West Side School

In the Spring of 2015 our school celebrated its 225th anniversary.  The celebration began on a Thursday in June with 6th graders giving tours of the building to students, faculty and community members.  The tour focused on the history of our school that is tagged all over our building. Some of the highlights of the tour were the original school bell that rings on the first day of school each year, the airplane that hangs in our entrance which was created by a group of students in the early 1960s, and one of the original desktops.  The festivities continued on Friday with a school photo, a dinosaur egg hunt, interviews on the iPads, a viewing of the bicentennial time capsule which included our own contributions, a walk around our school’s arboretum and a celebration in the gym that included a performance from the alumni band.  The celebration continued that evening with a celebration at the Cold Spring Harbor Public Library hosted by the WSSPTG.  Parents, staff, and community members enjoyed an evening sharing fond memories of our beloved school.  The festivities were capped off on Saturday with an Alumni Open House. Former students came from all over Long Island and the country to see friends and former teachers.

In 2013 West Side was awarded with the National Blue Ribbon of Excellence.  We were honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.  In 2013, 248 schools nationwide were given this prestigious award, including 19 in the State of New York.

At West Side, we want all of the students we teach to profit from our efforts.  A growth mindset - ours and theirs - helps students to seek learning, to love learning, and to learn effectively.  We believe that students with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can be developed, and so their goal is to LEARN.