BY SAM SPOKONY | P.S. 3 parents, alumni and current and former teachers gathered in the Hudson St. school’s auditorium on Sat., Feb. 2, for discussions about the origin and development of the West Village’s longtime alternative choice in elementary education.
Founded in 1971, the school has throughout its history shown the benefits of progressive, experimental methods of teaching and learning. However, many within the P.S. 3 community are still reeling from the recent decision by the Department of Education and Community Education Council to split the school’s shared zone with P.S. 41 starting in 2014, thus removing its role as a choice school.
At top, New Yorker magazine contributor and author Calvin Trillin (left) — who lives across the street from P.S. 3 and sent his children there decades ago — moderated a panel discussion with former student Nat Oppenheimer, a structural engineer who is now overseeing development of the new Whitney Museum near the High Line, and several other former students and P.S. 3 educators.
Above, an intergenerational discussion featured architect Norman Rosenfeld (left), who, along with his wife, Lee, played a major role in the founding of P.S. 3; his daughter Marion Rosenfeld (center), a writer and media professional who was one of the school’s first students; and her daughter Thea Rosenfeld (right), a current student at the school.
Below, P.S. 3 students led the crowd in a group rendition of the school song.
