Third Saint Martin Service Trip in New Orleans

The following is an excerpted email sent out by faculty member and New Orleans trip leader, Ms. Devon Lynch-Huggins.

I’d like to share a short report and reflection about the recent service/immersion trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. We departed from school on Easter Monday in three vans: two rentals and "Merlot." We spent our first night in Nashville, TN at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. The St.VdP youth group cooked a dinner for us. We picked up a cake to celebrate Tyesha Cole’s 18th birthday. She nearly cried as we sang happy birthday. We played basketball and slept on the floors of two classrooms. The hospitality was magnificent. (Sidebar: alarm goes off in the school at midnight—I sleep through the whole thing…all other adults wake up…little do we know that an open window somewhere else in the building set off the alarm…several squad cars and the Nashville Canine Unit show up to investigate…eventually the alarm goes off and everything is ok). In the morning the pastor brought breakfast for us and we continued on our trip to New Orleans.

In New Orleans we stayed at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. Their facility is gorgeous and perfect for hosting groups like ours. They have had to rehab a significant part of the building after Katrina, because after the storm they had eight feet of water in the Church. In addition to plenty of sleeping space and a number of nice showers, there was also a large kitchen—big enough that we could all stand around and admire as Rich cooked up feasts for almost every meal. (Sidebar #2: on our first night in NOLA we went out to dinner. Prior to dinner, Rich Clark decides to soak beans so he can make rice and beans the next day. He forgets to turn off the stove before we leave. We come home from dinner to a smoke-filled building [and some very well-done beans]. Three fire trucks show up…eventually everything is ok).

On Wednesday and Saturday of our week in New Orleans we worked with an organization called Greenlight New Orleans. They are a non-profit that provides a free service to residents of New Orleans and surrounding towns. Volunteers go into the homes of people who have signed up and switch out old incandescent light bulbs and install CFL bulbs. We then let them know how much money they will save over the life of the bulbs and how much less CO2 they will produce. In short, it’s good for people financially and it’s good for the environment. Some of the homes were beautiful—being refurbished with new hardwood floors and granite countertops. Some of them seemed nearly (or completely) uninhabitable. This was our second year volunteering with Greenlight. The best part of this project is that it gives us the chance to go into the homes of families, many of whom have been affected by Katrina, and hear their stories. We were welcomed in, thanked, invited back, etc. Our kids took the initiative to ask people about their stories, talk to them about us and our school and just do the work we had been asked to do. Each home and each family or resident threw something new and challenging our way. (http://www.greenlightneworleans.org)

On Thursday and Friday we worked with an organization called St. Bernard Project. They work in St. Bernard Parish (just outside of N.O. and just next to the Lower 9th Ward) rebuilding homes that have been nearly destroyed by Katrina. Apparently in this area, even though the average family income is very modest, almost 70% of the residents were home owners. Thus—their homes are their major investments. The storm and the subsequent flood devastated them. St. Bernard Project brings in volunteers (like us) to gut homes, put up drywall, mud, paint, etc. We put up almost an entire house’s worth of drywall. It was difficult work and it was glorious work. We broke up into small groups and took on one room at a time. We did walls and ceilings. We used T-squares, key hole saws and lots of other fun sharp object. We cut holes for outlets and light fixtures. A local resident (though not the owner of the home) came by to thank us for our work. St. Bernard Project put him back in his home and he expressed to us how grateful he was for volunteers like us. (http://www.stbernardproject.org/v158/)

We visited the Lower 9th Ward and stood in places where water had reached more than 12 ft. We stood in front of one of the levees that broke. We saw homes that have been completely rebuilt and we saw homes that look the way they did days after the storm. We met a man who swam four blocks days after Katrina so that he could get to his boat and rescue people in his neighborhood. We drove through areas of the city where million dollar homes went almost completely untouched by the storm. We met a young man who can’t get into college because his high school diploma was washed away by the flood. We ate crawfish and discovered praline bacon for the first time. Our kids taught Jack Myslenski the Stanky Leg.

Our kids were fantastic. Whether putting up drywall, going into homes, going out to dinner, bowling, participating in a Mass that lasted an hour and forty five minutes…whatever, they were troopers. Tyeasha Doss was sick the entire time and the smile hardly ever left her face. Jjay Simms stepped up in a way I couldn’t have anticipated and guided the 11th graders through the experience. On the last day we gave the kids their cleaning assignments and they actually went about their work (cleaning bathrooms, showers, etc.) while SINGING. Yesenia Bucio was responsible for cleaning a bathroom and she turned the ends of the toilet paper rolls to points! The kids were so genuine, so reflective and were constantly shouting each other out and building each other up.

Thank you for supporting us at all levels: for approving our budget, writing recommendations for the kids, filling out eligibility sheets, donating money for the car wash or dress down day, for letting us take Merlot, for praying for us, for seeing us off and welcoming us back.

Our group consists of:
Claire Bopp
Yesenia Bucio
Tyesha Cole
Tyeasha Doss
Shawnta Eberhardt
Luciano Galindez
Jalicia Ruffin (student leader)
JJay Simms (student leader)
Rich Clark (presidente)
Devon Lynch-Huggins (theology/campus ministry)
Adam Musser (theology/campus ministry)
Jack Myslenski (chair of CWSP board)
Molly Vaughan (CWSP)

Please congratulate the students (and grown-ups) when you see them.

Catholic Schools Week

Why is there a Catholic Schools Week? Is it a narcissistic attempt to elicit praise and tout our successes? Is it an effort to elevate Catholic schools to heights above other systems of education? If these are the reasons to advocate a celebration of Catholic Schools Week, I would be the first to advocate not celebrating this special week. Rather, I believe that Catholic Schools Week is a reminder to the Catholic school community to always focus on our mission, a mission expressed very well in the theme for 2009: “Catholic Schools Celebrate Service.” To me, one of the hallmarks of the Catholic school is the creation of a learning environment in which relationships are based on love, mutual respect and Gospel values. In this nurturing environment, faculty and students are propelled into service of those in need. Thus, I think that Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the life and love that we share. Yet, far from turning us to only look at ourselves, it challenges us to always be looking for ways to follow the Way, the Truth and the Life in proclaiming Good News and transforming the world!

Heartfelt Thanks

The Saint Martin Student Advisory Board chose to send Christmas cards to some of our men and women in the armed service. Below is the response of one of those who received one of those Christmas cards.

Ms. Vogel,
For ten days in December I was a patient at the Miami Veterans Hospital. I cannot tell you how pleased and happy I was when two days before Christmas, someone walked into my room and gave me a card sent by The Student Advisory Board of your school.

It brought a tear to my eye to think that these students would take time out of their busy lives to send these cards. I cannot tell you how much joy it brought to me, I will save this card for years to come.

Please tell these students that their work is very appreciated.

Thanks for lifting my spirits, when they needed to be lifted.