Community leaders, dignitaries, parents, students, faculty members, board of education members both past and present, and members of the Mineola School District administration gathered on Sunday afternoon in the bright multipurpose room of the new Willis Avenue School to mark an historic occasion in the history of the Mineola School District.

Although the new Willis Avenue Early Childhood Learning Center has been open for nearly two months, the school district community celebrated its opening with an official dedication ceremony.

It took a commitment by the Mineola Board of Education, the taxpayers and the administration to turn a dilapidated building which used to be on the site into a new school that has been built with every detail geared toward early childhood education.

On hand to help the Mineola School District and community members celebrate the accomplishment of opening a new school was Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, Senator Michael Balboni, Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell, Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli, Mineola Mayor Jack Martins and Gina Hahn, president of the District Council PTA, who all spoke about the importance of opening the new school.

All members of the board of education - president Steve Siwinski, vice president RoseAnn Buglione, Donna Strein, Mary Ellen Williams and John McGrath - were in attendance as were former board of education members Gia Lynne Hall, Dennis Mortensen and Patricia Mitler.

Also attending the ceremony were Mineola Deputy Mayor Larry Werther, Village Trustees Lou Santosus and Linda Fairgrieve, who both graduated from the Mineola Schools and former superintendent Deanne Gerstel.

Also on hand were some of the students who have been enjoying the school. The students along with director of early childhood education for the Mineola School District Deborah Shaw presented each of the dignitaries with gifts that were made by the students.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli spoke about how the new Willis Avenue School represents a new direction for the Mineola School District.

Dr. Licopoli thanked those who made it possible for the new school to be built. "It takes people power to bring a new school to life. It takes creativity, commitment and dedication," he said.

Dr. Licopoli said the district will say thank you to the community for the new school by keeping the promise of advancing Mineola's heritage of excellence and delivering an educational program that is up-to-date and uses the most current educational practices.

A ribbon cutting ceremony involving the board of education and the members of the Class of 2016 symbolized the opening of the school.

Siwinski, the current board of education president, spoke about overcoming bumps in the road. Although many community members including Congresswoman McCarthy went to the Willis Avenue School, the school was closed due to declining enrollment and had become dilapidated. The old school could have been thought of as a bump in the road but rather than going around the bump, the board of education, administration and community decided to go over the bump by tearing down the old school and building a new one.

As Deputy Mayor Werther pointed out, the school district turned a desert into an oasis.

Congresswoman McCarthy, who attended junior high school at the old Willis Avenue School, spoke about the importance of education. "Education was always extremely important in Mineola," she said. "I always felt that education was the most important thing that could ever come forward for anyone. It didn't matter what age because education is what lifts us all up and makes us better."

Although Senator Balboni took some jokes for being the only one of the guest speakers who did not attend a Mineola school, the senator has been a friend to the Mineola Schools. For the Willis Avenue School, he delivered a grant that helped the district buy furniture and playground equipment.

The senator spoke about the opening of the school being an historic occasion for the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. "This is a hallway of memories in the making. This is something that these kids are going to take a look back in 20, 30 or 40 years and say I was there when it opened. I was part of the first class and this is where my memories were born," he said.

Assemblywoman O'Connell, a graduate of Mineola High School, spoke about the opportunities that are open to the students of the Mineola School District. "Mineola High School gave me the tools and skills that served me so well," she said.

In 1998, Assemblywoman O'Connell became the first woman elected to represent the 17th Assembly District. "We had our friendships. We had the support of a wonderful community. We had the support of a wonderful community. We had the support of a wonderful school board and great teachers," she said about her days as a Mineola student.

Assemblyman DiNapoli, a former Mineola student who also began his career in public service at the age of 18 as a member of the Mineola School Board, reminisced about his days as a student with former superintendent and junior high school principal Robert Ricken, who came back to Mineola for the occasion.

Assemblyman DiNapoli spoke about the Mineola School District tradition and how it is appropriate that there is now a beautiful school on the grounds where an old school once stood.

Mr. DiNapoli said that it was a difficult decision to close the old Willis Avenue School as well as the Cross Street School, but that the district had the foresight not to sell off the land. Now, education is taking place again at both locations. "We thank the taxpayers for supporting this generation in the same way that the taxpayers supported our generation when we came through," he said.

Mayor Martins congratulated the school district community on the new school. Mayor Martins said the new Willis Avenue School reinforces the community's dedication to its children and the future generation of students in Mineola.

Mayor Martins also alluded to the school opening on time. "It's a testament to the hard work of this administration and this school board," he said.

District Council PTA President Gina Hahn spoke about the importance of early childhood education and thanked the school district faculty, staff and administration for caring for the children.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, a dedication plaque was unveiled and the leader of the new Willis Avenue School, Mrs. Shaw, and the Class of 2016 prepared a time capsule.

The Mineola School District has a long and rich tradition and the new Willis Avenue Early Childhood Learning Center is now not only a part of that tradition but a symbol of the progress of the district's educational program.