PS 8 pre-expansion

Brownstoner sauntered by PS 8 (a very successful elementary public school in Brooklyn Heights) today and saw that the construction for its expansion had begun.  As he reported, the new expansion is to add 18,000 square feet and seven new classrooms.  That is great news for District 13 students.  Parents in that neighborhood crow about the school and Inside Schools has a recent positive review.

Now, the middle class is coming back, attracted by an energetic new principal, Seth Phillips from PS 94 in Sunset Park; an able staff developer, Olivia Ellis, from Park Slope’s sought-after PS 321; and an activist, multiracial group of neighborhood parents eager to help. Enrollment is growing, and test scores, while still low, are on the rise. Parents, once excluded from the school, are encouraged to bring their children right to their classrooms. On one of our visits, a group of mothers and fathers (some wearing sweatshirts emblazoned with the slogan “Proud to be a PS 8 parent”) stayed on to chat in the corridors after morning drop- off. “There’s a lot of energy in the building,” said Prima Watkins after escorting her child to class during one of our visits. “We just saw a spark,” said one father, Bob Class, explaining why he chose PS 8 for his two children.

Built in 1906, PS 8 has stained-glass in some of its windows and a bas relief sculpture on one wall. Sun streams in through large windows, and the floors are painted a cheerful yellow. A tall, lanky man, the principal is a visible presence at the school, making his rounds early every morning and again later in the day. We saw students run up to hug him around the legs as he bent down to meet them at their level. “Thanks for the hugs,” he said.

The school is strongest in the lower grades. The pre-kindergarten classroom is a model of what a pre-school should look like: Tadpoles in the tank; children bustling around to different centers, some playing at a water table, others writing; the walls plastered with student artwork. The teacher (who routinely stays as late as 7 p.m. fixing up the room) received an award from New York’s noted Bank Street College of Education. Both kindergarten rooms are welcoming and well-equipped, with young, energetic teachers.

Related Posts:

1. Parking “Grace Period” begins….so, finish that email (March 22nd, 2010)
2. Parents Cooking Class Begins in July (June 21st, 2009)
3. Public Schools With Language Immersion (June 5th, 2009)
4. New Schools and School Changes (February 26th, 2009)
5. How to Apply for A School You Are Not Zoned For (June 10th, 2008)