|
Carolina Pichardo, and her 9 year-old daughter Lyanna, are ready for a new school year; it is Lyanna’s first year at the Paula Hedbavny School P.S./M.S. 278 “She’s still getting used to the new system, her class and making new friends,” said Pichardo.
Story by Gloria Pazmiño and Debralee Santos
It was the beginning of Lyanna Breton’s third day of school but she was still having a hard time adjusting. As she arrived to the schoolyard accompanied by her mother, her nerves were evident.
New York City public schools opened their doors across the City last Thurs. Sept 8th, marking the beginning of another school year that came with introductions and new classrooms for some students in Northern Manhattan.
District 6 in northern Manhattan has a school population of roughly 22,000 students in grades Kindergarten through 8th, and for one fourth grader, the first day was a bit of an adjustment.
“I miss my other school, Mommy,” said nine-year-old Lyanna, looking up at her mother.
“I know, but you’ll get used to it and love it here too,” replied her mother.
Wide-eyed, and nervous, but beautifully dressed in a well-pressed uniform, Lulu, as she is affectionately called, carried a pink backpack filled with her required school supplies. Her hair, a fountain of black curls in a ponytail, seemed to bounce along with her first week of school jitters.
Despite the timidity, and Lulu’s nostalgia for her old school, it was clear that the new grade – and school – was a new adventure just about to begin. At least her mother thought so.
“It’s the first week, so she’s still getting used to the new system, her class and making new friends,” said Carolina Pichardo, mother of Lulu and Inwood resident.
Others were also expressing concerns as the school year got underway.
Judith Amaro, president of the Community Education Council (CEC) for the last four years, is also mother to an eighth grader at P.S. 187.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” she remarked, noting that long-time Community District Superintendent Martha Madera had retired, and that Elsa Nunez, former president of P.S. 28, had been named in her stead.
“Parents are concerned, of course, because with all the budget cuts, they don’t feel their children are going to get the resources they need to meet the challenges they face,” she said. She noted that the parents at P.S. 187 have raised $65,000 to help cover costs, but that it barely covered the loss of over $900,000 that the school had suffered in the last two years. And with a high population of ELL (English Language Learners) in the District, she argues, scarce resources present a greater hurdle.
Still, Amaro says she is undeniably “optimistic.”
“I look forward to uniting parents behind these issues,” she says. “I believe this will be a good year.”
So does Dax.
At the northernmost corner of Inwood on West 219th Street and 10th Avenue, at the Paula Hedbavny School P.S./M.S. 278, children from grades K – 8, including Dax Young, 4, gathered in the schoolyard before the usual morning lineup.
While some parents watched from a distance near the fence, others remained by their childrens’ sides as long as they possibly could.
That was the case with Anina, Dax’s mother. While he was seemingly without a bit of anxiety, she admitted to a bit of nerves.
“I brought him in on the first day, and I was balling like a baby. He was totally calm, and went into the classroom without a problem,” said Anina.
Anina said she was happy to have met the school principal, Maureen Guido, who had assured parents their children would be taken care of.
“Principal Guido was very good at comforting the parents. She [was] principal and parent therapist. Dax is really happy.”
As she spoke, Dax played around the school yard, shying father away from his mother bit by bit as she attempted to sneak in some pictures of his first week.
“It’s better in the morning [to take pictures],” she said. “By the time I pick him up, his shirt will be all over the place.”
|
