P.S. 221 To Hold Memorial Service For Three Local Children

A memorial service will be held Thursday afternoon in honor of three P.S. 221 students, all of whom passed away in the last year.

Alexandra Falabella, Steven Petillo and Fajir Javid each died in separate tragedies in the past 12 months. All three would have been part of the 2011 5th grade graduating class, whose commencement ceremony was held on Wednesday.

The ceremony will begin at 1:15 p.m. in the front of the school, where a tree and small garden were planted in the students' honor, said Principal Sheelia Twomey. The event will be moved inside in the event of rain.

Funds for the tree and garden, along with a plaque, were collected from around the community. Inside the school, an existing atrium will be outfitted with a set of benches and plenty of flowers, and will be renamed the Childrens Garden. The atrium will provide current and future students a quiet, peaceful place to sit and read, Twomey said, and should be completed early this summer.

Twomey herself will provide the service's opening remarks, followed by comments from teachers that worked with each of the three children.

"We want it simple," she said. "We want to honor the children, really."

The ceremony will be held at 1:15 p.m. at P.S. 221, located at 57-40 Marathon Pkwy. in Little Neck.