Alexandra Puleo

Puleo’s innovative teaching idea, “Shark Ship,” will serve as a multipurpose outdoor learning space for approximately 250 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The space, which will be designed in the shape of a ship by students, will include picnic tables, a garden with raised flower beds, a playground, and a sensory path for students to represent the diverse cultures of the students through murals and art. The school does not currently have a playground or an outdoor learning space so the project will embrace the district-wide initiative of social-emotional learning (SEL) and will serve as a place for both learning and play. Students will send letters and messages to district leaders to share what they have learned during the project and to showcase the growing diversity of the school and the importance of multicultural sensitivity.