West Side Elementary in Laurel Hollow was severely damaged by the March 10 blaze, which started in the library. Students were shipped to three other schools in the Cold Spring Harbor district in the intervening months, according to WABC.
But on Monday, the kids and teachers returned with smiles on their faces, excited to reunite with friends and staffers.
“It was wonderful to be back HOME at West Side School!” Principal John Barnes said. “Thank you for all the energy that went into making today such a successful and exciting day for our students. I loved seeing people greeting each other this morning and am grateful to our village.”
The blaze erupted around 4 a.m. March 10 at the school, which is so old it reportedly didn’t require sprinkler systems when it was built. Because the fire broke out so early, no one was inside the building when the flames spread. It took about 150 firefighters around two hours to contain the inferno.
West Side serves about 220 students in grades two through six. The school reopened with some students learning in temporary trailers until full repairs are completed on the damaged parts of the school, WABC reported.
“The enthusiasm in the building was unmistakable and a reminder of what makes Cold Spring Harbor so special,” Superintendent Joseph Monastero said.
West Side dates its history all the way back to a one-room school building first constructed in 1790, with local lore claiming George Washington stopped by to help raise one of the rafters.
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
