More than 50 Greenpoint and Williamsburg schools, day care centers, and after-school programs partook in the first annual Schoolfest, a fun-filled event designed to promote and celebrate these area educational options.
Over 2,000 people attended the day-long event at Grand Street Campus High School (850 Grand Street), which featured school displays, food, and some carnival-style entertainment.
“There are all these great schools and programs in the community, so this allows the schools to let parents know what’s available to them,” said Susan Anderson, the mother of a 3-year-old and president of Town Square, the civic group presenting the event.
Councilmember Diana Reyna said the event would help address the problem of under-enrollment in area schools, which lose funding as they descend farther below capacity. She said she hoped the event would make an impression on the many new families to the neighborhood who send their children to private schools out of area.
“Unfortunately, there’s an undeserved stigma behind our public schools, so we wanted to bring them together to share in a sense of accomplishment about themselves,” she said.
“We want the new, gentrifying community to be a part of this and to have faith in these schools.”
