NOTE: We met with Doris Voitier and her staff to learn about her efforts to open and grow the St. Bernard Unified School in the wake of the damaage from Hurricane Katrina.

LOCATION:
St. Bernard Unified School
Chalmette High School
1100 East Judge Perez Drive
Chalmette, Louisiana 70043
TEL: (504) 613-5301

ABOUT:
Chalmette High School in the devastated Parish of St. Bernard was a shelter for Parish residents during Hurricane Katrina. In recent weeks, a surprising number of families have started to return to reclaim and rebuild their lives, and they were heartened to find the former area High School reopened under the name St. Bernard Unified School, welcoming students ranging from elementary to high school and serving as a source of stability for the students. Enrollment started at 550 students when the school reopened. The school is now educating more than 2100 of St. Bernard%u2019s regular 8,800 students.

Nearly every student and teacher at the school lost their home, their possessions and their network of friends and family as community members scattered across several states. Most students are the children of first responders, and refinery workers from the oil companies and Domino Sugar.

The school is offering a variety of summer programs for the parish%u2019s student population, including serving as a summer feeding site.