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I was never part of any special education programs nor did I ever need any extra help academically. Consequently I''m not sure how well PS97 necessarily prepares you academically. It certainly doesn't do a bad job of it by any means, but it doesn't place as much emphasis on preparatory work as do several private schools. There were many honor society students in my class and there were some who weren't. So it goes. But PS97 offers a dazzling program in arts education. It offers the art club, an amazing theatre program, a school chorus, and prominently the talent show. A considerable number of students who went to PS97 went to the prestigious Mark Twain Intermediate School, a magnet school, for their talents in either the fine arts, drama, dance, or vocals. A considerable number too went to the still more prestigious LaGuardia High School, which has turned out dozens of prominent artists. Even for those who don't pursue an education in the liberal arts, PS97 nurtures a lifelong love for art. I attend Stuyvesant High School, New York City's top specialized high school, a school that heavily emphasizes math and science. What helps me set myself apart from my peers and helped me develop as an individual was my love for theater and music, which would neither have developed in nor stayed with me without PS97's excellent arts programs. It's a small school, subtle and perhaps even humble, but in my opinion, largely underappreciated. It is informally the elementary-school version of LaGuardia, but more importantly, the love of my life.