NMH Magazine : Winter 2006

Shelter from the Storm

Through their summer camp in Pennsylvania, Anne Gould and her husband, Dan, had grown close to a number of Louisiana children and their families. In early September, as the Goulds absorbed the onslaught of disastrous news in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they felt helpless. “We probably had fifteen families I was really worried about,” says Anne, “and it was
devastating for all fifteen of them.”
Then she received a phone call that made her heart soar. Naomi Levine Theriault, NMH’s associate dean of admission, was calling to say the school wanted to offer full scholarships for up to ten displaced New Orleans students. Could the Goulds help?
Anne has close ties to NMH: two of her ten children attended NMH, and so did her late mother, Sally Ricker ’44, who bequeathed funds for a scholarship at the school. In short order Anne referred three Louisiana students who are now at NMH; she’s stayed in close touch with them, even journeying up to Massachusetts to visit them.
“That this happened is one of the best things in my life,” she says. “Who would expect any less from Northfield Mount Hermon?”

Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana on August 29, 2005, with sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, packing the energy of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb. It breeched New Orleans’ levee system, leaving most of the city underwater, and smashed the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. At least 1,325 people died from the hurricane, and over a million were displaced.
Days after Katrina hit, Head of School Tom Sturtevant called an emergency meeting of NMH’s senior staff. They talked about how the school could help; ideas included offering the Northfield campus as a temporary refuge and sending a contingent to New Orleans to help rebuild. Sturtevant networked with peer schools and called former head of NMH Jacqueline Smethurst, whose husband heads Metairie Park Country Day School near New Orleans. All these discussions led Sturtevant and his team to a single conclusion: NMH could best help by enrolling displaced Gulf Coast students.
“This school was founded one hundred and twenty-six years ago to provide educational opportunities for kids who need it,” says Sturtevant. “We couldn’t do anything but find a way to bring kids here. That’s just in our DNA.”
Meanwhile NMH had just consolidated from two campuses to one; the school was bursting at the seams and grappling daily with transition details. Students had just arrived and orientation was under way. Whatever was going to happen had to happen fast—and with tremendous ingenuity.
The task of locating students fell to Naomi Theriault and assistant admission director John Carroll, who faced immediate logistical problems: phones weren’t working; families were scattered across several states; and getting official school transcripts was out of the question as were face-to-face meetings with potential students.
They got referrals through Andover, high schools in Louisiana, educational consultants, NMH alumni, New Orleans natives Ralph Craig ’08 and Jared Gourrier ’06, and Anne Gould. Using phones, computers, and faxes, Theriault and Carroll sought students who could thrive academically and emotionally at the school despite having just survived one of the nation’s worst disasters.
Ultimately they talked to at least 20 students, collecting referrals and interviewing family members and whoever else could be located. The selection process took six days from start to finish. Next Theriault and the school’s dean of admission, Deb Wright, flew to Philadelphia to meet the students and their families. Scattered by the evacuation of New Orleans, they flew in from Tennessee, Houston, Atlanta, and Mississippi. 
It was a homecoming of sorts. Several students knew each other from attending the same middle school and the Goulds’ Independent Lake Camp. The group quickly formed a bond that remains strong to this day. The next day proved emotional as the students and their families went their separate ways. “That was very sad,” says Theriault. “These families love their children, and their children love them—so it wasn’t an easy parting.”
On the way to NMH, the students—some of whom had come with nothing more than a backpack—stopped at Target to shop. Funded by the school, they emerged with essentials like comforters, underwear, toothpaste, shampoo, and pajamas. Meanwhile, back at NMH, Pam Shoemaker was coordinating efforts to welcome the students. An educator at the school since 1972, she is an English teacher and founding director of the school’s Transition-Year Program, which provides high-achieving disadvantaged students with a year of postgraduate study. Without hesitation, she added to her duties coordinating the Gulf Coast Scholars Program.
Staff started setting up places for the students to stay, faculty gave up space in their apartments for three students at North Crossley, and a small lounge at South Crossley was converted into a room for two more students. Linens and blankets were gathered; beds were made; alarm clocks, study lamps, pens, rulers, and Post-it Notes collected. Along with all these practical considerations, students and faculty met to learn about the arriving students and how to welcome them.
All but one of the students arrived on the afternoon of September 12 (New Orleans resident Julia Schoen ’08 arrived a week later).Their student hosts handed them gift packs, which included phone cards and disposable cameras, showed them their rooms, then brought them to the dining hall, where Tom Sturtevant welcomed them.
“Basically, they tore through that food and raced out with the student hosts to see the gym and other parts of the school, even though it was dark,” Shoemaker recalls.
The next morning the students had their orientation. They learned that Shoemaker and associate dean Sandy Messer had designed an English course just for them. The class would work on grammar, journal writing, personal essays, and analytical writing. On the reading list was A Gathering of Old Men, a novel by Earnest Gaines set in New Orleans, and Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. “It’s a good winter book set in New England, which alarmed them,” says Shoemaker, laughing.
Shoemaker has maintained close ties with the students. Unfortunately NMH was not the right fit for Bakari Blackman and Natalie Roy, who left before the term ended. However, the others settled in comfortably. “They know each other well; they push each other, joke, and take care of each other,” she says.
There have been adjustments: the cold was one; homework was another. Expecting to work two hours a night, the students were shocked to find they needed two hours of study hall plus another four hours for homework daily. Separation from family has been difficult as well, but visits from home have helped ease that pain. When family members arrive, says Shoemaker, they focus on all the students, not just their own children.
“If Dominick’s mother comes, you can see her spread her arms and take them all in,” she says. “Then Jason’s mother comes the next weekend and she comes into the English class and she spreads her wings and embraces them.”
The students have a year to decide their futures. Seniors are making college plans, and the younger scholars have the option of applying to NMH for next year.
The school has tied into their experiences by creating a senior seminar. Students who attended examined how nations worldwide respond to natural disasters. The course culminated with the students going to New Orleans in January to participate in a rebuilding project.
“I think organizations reveal their values when they face new challenges,” says Sturtevant. “Here’s a school acting according to its principles. It’s really just an expression of who we are and how we operate.”

