Alain L. Locke P.S 208 is keeping the community informed of the children’s accomplishments and upcoming events with frequent blog posts on this blog, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Read the New York Times Article

Pressed by Charters, Public Schools Try Marketing

It is important to note that our marketing efforts are being provided to us at no cost by our committed business partners, and in no way infringe upon the benefits we provide our students.

Please connect and stay tuned with us here and comment often!

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Kara Smith of Karasma Media visited Alaine L. Locke Elementary School-P.S. 208 in Harlem to serve as principal for the day in partnership with PENCIL, and Principal Susan Green talks about how bringing leaders like Kara, into our school helps open kids eyes to opportunities.

PENCIL’s President, Michael Haverman, said PENCIL is a non-profit trying to improve public education in New York City and other large cities by engaging the private sector.

Some of the projects she’s helped bring to the school:  a new logo;  an environmental club and a partnership with a green school in Maryland.

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Principal Susan Green, Alain L. Locke students Jashira Johnson and Mariama Seck, and our PENCIL partner Kara Smith of Karasma Media discuss the activities of our partnership and the  benefits our students feel they’re gaining from it.

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Mariama Seck, Principal Susan Green, Jashira Johnson and PENCIL Partner, Kara Smith of Karasma Media

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She stressed how the program positively impacts our children’s ability to have what they need in order to perform at their best.

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The Governor publicly acknowledged the commitment for “Greatness and Nothing Less” Principal Susan Green, the teachers parents and students all have.  He also acknowledged the school’s high approval rating given by our parents.

Together, we are reaching for the stars with our children!

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Ms. Green requested that PENCIL couple her with a business partner who could create a new identity for her school, and Kara responded to that request. Together, they garnered a wide variety of media coverage , developed a new school logo and social marketing platform. The platform includes this blog and twitter, and will increase communication between teachers, parents and students, as well as businesses, elected officials and other members of the local community.

PENCIL, the nonprofit organization that develops innovative solutions to the challenges confronting public schools by creating partnerships between business leaders and principals, today held its 2008-2009 Year-end Partnership Celebration. Sponsored by long-time supporter JPMorgan Chase, the event marked the accomplishments of more than 450 PENCIL Partnerships during the school year, and honored several standout partners with three inaugural awards for “Emerging,” “Innovative,” and “Veteran” PENCIL Partnerships.

The other two awards given:

The 2008-2009 Innovative Partnership of the Year Award was given to Principal Christopher Ogno of PS 247, The New York City College Partnership Elementary School in Brooklyn and Partner Ivy Cohen, President of Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications.

The 2008-09 Veteran Partnership Award was given to Principal Rima Ritholtz of PS 176X in the Bronx and Justin Israel of Channel 13 WNET/21 WLIW. With a student body of more than 570 autistic pre-K to 12th graders, PS 176X in the Bronx called upon the veteran experience of PENCIL Partners Rima Ritholtz, Principal of PS176X and business partner Justin Israel, Senior Patron Advisor at Channel 13 WNET/21, to develop programs that would offer critical support to the students’ parents.

Congratulations to my fellow Principals and their PENCIL Partners for their achievements this year and our commitment to the children of New York City!

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And anyone who knows Susan M. Green knows she enthusiastically belongs in the latter group. As Principal of Alain L. Locke Elementary School – P.S. 208 in Harlem, New York, Green not only leads more than 200 third, fourth, and fifth graders in learning the rudimentary three “Rs” of education, but perhaps more importantly, she also imparts to them the priceless ability to believe in themselves and in their future.

But this should come as no surprise, as since well before Green even entered the field of education, children have been a central part of her life. In fact, one might almost say Green started her career working with children when she, herself, was just a child.

At just 10 years of age, when most children are more concerned with sleepovers and summer vacations than with investing in future generations, Green began assisting one of her former teachers in working with pre-K students. Whereas some might have found the task tiresome, for Green, it was the start of an inspiring journey which, today, is reflected in the countless children whose lives she has impacted along the way. Indeed, every position Green has held – both before entering the field of education and since – has involved working with children.

Following her first “job” as a 10-year-old, for example, Green went on to hold various child-related positions throughout school – from babysitter to camp counselor. And during her senior year of college at the University of Stony Brook, where she studied Child and Family Studies, Green chose to complete her internship at the nationally-known Hale House, a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the futures of children and families in need.

Upon graduation in 1994, Green again went to work with children, serving for five years as a Foster Care Caseworker and Service Coordinator for developmentally delayed children.

This background, combined with her unmatched love for children and her passion to see them achieve their full potentials, made Green’s move to education ten years ago a natural progression, and in 1999, she accepted as position as a First Grade Teacher at the Weeksville School – P.S. 243 in Brooklyn, New York. She served in this capacity for four years, during which she also earned her Master of Science Degree in Education from Brooklyn College.

In 2003, Green joined New York’s Frederick Douglass Academy as an English Language Arts Instructor, and in 2005, she became an Intern Student for Administrative Training at Brooklyn’s I.S. 392 School for the Gifted and Talented. After completing her internship, Green joined the Choir Academy of Harlem as the Assistant Principal where she remained until her selection in October 2006 as Principal of Alain L. Locke Elementary School.

In her role as Principal, Green believes firmly that an educator’s responsibility is to create as many opportunities for children as possible so that they can discover their strengths and abilities. Indeed, Alain L. Locke Elementary School’s motto itself – “Where we strive for GREATNESS and nothing less” – exemplifies Green’s strong belief in the limitless potential of her students. And she lives and works by this belief every day, enriching not only the lives but also the futures of the children she leads.

From partnering with organizations such as PENCIL – a New York City program that connects principals with private-sector business leaders in order to expand opportunities for schools – to working with education-enhancement and volunteer organizations including New York Cares and The Carmel Hill Fund, Green demonstrates her commitment to expanding the horizons of the children she serves.

Yet, whether in education or in any other field, Green maintains a consistent and simple philosophy of working with children, viewing it as an investment not only in the children themselves but also in society as a whole, as today’s children grow up to become tomorrow’s educators, accountants, hair stylists, parents, etc.

For more than 20 years, Green has been investing wisely, and no doubt thousands of lives have been impacted and changed as a result of her belief in and dedication to the children she serves.

A 2006 graduate of the New York City Leadership Academy, Green lives in Mount Vernon, New York and is a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, where she was the 2005 recipient of the Mother Figure of the Year Award for her work with her students.

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