New Memorials for PS 30: Honoring Those Who Made the School Home
The memorial signs outside PS 30 in Westerleigh tell stories — of staff, students, and community members who were part of the school's heart. Over the years, weather took its toll. The signs faded, tore, and wore down. Now, they've been restored.
It started with a walk through the neighborhood. Dianne Nudelman was passing through Westerleigh when she noticed the condition of the memorials on the PS 30 grounds — markers honoring people the school had lost, beaten up by years of wind and rain. She reached out to PS 30 teacher Jennifer Mezzadri and suggested her son David could help.
From there, David Nudelman and Ms. Mezzadri spent weeks working through ideas and layouts together. The goal was simple: create something lasting that honored these people the right way. Nudelman designed each new memorial sign, and one by one, they were placed throughout the PS 30 property — clean, permanent, and built to hold up.
The new memorials honor five members of the PS 30 community:
Christine Pepe Signorelli (1964–2008)
Chris Cancelleri (1992–2007)
Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. (1990–2001)
Kenny King (1967–2012)
Casta Miskowitz (1953–2017)
For Nudelman, this project hit close. He attended PS 30 as a kid.
"It's an honor to work with Ms. Mezzadri to create these memorials," says Nudelman. "Growing up going to 30 was a transformative time for me, so it means a lot to create something that shows respect to loved community members of the school."
A Community Effort
Dianne Nudelman sponsored the signs, with additional support from the PS 30 PTA and Stereotype Co. It was a true community effort — a mother who noticed something that needed fixing, a teacher who cared enough to say yes, and a designer who grew up in those halls and wanted to give back.
Why It Matters
Memorials exist so people aren't forgotten. When they fall apart, it sends a message — even if no one means it. Replacing them says the opposite: we still remember, and we still care. These signs make sure that the people who shaped PS 30 — from the classrooms to the hallways to the custodian's corner — stay part of the story.
Photography by Jennifer Mezzadri
Did you know? Stereotype Co was founded in Westerleigh in 2008.