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A large tree, one of many Hurricane Sandy felled on Governor's Island, came close to hitting the Harbor School. (Photo: Murray Fisher)

Of all of the city’s 1,750 public schools, few were more exposed to Hurricane Sandy than the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School.

Schools sit near the waterfront across the city, and many of them were damaged by the storm last week. But the Harbor School sits on Governor’s Island, and so it is surrounded by water, smack-dab in the center of New York Bay.

Usually, that location is a boon: Harbor School students learn how to maintain boats, farm fish, and deep-sea dive. Last week, though, the site made the school vulnerable: When Sandy’s surge came, it would be coming straight at the school.

It took school officials two days to survey the entire scene — but what they found was reassuring, according to an email message they sent to supporters late Thursday afternoon.

“Fortunately for Harbor School, trees went out of their way to fall away from our building and the water stopped just inches from our doors,” said the message, which was signed by Executive Director Murray Fisher and first-year Principal Edward Biederman. They said a weekend of preparation had protected the school’s fleet of boats, as well.

That’s not to say there was not any damage. (more…)