Anniversary Week Projects
Nelson Charter School - New Orleans, La.
A Blog by Megan Taormino
Thank You
Build Day began with a very special thank you song from the Kindergarten, First and Second grade students at Nelson UNO Charter School. Dressed in smart navy and white uniforms, the students lined-up on the basketball court in three straight rows and faced a crowd of more than 200 volunteers. From the happy, yet serious looks on the kids' faces and perfect behavior, it was obvious that they were taking their well-practiced thank you song very seriously. As the students sang several songs to the crowd, the teachers mouthed the words back to their students. When they finished, the volunteers applauded enthusiastically in appreciation. I turned to a teacher standing next to me and told her what a great job her students had done and I could tell that she agreed. I could tell that student's thank you song had been well-practiced and rehearsed. A teacher from the school told me that the thank you song had been written by the daughter of one of her colleagues and taught by the school's music teacher, Mrs. Pierce, to the younger kids. The time and energy that both the students and teachers had dedicated to saying thank you for their playground and I can tell that the Nelson community takes an enormous amount of pride in the school and playground.
 The Kids Are Thrilled
Nelson Charter School Principal, Ava Lee, said that the students could not be more thrilled that Build Day is finally here, especially since they've been involved in the process since Day One. "When KaBOOM! came down for the Design Day, students from our summer program drew their dream playgrounds and we noticed that many of the pictures included swing-sets. The initial designs included a lot of great structures, but when we didn't see enough swings we made sure that they were included in the next round because that's what our students envisioned for their playground."
It was obvious from speaking to Principal Lee, as well as from being a part of the Build Day that the school was making a concentrated effort to involve the student body in their playground project. While the school is being rebuilt, Nelson Charter School classes are being held in classrooms at a nearby school. Throughout the Build Day, different grades were given a break from classes to participate in various playground projects, including painting individual wooden blocks that would later become part of a larger mural.
Impact on Students
When I asked Principal Lee about how she saw the playground impacting her students she said that she's been in the New Orleans school system for ten years, and when she first moved down from New York City, the hardest part of her teaching day was the lunch hour. "There was no playground or structure for the kids to entertain themselves, there was only open space. We had a basketball court, but 20 kids shared one basketball." Without a place to play, arguments and squabbles amongst the students were routine.
Three Nelson students supported Principal Lee's assessment when I asked them what they do during recess now. "Nothing! There's nothing to do. Sometimes we kick around the soccer ball and the boys are always playing football. A playground will be good, especially for the younger kids because it will give them something to do."
 Nichelle Eugene-Nash, a teacher's aide at Nelson, told me that students have been counting down for their new playground since their Design Day in July. "The storm, followed by the rebuilding process, has really taken a toll on students and their families. Having a new playground will really restore a sense of normalcy to the student body." Teachers and staff at Nelson have been rallying volunteers for Build Day for the past several weeks and Nichelle pointed out several parents who had taken a day off work to attend the build. ‘Nelson Is Coming Back'
Principal Lee is also confident that the playground will have a strong impact on the school's rebuilding process. "The Nelson Charter School building is relatively new for New Orleans, it was built in 1990. It's really a shame that the building has been sitting here empty for so long because it's such an excellent facility." The school is scheduled to re-open in December and Principal Lee hopes that the new playground will bring new life and energy into the school's rebuilding process.
The playground build will also help with the community's rebuilding process. Nelson Charter School is located in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans which sat under seven feet of water for three weeks following the levee breaks. The surrounding neighborhood is rebuilding, although progress has been slow. Since Nelson sits on the corner of a busy intersection, Principal Lee hopes that their new playground and building progress will inspire people driving by. "In addition to the playground, we're also sprucing up the front of the school with green grass and landscaping." Leading up to the build, the school has made a strong effort to recruit volunteers from the community for Build Day. This not only helps them meet their volunteer numbers, but spreads the word and excitement about the school's reopening and reconnects the school with the neighborhood. "I made a presentation to the church congregation down the street and the response was incredible. The congregation was so excited to hear about our playground and plans to reopen. They kept exclaiming, ‘Nelson is coming back?! You're really coming back!?'"
Popsicle Time
In the morning, State Representative Juan LaFonta, volunteered at the build for several hours. Principal Lee explained that Rep. LaFonta is one of Nelson Charter School's biggest supporters. Describing him as "a young lawmaker who is very hands-on in terms of his involvement with Nelson and the rest of his community," Principal Lee explained that Rep. LaFonta grew up in the area that he now represents and is very passionate about the well-being of his constituency. "Rep. LaFonta helped Nelson get started several years ago and is still very involved with the school. His office is right down the street from us so he's very involved with our progress."
Around 11:15, the nearly 200 volunteers had made a significant amount of progress on the playground. The swings were up, as was the Triple Slide Racer and extension bridge, and a significant dent had been made at the mulch pile. KaBOOM! Project Manager Melanie Barnes has been in the Gulf Coast for the past week and said that this has been one of the hottest days yet. With another 45 minutes left until lunch, the energy level of volunteers was starting to take a slight (but only slight) dip.
I saw what Principal Lee meant when she described Rep. LaFonta as "hands-on" and "passionate" when returned to the build site later that morning. Recognizing the heat's draining effect on the energy of the volunteers, later in the morning, Rep. LaFonta returned to the build site with some members of his staff and a car-load of popsicles to hand out to grateful volunteers. It's always neat to see a political figure actively volunteer on a Build Day. But it was doubly impressive to see that after putting in several hours in the morning, he returned to the build with a pick-me-up for his fellow workers. It's obvious that everyone connected with Nelson, from the teachers and staff, to the surrounding community to the local politicians, is passionate about Nelson and the work they're doing here today.
Click here to read Megan's 'Countdown to Anniversary Week' blog. |