The Importance Of Community Walk

Community Walk

As an intern at P.S. 137, my outlook of the school and the neighborhood in which it is situated has drastically changed over the past semester. My initial commute to the school did not help me frame the community in a positive light. I found there to be too many potholes, and too much trash scattered across its streets. I was not familiar with this area, and do not recall having any preexisting biases towards the residents. I remember the first time I pulled into the school’s never-ending parking lot, and felt flutters in my stomach as I thought of how small one may feel in such a large institution. I also questioned what I was doing interning in a school known for its corruptness. P.S. 137 has a bad reputation for giving students credit for eating lunch, of having students who take lewd pictures of staff members, and for the multitudes of gangs in which the students take part.

Located in the South of Brooklyn, P.S. 137 , a school which has earned an overall B rating on its school report for the last three consecutive years (NYCDOE, 2014), has been in existence for forty five years. It is known for its unique campus layout,

Lodging in this community varies, consisting of rows of mini-mansions at the north end, and housing developments at its south end. P.S. 137 is surrounded by low-rise apartment buildings, another common feature of this neighborhood. Housing in Gravesend is somewhat more expensive than other communities in New York City. The average house value in this neighborhood is $631,000, and the median rent is $1,700 (Gravesend is a Neighborhood in New York City, n.d.). According to the 2010 Census, the average income of the people of Gravesend is $49,669 (Community Facts, 2010). These findings lead to the assumption that the area’s residents live comfortably, neither in poverty nor in