher at RSS on September
5, 1951 when the new RSS building officially opened with a 1951-1952 enrollment of 155 pupils in grades K-8.
The Haegers served District No. 5 as its RSS custodians for 24 years from 1949 until the end of the 1972-1973
school year. They lived in the former Lehman estate’s stucco, superintendent’s cottage on the RSS grounds for 19
of those years from October 1954 until their Summer 1973 retirement.
Mrs. Elizabeth MacCullough, a beloved 3rd grade teacher, was selected by the RSS Class of 1972 as Commencement
Speaker for its June 22, 1972 Graduation Exercises held 21.75 years after she began teaching at RSS. In addition to
her son Craig of the RSS Class of 1951, her daughter Barbara graduated with the 8th grade, RSS Class of 1955.
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June 23, 1951 The Daily Item
"Acceptance of the Flag" at the Ridge Street School, donated by the
Mothers’ Club. Photo: March 5, 1952, The Daily Item.
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The week after the June 22, 1951 graduation and “1950” cornerstone laying ceremonies christened the new Ridge
Street School, the Lehman mansion was demolished, ending its 4 ½ year run as the Lower Ridge Street School …
and the Upper Ridge Street School at 431 N. Ridge Street with 0.929-acre of land was offered for sale at $21,000.
1951 sales flyer for 0.929-acre 431 N. Ridge Street school property……….……. January 14, 1954 land survey
Common School District No. 5 sold the red brick schoolhouse, which had been its K-8 public school for 15 years from
1936-1951, to Ann Marie Goelkel for $18,500 on August 15, 1951 for use as a private nursery school. The 431 N.
Ridge Street property was sold again six years later on May 31, 1957 to Yvette and Harold Arian, who with
daughter, Barbara Arian Schiori, operated the Ridge Street Country School for 63 years until August 2020 when
purchased by The Nurtury, a family-operated, Montessori school/ daycare for children, 6 months to 6 years of age.
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5.044 acres donated to expand Ridge Street School campus
in June 1955 by the developers of Country Ridge Estates
In a deed dated June 1, 1955, Country Ridge Estates developer Mannie Shapiro and his attorney Gerald T. Hershcopf
conveyed a 5.044-acre parcel of vacant land to Common School District No. 5 of the Town of Rye, increasing the
RSS campus from the 9.95 acres purchased in July 1946 from Sissie Straus Lehman to a total of 15 acres.
The 5.044 acres donated to District No. 5 in June 1955, with street frontage at both Ridge Street and Rockinghorse
Trail, was used to build the RSS baseball & softball fields in 1959-60, and the 1966 “New Wing” with parking lot.
February 1, 1955 land survey showing 5.044 acres donated by Country Ridge Estates developer
via June 1, 1955 deed, and the contiguous, L-shaped, 9.95-acre parcel under the July 18, 1946 deed.
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Parkland and municipal recreation parcels within the Village of Rye Brook
Developers typically donate parkland to a town or village as a development concession required under municipal
subdivision code. A donation like the aforementioned June 1, 1955 Country Ridge deed to a school district, is unusual.
Thereafter, the unincorporated portion of the Town of Rye, which became the Village of Rye Brook in July 1982,
received parkland donations or purchased land from developers for municipal parkland & recreation use, shown in
bright green shading on the 2009 Official Map of the Village of Rye Brook (see next page), and listed as follows:
Elm Hill Park (1.45 acres donated by Elm Hill developer in 1956 under August 14, 1958 deed);
Pine Ridge Park (7.291 acres: 2.15 acres in 1957 and 2.85 acres in 1961 donated Pine Ridge developer under two (2)
December 24, 1965 deeds … and 2.291 acres donated in 1998 by the Red Roof Farm subdivisiion developer under
April 2, 1999 deed);
Meadowlark Park (1.3 acres donated in 1960 by Meadowlark developer under June 27, 1966 deed plus 0.85-acre
parcel at Edgewood Drive acquired January 2, 1982 by Town of Rye from Lilia Kavey that since 2008 has combined
to serve as the 2.15-acre Bluebird Hollow Detention Basin for the Eastern Branch of the Blind Brook);
Rich Manor Park (10.42 acres: 1 acre donated plus 9.42 acres purchased for $46,150 under two (2) January 5, 1967
deeds from Rich Manor developer Rocco J. Rich that collectively serve as a retention basin for the Eastern Branch of
the Blind Brook;
Garibaldi Park (2.2 acres) was acquired under four (4) 1968-1969 deeds.
