PICS: Meet the Superheroes of Brooklyn's PS 36

Pictured: Two of PS 36's superheroes. Photos by John V. Santore

NEW LOTS, BROOKLYN — “Captain America: Civil War” considers the possibility that its superheroes may be too destructive to be trusted with their powers.

But that possibility wasn’t much on the minds of the heroes at PS 36 in New Lots, near East New York, this Thursday.

Second grader Devin — a.k.a. Mega Devin — said his superpower was “respect,” enabling him “to respect others the way you want to be treated.”

His friend Shamari, also in second grade, had the superpower of “peace,” which he uses “to keep everybody in one place, and to save them."

Devin, left, and Shamari struck a superhero pose Thursday

The colorful capes swirling around the school’s gym cloaked even more superheros — among them, Marvelous Matthew, Kind Kahmahni and Captain Considerate.

Principal Johanna Schneider, who has been at the school for 14 years, explained that students come to PS 36 from other schools where they’ve had difficulties behaviorally or academically. Some are considered to have special needs.

“Very often, they feel like they’re failures” when they arrive, she said.

The school’s mission, then, is to “make sure the kids feel that they’re worthwhile and have something to give to the community." And that mission, Schneider said, aligns perfectly with the educational curriculum of the SuperYou FUNdation, created by musician Lourds Lane.

Since the curriculum was first worked into the school’s classrooms three years ago, Schneider said, students have learned to see themselves as superheroes with unique powers they define and use when approaching their classwork, each other and the world at large.

That self-determination, the principal at PS 36 continued, helps the kids “feel better about learning things that may be difficult for them,” and has improved both individual behavior and the school’s greater sense of community.

"Being superheroes allows them to celebrate all of the positive things they can do," Schneider said.

Since the program began, she said, she's seen students stop others from misbehaving with a simple reminder: "That's not how superheroes act."

On Thursday, Lane herself stopped by the school to lead the cape-clad children in song and dance, driven by some punk-rock solos on her electric violin.

“I teach things that I would have wanted to hear as a child,” Lane said.

The musician explained that her goal is to make kids “feel that they are brave, that they are kind, that they have resilience.”

PS 36 is the first New York City school to use the SuperYou curriculum year-round. However, according to Lane, the superhero concept plays some role in the lives of students at 57 schools in the city, and more around the country and world.

On May 23, Lane said, 20,000 local students will head to Citi Field in Queens, where they plan on setting two world records: the most capes in a single location at one time, and the largest crowd to form their hands in the shape of a heart for two consecutive minutes.

As she spoke, Lane directed her excitement toward a young student in the hallway known only as The Owl. (Pictured below.) She asked him what his superpower was.

No matter what he's given to work with, he explained with pride, “I can turn [it] into anything."