A School and a Community

One of the things people notice when they first visit Garden School is how relaxed and friendly the atmosphere is. They notice that the culture of our school emphasizes kindness and “citizenship” in the full sense of the word, which includes awareness of our environment and the people around us. Similarly, our students learn to reach out to each other and to ideas through clubs and activities in the school and through interaction with surrounding Jackson Heights, field trips in the New York City area and beyond, and involvement with community-based projects. Our annual PTA-sponsored walk-a-thon is a cause for neighborhood celebration, as the students begin their twenty-block procession to the accompaniment of a firehouse drum corps; frequent “Jean Days” mean a relaxation of the dress code in exchange for donations to worthy causes like medical research and helping victims of calamities; Garden School parents contribute their time and skills toward enriching daily life at Garden; and the concept of community service/service learning is a goal we hope pervades all of our classes.