Rye Hills Park (7.1 acres: 6.41 acres donated by the Rye Town Hilton (699 Westchester Avenue) developer under
a December 10, 1971 deed … plus 0.689-acre donated by Hidden Falls developer under September 19, 1991 deed);
Crawford Park (36.707 acres owned by the Town of Rye) was donated to the Town of Rye under July 2, 1974
deed for 35.7 acres pursuant to the 1973 Last Will and Testament of Edna Gregory Crawford … and 1.0408-acre
parcel originally deeded to her daughter Evna Crawford Allen (NOTE: “Evna” is the combination of her parents’
names of Everett and Edna) that same day on July 2, 1974 under the Will, which 1.0408-acre was acquired via
Eminent Domain (Index No. 15914/04 by the Town of Rye on December 13, 2004 for $750,000, following an
April 2, 2003 sale by the Estate of Evna Crawford Allen for $475,000 to the local congregation of Jehovah’s
Witnesses. This 2004 acquisition reunited the entire 36.707-acre Crawford tract as acquired by Edna and Everett
Crawford in May 1904 (30 acres) and March 1905 (6.707 acres).
Harkness Park (3.92 acres from Harkness at Rye PUD developer (Arbors/900 King St.). April 25, 1975 deed);
Magnolia Drive Parkland (0.82-acre parcel surrounding “Ward’s Castle” residence at 19 Magnolia Drive so that it
has no street frontage and cannot be re-subdivided. Pursuant to May 31, 1978 deed by Magnolia Drive developer
and their “Subdivision Map of Rye Ridge Estates” filed as Map No. 19610 filed on July 31, 1978);
Roanoke Avenue Parkland (1.45 acres from Rye Ridge Shopping Center developers under February 3, 1993 deed);
Bellefair Parkland (29.045 acres at the Lincoln Avenue terminus at King Street): 3 acres from High Point Hospital
under two February 8, 1996 deeds to create the Rye Brook compost site plus 26.045 acres of passive parkland
under December 29, 1999 deed from the Bellefair developer).
Rye Brook Athletic Fields (5.75 acres at 830 King Street) was acquired under a August 3, 1984 deed from John
Sarica (2.64 acres for $160,000) plus 3.11 acres acquired under two (2) separate 2005 deeds from The Arbors
Homeowners Association (August 4, 2005 for $275,000 for 1.9498 acres) and the BBRUFSD (September 14, 2005
for $150,000 for 1.16 acres).
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“Official Map and Zoning Map of the Village of Rye Brook” adopted November 24, 2009 under Local Law 14-2009.
Zoom in to see park & recreation parcels described on preceding page (shown above in lime green shading).
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1955 Ridge Street School (2-story) wing opened in September 1957
District No. 5 voters approved (163-13) in a $582,000 bond vote on May 13, 1955, the construction of a 2-story
addition to the 1950 Ridge Street School. Contracts were awarded on September 26, 1955 to: Peter A. Camilli &
Sons, Inc. of Pleasantville, NY for $355,744 (general construction); Schwer Brothers for $32,963 (electrical work);
and Hauxwell & Smith, Inc. of Port Chester for $42,955 (plumbing & sewer work) and $44,730 (heating &
ventiallation work). Construction began immediately with a contractual August 15, 1956 completion date to allow
for September 1956 occupancy, which was delayed by a year until September 1957 when 457 students in grades K-8
were welcomed into the expanded school.
Robert A. Green, who designed the original 1950 RSS building, was also the architect for the 1955 wing, featuring
eight (8) general classrooms, domestic science classroom (home economics), general science classroom, library, art
classoom, woodworking shop, cafeteria. medical room (nurse’s office), and a teacher’s room. Built into a slope and
perpendicular to the original 1-story, 1950 building, this 2-story, 1955 wing was designed with an interior “split level
effect” at the 1950 entrance foyer (photo below) situated midway between the elevation of the two floors. This
allowed access to either level by only one-half flight of stairs, and easy flow to the 1950 building’s main lobby, the
outside rear courtyard and southerly entrance where school buses dropped off kids, prior to the 1966 New Wing,
when those exterior (slate) entrance steps became the interior connection between the 1966, 1950 and 1955 wings.