Chemmy Blackman ’07 was born and raised in New Orleans. Before Hurricane Katrina, she lived in the Gentilly section with her mother, a dance teacher, and her brother, Bakari. She was a student at McMain High School and was also enrolled in a magnet math-science program on a nearby college campus.
I’d just come back from Anne Gould’s camp in Pennsylvania and had been in school for a week. The hurricane was on the news, but I didn’t find out about it until Saturday. At the time my mother’s car had broken and she couldn’t get it fixed. We were planning to either stay in our house or go to the Superdome. My brother was in South Carolina on a gig—he plays African drums—and we didn’t feel comfortable leaving without him. My aunt called us and said we needed to leave. She has a van and was taking her mother, so we decided to go with her. We called the person my brother was with so he could meet up with us when he was done. I packed the clothes I’d really wear and all my valuable things. However, my aunt told me, “Oh, we’re only going to be gone for a few days.” So we left my clothes in her house on the second floor.
The Blackmans stayed with relatives in Mississippi for a few days, then went to Memphis, where Chemmy’s mother had been offered a job.
Two or three days after we got to Memphis, Anne Gould called. She said NMH was offering scholarships—and I was able to get one. At first I didn’t want to go because I felt like I needed my family. Then they offered for my brother to come with me. We came up to Massachusetts about four days after that.
I wouldn’t say we were joyful about what was happening, but we knew this was an opportunity. Everyone at NMH was nice and welcoming. They told the kids not to ask us questions, but I think they should have. It would have helped us heal faster, I think. I’m not healed all the way, but you have to move on. Most of my family is alive that I know of, and my three best friends are alive. So I have to be grateful; I can’t wallow around in self-pity.
People ask me if I’m in a disposition about my brother being gone [Bakari left NMH during fall term], but I see it as he was meant to bring me here. I wouldn’t have come if he wasn’t here. I like it here, and I know this is for me. Bakari is not a rule person—he needs a lot of space and freedom, and I’m glad he’s with my mom now because she was pretty much alone.
I feel more challenged than at my old school, and the interest that teachers here have in students is good for me. I’m living in a lounge that’s been turned into a room that I share with Julia Schoen. I like it—it’s big! I was upset that my aunt talked me out of bringing all my clothes with me, but the school provided us with spending money, and my DL, Louise Schwingel, has some friends who gave me money to go out and buy jeans and other clothes.
It’s been hard to be away from home. But when you go back, it’s not so hard anymore. I went to New Orleans for Thanksgiving and stayed with my grandmother. I’d rather not go back to the city for a while. It smells like death. A lot of the houses—the doors are wide open and there are still things inside. We went to our old house in Gentilly. All the stuff outside the door were things we didn’t even bother with. We just looked at it and drove by.
I’d like to come back to NMH next year. I can’t see myself back in public high school. Being here is like being at home all the time.

