BAY ST. LOUIS -- A month after most schools have reopened in Hancock County, in scenes that are playing out across the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast, there are still plenty of signs that this is no regular school year for students. At Bay High School, dozens of parents lined up on a recent day not to receive supplies but shoes for their children.
At St. Clare School in Waveland, Principal Mark Cumella’s domain has gone from a brick-and-mortar campus to 21 Quonset huts. “Our five structures were all shaved to the slab,” he says.
Click 'Play' to hear Cindy Seal, a mother of two Bay St. Louis public school students, describe why it was worth waiting in line for half an hour for a shoe giveaway. She held her youngest, an 18-month-old boy who she was later taking to a clinic with a possible case of bronchitis, the entire time.
And St. Stanislaus College Prep and Our Lady Academy, boys and girls high schools next to one another in Bay St. Louis, have had to combine -- much to the pleasure of the teens, but a concern to some parents who deliberately chose all-girls or all-boys schools for their children.
In this, our fourth look at area schools (previous reporting has focused on the debris removal, expectations for reopening and the first day back at school), we saw children studying and socializing, but we also heard from administrators about their financial needs – from a health clinic and band equipment at Bay High, to a new dining hall and library at St. Stanislaus.
St. Clare can’t even start reconstruction -- it’s in limbo as the Catholic diocese weighs whether to rebuild the school at all.
We toured the public and parochial schools in early December. Below are snapshots of where they are, and what they need in terms of donations, more than three months after Katrina.
Bay High and other public schools
Surprises like the 1,400 pairs of shoes donated by Mendenhall and Magee high schools in Mendenhall, Miss., are always welcome at the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District.
The shoes were especially helpful, says Superintendent Kim Stasny, because an estimated 80 percent of returning students lost their homes and belongings.
And as more families come back to the area that percentage is likely to go up. The student return rate is now at 48 percent, up from 39 percent when schools reopened on Nov. 7. Stasny expects it to increase to 60 percent after Christmas when a new semester begins.
At Bay High, 450 of the 750 pre-Katrina students are in class, among them Brooke Martin, a senior who returned right after Thanksgiving from a school in North Carolina. “It sucked,” is how she described a school where she made no friends and spent her free time sitting in her sister’s home.
Coming back, on the other hand, “was awesome,” she says. “I’m staying for good … I didn’t want to graduate with a class I didn’t know.”
But she’s also quick to point out that school’s not the same. “A lot of people aren’t back,” she says. In addition, Bay High is now mostly in portables, some teachers have moved away, and the school has lost equipment like cameras and computers for a broadcasting class that had students doing weekly 15-minute news programs for the school.
That equipment alone was valued at $40,000, says Stasny.
There’s also the band, which lost $70,000 in instruments and uniforms. On a recent afternoon, band director Catchie Crider had 20 students for the first time trying out the few salvaged instruments that she’d had cleaned. Understandably out of practice, and tune, they were rehearsing Christmas songs for a concert.
Stasny says that “probably our greatest need” is restocking the health clinics at Bay High and other schools.
Michelle Lichtenstein, a nurse at Bay High, says “we’re running on not much more than a thermometer.” Supplies as simple as ready-mix ice packs are in great need, she adds.
Stasny urges potential donors to consider financial contributions instead of physical supplies because in some cases, the schools already have enough. “Please trust us with your money to make purchases,” she says.
The school district has a list of financial needs as well as phone numbers to contact on its Web site at www.bwsd.org.
The district is also searching for corporate sponsors, offering to slap logos on buses, band uniforms and other items in exchange for money. District administrator Sandra Reed asks potential sponsors to contact her via e-mail at sreed@bwsd.org, adding that about the only limitation is that “we’re not going to have a Hooter’s sign on the bus.”
St. Stanislaus/Our Lady
The new motto at this Catholic campus right on the beach is “two schools under one roof.” That’s because while neither St. Stanislaus nor Our Lady Academy could function separately after Katrina, they found they could reopen as one by sharing buildings.
Brother Ronald Talbot, president of St. Stanislaus, says bringing the boys and girls together was “politically sensitive” and that there’s no decision on whether that will be permanent or just temporary.