1967-68 photo by Howard Loth Photographer of the 1950 RSS wing’s rear foyer,
looking west to stairs of the “split-level effect” 1955 wing
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Photos from 1957 Ridge Street School yearbook. Above: the school bus/ cafeteria deliveries driveway with cul-de-
sac, providing southerly access to the rear lobby of the 1950 RSS wing and the adjacent, 2-story, 1955 wing, which
opened in September 1957. Below: 1957 RSS yearbook photo view of the 1950 RSS wing from Ridge Street.
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1967-68 photo by Howard Loth Photographer of the library, located at southeast corner of the 1955 RSS wing’s upper
level, which as of 2026 is the Computer Lab that flows into the new Library that was previously two classrooms.
The 5th grade girls in the above photo are from the RSS Class of 1972, including: Andrea Cohen & Nicole Silton
(Miss Katherine Weir’s Class 5B) and Linda Aylesworth (Mrs. Kathleen Fales’ class 5A ... my class) at rear left table
… Lynn Bianchi (also from class 5A) in the middle at the rear center table … with Nancy Raynor and Susan
Sondheim (Bonwit Road next door neighbors & 5A classmates) at front right table.
Mrs. Elizabeth Lane, standing with Kerry Falk (class 5B) near the windows, is the librarian who taught us about the
Dewey Decimal System, how to use the card catalog to find books … and the value of research skills.
Common School District No. 5 changes its status
to Union Free School District in 1956
During a March 22, 1956 public meeting, it was decided by a 111 to 13 vote that Common School District No. 5
would change to a “union free school district,” which legal status: (i) permits secondary subjects to be taught in
connection with a junior high school operation, including a ninth grade, and (ii) requires a minimum of three (3)
Board of Education members and may have as many as nine (9) members, with the Board being organized as a
corporate body with officers. At this March 22, 1956 meeting, three (3) trustees were elected to the newly created
Union Free School District No. 5. By August 1, 1956, the Board of Education was expanded to five (5) members.
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RSS Cafeteria / School Lunch Program
When the 1955 RSS wing finally opened in September 1957, a new cafeteria on the lower level of the two-story
addition, served only sandwiches (20 cents), soup (10 cents), milk (7 cents) and ice cream (10 cents). Milk tickets for
an entire month could be purchased for $1.00. Hot lunches were contemplated in the near future.
Initially, grades 1-4 had a 30-minute lunch period at 11:30AM followed by 20 minutes of play period. Grades 5-8
had a 30-minute lunch period at 12:20PM with no play period.
Effective April 15, 1960, Mrs. Rose Pagano (see below) assumed duties as acting manager of the RSS cafeteria in
addition to her bookkeeping and purchasing responsibilities, after the cook/ manager, Mrs. Thusnelda Fulton,
resigned to take a position elsewhere.
1962 Kedalion yearbook (page 6) photo of the cafeteria staff (left to right): Mr. Helmut Walter, Mrs. Thomas
Amendola. Mrs. James Golia, Mrs. Sal Lucente and manager Mrs. Rose Pagano. Facing south on the 1955 wing’s
lower level, this cafeteria was converted to two (2) science labs when the 1966 “New Cafeteria” addition opened.
Fun fact: RSS students of the 1957-1966 era may remember an exterior, aluminum exterior door at the Ridge
Street school bus driveway/ cul-de-sac that was used to receive food & milk for the cafeteria from its September
1957 debut until the “New Cafeteria” addition came on line nine years later in September 1966, as the 1957 cafeteria
& kitchen was converted into two (2) science lab classrooms for grades 7-9, with a narrow room in between with
said exterior, aluminum door at south façade of the 1955 RSS wing, being used to store equipment & chemicals for
the flanking science labs by teachers like Richard Golz (start date of September 1, 1957), Jim Nelligan and Brad
Michelini. In 2024, that narrow storage room, now with an added window & exterior glass door, is a faculty office,
in the K-5 BMPRSS.
