Minuteman student Lillian Powell of Arlington, inset, puts up wallboard in a home damaged by Hurricane Katrina, its flooding aftermath shown in 2005. / Connie Maynard inset photo
Aug. 29, 2005, is a day that Gulf Coast residents will never forget. That morning, Hurricane Katrina, by then a powerful Category 3 storm, struck land with relentless ferocity, leaving death and massive destruction behind. The Federal Emergency Management Agency called Katrina “the single most catastrophic disaster in U.S. history” as well as the nation’s costliest hurricane, with total damage estimated to be $108 billion. Some 1,833 victims perished, mainly in Louisiana.
Today, nearly 12 years later, some people who lived in the affected area are still rebuilding their homes. To assist with that effort, a group of adults and students from Minuteman High School in Lexington traveled about 1,500 miles to New Orleans in April as part of an initiative called Mass Nine for the 9th.
That organization was founded by carpentry students from Newton North High School who were assisted by three teachers from Newton North and Newton South, and Diana Bouquillon, Newton North’s former director of career and technical education and wife of Minuteman Superintendent Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon.
The intent of Mass Nine for the 9th is to help those displaced by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward to get back on their feet and back in their homes by having vocational students donate their time and construction skills to repair damaged residences.
Seeking wider participation
The goal is to eventually have nine vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts participating in this endeavor; thus far, Minuteman and Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton have pitched in, plus Newton North.
“I really enjoyed it a lot,” said Minuteman Director of Career and Technical Education Michelle Roche, who went on the trip, April 9 to 15. “A lot of the students who participated were so young when Hurricane Katrina happened. They learned a lot about themselves and how fortunate they are to have parents and homes. They came away changed.”
“To me, I think that the biggest takeaway from the trip was that I was making a difference.”
— Lillian Powell, Arlington sophomore
In addition to Roche, the team included carpentry teacher Clifford Keirstead, plumbing teacher Kyle Romano; Connie Maynard, adviser to the Community Service and Learning Club, and Ms. Bouquillon.
Minuteman students involved were Margaret Armstrong, Olivia Cassidy, Anna Clark, Fae Eisenheim, Mark Galvin, Nadishna Khadka, Charles Lovett, Kameryn Montimes, Kevin Mullaney, Alison Nakhtigal, Lillian Powell, Otto Rademacher, Benjamin Roth and Allison Sanzio.
The students volunteered to go as part of Minuteman’s Community Service and Learning Club. They stayed at the Church of the Annunciation Retreat House, which Roche likened to a hostel because it has temporary living quarters for people such as those from Minuteman who come for brief stays for humanitarian reasons. Dormitory-style accommodations were the rule, with a cook on hand to prepare what Roche called “typical New Orleans fare” for meals.
What was a workday like?
Their days were long and hectic, usually starting at 7:30 a.m., when everyone awoke. They would arrive on site early in the morning and would be picked up by a bus to be taken back to their home base by midafternoon.
They worked on three dwellings. “On one, the students installed the insulation for an entire house,” Maynard explained. “At another, students put up wallboard, then spackled and sanded the home; and on the third site, they painted and did yard work.”
The students came from a wide variety of technical programs, including environmental science, cosmetology and culinary arts/baking. Not all of them were adept at carpentry. Nevertheless, as Roche pointed out, “No matter what your talents are, there is something you can do to help.”
The tools, equipment and supplies used by the Minuteman group were provided by the St. Bernard Project, a nonprofit established less than a year after Hurricane Katrina to rebuild homes in St. Bernard Parish in southeast Louisiana. A program manager from the project was on site with the Minuteman people, specifying what they were expected to do each day.
Nights were devoted to learning, stimulating discussions and quiet reflection. One evening activity involved watching a 2006 documentary titled “When the Levees Broke” by filmmaker Spike Lee. It depicts the harsh aftermath of Katrina in the words of those who endured its fury. Some of the students were initially wary of viewing it, Roche said, given the film’s unsparing intensity, but in the end, they all did. “It shocked them at first,” she said, “but we had some great conversations” about it.
To record their memories and impressions, the students were expected to keep journals. Roche suggested that they write down what they know about Katrina at the beginning of their stay in New Orleans and what they came to understand about it by the time they were ready to head back to Massachusetts. Exit interviews were conducted. The students were asked to respond to questions about what surprised them, what had challenged them and what changes they planned to make in their lives at school and home.
Throughout the week, there were memorable encounters that the students could never have anticipated, Roche said. For example, they listened to one of their bus drivers, only 14 years old at the time of Katrina, who described having to literally carry his petite mother so she would not drown in the steadily rising waters that flooded the streets after the levees gave way.
Heard from cousins
They also heard from cousins of Minuteman Superintendent Bouquillon — Rhonda Lee Richoux, Carey-Farrar Brassette and husband Edward Dane Brassette — who weathered Katrina, rebuilt their homes and live in New Orleans.
It wasn’t unusual, Roche said, for strangers to approach the group to express their heartfelt thanks. The students appreciated their warmth and sincerity. Kevin Mullaney, a sophomore from Needham majoring in carpentry at Minuteman, said, “Everyone that lives in the area is so friendly and kind. They walk right up to you and start talking and telling their stories. Everyone should help people throughout their lives because it helps you to become a better person.”
Lillian Powell, a sophomore from Arlington majoring in health assisting, agreed. For her, the whole experience was upbeat and clearly demonstrated that her technical skills and those of her peers could be used not only to earn a living, but to truly transform people’s lives.
“The amount of gratitude we received throughout the week from numerous people was incredible; it was never-ending,” she said. “To me, I think that the biggest takeaway from the trip was that I was making a difference. I could see the houses changing and the smiles on people’s faces because of me helping.”
This news feature provided by Minuteman was published Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
