Editorial: An Amazing Job Re-opening the West Side School

When the historic West Side School caught fire on March 10th in Laurel Hollow - destroying the Library and Child Learning Center and causing massive smoke and water damage across the rest of the school building - almost no one expected anything but a massive and prolonged disruption to the school’s 350 students.

But the reality shows what a dedicated and creative team by of school administrators can do:

Within 12 hours of the fire, Cold Spring Harbor Superintendent Joseph Monastero and his team had redeployed the hundreds of teachers, students and staff to other schools in the district.

Students missed only one day of school, as the Lloyd Harbor School; Goose Hill Primary School; and the Cold Spring Harbor Jr/Sr High School provided classrooms and support and had school resuming for the “West Siders” after just one day.

The tragedy of the fire became a teaching lesson, as students at the other schools welcomed and integrated the West Siders into their schools and programs.

Events like the “School Wide Lloyd Harbor - West Side Pizza Party” brought together students who had been attending different schools since first grade.

And the speed and focus that the CSH School Board and Administration brought to re-opening the West Side School was nothing short of Herculean.

After just one month - a week of which was occupied by Spring Break - the school was cleaned, repaired and reopened - and the students and staff returned back to the West Side School on April 13th.

The Leader applauds and thanks the Cold Spring Harbor School Board - and Superintendent Monastero, West Side Principal John Barnes, Lloyd Harbor Principal Carissa Shanahan (who housed nearly 2/3 of the West Side students) - and all the CSH faculty and staff who turned the tragedy of the fire into a positive experience for the students.

Thank you - a job well done !