Photo By Emily Johnson

Outstanding Grade School

By Emily Field

Three years ago, St. Stephen of Hungary School, a pre-K through 8th grade Catholic school, was at risk of closing due to low student enrollment. Like many Catholic schools, St. Stephen found itself in the position of needing more students to stay afloat.

St. Stephen focused on attracting more students from its Upper East Side neighborhood by offering a variety of extracurricular activities and small class sizes. “It’s hard to build a school that’s sustainable if it’s not a neighborhood school,” said Katherine Peck, principal of the school. “We found that the neighborhood community really gravitated towards us.”

Today the school has 260 students, up from 156 students three years ago. Its teaching values, which Peck describes as a mix of traditional and progressive, are rooted in the school’s Franciscan tradition. “The focus is on teaching the whole child,” said Peck. “Franciscan values are very big on the whole person. For us in education, it means every single part of you—physically, mentally— has to be nourished to be spiritually healthy.”

St. Stephen has a wide array of extracurricular activities, ranging from violin lessons that start in the second grade, to a gardening club that tends the school’s rooftop garden. “It gives every child the opportunity to shine at whatever they’re really great at,” said Peck. “You find out what it is that you can give back.”

The school recently introduced after-school fencing lessons, and this year St. Stephen is putting on its first musical, Yes, Virginia. “Every single person came out of the woodwork to help—parents, even co-workers of parents,” Peck said.

Class sizes are limited to 18 students, and tuition starts at under $8,000 per student. Each teacher also has a master’s degree in education. While the school follows the New York state guidelines, teams of teachers are in charge of creating the curriculum.

“It’s very hands-on and differentiated for each student’s academic level,” said third-grade teacher Kathleen Culhane. Culhane has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and has been teaching at St. Stephen’s for two years. “There’s lots of small group work and real life lessons,” she said.

Culhane described how the school uses technology in the classroom. With fundraising help from parents and grandparents, the school was able to buy iPads, which students start using in the fourth grade. “There are really amazing apps for math and math games. There’s one where you can draw and speak at the same time that students use to solve problems and explain,” said Culhane.

“The community is very special and the parents are very involved,” Culhane said. “It’s an amazing place to go to work every day.”

Holly Esperaggo has two children who attend St. Stephen. Her son is in the first grade, and her daughter is in pre-K. This is the second year her family has attended St. Stephen.

“It’s a very warm, nurturing environment,” said Esperaggo. She said that her son had been struggling with reading, and his teachers had helped him to gain more confidence this year. “They’re really sensitive to the kids’ needs and they partner with parents,” she said

By Shannon Geis

In a funny way, it was a stint on cruise ship that allowed Florence Evans to fully understand her love of teaching.

The Long Island native had studied vocal performance at the Manhattan School of Music and taught music education at P.S. 166. But she had a dream of performing, and took a job on a cruise ship when the opportunity arose. Once there, however, Evans realized that she would rather be back in the classroom.

Florence Evans says she always knew she would either be a Broadway performer or a teacher.

“I always knew I was either going to be a Broadway performer or a teacher,” said Evans, 32.

She came back to New York City and began working in East Harlem while taking graduate classes in early elementary education from Bank Street College of Education. After spending two years on maternity leave, she took a job as a 1st-grade teacher at St. Stephen of Hungary. She enjoys the personal connection she forges with each student and has found that teaching 1st grade is much more rewarding than teaching music.

Still, Evans uses music in her classroom every day. Songs are transitions between lessons and subjects, and her class sings while they put their books away or while they are going back to their seats. Music is a better way to grab students’ attention than raising her voice, she has found, and it helps them remember grammar and math rules.

“She is always singing, and now the whole school is singing,” said Mary Rose Vella, mother of one of Evans’ students. “My daughter has grown so much in Evans’ class. She is now reading chapter books.”

Evans has a knack for zeroing in on each student’s academic needs, according to Vella.

“She sees the weaknesses and the strengths and helps the students to improve,” Vella said.

Evans said a big part of her approach is creating a sense of community in the classroom.

“We get together each morning and the students greet each other and share with each other before we start our lessons,” she said. “I believe in collaboration, so my room is never silent. I like to hand things over to them and give them ownership of their learning.”

Evans’ daughter, Hannah, also attends the school and spends her days across the hall from her mother.

“It has been wonderful to be so close to my daughter while still being able to work,” Evans said. “The school has been very supportive.”

Evans and her husband, Craig, who works at an accounting firm, have been married for seven years. They live in Rockaway, where they enjoy spending time on the beach.

After testing a few career options, Evans says she’s finally found her place at St. Stephen of Hungary—and she hopes to be at the school for a long time.

“We’re all here to give the kids the best education possible,” she said. “That makes this a beautiful place to work and I’m glad to be here.”

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Florence Evans
1st grade, St. Stephen of Hungary