Students and staff at PS 43 in Far Rockaway celebrated winning the $20,000 grand prize in the citywide Build a Better School Contest on Oct. 11. Known as the School by the Sea, it became the “school in the sea” when Superstorm Sandy struck in October 2012. Some of the 61 schools that entered the competition asked for things such as computers, science labs and libraries to improve their schools. In their three-minute video, the students of PS 43 showed the devastation to their building in the wake of Sandy and asked for help rebuilding classrooms. The contest was sponsored by the Municipal Credit Union and the UFT, each of which put up $10,000 for the top prize and $5,000 for the four runner-up prizes. PS 43’s celebration included student and staff skits as well as a teacher dance contest.