It was designed by sculptor Paul Fjelde, and installed in 1948. The memorial is bronze, but has been oxidized green. Prior to the war, a different sculpture and/or fountain had been in its place, installed along with the pathways. The school building was designated as a New York City landmark in 2009. Transportation The bus route runs north-to-south along 164th Street just west of the school. The closest New York City Subway station is the 169th Street station of the IND Queens Boulevard Line on Hillside Avenue. The Q65 connects with the Parsons Boulevard station of the Queens Boulevard Line, as well as the Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport and Jamaica Long Island Rail Road stations farther south on Archer Avenue. Etymology The name Jamaica is derived from the Lenape word Yameco meaning "beaver". Because of this, Jamaica High School's mascot is the beaver. History The topography of Long Island including that of the Jamaica neighborhood was formed during glaciation, which created a terminal moraine running east-to-west across the center of the island. The Jamaica Hills neighborhood and the current Jamaica High School building lie at the peak of the moraine, while Hillside Avenue where the old building is situated forms the southern edge of the moraine, and thus is at a much lower elevation. Early years What is now Jamaica High School was founded as the Union Free School or Public School No. 1, located on Herriman Avenue (now 161st Street). This building was constructed in 1854 and opened on July 12 of that year, accommodating students aged 5 to 18. The school was a three-story wooden structure. On December 14, 1892, a charter was granted for the high school by the New York Board of Regents. At this time, the school was declared to be a "Union School" by the Board of Regents, due to its status as both a grammar and high school. High school classes were conducted on the third, top-most floor of the building. In June 1894, an appropriation of $100,000 was made to build a new school building to replace the Herriman Avenue location. In 1895, the Jamaica Board of Education purchased the lot on Hillside Avenue in order to construct the new school. It was originally intended as a combined high school and "grammar school" (secondary school) known as P.S. 47, although it was predicted that increasing enrollment would force the use of the