AMHS gets a facelift

Amityville Memorial High School got a facelift thanks to the efforts of members of the community, including school teachers, staff and the Bay Village Civic Association. And, the group is looking forward to the spring when the fruits of their labor will blossom and they can do even more to improve the appearance of the building.

"It was a tremendous effort and the response of the community was amaz- ing," said Dr. Scott Andrews, the school's principal.

Over the past two years, Andrews has worked to improve the appearance of the inside of the school, which he described as "drab" when he first got to Amityville. Today, the inside has been transformed.

"There are inspirational slogans and students' art work displayed throughout the school and it is an inviting and pleasant place to learn and work," he said.

Members of the Bay Village Civic Association decided to work on landscaping and improving the school's exterior following a meeting with Mayor Peter T. Imbert. He suggested that the group contact the school and Patricia Cahaney of the Amityville Beautification Society suggested getting the trees edged and mulched. From there, the project took off.

"When we suggested doing this to Dr. Andrews, he said immediately, 'let's do it'," said Joan Donnison of the civic association. "He suggested November 3, which was three weeks away and at first I was a little concerned that we could get people together to do it that quickly."

But as word spread, so did the enthusiasm. The project was announced at the civic association's social at Chester's and many people offered their time and their ideas. The Town of Babylon donated 1,000 bulbs for planting through the efforts of Councilwoman Ellen McVeety of Amityville, and local businesses contributed to offset some of the costs of the other materials. Amityville Village Trustee Joe Slack and Ed Batz, both landscapers, provided tools and equipment, as did the Amityville Department of Public Works.

"These kind of projects help instill pride in a school and in a community," said Andrews. "They are very important."

Also assisting was the Amityville Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.

The weather forecast on Saturday, Nov. 3 called for a rain storm, and the group quickly made phone calls to reach as many people as possible to tell them that the work would be cancelled until the following day. Despite that, many showed up on Saturday and defying the rain, started the project. On Sunday, the work continued with even more volunteers, said Donnison. "Saturday was blustery and ominous, but we started the work and the follow- ing day, with wonderful weather, we finished," said Donnison.

Andrews said plans call for even more work in the spring, including refurbishing one or two courtyards.

"What makes this special is that it is a community effort with students, staff, residents and civic groups," said Andrews of the project. "It was a wonderful event."

Photos by Joe Turner