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Above Left: 1955 wing southerly facade in 2019 with glass door that was 1957 cafeteria delivery entrance.
Above Right: 2017 aerial photo (BBRUFSD BOE 3/6/2017) of 1955 wing transitions into 1950 & 1966 wings.
Below: Excerpt of November 1960 flyover photo #1960_389_219 from Historical Aerial Photograph Collection--
Westchester County GIS, showing the RSS 1950 and 1955 wings, the 1957-1966 south driveway/ cul-de-sac used for
cafeteria deliveries and school buses for K-9 student drop-off at the exterior stone steps, which were enclosed in 1966
as interior steps to connect the 1966 “New Wing” with the 1955 wing’s entrance foyer.
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Union Free School District No. 5 obtains approval in 1958 from
New York State Department of Education to add a ninth grade
Historically, students from the Ridge Street School (RSS) at 390 N. Ridge Street and its predecessor school locations
in District No. 5 at 431 N. Ridge Street and along King Street, attended Port Chester High School (“PCHS”) in
District No. 4 (PCRUFSD) for grades 9-12 on a tuition basis, as funded by District No. 5 taxpayers through the
annual budget, after District No. 5 students attended kindergarten through eighth grade at RSS. However, in 1956,
the PCRUFSD Board of Education advised District No. 5 that due to overcrowding, PCHS would not be able to
accept any RSS students for ninth grade in September 1956. That cut-off date was then deferred for one year. Since
District No. 5 had changed its legal status in March 1956 from a Common School District to a Union Free School
District, it was now administratively allowed to apply to the New York State Department of Education (“NYSED”)
for additional NYS funding and permission to add a ninth (9th) grade and teach high school curriculum.
In March 1958, amidst a variety of preliminary talks of school district mergers/ consolidations (being generally
urged by NYSED) between District No. 5 of the Town of Rye and neighboring school districts, such as Purchase
(Harrison Central School District) and the PCRUFSD (District No. 4 of the Town of Rye), District No. 5 (Ridge
Street School) received notice from PCRUFSD that PCHS could no longer accept ninth (9th) grade students from
RSS for the 1958-1959 school year, due to overcrowding.
With a K-8 enrollment of 473, the District No. 5 Board of Education sent a March 24, 1958 letter to NYSED in
Albany requesting permission to add a ninth (9th) grade. The curriculum had already been prepared by RSS Principal
Willard L. Smith and his staff in anticipation of this. After obtaining NYSED approval in April 1958, RSS made its
September 1958 debut in high school education with the addition of a reported 37 ninth graders for 1958-1959.
RSS gets a school bus in 1958
On May 6, 1958, District No. 5 voters approved (104 to 4) the proposed $301,025 budget for the 1958-59 school
year. A separate $15,000 expenditure for school bus transportation only passed 65 to 57. The school bus item had
been requested in January 1958 by the parents of 12 students in the new Pine Ridge subdivision. 72 children living
beyond the 2-mile limit specified under New York State law became entitled to receive school bus transportation.
Enrichment Electives in 1958-1959
In addition to required courses of algebra, basic mathematics, English, general science and geography, “enrichment
electives” were offered in September 1958 for RSS 9th graders, and later to 7th and 8th graders. These “enrichment
electives” taken bi-weekly by students for no credit (instead of study halls), included the following:
(A) Mathematics and science seminar for 9th grade “A” students.
(B) Science for 7th and 8th graders. (1966)
(C) Dramatics, public speaking and “special singing” for 7th and 8th graders. (1966)
(D) Foreign language (French) for 7th and 8th graders.
(E) Reading for college for grades 7 through 9.
(F) Band for grades 5 through 9.
(G) Mechanical drawing, safety patrol, student council and Junior High Chorus for grades 7 through 9.
(H) Elementary Chorus for grades 4 through 6. (1966)
(I) Shop and homemaking for 9th graders.
Fun Fact: In September 1958, the District No. 5 Board of Education gave RSS Principal Willard L. Smith
permission to purchase a television set for use in the educational program.
