P.S. 81 celebrates 100 years as a cornerstone of the Riverdale community

P.S. 81 Robert J. Christen School has been embedded in the community for a century, touching the lives of thousands. More than 50 years after graduating, some alumni still remember the names of several of their teachers.

The elementary school broke ground in 1925, and was designed by award-winning architect Dwight James Baum. The school’s namesake, Robert J. Christen, was the former president of the New York City Board of Education and a lifelong Bronx resident. Today, P.S. 81 has 87 teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff who work with a total of 703 students, according to Principal Anne Kirrane.

Inside the school, the entry hallway is lined with bright, handmade bulletin boards. Familiar sounds echo, such as the quick footsteps and bursts of chatter among schoolchildren, or the heavy thud of a classroom door closing and the patient voice of a teacher.

Years after they last strolled the halls, former students reminisced on P.S. 81 with fondness.

Ande Hecht Endewardt, 66, is now based in Los Angeles working on production finance for film and television, but P.S. 81 stays with her despite the years and miles between them. She remembers vividly dancing the Bossa Nova, an afterschool activity at P.S. 81. The memory sparked recently while she was taking a Zumba class, and the same melodies began playing.

“It really was the days of the neighborhood school,” Hecht Endewardt said, noting her mom was the president of the parent association at the time. Sometimes for lunch, the kids would walk to what was then Ken-Ed’s on Mosholu Avenue. They’d pay $1 for two slices of pizza and a can of coke, she added.

The sentiment of a “neighborhood school” was shared by 62-year-old Bob Resch, who lived in an apartment building kitty-corner to P.S. 81, and remembers seeing the school he attended from his window. Resch — now living in New Hampshire working in pharmaceutical research — was able to list six of his former instructors who left lasting impressions.

“That time in history was a great time to grow up in Riverdale and New York City,” he added.

Earlier, in the 1950s, former editor of The Press Bernard “Buddy” Stein was a student at P.S. 81. Before eventually leading The Press, he was the editor of the P.S. 81 Live Wire, the school’s newspaper. Also a staff member of the Live Wire was the late Lars-Erik Nelson, longtime columnist at The Daily News and briefly a Reuters correspondent.

Across 100 years, P.S. 81 has been a steady presence throughout major historical shifts. The late 1960s and early 1970s was an era of change — protests against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the Kent State shootings, the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Lisa Stern, 66, said she was in fourth or fifth grade at the school when she and a group of about 20 students refused to take part in the Pledge of Allegiance during assembly. The school reacted unexpectedly.

“We weren’t penalized,” Stern, who now works as an attorney in Maryland, said.“What we were required to do was write a composition — I guess that’s what we called it back then — about defending what we were doing.”

Growing up in a school like P.S. 81, where the students lived near one another, instilled core values that are rarer today, Stern added.

“Having those community ties in a community that is very diverse makes you much more empathetic and understanding of everybody,” she said.

Decades later, the current staff at P.S. 81 emphasized a deep sense of pride in their school, and the importance of compassion in teaching. For Kirrane, who has led P.S. 81 for 13 years, supporting students is crucial to their development.

“My philosophy is to lead with the heart,” Kirrane said. “Without meeting their social emotional needs, we cannot meet their academic needs.”

This principle is appreciated by parents too. Kelli Goodman, president of the school’s parent association, said she watched her son Owen grow academically and socially since starting at P.S. 81, and it’s what motivated her to become more involved in the school.

Staff and parent association members said the relationship between educators and parents is a key fixture of life at P.S. 81. Recently, Deborah Buardo, a second grade teacher for more than 13 years, left her classroom for a school trip. When she returned, her walls had been decorated with multicolored balloons, “Happy Birthday” signs hanging from the window, and three cakes. The parents had thrown her a surprise party, and the students had managed to keep it a secret all day long.

“It was emotional, and really overwhelmingly beautiful,” Buardo said. “I had so much gratitude.”

Buardo pivoted from a career working on Wall Street to teach at P.S. 81. She grew up in Kingsbridge, and said being a teacher in the community means everything to her. Also a three-time breast cancer survivor, her work at the school and being surrounded by a supportive staff keeps her going, she said.

“It gives me a purpose,” Buardo said. “When I tell you, this is a magical school, I don’t say that lightly.”