Last month, we ventured north to P.S./I.S. 217, the elementary and middle school on Roosevelt Island to serve as Principals for the Day. This is a program organized by a group called PENCIL, which seeks to form partnerships between the private sector and public schools. Our day at the school will kickoff a year-long partnership, if not longer, between Hudson/Related and 217. We spent a terrific day with Principal Mandana Beckman and Assistant Principal Jennifer Bartolino, joining a well-attended PTA meeting in the morning, followed by visits to classrooms in grades K-8. What did we learn?
First, we were reminded how beautiful the school was and how generous were its physical facilities. A state-of-the-art performing arts theater, for starters. A modern, fully equipped Apple computer lab. A big gym for all the Phys. Ed classes. A large music room with instruments everywhere. A terrific library. Large, bright classrooms with small class sizes. And a huge cafeteria that didn’t have that dreaded smell of “school lunch”.
The faculty were extremely committed to the kids, and on average compared to other public schools, this is a very experienced faculty. The children were attentive, hard working, well behaved (especially when the visiting Principals for a Day showed up) and represent more than 50 nationalities! We visited the kindergarten class of the new Gifted & Talented program, which is an exciting addition to 217 this year. We saw kids doing Science experiments in their science lab, playing percussion in the music room, learning about exponents, and we were struck by how much more video and interactive resources are used throughout the day than when we were kids.
The school continues to improve each year. It recently was awarded a B by the school review process, and the administration is confident that it can, at a minimum, earn the 2-3 extra points needed to earn an A grade next year.
As Riverwalk developers, we’re committed to partnering with 217 to help the school continue to be a terrific resource for everyone on Roosevelt Island. Coming soon on a future blog entry: the projects we plan to purse with 217 during the school year.
