Residencies
Students have opportunities to experience and participate in a wide range of residencies and partnerships. Some examples include:
Hall of Science
Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 participate in the New York Hall of Science residency. NYHS’s mission is to nurture generations of passionate learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens through and approach they call Design Make Play. For 6-8 weeks students focus on hands on science exploration in physics and biology.
Student Share
“We worked with owl pellets. We used tweezers. We found bones. I like Hall of Science because it is fun. People can come to our school because people can use science to learn.”
Written by Keishly, PS 115 student
“We see the bugs with the magnifying glass. We draw the cricket. The boy is small and the girl is big. They bring bugs and plants and owl pellets. We have fun. Kids come to P.S. 115 school because they want to learn about the world.”
Written by Merlyn, PS 115 student
Student Share
“In Spoon Food Explorers, we try new foods and write about them. We were making things with Greek yogurt. I liked trying the new foods and writing about it. It teaches us to eat healthy food and more.”
Written by Elan, P.S. 115 student
“This year, we were experimenting with different foods. My most favorite was the yogurt, cucumbers, and lemon with mint and carrots. All of the teachers are teaching good stuff.”
Written by Stefania, P.S. 115 student
Spoons Across America
Students in grade 1 participate in the Spoon Food Explorers Program through Spoons Across America. In this program, children are introduced to the fresh, healthy ingredients in a simple recipe, and actively explore these foods using all of their senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing, and of course taste! They then make and enjoy a simple healthy recipe. Spoons Across America works to influence the eating habits of children through hands-on education that celebrates the connection to local farmers and the important tradition of sharing meals around the family table.
Dancing Classrooms
Students in grade 4 participate in Dancing Classrooms. This 10 week residency culminates in a performance showcase and focuses on teamwork and self-discipline though a variety of ballroom dances. Styles include the Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Tango, Waltz and Swing as well as the Merengue, Rumba, Samba and Salsa. Dancing Classroom’s mission is to cultivate essential life skills in children through the art of social dance. P.S. 115 was featured in the Film Mad Hot Ballroom as the winner of the city-wide competition.
Student Share
“What I really like about dancing classrooms is that all students get to have fun together and like it. It is almost like exercising because I get to dance and jump around a lot, and that is important. It shows that P.S. 115 is a great school because other schools don’t have dance class.”
Written by Floritza, P.S. 115 student
Student Share
“Every day that I went to Garden Growers, I learned something new. I learned how plants grow and what season they grow in. They also showed me the plants that have grown so far. I learned a lot about many plants. This shows that P.S. 115 is a great school to attend because they let us in their garden and let us learn. It is important for us to look, learn, and listen.”
Written by Lyannette, P.S. 115 student
Garden Growers
Students in grade 2 participate in the Garden Growers program offered through the New York Restoration Project. NYRP turns the city’s parks and community gardens into outdoor classrooms through their environmental education program. Students learn how to tend the garden and raise vegetables from seed to plate, while learning valuable lessons in environmental science and stewardship.
Story Pirates
Students in grades K-2 participate in the Story Pirates residency. After a kick-off show, the Pirates visit the students for 7 weeks to help them develop their own stories. The residency culminates in a student work being performed by the Story Pirates! The mission of the Story Pirates is to celebrate the words and ideas of young people and to create confident, literate students equipped with a variety of tools for written, verbal, and artistic self-expression.
Student Share
“Story Pirates teach stories. Story Pirates are silly when they tell stories. I like Story Pirates because we can be silly too. It is the best school because it can teach us to write more good stories.”
Written by Sophia, P.S. 115 student
“Story Pirates are pirates that love to write. They are excited about writing. They are fun and they make school fun.”
Written by Alexa, P.S. 115 student
Student Share
“The NYC Kids Project used puppets to talk about disabilities. Some people have disabilities because they’re born with it. One puppet was blind and the other puppet helped him when he couldn’t find his way. It was important so we can learn about disabilities and to have everything accessible. This shows that people should come to our school so that they can learn how people with disabilities are the same as us.”
Written by Danell, P.S. 115 student
NYC Kids Project
Students in grades K through 5 participate in workshops through the NYC Kids Project. NYC Kids Project is a social justice arts organization advocating empathy, acceptance, and inclusion. Children are encouraged to examine attitudes surrounding disabilities and differences while fostering empathy and an awareness of our commonalities.
Ajna Dance
Students in grade 3 participate in the Ajna Dance residency. Students get an in-depth experience of Indian dance and culture. Besides learning a piece of Bollywood choreography, students learn in detail about the historical and cultural context of what they are learning.
Student Share
Coming soon...
Past Residencies
Here are some examples of residencies that have visited us in the recent past:
Morgan Library Book Project
Students in grade 5 participate in the Morgan Library Book Project. This project introduces students to the art of creating a handmade book. Students are shown every step of the creative writing process from the writing to the illustration and binding of the books.
Student Share
“In the Morgan Library project, we have steps to complete our book. First, we had to get a specific type of bug to make our red paint. We had to mush it. We used a type of rock to make green paint. After, we had glue from a fish and we put it on parts of our paper that we wanted gold. We had to use our breath to make it harder. In class, we each wrote a story about human rights. Then we worked to illustrate the story, and painted the book. I like that we got to make our own paint. It is important because we learn how people made books back then. This shows that PS 115 is a great school to attend because we get to do things hands-on. ”
Written by Sabrina, P.S. 115 student