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RISING STAR PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

At P.S. 84, Art Is Just the Beginning
Academic rigor, creativity and integrating learning needs

If Hollywood is looking for the next great multimedia artist, it might want to start at P.S. 84, The Lillian Weber School of the Arts. The public elementary school on the Upper West Side is in the middle of a powerful makeover thanks to a burgeoning arts program and staunch commitment to professional development.

“Arts is a mechanism by which we can reach students of all different learning styles. Art allows children to be successful and build self-esteem,” said Principal Robin Sundick, who has dedicated herself to developing the arts program since arriving in the summer of 2004.

The hallways are a wonderful symbol of the creative spirit within the 600 students of P.S. 84. Photos, art projects and inspirational quotes line the walls, welcoming visitors with an explosion of color and a sense of the tremendous effort that goes into remaking a school’s image.

Outside the school, dance recitals and original video projects have been the result of new partnerships with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Magic Box Productions. Parents were even treated to a performance written and performed by students at Flushing Town Hall this past May.

On quite a few mornings this year, Sundick has been touting the virtues of P.S. 84 to area nursery schools and private day care directors. She’s trying to convince them to take a second look at a local school that is committed to rigorous academic standards and fostering creative endeavors. She uses the diplomacy skills learned throughout her career as a district office coordinator for the Department of Education.

“One of my long-term goals is to diversify the school so it can better represent the community where we are,” said Sundick of her desire to recruit new students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.

A helpful selling tool is the school’s literary magazine, Read 84, a project special education teacher Leslie Keena helped launch this year. The magazine, written by students and presented to the whole school, is a compendium of poetry, stories, drawings and book reviews.

For Keena, the spirit that infused the literary magazine and the development of her students is what has kept her at P.S. 84 for 25 years.

“I like to see them grow and change through the years. If I couldn’t change and they couldn’t change, I couldn’t do this. Education allows you to change your approach constantly,” the teacher said.

Keena, who has a master’s degree in special education from Brooklyn College, has been a special education teacher for more than 40 years. P.S. 84 is also planning to introduce two collaborative team teachers, who specialize in teaching classes with both special and general education students, in an effort to continue developing the school’s curriculum.

“Everyone is working to meet the needs of our special education students. It’s why I want to work here,” Keena said. In that same spirit of inclusion, P.S. 84 features one dual language class per grade—a commitment strengthened by Sundick’s background as a former English as a second language teacher in the 1970s.

“This requires a high level of commitment and work on the part of our teachers. We differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all our kids as a hallmark of our school,” Sundick said.

In an effort to meet the needs of gifted students, P.S. 84 also launched an enrichment piece as part of its extended day program. Sundick believes strongly in pushing students to excel and providing challenges that encourage them to move forward.

The program was introduced in February 2006 with a press conference held at P.S. 84, and more than half of the student body stayed for the extra period to learn about math, physical fitness, nutrition or music.

Sundick is also looking to further stress professional development by moving to a school-wide enrichment model.

“One of my core values, and the best indication of student achievement, is the effectiveness of teachers,” Sundick said. “Professional development has to be part of the culture of a school.”

- Jonathan Bender