I’M RUNNING THE 2025 NYC MARATHON FOR
P.S. 347, THE ASL & ENGLISH LOWER SCHOOL!
P.S. 347 is an official charity partner for the TCS NYC 2025 Marathon.
I’m raising $3,600 for the school. Please help me meet my goal!
JENENE JOHNSON
Deaf Educator • Marathoner • Mother of Four • STEM & Accessibility Advocate
Jenene Johnson is a passionate Deaf science teacher based in Minnesota with over 19 years of experience inspiring Deaf and hard-of-hearing students through hands-on, inclusive learning. She is deeply committed to accessibility in STEM and advocating for Deaf education across the country.
A proud mom of four, Jenene is celebrating a truly unforgettable year for her family. Her youngest son is graduating from high school and preparing to transfer to RIT/NTID. Her oldest daughter, an Air Force veteran, is graduating with a Ph.D. in midwifery. Her second daughter has just returned from deployment in Kuwait with the U.S. Army, and her youngest daughter is graduating from middle school. With all these exciting milestones, Jenene took a brief hiatus from racing to fully support her children during this special season of life.
Although she used to despise running, Jenene ran her first 5K in honor of her mother, who passed away from breast cancer. That race changed her life. She fell in love with running and has since completed six marathons and over 50 half marathons. Now, she's thrilled to return to racing by joining the PS 347 charity team. Running has become a joyful way to connect with her family and the world—and running for PS 347 allows her to uplift the Deaf community while doing what she loves.
The P.S. 347 mission is to provide a bilingual education that values American Sign Language and Deaf culture and to help bridge the Deaf and hearing communities in New York City.
P.S. 347, The American Sign Language & English Lower School, is a PreK-to-8 public school in NYC serving d/Deaf, hard-of-hearing (D/HOH), CODA (children of deaf adults), and hearing students. We are a non-zoned mainstream school centrally located in Manhattan.
Our families come from all over NYC to be a part of this special place - a place where hearing differences are the norm, and everyone feels like they truly belong. We are on a quest to become the most inclusive school for the Deaf community, and strive to create a new generation of hearing allies and advocates.
P.S. 347 is able to do all we do thanks solely to the resourcefulness and dedication of our staff, parents, and our community. We work hard for every penny we raise, and we rely on grants and the generosity of those who are able to contribute. Thank you for your support!
P.S. 347 gives its students strong academic support and many amazing opportunities, from garden residencies to theater collaborations. But these don’t come easy. While many other public schools in our district are able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, the P.S. 347 community cannot. The unfortunate reality is that the majority of our families live in poverty. Many of our students experience daily food insecurity and live in the shelter system. Thus our school does more than just provide an education; we help fulfill basic needs so that these children can simply make it to school everyday.
