December 2022, Fordham/NYC CSTAC Community Schools Spotlight:
P.S. 59 is a Community School on the Cutting Edge
Located in the heart of Brooklyn, P.S. 59 is a community school on the cutting edge, leveraging the talent of leadership and staff, as well as the resources of a wide range of community partners, to meet the needs of their students and families, all under the direction of their principal, Dr. Cherry-Ann Joseph-Hislop.
As Dr. Joseph-Hislop says, “We offer our students a curriculum that prepares them to be well-rounded individuals.” Assistant Principal Zachary Mack adds that “Our charge here is about so much more than reading and writing and math. We’re trying to connect students to what they’re passionate about.”
Their academic program is enhanced by a robust suite of academic supports, including a Spanish Dual Language Program, Homework Help, Special Education Services, and free Before School and After School Services. They foster play-based and student-led learning, and cultivate student leadership, with the interests of students impacting the enrichment opportunities provided.
Some of those opportunities include: STEM clubs (coding, robotics, animation, etc.), sports clubs, visual arts, music, and theatre. P.S. 59 is also a Disney School, producing a full-scale Disney Jr. musical annually.
Striving to meet the interests of a diverse learner population, P.S. 59 also provides specially designed spaces for learning and enrichment, such as a Dance Studio, a STEM Lab, and a Fashion Studio.
Imon, a P.S. 59 student, says that “I love the dance studio because I can do dances that I personally like, like hip hop, ballet, praise, and also tap dance.”
They recently opened a new enrichment space: the Industry Room. In the Industry Room, students can develop skills that may lead to future careers in Photography, Graphic Design, Content Creation, DJing, Fashion Design, Hairstyling, and Cosmetology.
Removing barriers to learning and providing wraparound services is key to how they support their students. P.S. 59 offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. They also provide free eye and dental exams, mental health resources, a food pantry, laundry services, and a special Sensory and Gross Motor Skills Center for state-of-the-art PT, OT, and counseling services.
Ms. Candace Crawford, the school’s Substance Abuse and Prevention Intervention Specialist, provides explicit teaching and activities “to show the consequences of drug use and provides the students with a suite of positive alternatives to help them avoid the challenges associated with substance abuse.”
Their support also extends to families, offering connections to ESL and GED courses, including a new in-house English Language course that launched this fall.
“I think what I like most about P.S. 59 is that the environment is so welcoming,” says parent Sara Crespo. “The principal makes it easy to get in contact with any resources that one may need.”
P.S. 59 partners extensively with organizations in its community, including its primary CBO United Community Schools, St. Nick’s Alliance, Disney, Digital Girl Coding, BRIC Arts, Puerto Rican Family Institute, Child Mind Institute, Areté Education, NY Cares, Trinity Wall Street, and Common Threads, among other organizations.
To learn more about P.S. 59, you can visit their website at: https://www.ps59.org/
See below for pictures of the inspiring things happening in this community school!
Dance classes incorporate academic content and concepts into student learning.
At the Fashion Design space in the Industry Room, students make clothing and accessories incorporating their learning from content areas.
The sensory room serves as a space for mediation, meditation, a calming area, and physical therapy sessions for students.
Do you have a community school story that you would like featured in our e-newsletter?
Email Kevin Coyne at cstac@fordham.edu or call 212-636-6100.