SCHOOL DESK

A renaissance at P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil

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February is Black History Month, and P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil is celebrating in a whole new way.

The school’s parent association and multi-culturalism committee hosted their first Harlem Renaissance Fair on Feb. 8. Students and families gathered at the school to learn and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, an explosion of music, literature, art and dance created by the city’s black community.

Dancers Brian Davis and Carmen Carriker performed some ‘20s style dances, and students jumped in to craft hats and bowties based on the styles of the decade.

Word Up Community Bookstore, a Washington Heights-based literature shop and art space, brought books for students to learn more about the movement.

 

P.S. 81 spreads hope

Students at P.S. 81 Robert J. Christen took part in a new project alongside guidance counselor Lori Flanagan.

The school partnered with Blankets of Hope, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that delivers free blankets to homeless people and shelters. P.S. 81 received 800 such blankets, one for each student. But they are not keeping them for long. After a “kindness workshop,” each student wrote a letter to be delivered with their blanket, sending kind thoughts to each recipient.

It was a lesson in kindness and helping people in need, Flanagan said.

 

Bronx graduate makes dean’s list

Maya Freeman, who graduated from Horace Mann School in 2019, was named to Bucknell University’s dean’s list during her first semester.

A freshman majoring in neuroscience, Freeman achieved a GPA of at least 3.5 to make the coveted list.

 

P.S. 24 gets jump on recycling

New York’s plastic bag ban is kicking off in March, joining other states and cities in efforts to reduce single-use plastic waste. But P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil already has gotten started, thanks to its student council.

Recycling bins have been placed throughout the school, courtesy of decking company Trex Company Inc., as part of its School Recycling Challenge. Students can recycle their plastic shopping bags, bread bags, bottles, produce bags and more, and each month the plastic will be weighed and delivered to Trex. The company will then use it in its recycled plastic products.

P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil School, P.S. 81 Robert J Christen, Kirstyn Brendlen

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