Going Back Into Time With Huntington High School

Going+Back+Into+Time+With+Huntington+High+School

Going Back Into Time With Huntington High School

Let’s go back in time and learn more about the history of how our school became Huntington High School.  In 1793, 43 citizens pledged to find the funds to raise a school building to help the young people in the Huntington community to get a high school education. Huntington High School has been sending young graduates to really good colleges in the United States to find every career field out there. It all started out as a two-story building built across the Old First Church called The Huntington Academy. The school is now owned by the Town Hall. In 1857 on April 13, the New York Legislature made a law that created the Union School District, which is the first district in the state to offer public education above eighth grade. The first meeting was served by George A. Scudder, Smith Woodhull, Brewster Conklin, William A. Conant, James P. Jones and Henry G. Scudder who were local businessmen and were also residents of Huntington. In April 1858 the Huntington Academy was destroyed; the Union School on the same day was built. The school offered education through twelfth grade. The building opened in November 1858 with Algernon S. Higgins as the first principal. Higgins was also a teacher who taught many of the subjects that were offered in the school. At the time 220 students were enrolled at the school. The Huntington Board of Education accepted the rights and agreements of the Union School. The trustees said “there shall be one high school, grammar school, intermediate school and as many primary schools of locality of the primary pupils may require.” During a Board of Education meeting with a popular vote the Union School started offering free education in 1864. In 1897, the Union School changed its name to Huntington High School. 

         Our school mascot is what makes us who we are. Everyone would like to know what led to our school’s mascot. Well the Blue devils mascot belonged to the Trinity College which is now Duke College. A man named Bill Class came to Huntington in 1929 and became the first athletic director. Bill, a Cortland graduate, created an athletics program. There was a group of sport teams that existed when he arrived. Bill also added an  inner sports program for boys and girls. The school was known as “blue and white,” but Bill wanted the teams to be something more. Mr. Class did some research and he decided that he liked Duke’s mascot. So he ran it with Robert L. Simpson who was the principal at the time. Mr. Simpson liked it too, so the Athletic Council allowed it. From the school year 1944/45 many of the teams called themselves the Blue Devils. At the time America was involved in World War II. While Huntington decided on Blue Devils as the nickname, it also has a patriotic meaning to it which was a big thing during that time. There was a monument for the French Army Mountain Infantry Division Chasseurs Alpins known as “Les Diable Bleus.”

           Huntington Union School District played an important role in Huntington education. According to many archives, education started on february 11th, in 1657. The first school building was built in 1660, and other schools were built after that. The Huntington Academy was built in 1794, and closed in 1856-57. Huntington High School opened in 1857 with grades of 1-12. As the town grew, free education became more popular. The new Huntington High School was built in 1909-10 on the same site as the other school. Its name was changed to R.L. Simpson High School. Huntington in the early years had a graduation tradition. They would have the high school graduation in July at the First Presbyterian Church. In 1893, the event was switched to the Huntington Opera House, but it was soon changed back to the church. In 1911 graduation was held on Tuesdays, but in 1925 it was held on Mondays. Graduation was held in the auditorium for decades. In 1981 the ceremony was held outside on Sunday afternoon. For the first time in 2003, they held the graduation at 6 p.m. on the football field. Today’s graduation ceremony is held at 6 p.m. on a weekday on the football field.