Middle school celebrates 50 years

When Seaford Middle School opened its doors 50 years ago, times were a lot different. It was called the junior high school, and housed students in grades 7-9. There were no Common Core standards, no computers, and history textbooks had nothing about a man walking on the moon.

Today, the ninth graders are at the high school, replaced in the halls of the middle school by sixth graders. Classrooms are filled with technology and history books are thicker.

Whatever era its been, education has always been at the forefront. Last Friday, students got to take a short break from their studies to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the building, which opened in January 1965 to alleviate overcrowding in other Seaford schools.

Grade by grade, students went outside for about to hour to play games, compete in a tug-of-war, take a trip through an inflatable obstacle course, talk to friends and enjoy hot dogs prepared by school staff.

They were all wearing their white T-shirts, with designs by sixth graders Jocelyn Kim and Nicole Kassimatis gracing the front and back of the shirts. Donations from the several organizations ensured every child would get one. Staff members had green shirts, so the Seaford color scheme was covered.

“It feels nice, because we know that everybody looks at what you did,” Kim said of having her design chosen.

Principal Dan Smith said he hopes that the students understand the importance of the milestone anniversary. “It’s hard for a 13 year old to comprehend the number 50,” he said, “but we did our best.”

Eighth-grader Stefania Scheffler said she understood the significance. “It’s important because it happens only once,” she said.

Scheffler enjoyed cheering on her classmates in the tug-of-war last Friday, but her favorite part of the week was Decades Day, where students could dress up representing any decade from the 1960s to the present. She chose to be a hippie in tribute to the 1970s.

Kayla Minasian, an eighth-grader, said she liked the atmosphere of the carnival, where the students could participate in a variety of activities, or sit on the grass and talk to their friends.

“It’s definitely very festive,” she said of the week of anniversary-related activities. “It just shows how much we’ve changed as a school, or stayed the same.”

Smith, the sixth principal in the history of the school, said the week not only met, but exceeded his expectations. “I just enjoyed watching the kids having a good time, and even the staff,” he said. “I think when kids are having fun, learning happens.”