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A New Playground for TCCS
Community celebrates a place to enjoy for years to come
With the official opening of its new playground in mid-June, the Teachers College Community School will now hit that mark. TCCS Principal Jeanene Worrell-Breeden, TC President Susan Fuhrman and an array of New York City officials spoke at the ribbon-cutting event that marked the culmination of years of hard work and negotiation.
"We'd like to welcome everyone to this beautiful, state-of-the-art playground," Worrell-Breeden told the assembled crowd, describing the new space as "a safe, beautiful, colorful place where all our kids can play."
“This playground is for you to enjoy today and for years to come,” Fuhrman told the young students who gathered on the new playground with their parents, teachers, principal and New York City officials.
“We feel so lucky at TC to spend time with you and your teachers and your families. TC student teachers and all the other TC students and faculty who are here, love helping you learn, grow and have fun.”
In that spirit, the TCCS students took to the new playground to use the swing set and jungle bars, shoot hoops and explore the garden between trips inside the school’s multi-purpose room for ice cream cones.
“What a wonderful day this is for the community, parents, students and staff of Teachers College Community School,” said Rebecca Godlewicz, managing director of Community Affairs for City Comptroller Scott Stringer. As Manhattan Borough President, Stringer spearheaded successful efforts to win the funding necessary to transform a scruffy lot of cracked asphalt on 126th and Morningside Avenue, adjacent to TCCS, into a pint-sized basketball court and pocket garden for the school’s students to get exercise in an outdoor space.
Said Deputy Manhattan Borough President Joseph N. Garba: “Building this school grade by grade and watching these kids develop is really phenomenal.”
TCCS is a non-selective community school jointly founded in 2011 and run by Teachers College and the New York City Department of Education, with support and participation by Columbia University. TCCS is not a charter school, and students from the immediate school districts 5 and 6 have admission priority.
Published Tuesday, Jul. 1, 2014