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SCHOOL SPIRIT
Visit Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, today, and you might think that
Hurricane Katrina struck last week, not more than seven months ago.
The town's infrastructure has been virtually destroyed, half its residents
are gone, and the other half live in trailers. Nevertheless, this
fractured community has a new center: the school system. Trailers
have replaced the original school buildings, and many teachers have
returned, along with about half of the students.
With new students registering every day, no technology, disorganized
libraries, mud playgrounds and students who may have been out of school
for months, the system faces enormous challenges--including a multi-million
dollar debt. Yet hope survives. We report on what life is like for
students, teachers and the principal of Second Street Elementary School
in Bay St. Louis.
produced by Tira Grey
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SOS4EDUCATION is
a unique, community wide fundraising effort to help rebuild,
revive and refurbish the Bay St. Louis - Waveland School District
in Mississippi. collapse
Scarsdale residents formed SOS4EDUCATION in September, shortly
after Katrina, and a group of volunteers has been working
toward a variety of events in May including: a visit by Bay
St. Louis students to Scarsdale's Middle School; a Relay for
Relief on May 7th, a walkathon involving the whole community
[all of the schools]; and a major benefit dinner on May 9th.
Guests from the Bay St. Louis - Waveland School District
will join Robert Klein, Kathleen Koch of CNN and Bay St. Louis,
and Eli Manning. Our goal is to raise $500,000 to go
directly to specific projects in the schools.
Eight parents and teachers traveled to Bay St. Louis
last month and were stunned by the destruction we saw even
eight months after the storm. It was clear that the
modular classrooms provide a haven of normalcy in a very chaotic
and frightening world. We were extraordinarily impressed
by the courage, energy and optimism of all of the people we
met while we were there, including the Superintendent, Dr.
Kim Stasny, Asst. Superintendent Debbie Fox, Board Attorney
Ron Artigues, principals, teachers, parents and kids.
Scarsdale is a community dedicated to education and we feel
strongly that we all have an obligation to help those in the
hurricane ravaged communities. We saw your excellent
report last night on Bay St. Louis and wanted to see
if there was a way we could work together.
For more information: sos4education.com
Or contact Deborah Rapaport:
914-723-5330, 914-588-0805 (cell)
DSRapa@aol.com
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Original
Airdate: April 6, 2006 |
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