Classes are held at St. Stanislaus, since classrooms there are on the second floor and thus were spared by the storm surge. But the school estimates $19 million in damages to its eight buildings, including a dorm, library and dining hall. All five school buses, four trucks and two SUVs were destroyed as well.
“The library collapsed into the basement,” says Talbot, who with several other Catholic brothers and 46 students rode out Katrina from the second-story classrooms. The students were boarders from other states and countries.
Those students have since gone home, but most local students have returned. Enrollment in early December stood at 479, compared with 640 before Katrina.
The schools have received some donations, text books for example, and nearly $400,000 in cash, but Talbot says he’s still having to “beg” to get more. The dining hall alone could cost $1.5 million, the library $500,000.
Like property owners all along the coast, the schools are also fighting their insurance company over how much of the damage is wind, i.e. insured, or flood, i.e. uninsured.
Debris cleanup has already cost $1 million and the Catholic diocese hasn’t been able to help much given damage throughout the region.
The cash crunch and fewer students have also meant having to lay off half of the 42 teachers.
Familes are still paying tuition, at least those who can afford it, and the schools work with those who can’t, Talbot says.
Like Bay High, the Catholic schools expect a bump after Christmas, perhaps 100 more boys and girls. And St. Stanislaus plans to reopen its dorm in early January.
Talbot, who also teaches math, says that while students aren’t expected to do as much Internet research these days, they still get the same amount of homework, at least in his class. “We’re trying to keep it as normal as possible,” he says.
St. Stanislaus is accepting financial donations online at ststan.com, while Our Lady Academy welcomes cash as well as certain supplies and equipment listed at ourladyacademy.com.
St. Clare Elementary
When Katrina swept away this school and church just across from the beach, leaving only a statue of the Virgin Mary behind, Principal Mark Cumella had no idea how to respond. It turns out he didn’t have to. The owner of Alaska Structures, a Seattle-based builder of Quonset huts, showed up a few days later saying he had seen the word “school” painted on the road and figured he had something they needed.
Cumella wanted to know how much it’d cost. The owner, who asked not to be identified, “said that was for him to worry about,” Cumella recalls.
Just over a month later, 21 Quonset huts were up: most as classrooms, a few for administration, one for the cafeteria and one that rises above the rest -- a restroom complete with a sewer line.
That allowed the pre-kindergarten-to-6th grade school to reopen on Oct. 31. Of the 174 students before Katrina, 112 are back. Cumella expects that to grow to 120-125 right after Christmas.
The school has received other donations as well. Five of the six other St. Clare schools in the United States sent clothing emblazoned with the school name. Bag lunches are delivered each school day by a group called The Convoy of Hope. The owner of a Rhode Island transportation company donated a school bus, which others filled with supplies and equipment. Lockheed-Martin donated 60 computers.
The school and church could cost $5 million to rebuild, but the diocese is weighing whether it’s even worth it given the flood zone where the campus was located.
Cumella says he and his students’ families want the school to stay and have even talked about becoming independent. “I’m going to fight as hard as I can,” he vows.
The school’s limbo doesn’t mean it’s free of short-term cash problems either. The school only has a quarter of what it needs to cover teacher salaries through May.
That’s because less than 40 percent of families are able to pay tuition right now, Cumella says, quickly adding that “no child is turned away” for financial reasons.
Contributions to the school can be made by calling 228-467-7071. Additional information is online at www.stclareelementary.org.
Waiting for FEMA funds
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I hope and pray your school and church will rebuild. Maybe a little bit away from the coast. Your parish still cherishes and needs you.
k.naylor (Sent Dec 5, 2005 10:51:56 PM)
this tells me progress is being made...but these folks still need a lot of our help because they are doing the best ....with what they have and seem thankfull...to have what they have
andy,mss (Sent Dec 6, 2005 8:06:06 AM)
I went to St. Stanislaus for 7 years. I lived 7 years of my life on the Miss. Gulf coast. I remember when we used to talk about Camille and what it did the area. Assuming that we would never see anything close to that again. Well, we were right. Camille wasn't even close to the devestation that Katrina levied out. However. St. Stanislaus has always been a mainstay in the heart of BSL. In fact there are only 2 types of H.S. students in BSL. Bay High and Stanislaus. Knowing these 2 schools are doing everything they can to have things as normal as possible gives me hope that slowly, things will get better. Every day is better than the next. Tiny steps is all you can do. Tiny wins. Whatever it takes. Its going to take 3-5-10 years and yet we know things will never be as they were but Having been born and raised in New Orleans, we're a stubborn bunch and if only the rest of the U.S. knew what we know and knew as one of the most peaceful, temperate, old south, charming, beautiful places left in this country, maybe restoration and aid would be quicker..With or without though, BSL, Waveland, The Pass, they'll do it on their own anyways....
