FY21 CASA with PS 175
This past spring, Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and PS 175 on City Island partnered for a Cultural After-School Adventures program through an initiative funded by the New York City Council and administered by the Department of Cultural Affairs.
The program was designed to give students the opportunity to explore diverse topics surrounding local history from the pre-1654 Lenape era and the early British and Dutch settlers to the present. Sessions helped students develop historical empathy, which encourages tolerance and understanding of other peoples’ experiences in the present, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills through interactive learning. Sessions reinforced practical applications to school subjects and impart that learning is a fun, lifelong process.
The grounds of Bartow-Pell served as a catalyst for each session topic; students explored the site as the home of Lenape families, as the residence of the Bartow family and staff in the 19th century, and as a habitat for wildlife in the past and present. Students from PS 175 learned about the area through projects and demos which provided an understanding of how scholars craft stories using evidence, and how students can contribute their own perspective to these stories.
The goal of Bartow-Pell’s CASA program is to educate the students to recognize their future role as active community members through studying the past, and to help them realize that they are a part of the community’s future and continuing story.
To view thank you notes from the students to NYC Council Member Mark Gjonaj click HERE