John Melser Charrette School (PS 3)

The first public school known as PS 3 was established in the 1820's, when the visiting Marquis de Lafayette was taken on a tour to see this model of progressive American education. The current PS 3, also known as the John Melser Charrette School, is very much a child of the 1960's, which is one reason you may occasionally hear it referred to as the 'hippie school.' It was founded in 1971 as a progressive and experimental school.

The PS 3 of today came into being through a community workshop process known as a 'charrette,' at which parents and other community members, teachers, administrators, public officials, social planners and educational consultants arrived at a vision of child-centered learning in open multi-age classrooms, with a nonhierarchical structure, active parent involvement and an emphasis on the arts. John Melser, an educator from New Zealand, served as the school’s first leader, and remained its director until 1991. Many of the John Melser Charrette School's founding teachers have spent their entire careers at the school. That generation began to reach retirement age in the late 1990's, but the teacher turnover rate remains low. Though the school has adapted to change, we are pleased that the essence of the original concept has withstood the test of time.