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Students Volunteer in New OrleansBy Jordain Kirk, Courtesy of Kent News |
Nearly six years ago, when Katrina struck as a Category 5 hurricane, the people of New Orleans mourned the death and injuries of many loved ones and the destruction of their city. After the natural disaster, nearly eighty percent of the city was flooded as a result of the failed levee system. To this day, many people are still living in temporary accommodations in Louisiana and neighboring states because of the destruction of their homes.
During spring break, ten students from Kent School participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in the 7th Ward of New Orleans. The project assisted a woman who was relocated after the storm, which had not only destroyed her home, but also took the lives of her sons.
Ms. Hicks, who chaperoned the trip, appreciates the work Mrs. Sokolnicki and the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana put in creating such an organized program. She said that on the trip you are “constantly keeping yourself busy working on different tasks which makes you feel very productive.” The joy of participating in a community service trip like Habitat for Humanity is “the direct impact you make. You are able to see your progress because it is more hands on,” says Ms. Hicks. Insulating the attic, grouting bathroom tiles and painting the house were some of the things Kent students did to put the finishing touches on this home. Duneska Michel ’12 was on her second Habitat trip, and thought the most rewarding aspect of it is that the experience “has to be done without expecting anything in return from the people you are doing it for...that’s the beauty of it,” she says. “The fact that people trusted us to build a part of their house is thank you enough.” As a matter of fact, year after year, Kent students, because of their mature and responsible characters, are trusted with work that is usually reserved for older volunteers.
Kat Andrews ’12, another second year participant, recommends this experience to her peers because its “gives you a different perspective of the living conditions that are out there in the United States and the impact natural disasters have on people, really making you appreciate your own life and inspiring you to help others.” As students were fixing the house up, neighbors nearby began to clean their own yards and help the Habitat for Humanity workers. This was a special experience for those on the trip because it showed them that the work that they did not only impacted the home they were building but also the community around it. Ms. Hicks said that this year’s group was really special because it was so diverse. "Everyone had different strengths and regardless of how much community service experience they had they were all capable of overcoming obstacles and working with one another," she says. "The trip was filled with laughter and everyone was really respectful and sincerely wanted to help.”
“In our free time we got to experience New Orleans Mardi Gras at a family-friendly float parade,” said Michel. She thought it was a great experience because “every truck had a different theme and the beads of all kinds were thrown at the people in the crowds.” Andrews notes she "had a great time in the French Quarter eating good food and watching street performers.” Although a project like this requires hard work, time and dedication all of the individuals who participated thought it was such a great trip to be a part of. Michel sums the trip up: “You get to experience New Orleans culture, which is beautiful, while getting to know the people of New Orleans, and also the people who go on the trip with you. Lastly you are helping someone there without expecting anything in return which is such an amazing feeling.”
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From the Ground Up in VirginiaBy Emily Yeterian, Courtesy of Kent News |
On the first official day of the 2011 Kent spring break, 14 students and five chaperones from Kent and South Kent loaded up a red mini-bus and began the 10-hour drive to Lynchburg, Virginia. What the week had in store, no one really knew, but what they did know was that they were on their way to significantly improving someone’s life.
When the group arrived in Virginia on Sunday night, they were kindly greeted and given a briefing of the project by the Habitat for Humanity affiliates, whom the students would be working for all week. They were going to be finishing a crawl space, laying down flooring, and building up the walls for the homeowner, Winter. A single mother with two young children, Winter is a full-time nurse who did not have time to work on the house during the weekdays.
Bright and early the next day, the group began work on the house, which to the dismay of many of the students consisted of carrying buckets of rocks into the crawl space. “While the work may have been a bit physically challenging, the thought of Winter and her two children motivated all of us to continue with a smile on our faces” says Jenna Zhu ’12. The students and teachers continued with work on the floor, not only building a house, but learning about the intricacies of construction. The basics of hammering, what the different types of nails were, and how to create a wall were just some of the different things the crew learned along the way. Michelle Bae ’13 comments that the “work was not only incredibly fulfilling, but interesting too. I had never done anything like this before and I was able to learn so much that I never otherwise would have.”
Although the weather was much colder than everyone expected, the students did not let it stop their work. On the rainy days, the group headed into the Habitat for Humanity workshop and built the four walls, which required loads of nails, feet of wood, and a lot of patience. However, it was certainly worth it, since most everyone agreed that the most exciting part of the trip was when they lifted the walls up and created a structure that actually resembled something that could become a home in the future. Early in the morning on the group’s last work day, the entire crew lined up along the structure, hoisted it up, and grinned. They did that three more times, and finally the house had four walls. When they bolted in the final wall, there was a huge round of applause and everyone proceeded to sign the walls with good luck wishes to Winter and her family.
“Working together and getting to know each other was a fun, growing experience," says Bronson Grund ’12. " I made new friends and memories I will carry with me. Knowing we were building a home for Winter and her children was life a changing experience, a feeling I cannot quite explain only one that I can feel.” When the group again loaded up that bold red mini-bus, they were extremely pleased with what they had accomplished during the week, but a little sad to watch the Lynchburg horizon fade.
