PS 971 is one of four new elementary schools opening in District 20 in September, 2010.  Established in response to overcrowding across the district, PS 971 will draw students from a new zone carved out of an area already served by PS 69.   For its inaugural year, the school will open with classes in pre-K (full and half-day options), kindergarten, and first grade.  It will expand by one grade per year until it reaches its target capacity serving grades pre-K through 5.

According to founding principal, Ruth Stanislaus, a partnership with Solar One Green Energy Arts and Education Center, will offer students field trips and in-class instruction on architecture, art, and the environment and how the three co-exist in a large city.  Math instruction will follow the TERC or "Investigations" curriculum instead of Everyday Math, which is used in most city schools.  Stanislaus said she chose TERC because she likes how it reinforces mathematical concepts, but is aware of the common complaint that the curriculum is weak on computational practice. She said that lessons will be bolstered with material drawn from other curriculum.

Art and cooking will also play a prominent role in the lessons. In addition to being a long-time educator, Stanislaus has a degree in fashion design from Parsons, The New School for Design, and is a professional pastry chef who worked on the show "Cake Boss".  "I'm very excited," Stanislaus said. "I'm testing recipes with students in my current school [PS 69] that I'll get to use with students in my new school.  There's a lot of math and science and culture you can infuse into a cooking lesson."

The school's new building has a gymnasium and an auditorium and will be shared, temporarily, with PS 310, another new District 20 school.  PS 310 is slated to move to its own space in 2012.

Special education:  PS 971 will serve students with special needs, but decisions regarding the class settings offered will be made after all students have enrolled.

Admissions:  Preference is given to students in the school's zone.  Space permitting, the school will consider applicants from outside the zone.  Applications and further details regarding the boundaries of the school's zone are available at the District 20 Enrollment Office. (Laura Zingmond, telephone interview, March 2010)