Editor’s note: To read a long-form story with profiles of all 15 2014-2015 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE!
PS 89
PRINCIPAL VERONICA NAJJAR
PK-6
201 Warren Street
ps89.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
At PS 89, learning is infused with inquiry and collaboration. This emphasis encourages independent thinking and a respect for differences and traits that nurture both life-long learning and social responsibility. Social Studies form the core of PS 89’s project-based learning, with each grade engaging in two extended studies during the year. The integration of all areas of study, including our art, music, and dance programs, creates a rigorous curriculum. The administrators and teachers at PS 89 work with the students to create a socially and emotionally supportive community.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
[One achievement is in] Special Education. Our philosophy on inclusion and diversity is reflected in our Integrated Co-Teaching program. PS 89 was one of the first NYC public schools with an Inclusion program, which started in 1999. We teach a diverse population of learners, whose needs are met by our experienced pedagogues, who are always reflecting on and improving upon their practice. A model for inclusion, PS 89’s program is visited by educators from around the city and as far away as Holland and Denmark. [Another achievement is our] social studies curriculum. Social Studies form the core of learning at PS 89. Students engage in extensive project-based studies that teach them to construct an understanding of the world around them.
What’s new?
A few years ago, the PS 89 School Leadership Team initiated the Liberty Walk as a way to involve the entire community—students, staff, and parents—in a service project. This all-school walk-a-thon is a one-mile walk around nearby Rockefeller Park, often accompanied by music and/or dance performances. For the first couple of years, the donations for the Liberty Walk supported an elementary school in Haiti, which had been hard hit by an earthquake, through Partners in Health.
What do you love about your school?
I love ringing the bell every morning in the schoolyard. I’ve been doing it since the school opened in 1998—same bell. I love greeting the parents, watching the students line up, and seeing my team of dedicated educators come through the doors, eager to begin the day. PS 89 would not be the school it is without the expertise, professionalism, and passion that the staff brings to their work every single day… A school should serve as an anchor in the community, and I believe that PS 89 has achieved that.
