HISTORY OF ISLAND TREES

The area presently known as the Island Trees School District was part of the Hempstead Plains originally known as Jerusalem. The name Jerusalem was adopted by early settlers in the 17th century who were influenced by their strong religious background. Initially, the name Jerusalem applied to all of the land down to the south shore.  In 1867, with the extension of the railroad to Long Island, the southern part of the Plains became known as Ridgewood.  In 1890 it changed again to Wantagh, although the northern part remained Jerusalem until 1946. The area then called Jerusalem encompassed what are today the Levittown and Island Trees School Districts. Along the railroad track, west of Wantagh Avenue, there was a group of pines referred to by early writers as the "Isle of Pines" or "Isle of Trees." From this forest patch, District 26 took its present name of Island Trees.

Tracing the history of Island Trees is difficult because it had no entity as a village, post office or local government.  As few as 35 to 40 families inhabited the peaceful little area as late as 1947. The earliest and most populous settlement during the 18th and early 19th centuries was located along Wantagh Avenue north of what is now Sunrise Highway. Agriculture was the main source of income well into the 20th century -the chief crops were potatoes, corn, cucumbers, and cabbage.

The Island Trees School District was formed as a common school district in 1902. The original District 26 one-room school house was located on Hempstead Turnpike on 3/4 of an acre of ground. The little white building housed three generations of students. Twenty-five seats were set up in the room and blackboards lined two walls. A coal stove provided heat during the winter months. Drinking water was supplied by a well which was "inspected several times a year."

As of September 1945, Island Trees had a population of 230 people with twenty-three (23) children attending school. On October I, 1947, the first Levitt home was occupied and "rapid growth" came to the area. On June 15, 1949, the voters approved the construction of the Island Trees School on land purchased from Mr. George Wojtyniak for $22,396. The school opened in 1950 with 965 students enrolled from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Split sessions were necessary through grade 6 until a six-room extension was opened in the spring of 1951. Mr. Lewis Blodgett was the supervising principal of School District 26.  The Island Trees School was commonly called Farmedge School because it was located on the road bearing that name. The actual title of the school was the Island Trees School. Farmedge School was rededicated on June 14, 1969 and renamed the Stephen E. Karopczyc School in honor of 1st Lt. Stephen E. Karopczyc. Stephen was a Congressional Medal of Honor hero, killed in Kontum Province, Vietnam on March 12, 1967. A former Island Trees student, he attended the school from 1950 to 1955. His parents still reside in the Island Trees School District.

As a result of the rapid increase in population, it was decided that the Island Trees Common School District should form a Union Free School District. A common school district is empowered to operate only a K-8 school. A union free school district was formed for the expressed purpose of operating a junior high or high school program. District 26 became a Union Free School District on February 2, 1951.  The second building in the district, the Island Trees Memorial School, required longer to construct and was first occupied in September 1953 as a combination elementary and junior high school building.