FLEMING ISLAND- In 1992, Fleming Island received a new addition that would change the area for what it was.



The first elementary school on the island, R.M. Paterson was an innovator. Handpicked teachers and administrators. Ready to learn students and a declared ‘A’ school.


Although it was just beginning, it was their first principal Fred Fedorowich who knew it would be something.


And it was.


Over thirty years after opening its doors, Paterson has made massive strides in education. The Florida Department of Education recently deemed it a "School of Excellence" and named it the No. 10 public elementary school in Florida.


According to those who have been there since the beginning, it’s a testament to what the school has stood for over the years.


Head custodian Tracy Hampshire and third-grade teacher Sara Parish said they both remember when the school doors opened. Hampshire began in 1991, while Parish in 1992.


Hampshire, who was then pregnant with the school’s first ‘baby manatee’, said she helped to prepare the school for opening day by setting out chairs, tables and desks.


Hampshire said the school only expected around 850 students to enroll but ended up with a whopping 1,150. Parish and Hampshire said that on the first day, there weren’t enough desks to suffice.


“We were huge [and] it was overcrowded,” Parish said. “We didn’t have enough books, we didn’t have enough desks. But, it was great.”


The school’s colors were teal and coral, selected by Fedorowich himself. With a sizable campus and a family environment, Hampshire said it was the ‘blueprint’ school.


“I think we set the stage for all the other elementaries,” Hampshire said. “Because we were the first at doing so much.”


Not only was Paterson the first school on the island, but it was also the first to incorporate multi-age classes, have a butterfly garden, have a recycling center and venture into cyberspace.


With a new computer lab and a weather satellite station, Parish said Paterson was known as the ‘technology school.’ She said they were given a special grant. For her, it was a completely new experience.


“In 1992, when I started teaching, I did not have a computer in my classroom. Nobody had a computer in the classroom,” Parish said. “There was no such thing.”


For Parish and Hampshire, it wasn’t just the innovation but also the longevity that they were proud of. They said that Paterson is a place where people come and stay.


“People don’t leave,” Hampshire said. “And, that’s that longevity. I think that’s the family environment that we have. And, we connect.”


Paterson has had only four principals in the last 33 years, which they both said shows the school’s lastingness.


John O’Brian has been Paterson’s principal for 11 years now. In that time, he said he’s seen his students' educational growth–from kindergarten to junior high.


Just this past school year, he said he proudly sat overjoyed looking at his students' high test scores, which included 84% of third-grade ELA students, 85% of fourth-grade ELA students, and 90% of sixth-grade students earning a 3 or higher, naming just a few of their accomplishments.


He said those levels of academia garnered them their No. 10 spot.


“I really value every year, to be honest with you,” O’Brien said. “Because that just means you’re doing something right. And, at a certain level. It’s not a one-hit wonder.”


But not only does O’Brian credit the students, but he also wants to shed light on the teachers and staff—the ones who make it all happen. The school has had at least four or five teachers who were once assistant principals who became principals of their own school.


“My number one goal here is to serve them,” he said. “I love our kids. Of course, I do. But I will take care of them because then we all care for the kids.”


Parish has been at Paterson her entire teaching career. It’s all she has ever known. And, for her, it’s a special place that’s shaped who she is.


“There is something different about Paterson,” she said. “There really is.”


In the cafeteria, a banner lists every year the school has been recognized as an ‘A’ school, and it's running out of room. Hampshire said it shows the hard work of the students and faculty who keep the school’s legacy going.


“There’s nothing like Paterson,” she said.