The kindergarten through second grade magnet school has 144 spots available for children…
By Betsy Scheinbart
Hundreds of parents camped out for three days and three nights outside PS 251 in Springfield Gardens to register their children for kindergarten Wednesday morning.
The kindergarten through second grade magnet school has 144 spots available for children in school district 29, but the school is so popular that by 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, 175 tickets had been dispensed to hopeful parents.
Some parents at the end of the line hoped some before them may find that they do not live in the district, while others wanted to get on the waiting list for the school, said teacher Barbara Gray.
“It’s No. 1 in Queens,” said Richard Parris, father of a 4-year-old boy he hopes to enroll in the school. He got in line Monday afternoon and spent the evening camped out in a chair with a blanket.
Gray, a second-grade teacher at the school, was waiting on line with the parents of past, present, and future pupils. She wants to enroll her granddaughter in the school.
Gray said there seemed to be more people on line this year than last. They all want their children to be a part of the school’s warm atmosphere, she said.
“It’s like a family situation,” Gray said, “the kind of caring for students that you don’t find in a typical K through six school.”
There is also less turnover in the teaching staff than in other schools, Gray said. “That makes a big difference,” she said.
Gregory Lowe was on line to enroll his second child in the school. He said his oldest son still treats his teachers like they are another set of parents.
Martin Barnd was at the front of the line with Renoldo Clarke close behind him. They camped out on Sunday afternoon and helped organized the line by passing out numbers.
“It’s a sacrifice we have to make,” said Clarke, who plans to enroll his twin sons in the school. “It’s worth it to be out here.”
The fathers praises Principal Jacqueline Jones. “I wish we could divide her up among all the state schools,” Clarke said.
The friendly atmosphere along the line, which stretched down the length of the school’s athletic fields, turned on 145th Road, and snaked toward Springfield Boulevard, was highlighted by a game of dominos, music, and lively conversation.
Robin Clark was one of many parents to pitch a tent in the line. “It’s unfortunate that everybody has got to come down here, but if you want your kids to get in, that’s what you have to do,” he said.
Clark waited on line in 1996 when the temperature was well below zero, he said, and now he is doing it again. “It is the love you got to do for your kids,” he said.
Rudy Escamilla said he wished there were more schools like PS 251.
“It comes well recommended, not only in curriculum, but in the staff,” Escamilla said. “The people do care about your children here, so this sacrifice is nothing.”
