One of the greatest tools a child can use to facilitate their development is the ability to observe and imitate their surrounding environment. It is certainly remarkable the minute details children observe. Whether it is repeating a common phrase from a parent or a subtle change in the appearance of their school; children are constantly processing their surroundings in order to better understand them. Therefore, the messages we send to our students by placing them in specific learning environments directly relates to the way that children react to their school; emulating the environment already established for them. Students internalize this environment and when it becomes depleted, the school is poorly painted and mismatched etc., it creates the idea that “they don’t care” and propagates the question “so why should I?” Although the beautification of a school may seem like a simple task, and is not the only factor in a student’s success, it does instill a sense of pride in a student that someone respects them enough to take the time to work on their school.

In the over 40 schools that have been painted through the hard work of volunteers from across the country, it has never ceased to amaze me the individual student’s reactions to this work and the subsequent difference in the school’s atmosphere. In the wake of Katrina the youth of New Orleans have faced instability in what will become of their city, their home lives, their families and even their schools. Amazingly the simple consistency of having an entire school painted in the same colors provides the students with a sense of security that may not exist in other aspects of their lives. Not only does this work help make the schools a safe haven but it enables volunteers from many communities to come to New Orleans, bear witness to the resiliency of the city, and to become the eyes and ears for her across the country.

Not only is there a host of emotional benefits involved in beautifying a school through volunteers and donations but there are also many practical motives for doing so. “The estimated dollar value of volunteer time is close to $20.25 per hour for 2008” (http://www.independentsecotr.org). For instance, last summer at Live Oak Elementary, the Recovery School District partnered with 1500 volunteers to paint an entire school in 1 month, (working 7 hour days). This factors out to be about $212,625 of effective labor that the state did not have to supply or fund. In comparison recently 2,000 volunteers worked diligently to paint Charles Drew Elementary over the course of 17 days. When applying these numbers to the work done on Charles Drew the Recovery School District saves $283,500 in manual labor. In addition, through the Volunteer and Donations Coordinator paint can be bought through Sherwin Williams at much lower prices than utilizing outsider contractors. These numbers become even more impressive when applied to the 40+ schools that have already been worked on.

Initially different resources used by volunteers in the schools, most especially paint, were being supplied through donated funds and the assistance of the Recovery School District. However, as the Country’s focus shifts from the devastation of Katrina and the Recovery School District stabilizes, there also seems to be a shift in available resources. Nonetheless these changes do not mean a lessening in the need for continued work in the schools, or the desire for volunteers to partake in it. As New Orleans looks to rebuild an entire school system and reinvent the way we educate urban youth it is imperative that the work in the schools done through volunteers continues.