Riverdale Avenue Community School (RACS) and Riverdale Avenue Middle School (RAMS) marked the opening of a new school auditorium on Friday, Dec. 12, celebrating a major investment in student learning, creativity and community life at the historic 104-year-old Brownsville campus.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together students, families, educators and community partners. New York State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud, who secured the capital funding for the project, attended the event to officially inaugurate the space. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, who represents Assembly District 55, also joined the celebration and participated in a special performance, highlighting the auditorium’s role as a hub for arts, expression and community connection.
Founded in 1908, Partnership with Children works to strengthen the emotional, social and cognitive skills of children in New York City so they can succeed in school and beyond. The organization embeds full-time licensed clinical social workers, youth development specialists and teaching artists in public schools to provide trauma-informed mental health counseling, family outreach, community-based programming and healing-centered arts education.
“Fresh, new and up-to-date spaces in school are important because they send a message to students that they are cared for and valued,” said Principal Arabelle Pembroke.
Through this approach, Partnership with Children supports students growing up in poverty, addresses community-specific mental health needs and helps young people build skills to become advocates for themselves and their communities. The organization currently serves more than 20,000 children and families across 40 New York City public schools.
Built to address a long-standing need on campus, the new auditorium will serve as a central space for student performances, arts programming, family gatherings, schoolwide celebrations and community events. School leaders say the facility significantly expands opportunities for student voice, engagement and creative expression.
RACS and RAMS have long served as anchors in the Brownsville community, providing strong academic instruction alongside social-emotional supports and enrichment opportunities designed to support the whole child. Community-based organizations, including Partnership with Children, are embedded in the school to provide mental health services, family support, community programming and healing-centered arts therapies for students and families.
The addition of the new auditorium broadens what is possible for arts education, school culture, and community-centered programming, creating a shared space where students, families, and the wider Brownsville community can gather, celebrate and connect.
