Editor’s note: To read profiles of all 2016-2017 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE! Plus: Scroll down for video from the Awards ceremony.
PS 31 – Samuel F. Dupont Magnet School for the Arts and Humanities
Principal: Mary Scarlato
Pre-K-5
75 Meserole Avenue, Brooklyn
Award: Outstanding School
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
We believe students learn best when we acknowledge their personal strengths and needs and support them to build a strong connection to our school. Our students are exposed to opportunities that will facilitate college and career readiness by providing goal setting opportunities, engaging and collaborative activities, developing students’ critical thinking skills, fostering the essential skills of communication and collaboration, and promoting the important academic and personal behaviors of persistence, independence, organizational skills, and self-regulation.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
One of our strengths at PS 31 is exposing our students to as many life, health, and career experiences as possible, including music, art, dance, theatre, chess, computers, cooking, law, and environmental awareness/ecology. Our partnerships with many organizations, including Eco-Schools USA, National Wildlife Federation, Disney Kids Musicals, Studio in a School, and New York City Cook Shop (Food Bank NYC) enable us to cultivate unique skills, and broaden life experiences. We believe that healthy bodies create healthy minds… We have created a School Wellness Council consisting of parents, and a Student Wellness Council to look at the needs and strengths of our school, as well to create a plan to carry out our wellness vision to promote the behaviors and skills that will lead to a healthier life.
What’s new?
We are recognized by New York State as a Rewards School. We’ve received funding to begin furnishing a STEAM lab and to open a Culinary Room. Through grants from GrowNYC and Lowe’s Toolbox for Education, we’ve built a Garden of Happiness, an outdoor garden learning space for all grades to plant, maintain, and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs
What do you love about your school?
I love the family-oriented culture of our building. Our students and their families come together here from all over the world. I enjoy working as a team with all members of the PS 31 family to provide our students with a solid elementary school foundation to build a successful future as life-long learners. I love welcoming students and their parents into our building every day. I enjoy walking into the classrooms each day, observing students learning and growing together.
