PS-19 Elementary (through PENCIL)

PS-19 Elementary School
185 First Avenue
New York NY 10003
212-533-5340

Volunteers within the New York office are involved in a program entitled "Drop Everything and Read". Each Wednesday, Holland & Knight lawyers and staff members are in a P.S. 19 classroom for one hour, helping children read and reading along to motivate.  In 2004, reading scores in this class accelerated by 10%.

The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, Inc. sponsors the Reading Is Fundamental book distribution program at P.S. 19 each year. Three distributions are held each year and each is staffed by Holland & Knight lawyers and staff members. Every student in the school comes through and picks out a book to take home. Additionally, the firm sponsors and chaperons a variety of field trips, as well as opportunities to visit the FDNY Memorial Wall at the fire station adjacent to the former site of the World Trade Center. The wall was sponsored by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation.

Holland & Knight also sponsors Modern ArtWorks at PS 19, and four other public schools in New York. The program exposes students to art galleries and instruction by working artists – then challenges the same students to create canvases for exhibition at CUE Art, a gallery created, in part, by Brian Starer of Holland & Knight and the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation. Sales of the art works provide stipends for the students and support for their school's art programs.

Part of the school's tradition has become an inspirational send-off speech by Holland & Knight partner Brian Starer given at the sixth grade class graduation.

"Holland & Knight first launched the 'Opening Doors for Children' program at PS 19 in 1997 through PENCIL, a nonprofit organization that coordinates hundreds of NYC school-business partnerships throughout the five boroughs to promote private sector engagement in public education." Brian Starer and Angela Ruth have donated days at PS 19 in order to be PENCIL Principal for the Day program.