In the aftermath of that tragedy, the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance(GSA) organized the first Care Squares for Peace, in which students, from kindergarten through eighth grade, were invited in groups to sketch a giant sidewalk chalk mural. Each square of the sidewalk in front of the school became a mini-mural that formed a vast mosaic.
 |
|
A proud student from I.S. 276 stands beside her work
|
In 2017, the GSA was back, but this time there was a new focus: human rights. “The theme was picked based on some work students did in advisory,” recalls eight-grade social studies teacher Mary Valentine. “That year we had partnered with the Museum of Jewish Heritage,” which is located directly across Battery Place from the school. “We had an assembly in which students heard from genocide survivors: one from Germany and one from Rwanda. Additionally students reviewed two United Nations documents: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
This year, on June 19 — coinciding with “Juneteenth,” the day commemorating the 1865 emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States — the students at P.S./I.S. 276 (as the Battery Park City School is also known) chose to focus on creating art urging an end to gun violence. “The theme was an extension of work earlier in the year, related to the national student walkout,” reflects Ms. Valentine. “It also relates to our advisory theme of the year: self aware/world aware.”
 |
|
Each sidewalk square became on tile in a mosaic, stretching for hundreds of feet, containing messages of peace.
|
“The overall purpose of the event is to give students a space to have a voice and raise awareness about issues that are important to them,” she adds. As a kindergarten-through-eighth school, we are always looking for ways to bring students together. To allow older students to be mentors. Care Squares is one way to create that opportunity. Finally, the activity is a public display of our school’s values and our commitment to engage in activities that connect students to the world beyond our walls and beyond Battery Park City.”
Tammy Meltzer, a parent at the school, added, “it was great to watch the Care Squares for Peace project envelop the school. Each student is able to express their individuality and children are inspired to create art for the benefit of themselves and the world. This year the Care Squares for Peace focused on all aspects of peace, and in the older grades, peace as it related to gun violence. It was amazing to see all of the kids working alongside each other, from youngest to oldest, creating messages of hope because peace and safety are valued at all ages.”