2015-2016 Blackboard Award Honoree: PS 58—The Carroll School

View the Video of Katherine Dello Stritto

Editor’s note: To read profiles of all 2015-2016 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE!

PS 58—The Carroll School
Principal: Katherine Dello Stritto
Pre-K-5
330 Smith Street, Brooklyn
Award: Outstanding School

Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.

PS 58 is a community school that strives to create knowledgeable, engaged, and independent learners… We offer programming that helps develop special skills in art, music, drama, and science. In our curriculum, students are exposed to learning that broadens their horizons. Whether we tap into students’ interests through valuable partnerships, such as the New York City Ballet, create student ambassadors or support learnings in both French and English, our end goal is the same. We are building students who can be critical thinkers and leaders in the future.

Katie DelloStritto. Photos by Sarah Torretta Klock. — Katherine Dello Stritto. Photos by Sarah Torretta Klock.

Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.

We are extremely lucky to offer ballroom dancing to our fourth and fifth grade students. Each year PS 58 hosts a Harvest Festival where students provide the cafeteria with foods harvested from our garden. Our technology program offers students in grades two through five the opportunity to enhance their learning through the use of Chromebooks. The teachers collaborate to integrate this technology into their curriculum. PS 58 has also been designated a Reward School for excellence in student achievement. PS 58 offers a variety of programs to support individual learners. We have a well-recognized special education program with seven integrated co-teaching classes in the school. We offer related services and other special programming to support students with a variety of needs. Our French Dual Language Program spans from Kindergarten through fifth grade and teaches children to be fully bilingual in both languages before the students graduate.

What’s new?

This year we are working on a Teaching Tolerance initiative where teachers from all grades choose books that will support how students interact with each other and the community. PS 58 has also expanded our afterschool program to run a childcare portion within the organization.

What do you love about your school?

I love that PS 58 feels like home. Each time I see a former student who has come to visit, they share that they are happy and well-prepared for middle school. They almost always follow this statement with a statement about how much they miss walking through our doors each day. This tells me we have made a lasting impression on the wonderful individuals they will become.

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