hard deadlines

Scores of Prudence Islanders and visitors celebrated the island's one-room schoolhouse on Saturday, with a tour and talk by local historian Joe Bains and a delightful "Canapes and Cookbooks" reception at the community center. Organized by the Friends of Prudence Island Students (FOPIS), the event raised money for the PI school, which has remained open this year through last-minute budget negotiations at the Town Council.

It was my first time on Prudence, and we didn't really know what to expect when Karen, Jack, and I boarded the 3:30 ferry. The ride was far longer than I anticipated — about 25 minutes — and it was pretty hard to imagine what it would be like to put a 7-year-old on that boat at 7am in the middle of the winter.

On the ride over, we met some of the other Portsmouth folks headed to the event, including Superintendent Sue Lusi, Melville principal Joanne Olson, and school committee members Dick Carpender and Doug Wilkey. The FOPIS folks had everything lined up, with the Island's school bus at the dock to pick us up.

Our first stop was the PI school, where local historian Joe Bains gave a wonderful slide show and talk. The school was built in 1896 by Captain Halsey Chase, who served as the first teacher until 1912. At one point, said Bains, there was only one school-age child on the island, so Chase rowed over to Patience Island every day to pick up another student to keep the school from closing.

"Prudence Islanders can be very determined and stubborn," said Bains.

One particularly interesting slide was from the retirement party of long-time teacher Emily Brayton, who was, said Bains, "not someone you ever gave lip to...more than once." Standing behind Brayton (and the cake shaped like the schoolhouse islanders had baked for her) was a young Dennis Canario.

PI schoolteacher Vicky Flaherty was on hand, and she showed folks around her classroom. She showed Jack the closet where the rope leads up to the tower, and he got to ring the bell. "We used to ring it once for each student at the school," said Flaherty, "But now we just ring it 9 times in the morning."

We all loaded back onto the bus and headed over to the community center, where a fundrasing reception was hosted. There were delicious hors d'oeuvres, and a neat selection of (donated) cookbooks for sale. Karen picked up a marvelously kitschy 1928 tome featuring the miracles of baking powder.

Based on the packed community hall, and the energy and enthusiasm of all the people I talked to, the Prudence Island school is a treasured institution on the island. Now of course, every school in Portsmouth has a great cadre of unsung volunteers, but what sets Prudence apart is the breadth. "Even people who just spend summers here help out the school," said islander Denise Allard.

I hate to take such a positive story in a dark direction, but I have to point out that it is precisely the lack of support from some in Portsmouth that makes the PI school's existence precarious. You know who I didn't see on the island yesterday? Folks from the PCC, whose blind tax slashing and forced Caruolo action have created a permanent structural deficit in the school budget.

Let's hope that the upcoming performance audit helps us come to a rational understanding of the costs of education in Portsmouth. And in the meantime, if you missed the event yesterday, and want to send a donation to the PI school the address is below.

Resources:
Event pix in Flickr
Send donations to: Friends of Prudence Island Students (FOPIS), P.O. Box 111, Prudence Island, RI 02872
Previous story on PI school hearing at RIDE
See all the posts here mentioning PI