By Dan Israeli
And what better way to welcome the herd of educators than to take them on a historical tour of the city.
For the past 10 years, the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society has hosted the New Teacher Orientation Tour, a two-hour excursion, via school bus, of the barrier island. It passes through all of the neighborhoods - the West End, the East End, Lido and Point Lookout - on an island where the school district is bigger than and predates the city itself.
The tour was narrated by school board trustee Patrick Gallagher along with Roberta Fiore, the city's historian. Gallagher, who has been involved with the tour for five years, explained its purpose. "By having teachers understand the community and what it's made up of, they'll have a better understanding of who their students are," he said. "It's very important to create a connection with your working community."
Fiore brings both her knowledge of and perspective on Long Beach history to the tour, telling the story of how one small schoolroom in 1910 begat both a district and a city. "The school system is the heart of the city," she said.
According to Fiore, the tour introduces new staffers to the uniqueness of the communities that make up the district. Starting in Point Lookout, she told the passengers that it was originally called Lookout Point, and that to this day residents of the tiny fishing community pick up their mail at the post office rather than having it delivered.
In Lido (Italian for "beach"), tour-goers got a glimpse of the Lido Golf Club, which almost became a Ford factory in the early 20th century, along with the Nike Environmental Center, which sits on a former U.S. Army Nike missile base left over from the Cold War. Empty missile silos, or carriers, still exist on the site, Fiore said.
The uniqueness of the island seemed to resonate with the new teachers on the trip. One of them was Tamara Richards, who grew up in Rockville Centre and is coming from the New York City school district to teach social studies at Long Beach High School. "I don't think of it as typical Long Island," she said. "It is its own city."
Another, Janine Astarita, is starting her first year as a pre-school teacher at Blackheath. She said she is looking forward to working in an area as culturally diverse as Long Beach. "I've already student-taught here and spent a lot of time coming to the beach in the summer," Astarita said. "Now that I'll be starting full-time, it's very exciting."
In addition to teachers, there were a handful of other new staff members on the tour, including Priscilla Zarate, the district's new coordinator of dual language and bilingual/English as second language programs. "I think it was wonderful that the district gave the staff an opportunity to meet each other, and in a social setting outside of the classroom," she said.
Zarate, who comes from the New York City administrative office, is anticipating the change of pace Long Beach will provide. "The people here are very friendly and approachable," she said. "There is a sense of accepting diversity in this district."
The tour passed by the city's school buildings, including the East School, the oldest remaining district structure, built back in 1927. The building is a national Blue Ribbon Award winner, known for its classic American craftsman tiles in the kindergarten classrooms.
For Fiore, the tradition of sharing the city's history with incoming staff is always rewarding. "It's very exciting," she said. "I am always enthusiastic about new blood coming in. We try to give them as much available information as possible."
Gallagher said he hopes the new staff members will join the historical society, to deepen their relationship with the community and the district. "The whole concept of orientation is to create as many resources as possible," he said. "The historical society is always a good place to start."
On Sept. 9, the historical society will host its annual Franks and Friendship barbecue at its museum, at 226 W. Penn St. All new district employees - and residents - are invited.
Comments about this story? Dmiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
