News Features & Releases

HGSE Students Help Rebuild New Orleans' Schools

Posted March 23, 2006

HGSE volunteers sort through thousands of donated books.
(All photos courtesy of Michelle Tiu.)

Six months had already gone by, but assignments written on the school board were still dated for August. Mud and dirt covered the halls. Electronics were scattered in disarray from floating in high waters throughout the building. The artwork that once brightened the sometimes stark school walls now served as a marker for where the floods had risen within the New Orleans Charter Middle School.

Inside that school it seemed everything was a reminder of how Hurricane Katrina had destroyed what was once living. But, this destruction was just a small glimpse of what HGSE students who recently traveled to New Orleans would witness.

"There's so much that was shocking," says Meredith Summerville, Ed.M.'06 candidate. "Seeing the school where I used to work being wrecked, and miles upon miles that had been destroyed--that was shocking."

From February 18 to 26, 24 HGSE students from the Teacher Education Program (TEP) traveled to New Orleans to volunteer their time, energy, effort, and heart in rebuilding the schools. The students volunteered at the Samuel J. Green Charter Middle School and the Math and Science Charter High School, which both reopened in January. In addition, they worked at New Orleans Charter Middle School which was almost entirely destroyed by the flooding.

Undoubtedly, their experiences working in the city schools have left an indelible vision in their minds as they move forward with their education careers.

"We were able to really engage with the kids and engage with their learning," says Ben Marcovitz, Ed.M.'06 candidate. "Because we're training to be teachers, we wanted to be part of that and help."

Being There, Getting There

Summerville and Marcovitz organized the volunteer trip. Although neither is originally from New Orleans, both are former residents and teachers in New Orleans school districts and found themselves appalled and dismayed in the hurricane's wake.

"I was moved and changed by my experience there," Summerville says regarding her teaching in New Orleans. "It wasn't true that I had never encountered poverty before, but having an understanding that this was what children in the U.S. were dealing with and the level of need going on, and the demands placed on teachers was overwhelming."

But, despite the challenges, Summerville and Marcovitz both fell in love with the atmosphere, people, and culture of the city.

Now, as a former resident of New Orleans, Marcovitz says he is often asked about how he feels about the city since the hurricane. "I tend to say that it's amazing and terrible," Marcovitz said. "It's devastation unlike anything I've ever seen. I haven't lived through wars really or seen devastation like this, and being inches from it is something unique. To know people who lived in [damaged] houses and who [may not be] coming back is very moving."

HGSE volunteer Priscilla Siu sorts through and distributes student uniforms.

Over winter break, Summerville and Marcovitz visited New Orleans for the first time since the hurricane to volunteer. When they witnessed the destruction and all the help the city needed, they began to think about possibly organizing a group of HGSE students to return and help in the future. Upon returning to the HGSE campus, they sent out an e-mail to gauge the interest in volunteering to fellow TEP students. There was an overwhelming response.

Using contacts at schools in New Orleans, Summerville and Marcovitz began to figure out the different ways they could help. But, getting there was no easy feat. While Senior Lecturer and Director of TEP Kay Merseth aided the students in raising funds to travel to New Orleans, students also had to be willing to put their own money forward. This wasn't going to be a vacation. Students stayed in homes with New Orleans families and traveled to and from the schools daily in rented vans.

Helping Hands, Reaching Out

Upon arrival, the students' work wasn't glamorous nor was it necessarily the type of work they were studying in HGSE classrooms or in their school placements. But, their days were jammed pack with activities at several schools.

In the two schools that had reopened, the Ed School students provided administrative and academic support in a number of areas, including in-classroom support through reading groups, one-on-one tutoring, and substitute teaching; organization and distribution of school uniforms; help to renew the libraries; and organization of after school electives such as Latin dancing, basketball tournaments, soccer games, and chess clubs.

Annie Neary, Ed.M.'06 candidate, worked in some classrooms assisting teachers and was surprised to see the children's openness. "Kids were willing to be friendly with volunteers," Neary says. "They still wanted to test the boundaries, but if you were an assistant in the classroom, they were not turned off to meeting us. [They were] excited to make a new friend."

At the New Orleans Charter Middle School, the students faced the difficult task of digging through the debris and determining what was salvageable. Ultimately, the group sorted, packaged, and catalogued enough text books, science equipment, furniture, white boards, and student records to fill two 15-foot trucks.

While what they saw was devastating, there were also many moments that were inspirational. "There was this amazing ground floor of activity, working and recreating or creating a school that was going to be founded with what the students needed. That was pretty incredible," Summerville says.

HGSE volunteers Kevin Rodricks and Joanna Chen help salvage materials from classrooms at New Orleans Charter Middle School.

The same group that spent their mornings on this work would then return to the other schools to help with afternoon electives. In addition, the entire group met from three to five each afternoon to sort through the massive number of donated books at the Math and Science High School to determine how and where they could be integrated into the curriculum.

Education and Beyond

HGSE students agree that it's too early to predict what the future of New Orleans education will look like. "This is an incredible tragedy," Summerville says. "There were 125 schools open before the hurricane and now there are only 20 open."

Struggles moving forward include creating a school system that is equitable. "It's very important when dealing with New Orleans, or even Boston for that matter, that schools aren't segregated. They were before the hurricane and can still be after the hurricane," Summerville says. "Some schools are still slated for kids with power and some schools aren't. And this correlates with race."

For many Ed School students, New Orleans is a rare opportunity to get involved in an urban city's educational future. Marcovitz, who plans to return to New Orleans following graduation, extended his own personal help to any HGSE student who wishes to return to the city and get involved. "It's not a place to go unless you have a specific agenda of what want to do in community…it's not just a job," he says.

For Neary, volunteering in New Orleans reaffirmed her career choice. "As a first year teacher, there are so many doubts and you wonder if you matter…and doing this for a week you can see the immediacy," she says. "It makes me more dedicated to the field of education because I can see myself making a difference."

Beyond the future of just education and New Orleans, many HGSE students witnessed something remarkable in their classmates, whom they see everyday.

"It gave me an incredible sense of possibility and faith in the people I go to school with," Summerville says. "[They are] people [who] are open, excited, intelligent, giving, and ready to be welcomed into teaching."