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RSS gets outdoor athletic fields in 1960
In June 1958, District No. 5 voters rejected (59-142 vote) a $75,000 bond proposal to grade and improve 10 acres
of the 15-acre RSS campus for ball fields. A reduced $65,000 bond issue for the project was passed on May 2, 1959
by a 142-125 vote. The scheduled facilities included a 160’ x 270’ soccer/ field hockey field, a baseball diamond, a
softball diamond, 2 volleyball/ badminton courts, a paved basketball court, the purchase of a new water pump
system to supplement the existing artesian well, the installation of an underground electrical system and the grading
and seeding of a play area located at the southeast corner of the RSS campus near Ridge Street.
The November 1960 aerial photo below shows how the 5.044 acres donated to District No. 5 in June 1955 (see
land survey on page 82), was used to build the RSS baseball & softball fields and a southeast lawn in 1959-60.
Excerpt of November 1960 aerial flyover survey #389-219 by American Air Surveys, Inc. from the Historical Aerial
Photograph Collection of Westchester County shows the 1959 ball fields, the 1950 RSS building with pitched slate roof
and gymnasium/ auditorium … and the 1955 wing with cul-de-sac turnaround for cafeteria deliveries and the school
bus drop-off at the slate/granite stairs that became the transition between the 1966 and 1955 wings. Notice the
“Scout House” stone building left over from the Lehman estate by the soccer field, and the adjacent paved, blacktop
play area built in 1959. The Lehman estate’s stucco cottage where RSS custodians Herbert & Elizabeth Haeger
resided from October 1964 until June 1973 can be seen in the adjacent wooded area at the north property line.
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The full version of the November 1960 aerial flyover survey #389-219 by American Air Surveys, Inc. from the
Historical Aerial Photograph Collection --Westchester County GIS showing Westchester Avenue and the I-287/ Cross
Westchester Expressway at the bottom … the Hutchinson River Parkway traversing the upper part of the photo.
NOTE: Homes under construction at Pine Ridge Section 4 (Mark Drive & Charles Lane), Country Ridge along
Fairlawn Parkway, Country Ridge Drive North and Whippoorwill Drive … and homes in Meadowlark Section 3 near
Oriole Place. Still 2-3 years away from homes appearing at the Meadowlark Road cul-de-sac or along Berkley Drive,
Winthrop Drive, Berkley Lane, Old Orchard Road extension, Jacqueline Lane and the end of Rock Ridge Drive.
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Foreign language comes to RSS in 1958
In September 1958, foreign language instruction (French and Latin) was introduced at RSS as part of the 9th grade
class debut in 1958-1959. A year later in September 1959, French instruction was expanded to select group of 8th
grade students and by September 1960, all 7th and 8th graders at RSS were receiving two (2) hours of weekly French
instruction as part of a new language orientation program.
10th grade biology comes to RSS ninth graders in 1960
In September 1960, 10th grade biology was introduced to a select group of 9th grade students, chosen based upon
teacher recommendations and examinations.
Team Teaching in 1962, due to overcrowded RSS classrooms
In September 1961, in response to increased student enrollment and classroom space limitations, a “team teaching”
concept was introduced on an experimental basis by three third grade teachers (Mrs. Elizabeth MacCullough, Mrs.
Carol Heimer and Ms. Judith Scaggs) and three fourth grade teachers (Mrs. Miriam Shapiro, Mrs. Virginia
Choquette and Mrs. Barbara Kaminsky). The 75 third graders and 74 fourth graders were divided into two classes
per grade with three teachers to cover each of the two classes, creating a more favorable teacher-student ratio.
Decade of school district consolidation/ merger talks in 1957-1968
Town of Rye Districts No. 4 and No. 5 (Port Chester and Ridge Street) had been discussing and studying the
prospect of consolidation of their abutting school districts since 1957.
In early 1959, the District No. 5 (Ridge Street) Board of Education began to have discussions with neighboring
Harrison school districts No. 2 (Purchase), No. 5 (Lake Street) and No. 7 (Silver Lake) regarding potential
consolidation or centralization in accordance with NYSED’s expressed intent under the 1947 Master Plan for
School District Reorganization that was updated as the 1958 State Plan for School District Reorganization,
again calling for a reduction of the number of school districts by eliminating smaller districts.
