A Summer of Service & Learning: Gulf Coast Students Become Leaders in the Recovery Process

This summer, 5th- through 8th-graders in the Gulf Coast region helped rebuild their communities through the Gulf Coast WalkAbout. The service-learning based summer school program engaged students in the long-term recovery process through community-based service projects, while strengthening their academic skills.

WalkAbout is part of NYLC’s Resources for Recovery initiative, which taps the power of young people through service-learning as a sustainable, effective force for disaster preparedness and recovery.

"So much has changed since Hurricane Katrina flooded our city, our schools, separated our families and friends, and took some of our loved ones," said a student from Sophie B. Wright Charter School in New Orleans. "Many have called us refugees and the Katrina Kids, but we still rise and strive to do our best."

More than 450 students from 10 schools participated in WalkAbout’s five sites — spread across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. And more than half of the youths were displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The schools that took place in the program were:

• Charlotte Hyatt Elementary School, Escatawpa Elementary School, and Kreole Elementary School (Moss Point, Miss.)
• Nicholson Elementary School, South Side Upper Elementary, and Center for Alternative Education (Picayune, Miss.)
• Capdau Charter School (New Orleans, La.)
• Sophie B. Wright Charter School (New Orleans, La.)
• DeQueen Elementary School and Port Arthur Alternative Center (Port Arthur and Groves, Texas)

WalkAbout provided students with opportunities to rebuild many of things they lost. They used a community mapping activity to determine their projects, and fit them into lesson plans. Teachers connected the projects to three curricular areas — environmental science, oral history, and emergency preparedness — ensuring that goals were met. Students also improved their academic skills through journaling, research, and communications with their neighbors.

Most importantly, though, the young people went from being victims of a hurricane to community leaders in the restoration process.

New Orleans
At Sophie B. Wright Charter School, students planted shrubs and flowers in a park near their school and painted trash cans, encouraging neighbors to clean up their city. The youths also created a short documentary about the project, highlighting aspects of the recovery process. At Capdau Charter School, the young people built and painted bus benches to replace the ones that were destroyed in the aftermath of the hurricanes. They also started a reading mentorship with students at a local elementary school.

Picayune, Mississippi
Students built and decorated bird houses to compensate for the loss of area trees, donating some to an arboretum and each of the participating schools; repaired bicycles and distributed them to children in need; and designed and constructed a quilt that was donated to one of the participating schools.

Moss Point, Mississippi
Students aided a local bed-and-breakfast owner who suffers from leukemia. She had long wanted to build her “dream garden,” and the youths made that garden a reality, enhancing her business at the same time. Students also expanded their scientific knowledge by researching plants and shrubs to include in the project.

Port Arthur and Groves, Texas
Students adopted a street to restore and clean up. They also partnered with local businesses, which donated supplies and money for the project.

"It is good to see our students take the initiative to restore the beauty of the neighborhood," said L. Merriam, a teacher at Sophie B. Wright Charter School. "We are setting a positive example of what productive citizens should do. We are just hoping that others will follow our footsteps."