What year did you become a member of the PS 230 community?

2014

What do you like to do for fun in NYC?

I love living in NYC. We are so lucky to be near places that other people only dream of visiting. One of my favorite things to do is ride the Staten Island Ferry. You can get a great view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island if you sit on the west side of the ferry. I also love to go to the Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn. If you love trains you definitely need to visit that museum.

What was your favorite subject when you were in elementary school and why?

My favorite subject was Social Studies when I was in elementary school. First, my Aunt Vicki taught middle school Social Studies and I loved going to visit her class. She brought history alive through her lessons. My own teachers always did interactive projects through Social Studies. I always looked forward to dressing up according to what we were learning or acting out a play about the Native Americans in Illinois. Dioramas were my ultimate form of showing what I learned. I would spend hours recreating a scene from what we learned about Colonial Days in order to present to my class. I think that what I enjoyed the most about Social Studies is that it taught me about other people and their experiences. I think that through learning about other people and our own history, we learn more about ourselves and others' views.

Do you have kids? If so, tell us about them!

I have two sons, Carlo and Angelo. Carlo is seven years old and is in 2nd grade. Angelo is three years old and going into Pre-K 3. They both love playing sports and my house is filled with basketballs, footballs, soccer balls and baseballs. We go to the park a lot in order to play these sports. Both of my sons love to read and we read and tell stories every night. This is a part of our routine that is the favorite time of my day. We read books (although Angelo just pretends) and then after we are done we tell stories. Sometimes we make up stories and other times we retell stories like The Three Little Pigs or Goldilocks. We love to act out the big bad wolf blowing down houses. You will often see my sons at our community events. They love being a part of PS 230 and all of the amazing community activities that make us unique. When you see them, say hello!

What is your favorite quote and why?

My favorite quote is "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

by Walt Disney.

I think it is important to work towards something that is hard. Persistence and perseverance are skills that can help us achieve our dreams, even if people say that the things we are dreaming are not easily achieved.

Mrs. Della Ragione's profile