On a recent bright autumn day, M.S. 22 celebrated itself, planting flowers and hosting a party for the kids and the neighborhood.
It's not that M.S. 22 has a lot to brag about. The school has a long and troubled history of low test scores. But as one of dozens of schools in the city's Renewal program, its leaders were eager to show the school was making a fresh start.
Students planted yellow and purple flowers in the tree beds along E. 167th Street in Morrisania, with help from their math teacher.
"We’re trying to make a change in the community not just for the school but to affect the community around us," said eighth-grader Wilfredo Fermaintt, while shoveling dirt.
Derrick Griffin, with a faith-based group called My Brother’s Keeper, built new tree guards with a few other men. He said he wanted to support the principal's latest efforts.
"I wanted to help out because this is my community and I do see the condition of the young people and it’s really breaking my heart," he said.
Principal Edgar Lin, who arrived at the school two and a half years ago, said he'd already been planting the seeds for a successful turnaround.
"First of all, I reject the labels of failing," he said.
He got rid of a few teachers and organized the staff into teams. Students say he's cracked down on discipline and instilled a new sense of spirit for the school and its mascot, the tiger. Kids wear orange T-shirts and Lin adds his own bright orange Converse sneakers.
As a Renewal school, M.S. 22 students have an additional hour of instruction. The principal also hired additional teachers to work with English Language Learners and those with special needs.
"Renewal is about possibility," said Lin. "I think this is the thing that we’re working to communicate, not only to kids, to families and to our faculty."
The Renewal plan for the school included turning it into a community school. The non-profit group Sheltering Arms was brought in to coordinate after-school programs and work with families. Its first choice for a community schools director fell through over the summer, and the new one wasn't in place until three weeks into the new school year.
But Olu Atanda-Ogunleye, the vice president for education and youth development at Sheltering Arms, said he wasn't concerned, adding that he recently hired a new social worker.
"You’re going to see a lot of counseling," he said. "You’re going to see a lot of classroom support for teachers."
Meanwhile, sixth-grader Jhevona Reyes enjoyed the carnival games and music during the school festival. She didn't mind having an extra hour of class each day.
"Because at the same time you’re learning, but at the same time are having fun," she said.
There is a strict timeline to this effort. While most of the city's 94 Renewal schools have two years to show improvements, M.S. 22 is among seven on a state watchlist that has until June to improve. If they don't, they could be taken over by a state-appointed receiver, meaning they would no longer be under city control.