Statement : Looking over my Pink School work, I am flooded with memories of that time. My photographs brought back all the feelings and experiences all over again. It was 2016 when my son Rei entered Pre-K at P.S.110 The Monitor School, located in front of beautiful McGolrick Park with majestic towering birch trees and a building reminiscent of a mini Petit Trianon Palace of Versailles, right in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The school itself has a connection to France with its French Dual language program, although Rei studied in the English class. I called this school the Pink School as its exterior walls are simply painted pink. Sometimes in the mornings the area is full of mist and fog. It creates an illusion and this inspired me to start taking pictures as a photographer mom. In my role as a mom is the only time the kids come to me and enjoy being photographed. All of Rei’s friends show up often in my pictures. I remember the summer day I let some kids take pictures with my NIKON FM2. It’s a strong, unbreakable camera, especially in soft green grass. But it was still high risk, so I was all around the kids when they were taking pictures of each other. They all came out blurred, but they are really great photographs — I love them so much. I love the Halloween parade and seeing the parents as well as the kids in costume. It is my favorite annual event at the school. Especially the haunted house created in the basement of the school — they made it very scary, a hard-core frightening experience. So many younger kids cried and burst out as fast as they could run… even the bigger kids. One Halloween, I saw a little unicorn girl in the foggy morning with an old piano in the center of McGolrick Park. It was a magical moment. I forgot the time and that I was meant to drop Rei off at school and instead got hooked with this unicorn moment. I noticed that the piano was dumped in the garbage the next morning. It kind of made me sad, like I woke up from a good dream. I sincerely send my condolences to all who cared about Mr. Jensen who passed away suddenly when he was tragically hit by a car. He knew all the kids’ names by heart and said hello to everyone. He made each kid feel so special. Rest in peace and heaven. This neighborhood has its share of crime from several lurking pedophiles released from jail to stabbings in the park that led to a couple of deaths. I have started patrolling and documenting on the street to catch any criminals red-handed. But I have yet to catch one. One more unforgettable incident was the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. We had a long lockdown in New York City. In March 2020, we started remote school using Google Classroom, which made me so stressed out just trying to figure out how to use it. I am sure it was the same for so many parents, teachers, and kids. So many friends and families left NY. Some went upstate; some went back to their own country. We were all separated and isolated for a long time. I will not forget how much I appreciated the day the school reopened in-person! We experienced hardship but survived. My first idea, trying to force myself into the role of being a parent, was wrong. It took me seven years to realize how valuable it is to get to know the parents and the kids apart from being a professional photographer — it opened up another world to me. I will no longer come to the elementary school and the park everyday after my son’s graduation. It’s kind of my graduation as well. I will forever find myself inspired by these memories from my son’s time at P.S.110 and all our adventures around McGolrick Park. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to watch and capture him and his friends growing up on film — I will treasure these visual memories of their childhood forever.