In 2005, Patricia Lockhart went on a humanitarian mission to Liberia, where most of the PS 57 students are from. He brought with him much-needed resources (food, clothing, and books). While there, he met a boy named Boimah Cooper who was suffering from tuberculosis. He brought her to Staten Island and had the necessary spine surgery. The surgery was successful and Cooper began attending school at PS 57. However, he soon succumbed to tuberculosis.

Heartbroken, Patricia returned to Liberia to bury Boimah. But he didn’t come back alone. While there, he tracked down Boimah’s friend Yatta at an orphanage. He adopted Yatta, who also attended PS 57 and now works there as a paraprofessional.

Patricia, a science teacher who always went above and beyond her duties, died on November 1 at the age of 63. The cause of death was cancer.

Patricia grew up in Grant City. His father, Bruce Copp, was a salesman for a steel company. His mother, Grace Cobb, taught at Susan E. Wagner High School. Patricia had five siblings. “We were all expected to contribute and stay busy,” said his sister, Mary Lee. “My mother wanted us to be activists and help other people, and that was instilled in all of us. Patricia and I wanted to be a teacher like our mother. “We definitely wanted to emulate him and follow in his footsteps.”

As a young woman, Patricia married her husband, David Lockhart, and gave birth to their daughter, Dana. She and her husband later divorced, and Patricia raised Dana as a single mother while working as a paraprofessional at PS 52 in Dongan Hills. At the same time, he continued both his associate and undergraduate education at the College of Staten Island. She became a special education teacher at PS 57 in Clifton and soon earned a master’s degree in special education.

Patricia would remain at PS 57 for the remainder of her teaching career. After teaching second grade as a general education teacher for seven years, she taught children kindergarten through fifth grade as a STEAM teacher. He also taught in an after-school program at the YMCA.

“All these little kids looked up to him. He made science fun for them. It was something they didn’t like and came to love because of it. Mary said he had a profound impact on these children.

Patricia and her sister, also a science teacher, attended workshops most summers to further their professional development. “We would learn to do really cool things,” Mary said. “We did environmental or robotics workshops and learned how to do them with kids.”

Patricia became the sustainability coordinator at PS 57. From 2002 he directed the Eibs Pond Education Program at the school. “He would have the kids go there and teach lessons on photosynthesis, plant life and water testing,” Mary said.

He also established fruit and vegetable, butterfly and bee gardens for students. When she wasn’t teaching or volunteering, Patricia was looking for grant money. “He would always try to get students funding for equipment and even food because sometimes these kids couldn’t get a good meal at home,” Mary said. “He was raising money for kids to go to STEAM events, robotics tournaments, or soapbox derby.”

In 2000, the younger brother of one of his students died after falling from the window of the nearby Park Hill Apartments. Patricia took it upon herself to raise awareness and raise funds to install security gates in the building. Lobbying efforts yielded results. “He was able to get this huge grant of hundreds of thousands of dollars to put safety gates on fire escape windows in buildings like Park Hill,” Mary said.

Patricia led her students at PS 57 to join robotics teams and soapbox derby schedules. He is known for starting soapbox derby competitions in public schools in New York City. The program taught children how to build and race cars. He brought some of his students, including students with special needs, to the annual soapbox derby tournament in Akron, Ohio.

“He had a heart of gold. He was so kind to everyone. He had a magical influence on children and people in general. He was a role model for children and showed them how to keep giving so that the next generation could benefit,” Mary said.

Over the years Patricia has won many awards and recognition for her work. In 2001, she was named Progressive Woman of Achievement. In 2014, New York City Partnerships for Parks awarded him “Golden Trowel Award.” won in 2021 Flag Award for Teaching Excellence.

He is survived by his daughters Dana Lockhart and Yatta Johnson Lockhart, his granddaughter Lara Lockhart-Scammardella, and his siblings Bruce Copp, Brian Copp, Bradley Copp, Mary Lee and Brett Copp.