Pioneering bilingual school celebrates its 50th anniversary
(l-r) Teacher Steven Garay, former teacher and principal Miguel Silen,
and former teacher and current Icahn 2 Charter School principal Brenda
Carrasquillo-Silen at the 50th anniversary celebration at Maestros.
Photo courtesy of Betty Soto
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O BTR CTOBER 25-31, 2019 47
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A Bronx school is celebrating
half a century of teaching
and providing bilingual education
in the borough.
Community School 211 The
Bilingual School is recognizing
its mid-century mark as
an educational institution,
which culminated with a 50-
year anniversary celebration
earlier this month.
At the time of its inception
in 1969, C.S. 211 was one of New
York’s fi rst bilingual schools,
teaching curriculums in both
English and Spanish.
The school operated from
a building which had previously
housed a mattress manufacturer
on East 179th Street
and Lafontaine Avenue. The
school moved to its current location
at 1919 Prospect Avenue
in the mid-1990s.
“My time at C.S. 211 was an
amazing, life-changing experience,”
said Gladys Rivera, a
former teacher who taught at
C.S. 211 for 24 years and was
one of the school’s original
teachers when it fi rst opened.
“Even after the teachers left
the school, we would all keep
in touch and reconnect for all
of the schools’ anniversaries.
It’s always been a family-like
connection.”
Gladys vividly remembers
when she was fi rst recruited
to be a C.S. 211 teacher in the
spring of 1969.
She was in her senior year
of college at the University of
Puerto Rico when she was recruited
by C.S. 211 founder
Dr. Carmen Rivera, who was
also the fi rst principal in the
school’s history.
Her teacher training program
took place that summer
before her teaching career began
at the school which offi -
cially opened its doors in October
1969.
Gladys was one of 34 teachers
who were selected to teach
at C.S. 211, from a pool of over
150 candidates.
Gladys described Carmen
as “a woman who was ahead
of her time” and said that she
owed her educational experience
to Dr. Rivera.
She also said that she was
proud of the fact that many of
her former students are still
fl uent in both English and
Spanish to this day.
“It was a privilege to work
at such a wonderful school
with great teachers and amazing
generations of students,”
said Betty Soto, C.S. 211’s former
principal of 15 years, the
longest tenured principal in
the school’s history.
Nearly 600 students, grades
Pre-K through eighth grade,
currently attend C.S. 211.
Earlier this month, CS. 211
held their 50-year anniversary
celebration at Maestros,
which was attended by current
and formers students,
teachers and staff.
The event included an
award presentation to Catherine
and Robert Brawer, two of
the schools’ benefactors who
have been instrumental in the
school’s success throughout
its history.
Former CB 6 district manager Ivine Galarza (l) with former principal Betty
Soto at the 50th anniversary celebration at Maestros.
Photo courtesy of Betty Soto