 “I am extremely proud of our ability to provide a place for children that allows them to feel safe, nurtured and motivated to succeed. The level of support we provide to our students is incomparable. It is borne out of the fact that each of us is genuinely concerned about the welfare of our students."
Arlene Wishnew, Head of School
Vincent Smith School is located on four-and-a-half acres in suburban Port Washington. It has served students in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens Counties in New York since 1924. The school is well-known for its individualized program for reluctant learners, special education students, and children and teenagers who benefit from small classes.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Vincent Smith School is dedicated to providing a small, nurturing and supportive setting for the reluctant learner and learning disabled students.
At Vincent Smith School we are committed to the beliefs that:
- It is okay to learn differently.
- Reluctant learners and learning disabled students are provided the necessary educational, emotional and social support that will enable each student to reach their highest potential and become productive members of our global society.
Vision Statement
The Vincent Smith School will advance the intellectual, social, and emotional development of all its students while servicing each individual's immediate needs within an environment that promotes success for all students. Technology, hands-on activities, and interdisciplinary instruction will enhance teaching and learning. Curriculum development will be an ongoing process geared to the needs of the students in accordance with students’ unique learning styles and state-mandated standards.
Faculty, students, families and the community will be actively involved in the educational process to create a safe, supportive environment where students are motivated to learn and believe that success is attainable. Everyone will respect the difference and uniqueness of each individual while developing a sense of responsibility toward themselves, their school community, and the community at large.
Vincent Smith School will be a school where both students and faculty come together as a community of learners. Students will learn how to learn. Students will leave Vincent Smith School with the knowledge and tools necessary to confidently meet the challenges of post-secondary transition and beyond.
Educational Climate
The Vincent Smith School is a small learning community that provides an individualized, supportive and structured environment to reluctant learners and students with learning disabilities. Through integrated programs and multi-modality curriculum students explore, learn and meet New York State’s approved curriculum. In addition to academic pursuits students also learn essential social and emotional skills, in an environment that encourages self-awareness, self -discipline and self-advocacy. With the guidance and support of staff and faculty students are empowered to set personal and academic goals that will reflect their personal growth and their individual best.
 Our Legacy
In 1923, Sir Gilbert and Lady Eliott, Miss Adelaide Vincent Smith, and Miss Nellora Reeder founded the Harbor School on Bayview Avenue in Port Washington. Sir Gilbert Eliott financed the school with the purpose of guaranteeing a private school education for his children until they returned to England. Since a long established public school in Port Washington bore the same name, in 1924, at the suggestion of Sir Eliott, the name of the school was changed to the Vincent Smith School, in honor of Miss Smith the Principal and cofounder. In 1927, Sir Gilbert and Lady Eliott purchased part of the Lapham Estate on Port Washington Boulevard and built the original two-story building, which now houses the Lower School.
After its inception, the Vincent Smith School catered almost exclusively to the children of the affluent from Long Island's North Shore. The first class of the school included the children of Christopher Morley, LeRoy Grumman, William A. Shea, Harry F. Guggenheim, the Loukenbachs and many others. In 1931, the first ninth grade certificate went to Christopher Morley, Jr., who became a minister in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The second certificate went to Ann Willets Lapham, the daughter of one of the foremost Quaker families on Long Island.
 The School operated on a provisional charter, granted on June 11, 1931 by the New York State Board of Regents. This provisional charter incorporated the school with Gilbert Eliott, Dora F. Eliott, Edward M. Lapham, Edward M. Lapham, Jr. and Adelaide V. Smith as the executive officers. Sir Eliott died in 1926, and his son, Gilbert Eliott, continued financial support of the school. When the stock market crashed in 1929, financial support of the school was withdrawn and the Eliotts returned to Scotland. The 1930's and 1940's were lean years for Vincent Smith. Teachers and parents made sacrifices to help the school.
 On July 20, 1951, an absolute charter was granted by the Board of Regents of the State of New York. In 1952, the gymnasium was added to the Lower School. Over the years, the reputation of the school grew, and this success necessitated the acquisition of a new building, which now houses the Middle School. This structure was a private home built in 1962 for William Schluntz, son-in-law of Edward Lapham. It was purchased in 1963 and converted to the present day structure.
 In the summer of 1970, dwindling resources and rising inflation threatened to end the school's existence, but determined, strongly committed parents raised funding to save the school. In 1974, this enthusiasm resulted in a decision to construct a new building in order to accommodate the growing student body and the expansion of the school to include a 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.  The first High School Senior Class was graduated in June, 1974. The Board of Regents registered (accredited) the school on September 25, 1980. In 1988, four classrooms were added to the west end of the High School. In 1989, the Vincent Smith School was proud to receive accreditation from the New York State Association of Independent Schools. That accreditation was renewed by NYSAIS in August, 2000.
Timeline
1923 —
1924 —
1927 —
1931 —
1931 —
1951 —
1952 —
1962 —
1974 —
1974 —
1980 —
1988 —
1989 —
2000 —
2009 —
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 Harbor School Founded
Name Changed to Vincent Smith School
Lower School Built on Current Campus
First 9th Grade Certificate Conferred
Provisional Charter Granted by NYS Board of Regents
Absolute Charter Granted by NYS Board of Regents
Gymnasium Added to Lower School
Growth Required Acquisition of the Middle School
High School Building was Constructed
First High School Senior Class Graduated
School Received Accreditation from NYS Board of Regents
High School Expansion
School Received Accreditation from NYS Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)
NYSAIS Renews Accreditation
Vincent Smith School celebrates its 85th Anniversary |
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