Sean Conerly ’06 lived with his mother and brothers Terry, 14, and Shane, 11, in a second-floor apartment in east New Orleans. He’d been at Metairie Park Country Day School for two weeks when the city began preparing for Hurricane Katrina.
We packed a few days’ worth of clothes and went to our grandma’s house in Slidell, Louisiana. When we found the hurricane was coming straight toward us, we moved from her house to my great grandma’s house in Hammond. That’s where we rode out the storm. We watched the coverage on TV. It was unbelievable. Never in a million years did I think this was going to happen. I really wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
After the storm was over, we went to live with a cousin in Atlanta. I was in a huge public school in Georgia for a week—when class ended, all these bells were ringing and 50 million kids were rushing at me. I’m not used to that. Then I got a call from Anne Gould. I’d been going to her camp since I was going into seventh grade. She called and let me know about NMH. I was happy at the idea. I’m a traveling kind of person; I love to be away from home.
I got her call Saturday afternoon, then talked to the dean of admission. She was like, “Okay, we’re going to book you a flight for Sunday morning.” Early the next morning I flew with my mom to Philadelphia. It was crazy: One minute I’m in Slidell, next minute I’m in Hammond, then I’m in Atlanta, and then all of a sudden I’m in Philadelphia. It’s like I’m getting farther and farther away from home. And then I end up in Massachusetts! But it’s fun—it’s a new experience.
My first impression of NMH was “Wow!” People were awesome. As soon as I got here, people were like, “Yo, if you need anything, let me know.” The minute I stepped off the bus, I had a permanent buddy in Crandon Leahy [’06]. Ramon Guadalupe [’06] was also amazing. My first night here, one of my light bulbs blew out. Ramon was like, “Hold on, I got that.” He ran into his room and gave me his lamp.
Pam Shoemaker is the head of this whole program. She’s incredible—she’s a vital part of all of our lives, bringing us back and forth to our families, making sure we have money to take care of our needs. Sandy Messer—she cotaught our English class with Pam, so we’d see her every day. She always has a smile on her face and helps us see the brighter side of things. My advisor is Dennis Kennedy. He’s ridiculously funny. If I have a bad day, I can definitely count on him to put a smile on my face. The cold weather is probably the hardest adjustment. I walked outside this morning and I felt like my throat was freezing because I was breathing.
Coming into physics class two weeks after the term started was tough; I pretty much never caught up. I was always on edge; I never calmed down. I played varsity football in the fall and got All-New England honorable mention. My mom came up to visit for our second-to-last home game. She pretty much liked everything about NMH except that I’m so far away.
I’m working with the college counseling office, and it’s going pretty well. I’m applying to Union College (probably my number one choice), Ithaca, Sacred Heart University, University of Albany, and St. Lawrence University.
I thank Northfield Mount Hermon for giving me this opportunity because, honestly, I don’t know if I would have made it in that school in Georgia. That school was way too big for me.