Marc Meyer (Sent Dec 6, 2005 11:16:33 AM)
I am a little concerned that the Chruch in Rome has not been able to relieve some of the agnst for these folks. In a world that finds the Chruch unable to keep their point of view with the people it serves I would think keeping a school going in the south would be a big deal. Sorry but I think Catholics should be very mad at Rome for not being thier for them. How many mission collections did they give to for the straving in Africa over the years?
I see this whole thing as no one really caring about this poor town and its sad people even their chruch. The missionaries should be on the ground in Waveland handing out food and shoes and helping to rebuild that chruch and its two high schools if they care about it remaining Catholic!
Bonnie K Omaha (Sent Dec 6, 2005 2:16:16 PM)
The shoe give-away story was wonderful. The caring of others certainly has been a blessing to the people in need along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The BETA Clubs of Mendenhall High School and Magee High School in Simpson County Mississippi collected the shoes and they deserve a little mention in this story, don't you think?
Roosevelt Oatis, Mendenhall, Mississippi (Sent Dec 6, 2005 2:19:18 PM)
This is another example of where we need to aim our resources. There is no better area for donations and resources than our schools. I understand that energy is spread pretty thin and infrastucture is beat up, but with a nation as strong and wealthy as ours, we shouldn't have this much trouble getting the aid and support needed as quickly to the areas needing it. Since the kids suffer to most in disasters, it makes it that much more important to move in quickly and efficiently. As a nation, we need to turn inward as much as outward looking for problems and issues.
Hugh W. Sterling VA (Sent Dec 6, 2005 3:15:02 PM)
I support the President in the War in Iraq and most of all, our troops who put their precious lives on the line there for the fight on terriosum, but as I can recall, our President made approximately 3 trips to the areas hit the most to see the damage hisself. He knows the devastation that took hold of the peoples lives without the advise from his advisors. Where is he now? It says that it costs 1 billion dollars a day to finance the war in Iraq. Why can't some of that money support the Katrina victoms? They need homes not huts. They need the core of their lives rebuilt, starting with schools. This is suppose to be modern day America. Remember, some of our troops who fought in Iraq did not have a home to come back too. Remember, we let millions of innocent people die in Somalia before we did anything. The American people has reached out with millions of dollars in donations for the Katrina victoms but what about our government? Most of all, why are these Big Insurance companies allowed to get away with monies paid them and simply refusing to pay the claims to the American people when a claim is in clear sight justified?
O. Bullock Baltimore, Maryland (Sent Dec 6, 2005 9:12:23 PM)
President Bush visited the coast to tell people what they wanted to hear in their time of need. Where is he now? What exactly is he doing for the residents that he vowed would not be forgotten? Do actions not speak louder than words? The President's words are useless; let us see him take action and take action NOW.
Stacey, Indiana (Sent Dec 7, 2005 9:12:37 AM)
The devastation in the Gulf area was terrible no doubt. However, when did become the job of the federal government to do all that they are being asked to do. As a veteran I really resent any comparison betwween Iraq and our Gulf coast. I also resent that my tax dollars go to support the people in those states. If MY house is knocked down by nature it is MY responsibilty to care for MY family and rebuild MY house. This is where the private sector charity groups come into play. I personally did not donate to any of the Gulf relief funds since I had already paid my taxes. I don't want to seem insesitive but the federal government should not be a safety net every time we fall.
Steve C. Cincinnati, Ohio (Sent Dec 7, 2005 9:39:02 AM)
It is time for our Government to take a long hard look at the Insurance INDUSTRY and the lobbying that goes on. Insurance is proving for many around our nation, not just in the Gulf Region, to be a legal form of robbery. However, the money that is being funnelled into DC by the Insurance Industry ensures that this legal robbery will go on unchecked.
