Gianaris, NYPA Help Literacy Garden Grow At P.S. 84

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris (back row, c.) P.S. 84 students, teachers and administrators and NYPA Public and Governmental Affairs Director Joseph Leary gather as students hold a specimen check in the amount of $2,000 that Gianaris secured from NYPA to fund a literacy garden at P.S. 84.

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), a graduate of P.S. 84, the Steinway School, 22-45 41st St., Astoria, secured $2,000 from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) that will provide students at his alma mater an outdoor literacy garden and classroom. The garden will give students a unique learning opportunity outside the walls of a traditional classroom while replacing an ugly patch of lawn with perennials. Teachers will conduct classes as they would inside, but students will have more elbow room and a change of scenery to make learning more enjoyable.

“I wish there had been a literacy garden when I attended P.S. 84,” Gianaris said. “The garden will help beautify the school and the neighborhood and provide students with a better learning experience by giving them a more exciting school environment in which to learn, and make their school experience a better one.”

The garden will provide more space for students and give them the opportunity to spread out with their materials during instructional time, as it will be larger than many of the 103-year-old classrooms at P.S. 84. Students and teachers will use the literacy garden for a wide variety of activities, including read-aloud story time and scientific exploration and observation. All subjects can be taught in the literacy garden, thanks to hand-held dry erase boards provided for students.

“We are sincerely thankful to Assemblymember Michael Gianaris and the New York Power Authority for getting this project beyond the planning stage. Having graduated from this school himself, it’s wonderful to see the pride that Assemblyman Gianaris and so many other community members, including the New York Power Authority, have for this great school,” P.S. 84 Assistant Principal Tony Loverso said.

The funds, provided by NYPA Public and Governmental Affairs Director Joseph Leary on behalf of the Power Authority of New York, were officially given to P.S. 84 Principal John Buffa on December 12. The money will provide paving stones that will serve as seats for the students and plants and soil. By using some of the planting materials commonly used when the P.S. 84 school building was constructed, the literacy garden will pay homage to the character of the building. Also, architectural landscaping techniques will be subtly incorporated into the existing topography to further enhance the beauty of this landmark building. The Power Authority funds will pay for all materials while all work will be done at no cost through the volunteer efforts of the community, parents, students and the school’s teachers and administrators.

“Helping to make the environment a better place is a commitment the Power Authority shares with the students, families, teachers, administrators and local residents in the P.S. 84 community,” Leary said. “P.S. 84 should be applauded for taking so seriously its responsibility to improve the learning environment through the literacy garden, just like the Power Authority takes its responsibility to improve air quality seriously through initiatives including our new Astoria facility, which will be among the cleanest power plants in New York City.”

The P.S. 84 literacy garden is part of Gianaris’ Revitalize Astoria campaign. Other revitalization projects made possible through state funding acquired by Gianaris include the construction of Carlos Lillo Park in Astoria Heights, graffiti removal and park beautification, as well as the installation of antique street lights on Steinway Street, 30th Avenue and Broadway, which have brought more shoppers and jobs into the community.

The New York Power Authority is the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, with 17 generating plants in various parts of the state and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. NYPA uses no tax money and incurs no state debt. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and earns revenue from proceeds of its operations, which stems largely from the sale of electricity. NYPA is a leader in promoting energy-efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives.