For Jo Ann Westhall, an elementary school education includes reading, writing, arithmetic — and computer science. Westhall, a computer science teacher and the chapter leader at PS 31 in Bayside, Queens, brought a subject reserved for middle and high school students to children as young as 4 years old.

When Aaron Eng-Achson, an English as a New Language teacher at PS 84 in Astoria, Queens, decided to launch an intensive study of bridges with his 3rd- and 5th-grade students, he knew exactly who to turn to in his school for expertise: custodial engineer Rogelio Dakanay.

Nicole Feliciano, a teacher and chapter leader at West Preparatory Academy on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, 
is the recipient of a 2019 Big Apple Award for helping students get much-needed eye exams and prescription eyeglasses.

Hollywood movie producer Jeff Waxman credits a well-rounded education in Queens public schools and "the size of the schools" with preparing him to be a filmmaking jack-of-all-trades.

Yadira Hans is a 4th-grade teacher at PS 249 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and one of this year's Big Apple Award winners. PS 131 teacher Anita Betances, who taught Hans third grade, set her on her path.

Students at PS 811, a District 75 high school for special needs students in Bellerose, Queens, wowed classmates, teachers and families on June 12 at their Fashion Avengers Fashion Show, where many of the outfits they created were made from recyclable materials.