I feel that it is very important to help the PUBLIC school system, which is there to serve ALL CHILDREN, regain some semblance of normality. To the private schools, you have my sympahty, but look for money from the parents of your students and your church families. You are not there to serve the entire community as is a public school. Kuddos to the Magee and Mendenhall HS BETA clubs for their efforts on behalf of the students of the BSL Public School System!
I am so proud of the people of Mississippi for forging ahead in the face of adversity. You don't hear MS whining that the Federal Government should GIVE them homes or jobs like the folks from NO. I think it is a shame that so much attention has been given to NO and so little to MS. I guess the old saying that that the "squeaky wheel gets the oil" holds true.
Stay strong - better days are surely ahead for all of you.
L.S., Little Rock, AR (Sent Dec 7, 2005 1:17:26 PM)
I have two children that have been active in band for several years. I feel music is an essential part of any Childs education.
After reading this article I thought the best way to help would be an Instrument Donation Drive for the schools that lost so much.
Music is an important way to heal.
Look in your attics, and closets; there are a lot of unused
Band instruments tucked into peoples closets that their children had to have, but lost interest in. What better way for them to be used then to help these children heal.
I have set up an email address if you would like information:
katrinasmusic@earthlink.net
Patti Bachmann, Eaton, Ohio (Sent Dec 7, 2005 8:22:43 PM)
The private schools are just as important as the public schools, and if you actually read the articles it said that the private schools especially St Claire's are not turning children away. If the parents can afford to pay tuition they are if not the school is working with them. The families of the public school system where not the only ones affected by this storm the entire community in the Bay St Louis and Waveland area was affected. My husband and I had just moved to the Bay St Louis a year ago for a job at St Stanislaus and we lost everything. St Stanislaus has some of the most caring families and staff of any school that I've been too, and I know they will rebuild and be great again.
Elizabeth, Bay St Louis, MS (Sent Dec 8, 2005 9:58:18 AM)
It is worse than you can imagine, trust me on this. I have seen it up close and personal.
Marti
Marti MobileAL (Sent Dec 12, 2005 1:42:43 PM)
I am a Senior at Our Lady Academy. Our entire lives have been shut down, but somehow we're surviving and going to school everyday. I'm so thankful to have SSC and OLA, and I didn't realize it until after the hurricane. Going to school with boys is slightly different after 6 years of all girls, but we all understand that its not a choice. We're making the best of it.
What this article didn't tell you is that OLA has demolished one of its buildings, and in order to move back and be our own school again, we have to rebuild two other buildings. They're completely gutted, and we now have a sky light since the roof washed out into the gulf somewhere. More than anything we need your prayers. We're not getting nearly enough money to rebuild, and things look really bleak. I'm not going to ask for your money because that's your decision, but I please just ask for your prayers for my little school that I love so much.
Amanda, Waveland (Sent Dec 13, 2005 9:05:46 PM)
i attended st. stanislaus college from 1957 thru 1959 and still think fondly of it.
went by 10 years ago and was impressed by what it has turned into from a small school.
i am from cuba and did commute to school 3 times per year via havana-new orleans .
one easter week instead of flying home for the week ,a few of us hoodwinked the brothers into thinking we were flying home and instead ended up for the week in a boarding house in new orleans .we had a great time all by ourselves during mardi gras in this city.we survived on white castle hamburgers .
we were 13 to 15 year olds.
have to go back to see it again.
fernando fernandez bolanos (Sent Dec 17, 2005 9:00:10 AM)
The greatest asset of OLA/SSC schools are not the brick and mortar, but the children, teachers and administrators that make the schools come to life...make the what they are. However, as with much in life...the brick, mortar, desks, books, etc are essential to bring life back to normal. But more importantly than that...they are essential to bring these young people into the world as responsible citizens giving back to the community locally, nationally and internationally. I have two attending OLA & SSC, and can personally attest to the the values instilled in them by attending OLA and SSC. The academics are the best on the coast. When someone asks, why should our tax dollars go to helping people in other areas? Why should I pay (or go above and beyond) for your misfortune? The answer is: we are called to be citizens of the world - helping one another. That is what Americans do. That is what makes our country special. That is what God calls us to do. And, that is what we would do for you. God bless OLA, SSC and America.