By the first week of July 1960, the respective Boards of Education of the Port Chester and Ridge Street both agreed
that consolidation between was not feasible at that time. Ridge Street then promptly reached an agreement with
Harrison’s District No. 7 (Silver Lake) at a July 8, 1960, joint meeting to recommend to their respective voters that
there be a four-party centralization of their districts with Harrison’s Districts No. 2 and No. 5 (Purchase and Lake
Street).However, the Purchase (Harrison’s District No. 2) Board of Education was opposed to such a centralization
plan and sought to have the New York State Department of Education defer any action on the Ridge Street/ Silver
Lake plan in favor of a proposed plan, which instead called for the consolidation of the Harrison, Purchase. Silver
Lake and Lake Street districts within the Town of Harrison, and the construction of a new Harrison High School.
The public debate got heated at times as the Purchase and Ridge Street boards were openly sniping at each other by
January 1961, with local newspaper coverage fueling the fire. The five (5) Boards of Education involved [Ridge
Street and Harrison’s District Nos. 2, 5, 6 and 7] exchanged views at a May 10, 1961 “equal time” public meeting.
In a November 30, 1961 decision, the NYS Department of Education (“NYSED”) ordered that four school
districts in the Town of Harrison (nos. 2, 5, 6 and 7) be centralized .. leaving Ridge Street out in the cold. The
Town of Rye District No. 5 (Ridge Street) Board of Education wasted no time. In mid-December 1961, it
authorized the hiring of an architect to prepare plans for the “limited expansion” of the Ridge Street School.
The feasibility of reorganizing Districts No. 4 (Port Chester) and 5 (Ridge Street) in the Town of Rye was studied by
both abutting school districts three (3) times, during the 1957-1968 period. As the February 13, 1968, Report To
The People mailer informed residents, the District No. 5 BOE concluded that it was not feasible based upon the
review of each district’s data for enrollment, building and transportation needs, staffing and curriculum.
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Delay in completion of the 1962 Primary Wing forces
1962-1963 “split sessions” at Ridge Street School
The 1962 RSS “Primary Wing” (some refer to as the “Butler Building” after the name of the manufacturer of the
pre-fabricated steel structure, featuring eight (8) classrooms for first and second graders, a Multi-Purpose Room, a
teacher’s room, restrooms and custodial space, was approved by a 571 to 209 vote by District voters (estimated that
789 out of a potential 1,100 voted) of a $335,000 referendum on April 3, 1962. Contracts were awarded in late May
1962, and construction began on June 13, 1962. Scheduled occupancy by the beginning of the 1962-63 school year
on September 10, 1962, was delayed due to construction labor strikes and related problems. While not quite
finished, it was considered ready for partial use and opened two months late on November 13, 1962. The 1962-63
school year was marked by “split sessions” for RSS students in kindergarten through 5th grade in the K-9 school.
(https://www.butlermfg.com/products/structural-systems/ or
https://butlermfgparts.com/blog/butler-buildings-history )
August 20, 1962, The Daily Item newspaper article about “split sessions” until completed.
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The Daily Item, November 12, 1962 photos (above & below) of 1962 Primary Wing (8 classrooms for Grades 1 and 2,
plus Multi-Purpose Room) opening the next day on November 13, 1962.
NOTE: Never intended to be a long-term structure, the 1962 prefabricated ($335,000) “Butler Building” was
demolished in Summer 2019 after a whopping 57 years in service, as part of the $44 million 2019-2022 construction
project at BMPRSS of a new 2021 addition with Cafetorium and 10 classrooms for Kindergarten and First Grade.
When the Multi-Purpose Room was finally completed by the end of the 1962-63 school year, the below June 18,
1963, article in The Daily Item captured my RSS Class of 1972 classmates as kindergarteners previewing the new
space, where we would have lunch and gym classes as first graders the following 1963-64 school year and thereafter.
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June 18, 1963 article on page 17 of The Daily Item newspaper (photos of RSS Class of 1972 members).
LEFT: Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Virginia Reynolds Sparks, who retired four years later on September 1,
1967 after 18.5 years at RSS, is shown pinning a name tag on RSS Class of 1972’s Scott Mesh.