Humans on the Edge
Fourteen students are taking a once-in-a-lifetime course this winter. Called Humans on the Edge: Natural Disasters and the Human Response, this senior seminar is a direct response to Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. Offered only in 2005–06, it examines what happens to society when natural disasters strike, asking such questions as: What is revealed? What’s been hidden behind the status quo? On-campus study includes historic disasters such as the Galveston hurricane and Pakistan-India earthquake. The seminar also provides meaningful, hands-on work: Students spent the first weeks of the course creating their own community service projects within Franklin County, then spent two weeks in New Orleans working with Habitat for Humanity. History and social science teacher Chris Edler, religious studies teacher Pete Masteller, and English teacher Sarah Rebick designed the interdisciplinary course, which carries one credit in history and one in religious studies.

In addition to reaching into their hearts, NMH’s students, faculty, alumni, parents, and friends are reaching into their pockets for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Offerings from three chapel services raised $937. Proceeds from the first student dance—$1,240—were donated by the class of 2006. There was also a pie-eating contest, a dance marathon, a blue-ribbon campaign, and even a dog wash. By the time the first term ended, students had raised $5,801, exceeding the outreach board’s goal of at least $5,000 during each term this year.
Area businesses have also been supportive, donating school supplies and gift cards. With the help of donations from faculty and alumni, the students now have adequate clothing, including athletic shoes and winter coats.

• NMH is covering the tuition, room, board, and travel expenses of the Gulf Coast students, who receive a small allowance each term. The school also underwrites visits from family members. NMH continues to seek support for the Gulf Coast Scholars Fund, which raised $49,620 as of January 20. To give online, go to www2.nmhschool.org/giving/. For more information, call the advancement office at 413-498-3084 or e-mail Hurricane_Katrina@nmhschool.org.

The Scholars
Rashad Williams ’06 briefly relocated to Mississippi with his family, who are now back in New Orleans. His older, hearing-impaired brother was unaccounted for in the weeks after the hurricane, but the family was finally able to locate him. Williams joined the varsity football and basketball teams at NMH and is a passionate baseball player. He left NMH in January to finish high school in New Orleans.

Sean Conerly ’06 grew up in east New Orleans; his mother was a clerk at the Louisiana State University Medical Center before the hurricane hit. Currently unemployed, she lives in Atlanta with her two younger sons. Conerly’s father has relocated from New Orleans to Texas. An alumnus of Independent Lake Camp, Conerly attended Metairie Park Country Day School. He loves to travel and spent a summer abroad in Spain in 2003. Conerly played varsity football at NMH and plans to join the track team in the spring, with shot put as his specialty. Current courses:  Ideology and Revolution, Precalculus.

Dominick Sherman ’06 and his family fled from New Orleans to Shreveport when the hurricane hit. His mother and two brothers are now in Baton Rouge, while his father, a chef, has found work in Florida. Sherman played on the NMH varsity football team and is a potential recruit at the college level, although he’s interested in attending culinary school. A gifted track star, he can run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds and the 100-yard dash in 10.5. He returned to school in New Orleans in January so he could graduate with his fellow seniors.

Chemmy Blackman ’07 grew up in New Orleans, as did her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her parents are separated; her mother, who has relocated to Memphis, is a dance teacher who is documenting cultural traditions for UNESCO. Blackman is an avid reader and writer whose interests include African dance, step dancing, and singing. She is a member of the NMH Dance Company and Circle of Sisters. This term she is taking Physics II and Government and Civil Liberties, and she is applying to NMH for next year.

Jason Ellis ’07 stayed in the Superdome with his grandmother while his mother and stepfather remained at the family’s house in New Orleans until they were forced to evacuate, leaving behind Ellis’s puppy—miraculously found alive several weeks later. Ellis has spent five summers at Independent Lake Camp. He played junior varsity football this fall and is on the junior varsity basketball team. His winter term courses are Basic Algebra II, Ceramics I, and Expository Writing. He would like to continue at NMH through 2006–07.

Julia Schoen ’08 attended Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans. In 2002 a neighbor’s tree fell on her family’s home, forcing them to move to a small apartment for almost two years. Hurricane Katrina displaced them yet again, although they have since repaired the damage caused by the storm. Schoen’s brother also came north this fall to enroll at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Schoen is artistic, fluent in French and Italian, and is a member of the NMH Student Film League. Her current courses are Chemistry I and French V. She hopes to attend NMH next year.

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