Roanoke Named Historical Landmark

Roanoke Principal Debra Rodgers, Landmarks Preservation Commission Chairperson Richard Wines, Town Council members Chris Kent and George Bartunek with Board of Education member Kathy Berezny holding the Roanoke School's new landmark designation plaque.

(October 2006) The Roanoke Avenue School was built in 1924 and it was recently declared a historical landmark building. On Friday, October 22, Richard Wines, the Chairperson of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, joined Town Council members, Board of Education members (Kathleen V. Berezny and Angela DeVito), Roanoke Principal Debra Rodgers, Acting Superintendent of Schools Joe Singleton, administrators, teachers and students to present an official landmark designation plaque to the school district. Mrs. Berezny, who was instrumental in nominating the Roanoke School for this designation, received the plaque on behalf of the district.

Historical Landmark Designation
This designation assures the future preservation of a historic structure like the Roanoke Avenue School, which housed grades 7-12 and was adjacent to the first school, a large wooden building built in 1898. That original wooden school building burned down in 1937. Being designated as a historical landmark or part of a historic district ensures that the building cannot be significantly altered or demolished without the review of the Commission. With the rapid building expansion in the Township and the need for a new high school, there was some concern that the Roanoke School's unique architectural construction might be lost or markedly changed, so Board of Education member Kathy Berezny led the effort to make it a historical landmark building.

1920's Theme Day/Learning Event
When Roanoke's Librarian/Media Specialist Marge Lawrence and a grade level team learned of the historical landmark designation, they began planning a special school celebration and learning event focused on the 1920s for the students at Roanoke. To celebrate the day, the teachers developed a Round Robin consisting of activities that portrayed several elements suggestive of the 1920s.

"We knew that the peanut butter sandwich was the most popular sandwich in 1922, that the most popular book was an etiquette book by Emily Post, that during the twenties Babe Ruth and Charles Lindbergh were important figures, and that jazz and the Charleston were the music and dance of the times," explained Mrs. Lawrence, "so we included these elements in our Round Robin events."

Architecture 101
Prior to the event, Mrs. Lawrence used the school's new SmartBoard to engage students in a teaching unit about life and learning in the 1920s and to point out the Greek architectural heritage of the building by outlining on the SmartBoard Roanoke's exterior columns and flourishes, which are similar to the Corinthian columns of the Parthenon. Mrs. Lawrence also noted how many other major buildings, both old and new, in the Town of Riverhead share this architectural schema.

On the day of the event:

• Students made roaring 1920's head bands and bowler hats in art.
• Students studied dining etiquette per Emily Post while enjoying Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for lunch.
• Catherine Kent taught students to dance the Charleston in gym class.
• Students learned about Charles Lindbergh and that time period from Susan Sanfilipoo of the Suffolk Historical Society. Ms. Sanfilipoo also showed the students the Society's historical "Lucky Lindy" quilt.
• Students talked with one of baseball's greatest players, Babe Ruth, via Babe Ruth impersonator Michael Tangel.
• Students walked through the 1920's "THEN and NOW" museum in the hallway, which included a gas-powered wringer washing machine.
• Students contrasted George Bartunek's beautifully restored 1922 Dodge parked in front of the school with a 2006 SUV.
• Students attended an assembly, which included a jazzy rendition of "It's a Wonderful World," sung by Curtis Highsmith; they viewed a continuous power point presentation of life in the twenties; and sang a couple of Roanoke songs set to popular tunes of the day, and finally they witnessed the presentation of the landmark designation plaque.
  
  It was a wonderful day at Roanoke THEN and NOW!