By:Carrie James
Thursday was a day for remembrance at McVey Elementary School.
Hundreds of people turned out on that warm, sunny evening to not only remember, but also to celebrate a school that turned 50.
"The McVey family has been planning this celebration for months," said Dr. Rita Meyerowitz, McVey principal. "The question was how to make this special, how to make it meaningful. We decided the focus should be on our accomplishments. We have a large number of accomplishments to be proud of.
"We are proud of our students and their academic achievements over the past 50 years," she continued. "But McVey is more than a school. It is more than a building. It's a community of people. At the same time that we celebrate 50 years of scholastic achievement, we are here for 50 years of humanitarian achievement."
Almost everyone turned out for the formal celebration that took place from 5 to 7 p.m. at McVey's large field.
Alumni, community and school officials, current students and faculty, and many others came out to celebrate 50 years of McVey, originally known as Meadowlawn Elementary. Children got their faces painted, ate popcorn and cotton candy, and later took part in an hour-long ceremony celebrating the school's 50 years.
Dr. Robert Dillon, East Meadow schools superintendent, said McVey Elementary has likely graduated upward of 8,000 students during in its time and will graduate thousands more in the next 50 years.
State Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara (R-Westbury), county Legis. Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow and Hempstead Town Councilman Gary Hudes each gave proclamations commending the school.
"It has been a shining star in the East Meadow schools," Ferrara said. "Good luck in the next 50 years."
Even George McVey himself wished McVey Elementary well through his daughter, Bowling Green Elementary School Principal Maureen Donohue.
"He would like me to extend his best wishes and hopes you have a great celebration," Donohue told the crowd.
Perhaps the most interesting highlight of the one-hour ceremony was a presentation made by a group of faculty members under the direction of music teacher Phyllis Frederic.
The teachers performed a musical medley, turning popular tunes of each decade into songs about McVey and what it was like at the school during the past 50 years. For example, Jody Targrove did a rendition of "Staying Alive" during the 70s portion, while Valeria DiGrigoli sang about how kids just want to have fun through a remake of Cindy Lauper's "Girls just wanna have fun."
For many current staff and faculty, another major highlight came when William Coddington took the stage to give closing remarks. Coddington, who retired last year as McVey's principal, told the crowd of well-wishers he was glad to be back for the celebration.
"I feel great about being here and celebrating McVey's anniversary," he said.
