Schools

Community Celebrates MKES Building's Centennial

Storied school building gets fondness and nostalgia for 100th birthday bash.

Students, staff and elected officials rallied on a sunny Saturday morning at for the building's 100th birthday, marking a signifcant milestone for a place that has played a major role for life in the village.

The cornerstone celebration was marked with speeches, singing from students, a tour of the building, and a museum display the showcase the history of the school and of Mount Kisco in general.

Having such a varied number of spectators was great for Bedford Central School District officials.

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“We’re just really thrilled that we have so many seniors, alumni, and former teachers, administrators coming out to celebrate something so incredibly special,” said MKES Principal Sue Ostrofsky.

School Board President Susan Wollin had similar feelings, noting, “The fact that we attracted alumni, staff, dignitaries, neighbors, teachers and students, I think is a really good sign for the future of this school district.”

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Superintendent Jere Hochman, noting the turnout, said “all these people put their arms around the school and make it what it is.”

Several Bedford school board members had kids go through MKES, including Suzanne Grant and Andrew Bracco, who were among those in attendence.

“I’m so pleased that both my kids are graduates of Mount Kisco Elementary and they are so well prepared in middle school and high school, and we have such a fondness for this building, and these kids," said Grant. "Principal Sue Ostrofsky and all the staff here are just the most caring, amazing people we’ve ever encountered.”

Mayor Michael Cindrich, who had four children go through the school, called it “the foundation of my kids’ education.” His wife, Linda, also had several members on her side of the family attend the school.

The building has been through immense change since its 1912 construction. It was once a K-12 building in a separate school district, according to records, which housed Mount Kisco High School.

However, by the 1950s there was a sense that the building's role had to change. Overcrowding and a desire to offer a more comprehensive curriculum were reasons for Mount Kisco's school district, along with districts in Bedford and Pound Ridge having similar problems, to merge into Bedford Central, according to records displayed. This led to the building becoming an elementary school and the formation of what became the campus.

Generations came to visit the celebration, reminders of the building's longevity.

Pat Rosafort graduated from Mount Kisco High School in the 1950s, and remember its role for students.

“Well, it was not only the center of our education, but the center of our social life," she said, with examples including roller skating in the gym and school dances.

Sports events were big not only for the school but for the town, she explained, saying that "everybody went to the football games and the basketball games.” In those days, according to Rosafort, boys football and baseball teams played at Leonard Park, while girls field hockey and softball teams played on the field across the street from the school.

Rosafort's daughter, Eileen Rosafort, went to MKES in the 1960s before graduating from Fox Lane in 1972, and shared her memories.

“We had some really tough teachers," she said.

In total, four generations of Rosafort's family attended the Mount Kisco or Bedford Central school systems. Also present at the event was Rosafort's granddaughter, Victoria Rosafort, who graduated from Fox Lane in 2008 and went to MKES as a child.

To learn more about the building's history, click here for a special project website put together by the school and students.


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