NOTE: Mrs. Sparks’ mother, Grace V. Ackerly Reynolds (1874-1971), a 70-year resident of Port
Chester, was active in civic affairs, including being the only woman on the Port Chester Board of
Education during her remarkable, 21-year tenure (1916-1937), the last four years as President. That is
reminiscent of former Port Chester schools teacher/ principal, Lavina M. Horton, who then served
12 years on the Port Chester BOE starting in 1887 ... 10 of them as its President. The Lavina Horton
elementary school, built in 1923 at 220-222 Grace Church Street, which operated for 59 years until
closing in June 1982 ... was named in honot of Miss Horton.
MIDDLE: Dr. William O’Connor, the incoming, new RSS Principal, who served from July 1, 1963
to March 1, 1967, is shown serving lunch trays in the new Multi-Purpose Room to kindergarteners
Diane Miller, Richard Wald, David Michelman, Kip Konigsberg, Rob Woodrow and Lisa Kahn of
the RSS Class of 1972.
RIGHT: Reverse line-up (right group) in entry foyer of 1962 Primary Wing. Ricky Wyner in shorts.
Fun Fact: Bruno M. Ponterio started his 32-year tenure at RSS on February 1, 1963, as Assistant Principal under
Willard Smith, RSS Principal (September 1, 1957 to June 30, 1963), who was succeeded by Dr. William O’Connor
(pictured above) on July 1, 1963, as the caption explains. A framed reprint of the full page 17 of The Daily Item
newspaper, with the above June 18, 1963 article and its timeless headline: Five-Year-Olds Join The Mainstream
At Ridge Street School, now hangs in the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School entrance hallway.
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1966 “New Wing” at the Ridge Street School opens on September 7, 1966
It was noted in the 1961 bond referendum proposal to finance the 1962 Primary Wing (eight classrooms for grades
1 and 2, plus the Multi-Purpose Room), that by the 1965-66 school year, additional facilities would be required.
The “New Wing” … the third wing of the Ridge Street School, opened its doors on September 7, 1966, as a two-
story building erected on a 5.044-acre parcel abutting Rockinghorse Trail at Ridge Street, which land was donated in
June 1955 by Country Ridge Estates developer Mannie Shapiro (see February 1,1955 land survey on page 83). It
featured eleven (11) new classrooms to be used by 4th, 5th & 6th graders at the K-9 school, with an oversized
classroom for art instruction. Bruno Ponterio’s office was on the upper level, as was a teacher’s conference room.
The RSS Classes of 1972 and 1971 (9th grade graduating classes) were the first group of Ridge Street School fourth
and fifth graders, respectively, to occupy the classrooms in the 1966 “New Wing” in September 1966, which
$1,070,000 project also included: (i) the 1966 “New Gym” with a wood floor that the 1950 “Old Gym”/ auditorium
never had; (ii) the large 1966 soundproof music room with adjacent musical instrument instruction rooms; (iii) the
1966 “New Cafeteria” with tunnel (demolished in 2019, after 53 years) that connected the 1955 wing and the 1962
Primary Wing (demolished in 2019); (iv) the “lower parking lot” for faculty; and (v) the conversion of the 1957
cafeteria & kitchen at the lower level of the 1955 wing into two (2) adjoining science labs to be used by grades 7-9.
1966 rendering of the Ridge Street School, including the wings built in 1950, 1955, 1962 and the 1966 “New Wing”
(center left). NOTE: The parking lot depicted was never built, but the Lower Parking Lot at the Rockinghorse
Trail/Ridge Street corner was built instead for faculty. Bike racks were provided for students in grades 4-9.
As third graders during the 1965-66 school year, our RSS Class of 1972 watched the construction of the 1966 New
Wing that we’d be entering as the initial fourth graders to occupy the new classrooms, and the 48 new homes being
built across the street in Country Ridge Section 13 aka “Fair Oaks” (see map on next page) along Country Ridge
Circle, the southern end of Country Ridge Drive and beginning section of Rockinghorse Trail between Ridge Street
and Dorchester Drive, abutting the 15-acre RSS campus. Like the 1962 Primary Wing construction, once again, our
RSS Class of 1972 was witnessing first-hand, the growth of the Ridge Street School and the surrounding community
it served.