LV, Pass Chrisitan (Sent Jan 3, 2006 8:29:26 PM)
I graduated St. Stanislaus last year and it was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. It will take a lot of time to rebuild, but we're from MISSISSIPPI!! We will not fall, and if we do...we will get right back up again and fight!! What we need right now is PRAYER...sure money is great...but only God can pull us together at this point...
Lee Klein, Lakeshore MS (Sent Jan 12, 2006 7:47:09 PM)
im a student at our lady academy, im in 7th grade, i only went to ola for 3 weeks, and i just love it. it's the best school i have been on, and after katrina, i wanted to go back to ola, not to some other school.
ola is the best school, with SSC, together, we will rebuild.
ola is rebuilding and we already have some classes there.
but most of the classes are at ssc.
i love OLA and i would not give up on it.
marta, diamondhead (Sent Jan 28, 2006 9:07:23 PM)
After watching people in boats, people in houses and slow moving process' of rebuilding, I don't understand why some of them wouldn't want to try building around the water... similar to an Italy town of boats and history in one... huge on tourism as is Italy for it's history, and they wouldn't have to go very far! To do this they would simply have to study a little on how Italy got started with their water roads and streets ... To add romance and history along with adventure all in one town. Something so many people haven't tried.
To get started simply figure out where you want a town of this sort, figure out which structures are well supported yet, to build off of them and which ones may or will need to be fixed, removed or better supported to add to. Then figure out what they need to live, a boats store old and new... used and newly ordered... , food, travel, tide recommendations, schooling... to sit in a classroom with fish out every window would be an incredible science experience... a college of ocean aquatics... and so much more potential... studies of the ocean and nature in it's truest forms.
All the people I give this idea to think I'm crazy or nuts but it isn't that far off from happening. There are an incredible amount of solid structures still in place to rebuild from and/or over! All one would need to do is get the power and belief, to see the dream, and make it happen! Anything is possible, anything can be!
sincerely,
Karen m. erdman
karen erdman,baraboo,wi (Sent Feb 9, 2006 7:30:15 AM)
you know, instead of thinking of ideas like that, why don't you do something productive to help us rebuild....there's not enough help, it's not going fast enough.....there are still people who haven't gotten their trailers.....and yes, the schools desperately need your help and monetary donations....especially the schools that are being shafted, like St. Clare's and Our Lady Academy....it's just a shame, that two wonderful schools that have graced this beautiful coast, are barely getting any help at all.....please, instead of sitting around thinking of far out ideas that won't help our situation, why don't you help out?...that's all we are asking....be a good citizen....be an american.....
AC, BSL, MS (Sent Mar 13, 2006 5:27:19 PM)
I am a Pre-Kindergarten teacher in Georgia. I am retiring and would like to hook up with a Pre-Kindergarten teacher who would like my personal classroom supplies. I would like to donate my teaching books, shelves, etc. to a classroom or a school which would really benefit from them. If you know of such a teacher, school, etc. please let me know as I am cleaning out years of like new teaching supplies, classroom decorations, posters,etc., and want these things to go somewhere where they can be useful.
Thank you for your time. I can personally deliver if necessary.
Andrea L. Butzon (Sent Apr 22, 2006 12:37:23 PM)
I was born and raised on the MS Gulf Coast. I attended St. Clare in elementary school and graduated from Bay High School. I have since grown up and am now a teacher in Hancock County. I love this place. It is my home and I woundn't think of raising my own children anywhere else.
The people of this community support and care for one another like no where else I've ever been. The Bay schools are in great need of all sorts of supplies from
desks and shelves to small things like pencils and printer paper. It's amazing to see how well the people are coping with the daily stresses they must deal with.
The days bring different emotions, but for the most part everyone tries to stay positive and lifts one another up. It is beautiful to see how even though there is so much destruction, a community can still unite together even in the toughest of times. The
gulf coast was my past, is my present, and will always be my future. Please pray for our families......
Amanda (Sent May 14, 2006 9:45:33 PM)
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