Editor’s note: To read a long-form story with profiles of all 15 2014-2015 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE!
PS 51M – THE ELIAS HOWE SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: NANCY SING-BOCK
PK-5
525 West 44th Street
ps51manhattan.com
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
PS 51, the Elias Howe School, is a small public elementary school with 350 students grades pre-K-5, located in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen in a beautiful new state-of-the-art building. We strive to provide a holistic education, ensuring that every student is successful academically, artistically, and socially. We are a family of learners that provides a safe and nurturing environment where we provide a wide range of meaningful learning opportunities enabling students to shine in many ways through the rich arts programs we offer, inquiry-based learning modeled after Reggio Emilia, and integrated project-based learning.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
We are fortunate to have many arts partnerships that we offer our students. Though a partnership with Rosie’s Theater Kids Foundation, all students are provided with tap dancing instruction for grades pre-K-3 and Musical Theatre Instruction for grade 5. Through a new partnership with ING Financial, students receive creative writing experiences from the Teachers and Writers Collaborative in grades 1-2, and ballet instruction from the New York City Ballet in grades 3-4, and Art Farm for all students.
What’s new?
In 2013, PS 51 was recognized as Inside Schools’ Pick. In 2014, PS 51 has been recognized as having a stellar arts education that will be highlighted in the Annual Arts in Schools Report.
What do you love about your school?
I love that we provide a small safe and nurturing learning environment where we are truly a family and close-knit community. We have families from around the world! I love that we instill a passionate love of learning through our creative approach to teaching, where students have meaningful, engaging experiences to excel at what they are, can, and will be in the future as citizens of our society and the world. Children do shine in so many ways. Coming to school every day and seeing a child excel in reading, writing, math, singing, playing an instrument, creating an artwork, dancing or acting, collaborating with other students on a science experiment, or a project on Native Americans, or an inquiry study on parks, or the pride a student has from being a member of the student council, or a peer mediator, and doing community service brings joy to me as an elementary school principal. We are helping students build their self-confidence and helping them realize their own strengths, abilities, and talents.
