Just Bronx

Where is the one place you can narrowly escape both a car crash and being hit by a car in the span of a half-hour? the Bronx, of course!

Like many recent New York transplants, I have a very weak understanding and appreciation for the most northern borough. Other than the Yankees, Fordham University -- which I considered attending at one point -- and the zoo, my impression of the Bronx is one of sketchiness and poverty. The latter point is justified somewhat; the South Bronx has some of the poorest ZIP Codes in the state. But I admit the former sentiment has more to do with my biases.

So I had the opportunity to experience the real Bronx, or at least two sections of it, Wednesday as I accompanied two photographers assigned to take pictures of our schools. There is a great diversity in size, style, culture and demographics in Catholic elementary schools, particularly in the Archdiocese of New York which stretches far into the farms and bucolic towns of the Catskills. But I was amazed to see that the Bronx is immensely diverse as well, reflecting the culture and history of the borough.

The first school we photographed was St. Angela Merici School not far from Yankee Stadium and the Bronx County Courthouse. The school and the neighborhood were somewhat representative of what I expected of the area: densly populated, commercial, clogged with traffic, and mild signs of the city's economic disparities. The first thing I noticed approaching the school was the line stretching down the block and around the corner. It was to get into the court. How sad it is to see so many get caught up in the legal system that the vast majority will never cycle out of; even sadder is the preponderance of people of color trapped in that system. The police were no help either, as I was harrassed by police for not seeing a no left turn sign ewase turn.

The school is truely an oasis among this business clogged concrete jungle. It is literally built around a church, and despite the building's age, it was filled with basketballs, computer labs, scientific equipment and happy kids. The Ursuline sisters and lay teacher instill not only discipline and manners but also enthusiasm for learning, teamwork and service to others.

We took lots of great pictures, which hopefully I'll be able to post later, and then jumped on the Cross Bronx Expressway to St. John Vianney School. As commercial Merici's neighborhood was, St. John Vianney was located in a distintly residental neighborhood for Bronx standards. Apartment complexes, delis, trees even, this neighborhood screamed just that, neighborhood, where kids hang out around the block after school. Many of the students' families were parishoners of the church, and being a predominately Latino neighborhood, the school and church leadership bantered back and forth in Spanish.

The school structure itself was much different as well, flat and spread out with a large auditorium in the center and big bright classrooms. But the joy, and silliness, of the students were the same. It's evident that these schools and their small class sizes and attentive, spirit-filled staff really created a community with purpose. Nothing can be guaranteed, but I didn't see any kids teetering on the wrong path wandering the halls. Unfortunately the same can't be said in some of the schools not too far away.

I think I learned a lot by heading out to the Bronx that day. First off, the borough is far larger and more diverse than I ever realize. It also has a great sense of pride in its self; I heard that they call the attitude "Just Bronx." And while I don't think I would move there (nor do I think Nature Boy would let us move anywhere more urban than we are now) I'd be more than happy to come back, and not just for a baseball game.