More than 70 Students Evacuated from the Storm Area are Enrolled to Date

Throughout Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), students, staff, and parents are joining forces to provide aid to children and families who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.

“MCPS will ensure that school staff expedites enrollment of these students and is committed to providing educational assistance and support to families and students affected by this catastrophic event,” said Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools. “Our schools are doing a wonderful job of mobilizing their communities to help our neighbors in need during this national emergency.”

To date, approximately 70 students from the Gulf Coast areas affected by the storm have officially enrolled in MCPS, and the number grows daily. School staff members have been briefed on enrollment processes for homeless students, and personnel from the Department of Student Services are available to help link families to the information and services they need.

Individual school communities have responded with great energy and enthusiasm to raise funds to assist these students and families. Virtually every one of the system's 194 schools has a campaign to collect money designated for major relief organizations, such as the American Red Cross.

James Hubert Blake High School, which has an arts and humanities signature program, is holding a jazz concert featuring student jazz ensembles on Sunday, September 11, at 5:00 p.m. at the school's track field. Cash or check donations will be designated for the Red Cross. Blake student musicians performed in New Orleans last January as part of the Sugar Bowl festivities.

Some schools are collecting supplies in addition to money. Seneca Valley High School, for example, is building a house of paper bricks in their cafeteria, with each brick representing the donation of a $100 relief kit that is distributed through the Salvation Army. Schools in the Walt Whitman cluster have donated more than 6,000 backpacks filled with supplies that will be distributed to children now living in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. This project has attracted interest and support throughout the region and in other states as well.

Useful information for school staff, parents, and other community members can by found at the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Web site at the links below.