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Country Ridge Estates, Section 13 (Fair Oaks) subdivision plat, filed November 18, 1964
as Map 14134, with 48 lots, where new homes were built between 1965 and 1968.
_____________________________________
Anecdote: In 1966-67, (as the initial 4th graders of the 1966 RSS New Wing) ... after school, on weekends and
during Summer 1967 vacation, 13 of us from the RSS Class of 1972, entered the above Fair Oaks section of
Country Ridge houses under construction when the contractors had gone home for the day, to collect their
discarded 2-cent and 5-cent (quart) deposit beer & soda bottles. We used the bottle deposit return proceeds to go
bowling at Carol Lanes at 777 West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich CT, on the Port Chester border, abutting the
Byram River ... near the Carvel™ ice cream shop at 604 N. Main Street in Port Chester.
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Seven years later on June 30, 1974, that same Greenwich CT bowling alley at the Port Chester (Byram River) border
where 13 RSS 4th graders celebrated our Country Ridge bottle recycling enterprise in early 1967, was the site of the
tragic Gulliver’s nightclub fire where 24 young patrons died in one of the worst nightclub fires. Making national
news, the arson fire was set by a 22-year old, Greenwich resident to cover-up his after-hours burglary of the Carol
Lanes. The fire spread from the bowling alley and by 1am on June 30, 1974 ravaged the building that also contained
the Gulliver’s nightclub, as about 200 people were dancing to a band that included a 23 year old drummer, who
survived the fire and later rose to fame as Eric Carr (the Fox) of rock band Kiss from 1980 until his 1991 death.
Above: June 6, 2025 Greenwich Sentinel newspaper photo by Cal Hood, featured in Remembering Gulliver’s Nightclub
Fire article: https://www.greenwichsentinel.com/2025/06/06/remembering-gullivers-nightclub-fire/ Below: FOIA
photos from January 14, 2026 MEDIUM article: https://medium.com/@criminaljusticechris/the-1974-gullivers-
nightclub-inferno-arson-investigation-and-forgotten-voices-8a482b5ba078 showing aftermath of June 30, 1974
Gulliver’s Nightclub arson fire in strip shopping center at 777 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich CT (bordering Port
Chester/ Byram River), set to cover-up after-hours burglary of vending machines at adjacent Carol Lanes bowling.
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Graphics from May 1964 Board of Education mailer to District voters showing proposed layouts and areas of work
highlighted above in YELLOW-shaded flyer, consisting of: (a) two-story, 1966 “New Wing” connecting to the 1955
wing, (b) conversion of the 1957 cafeteria on lower level of the 1955 wing into two new science labs, (c) a 1966 “New
Cafeteria” & kitchen abutting the 1962 Multi-Purpose Room, with tunnel connection to the 1955 wing.
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Photos by Howard Loth Photographer. Above: the 1966 “New Gym” in 1967-68 with physical education teacher
Ted Reed spotting on the rings. Below: 8th graders in 1971-72 at lower level classroom of 1955 RSS wing with
folding accordion door, including (L to R): Nancy Herbst, Leslie Konigsberg, Wendy Woodrow, Peter Aborn,
Richard Dratler, Todd Di Vittorio, Thomas Neilsen … Robert Bessen by window at center rear of photo.
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1967-68 photos by Howard Loth Photographer. Above: Teacher’s Lunchroom in 1962 Primary Wing, adjacent to
the Multi-Purpose Room, with windows facing south towards inner courtyard and the 1955 RSS wing. Teachers
identified are: Mary Duncan (8th grade social studies) in white shirt with beads at front left table; John Boyle (5C)
and Charles “Chuck” Shotland (6th grade math, 7th grade social studies, varsity basketball coach) at center table;
and Thomas Reistetter (grades 7-9 math teacher) in dark jacket & eyeglasses facing camera at rear left.
Below: Teacher’s Room on the upper level of 1966 “New Wing” with (clockwise) Virginia Choquette (4B) with her
back to the window, Elizabeth Lane (librarian), Miriam Shapiro (4A), Laura Banks (6th grade social studies &
reading, and Charles Shotland (7th grade social studies & 6th grade math). Unclear who has her back to camera.