by David Ellis
I first opened the doors of Saint Mark the Evangelist School in September 2002. Fresh out of graduating from college, it was my first real job and I was both nervous and excited. As soon as I walked in I could feel the history, the energy and the love. Sister Nora was the principal at the time and even though it was over 20 years ago it feels like yesterday. This amazing nun that lived upstairs gave me my first job as a teacher.
Saint Mark the Evangelist School in Harlem was founded in 1912 by Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The school was the first Catholic school in New York City to serve African American children. I started off teaching 3rd grade for two years, I had a class of 30 students, I still don’t know how I did it, but I did, 30 personalities. I had to get used to my name being called “Mr. Ellis” and then I became the Library Tech Coordinator…working with pre-K through 8th grade. I loved it. I was an extension of the classroom. I chose to go into education because I was inspired by mom; I witnessed the impact that she had on kids, especially as they got older. She retired a couple years ago after 35 years of teaching at my elementary school.
I started a Poetry Club after school and an Author Illustrator Series where I had Andrea Davis Pinckney, Richard Peck, Rita Williams Garcia, Jaqueline Woodson, Dinah Johnson, Bryan Collier, and so many more amazing writers and artists. It was the first time a lot of my students were face to face with an author and also getting their books signed by one.I can honestly say that I never had a day when I came home and was stressed out. I loved my job. I would actually do it for free. That’s how much fulfillment I got from working with students.
To teach at the same school for 23 years is rare. I would find myself teaching kids whose parents I taught. The look in their eyes when I tell them, “I taught your mom or your dad,” they could not believe it. Learning that Saint Mark School was closing had been devastating for the kids, teachers, parents, and also the community. I have embraced Harlem, and I was able to write two poetry books about this amazing historical place. Walking down Lenox Avenue and being a sponge, absorbing everything that I witnessed. 138th and Lenox will be in my heart forever; Marcus Garvey had his meetings at the same place where the students ate lunch and had gym. It’s where he first had his meeting in Harlem in 1916. When I think back it all feels like a dream, a magical experience. I’m so blessed to have worked in this school.
here are so many memories, one that sticks out is when I went around the school and asked students from 4th to 8th grade what their passion was and what they wanted to be when they got older. There were 12 students who said they wanted to be chefs out of all the students I asked, and those were the 12 students I took to Red Rooster to have lunch with the celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. It was an inspiring afternoon for them, he talked about his journey in life and reminded them to focus on their passion and that they could do anything they wanted to do in life. The students talked about that experience for months.
According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), these closures can disrupt social interactions, and potentially lead to long-term negative consequences for mental health. Children may experience heightened anxiety and depression due to the disruption of their routines and social connections. I tried my best to be positive with my students in those final months of Saint Mark closing, letting them know in life they will experience change and its all about how we deal with it. I see their faces in my dreams, their smiles. For any parents reading this that have gone through your child’s school closing it’s important to comfort them and remind them that this is a challenge for the whole family. It’s also a good idea to make sure their kids spend time with friends who are facing the same thing.
Over the years, graduates would come back to visit Saint Mark. Some were lawyers, teachers, photographers, actors, and professions that we should all be proud of. They come back to a school that was family, remembering conversations that guided them from when they were students here. This is my love letter to Saint Mark the Evangelist School. You gave me the opportunity to inspire and teach students that would be future leaders and also gave me the opportunity to embrace this beautiful place, Harlem, where you have been since 1912. Thank you!