In the Wake of Katrina: An Unlikely Success

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest to ever hit the Gulf Coast, left thousands of people without homes, jobs, and a sense of security. Eighty-five percent of homes and 90 percent of schools in Pascagoula School District of Mississippi were flooded.

Says Glynda Smith, ELL Specialist at Jackson Elementary, "people were living in tents in their yards. Parents were tearing out their walls, and we knew we had to get the kids back in school. They needed to be safe, have something to do, and be out of their parents' way." Twenty-seven days after the storm hit, schools reopened their doors to some new challenges.

School supplies, including lesson plans and student data, were lost in the floods, and teachers were unprepared for the influx of English learners. Smith recalls, "we went from about 125 ELs to almost 600 that year." The school quickly requested Imagine Learning English to meet this new demand. When support staff came to install, they brought with them donations for new uniforms and supplies. "It was so touching for us," Smith says. "It brought back a sense of what America is all about and how people pull together in times of need."

Now, four years later, though some buildings may still lie in ruin, the children at Jackson Elementary stand as symbols of resiliency and success. To see some of their stories, click here for the full video.