Located at the eastern tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, P.S. 197 The Ocean School is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year. While it has been a foundational part of the Far Rockaway community for six decades, it has enjoyed tremendous growth since becoming a community school in 2014.

P.S. 197 was part of the initial wave of community schools established by Mayor Bill DeBlasio, partnering with the Child Center of New York as its lead CBO. Within three years, the school had moved from “renewal” to “rise” status, and in September 2017, P.S. 197 and its principal, Christina Villavicencio, were recognized with the Creating a Culture of Collaboration for School Improvement Award by the NYC Department of Education.

“Our scholars’ success is at the center of our collaborative partnership,” says Principal Villavicencio. “Our scholars are the reason our partnership succeeds.” This focus on scholars’ success has resulted in significant student improvements in both academic achievement and regular attendance: as chronic absenteeism has decreased, student performance on both ELA and Mathematics state tests has increased. 

The community school model has led to a variety of enrichment opportunities, such as dance, martial arts, drumline, and culinary arts. In addition to After-School enrichment, the school runs a Saturday Academy which provides a robust selection of elective courses for their elementary school students.

P.S. 197 has also partnered with NYU Langone for an onsite dental clinic and has supported families with their food pantry.  Parents are heavily involved in school life, a reflection of the family engagement efforts that the administrative team and the CBO team have prioritized over the past nine years. In the words of CS Director Simone Clarke-John: “Together we achieve more.”

Assistant Principal Bradley Richman, who has worked alongside Principal Villavicencio for eight years, cites the collaboration between PS 197 and Child Center of NY as being essential to the school’s success: “Our partnership with the Child Center of New York starts with two organizations and functions as one. That’s how our scholars succeed.” 

Thorough strong school-building leadership and a meaningful collaborative partnership with Child Center of NY, P.S. 197 is well positioned for continued growth as it enters its seventh decade of serving the students and families of Far Rockaway, Queens.

See below for even more pictures from P.S. 197!