The Meeting House and Meeting for Worship.

There are actually two Meeting Houses on our campus. The current Meeting House was rebuilt twice since its earliest days over three centuries ago, and is designated a Historic Landmark. Long Island historians have recently learned that it was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and ironically, it also served as a British camp during the Revolutionary War. The Orthodox Meeting House, in the northwest corner of the campus, was built in the 1830's, when there was a disagreement among the members of the Westbury Monthly Meeting about the format of worship. When the Quakers resolved their differences in the mid 1900's, the two groups once again worshiped together. While preserving the Orthodox building, over the years it has had many functions, including classrooms for the school. Today, it houses our Art Studio and Spanish classroom.

The simple design of the Meeting House is very much in keeping with the activity one finds when stepping inside. Each Friday, students gather for a period of silent worship. The shared silence that fills each Meeting allows the students opportunities for personal reflection and insight. Student Council helps prepare for this period of silence by formulating a query that is shared at the beginning of each meeting. Students have the option to respond to the query, or sit in silence.

The Meeting House is also used for Moving Up Day and other special school occasions. Sunday Meeting for Worship, general Quaker business and Quaker weddings and funerals are also held in the Meeting House.

What does Meeting for Worship mean to our students? Here are some of their thoughts…

“It’s a time to reflect.”
“It’s a time for peace.”
“I can think about how to make next week a better week.”
“It’s a time to think about all the wonderful things that happened to you.”
“We can express our feelings.”