The last day of school was always one of the favorite days of the year for PS 53 teacher Barbara Esselborn, as it usually is for most teachers. So it seemed fitting that, on the last day of school Friday, her colleagues at PS 53 took the time to officially dedicate the school in her memory.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The last day of school was always one of the favorite days of the year for PS 53 teacher Barbara Esselborn, as it usually is for most teachers.
So it seemed fitting that, on the last day of school Friday, her colleagues at PS 53 took the time to officially dedicate the school in her memory.
PS 53, known as the Bay Terrace School, was formally renamed the "Barbara Esselborn School".
District Schools Superintendent Anthony Lodico, Community Education Council President Michel Reilly, and Principal Annette Esposito -- who is retiring this year -- along with faculty, staff, parents and many of the school's 700 students, gathered in front of the school early Friday morning, spilling into the street.
They saluted the flag, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem, in front of the giant flag mural by artist Scott Lobaido that frames the entrance to the building.
Barbara's husband, Robert, cut the red ribbon adorning the entrance of the school. He was joined by his sons, Robert and Michael, who helped removed the cover exposing the shiny silver letters "Barbara Esselborn School".
'WONDERFUL TRIBUTE'
Her husband said the family is grateful for the tribute.
"Your ongoing support has helped us through a very difficult time," Esselborn said.
"There is no greater honor than having this school named after Barbara. I'm sure she is looking down with pride. Her legacy will live on forever through this gesture of love and appreciation for all she did for the PS 53 community."
"As principal, to be able to rename PS 53 the Barbara Esselborn School is truly a wonderful gift. It's a wonderful tribute to someone I loved and admired," Mrs. Esposito said.
"This is a wonderful tribute," Lodico added. "This is a special community," the superintendent said.
Mrs. Esselborn, an Annadale mother and beloved teacher was 38 when she died on Christmas Eve of 2013, from a strep infection that got into her bloodstream, her family said. She taught at PS 53 for 12 years, organizing the annual science fair, overseeing recycling efforts, and helping improve the school's science curriculum.
'SOMETHING WE WANTED TO DO'
"This was something our faculty, and our whole school community, felt very strongly about, and wanted to do after Barbara died," explained PS 53 assistant principal Dean Razzore.
The school submitted a request for renaming to the Community Education Council, where it was unanimously approved in February, 2014. The Department of Education approved the request earlier this year, with the caveat that the school raise the funding for the project, Razzore said.
The school's Parent-Teacher Association raised more than $1,800 for the first phase of the renaming, to cover the cost of the lettering. Razzore said a portrait and/or a brass plaque may be added as the PTA raises the money.
It's not the first time the school has paid tribute to Mrs. Essellborn. On Arbor Day last April, students and faculty of PS 53 planted a cottonwood tree and garden in her honor. The cottonwood,the state tree of Kansas, was picked because Mrs. Esselborn was a native of Kansas.