Today was an enjoyable day in the city. We began by heading to the Mississippi River to Crazy Lobster for some seafood and the World Cup game. Afterwards we walked along Bourbon St, shopped in the French Market, and are beignets at the world famous Cafe Du Monde. We are heading to Rock N Bowl later for dinner, bowling, and live music.
I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures on this thing so please be patient.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Monday, July 2, 2012
Final Post
First off let me say thank you for commenting this week. All of us down here in the Big Easy have been following it and appreciating each and every comment. Today was a day when all of the students were able to work on one location toward a single goal: paint a house...all of it...(by 4:30 when the college bookstore closes so they can buy mom and dad last minute souvenirs).
They did it. With time to spare.
We challenged the kids last night with the task and they stepped it up with their best collective effort of the week. We've been working hard on four different sites this week doing a ton of good in this deprived and impoverished neighborhood. However, today the kids were able to start and finish this house in unprecedented timely fashion. A group of 14 and 17-year-old students to paint an entire house in 6.5 hours is simply astounding. As I sit in my room about to leave for dinner with everyone I am having a difficult time putting today's accomplishment in perspective. Let's put it this way: When Ms. Sheryl learned that we had donated all of the paint and supplies and completed this enormous task for her she replied, "My God, this must be a miracle from above." To which Mr. Galasso replied, "No, it's a miracle from New Jersey."
Perfect.
This will likely be our last post because we are waking up at 6 AM tomorrow and heading to the airport. It will take me far longer than the 15 spare minutes I have now to put this week into perspective. I'll be able to address everyone tomorrow when we arrive (as of now) at the high school at roughly 2:30 pm, but your children are an extraordinary group of young men and women. To all of the parents reading this you should know you have done a fantastic job raising your children and you should be (as I'm sure you are) extremely proud of them. The complaining was non-existent, the laughter was abundant, and the hard work, determination, and old fashion gutsiness was plentiful.
I know I speak on behalf of all of the chaperones when I say Thank You for the opportunity to spend a week with such fascinating and inspiring children.
Signing Off,
Ray Cottiers
They did it. With time to spare.
We challenged the kids last night with the task and they stepped it up with their best collective effort of the week. We've been working hard on four different sites this week doing a ton of good in this deprived and impoverished neighborhood. However, today the kids were able to start and finish this house in unprecedented timely fashion. A group of 14 and 17-year-old students to paint an entire house in 6.5 hours is simply astounding. As I sit in my room about to leave for dinner with everyone I am having a difficult time putting today's accomplishment in perspective. Let's put it this way: When Ms. Sheryl learned that we had donated all of the paint and supplies and completed this enormous task for her she replied, "My God, this must be a miracle from above." To which Mr. Galasso replied, "No, it's a miracle from New Jersey."
Perfect.
This will likely be our last post because we are waking up at 6 AM tomorrow and heading to the airport. It will take me far longer than the 15 spare minutes I have now to put this week into perspective. I'll be able to address everyone tomorrow when we arrive (as of now) at the high school at roughly 2:30 pm, but your children are an extraordinary group of young men and women. To all of the parents reading this you should know you have done a fantastic job raising your children and you should be (as I'm sure you are) extremely proud of them. The complaining was non-existent, the laughter was abundant, and the hard work, determination, and old fashion gutsiness was plentiful.
I know I speak on behalf of all of the chaperones when I say Thank You for the opportunity to spend a week with such fascinating and inspiring children.
Signing Off,
Ray Cottiers
Friday, June 29, 2012
Day 5
Day 5
Hi Y'all!! Today the group was divided into three different groups: The Clean Up Crew, The Painters, and The Scrapers."The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the main who will win. " Roger Bannister This is the perfect quote to describe the effort, determination, and progress from the kids today.
The Clean Up Crew was to clean out an empty a lot full of dead trees, high weeds, overgrown grass, bushes, and leftover debris. Standing in front of the lot the kids questioned, "Wait, we have to clean out this whole lot?" With a reply of "Yes!" we were on our way to making a remarkable change. A task that would make anyone feel defeated before attempting, beared no competition to our kids. (picture coming soon) They worked all day in direct sunlight, pulling weeds, taking down trees, snip here, snip there. The difference from what was there when we started to what is now there is unbelievable. The Pastor, from the church next door, said "This is absolutely amazing. I am so grateful for this. We want to expand our church and are trying to buy this land. Cleaning this lot out has greatly helped us." The woman behind our lot came out multiple times grateful of our hard work. "I really appreciate what y'all are doing out here, it's really great. I have tried to clean out my yard where the lot has overgrown into and I just could not keep up. It's my birthday next week, will you get together for a picture?" The kids posed for the picture as she continuing to praise us with gratefulness.
The Painters were to continue painting and replacing boards on Dwights house. After a small mishap with the wrong paint color being bought the kids were very determined and excited to continue their work. Dwight was the first reciever of our services, which made the kids more determined to finish what they had started. The leadership shown in this group was absolutely amazing. Each kid knew what he/she had to do and got right to work.
The Scrapers were go getters, as their task was to chip away all weathered paint off of a house in order to prep it for its new paint job. Given this task, the kids surpassed the goal of the day as they scraped all of the paint off the house, primed it, and began painting!!This group took great pride in their work and it really showed through their progress.
To see the kids in this environment, taking leadership roles, working together, and pushing each other has really shown the outcome of true teamwork. As I walked around helping the students and directing them in areas of help, I find myself more motivated to continue working and pushing through my times of weakness. The kids not only need us to help them, but we need them to help us, and I am so thankful to have been a part of this group. Each and every kid has something great to offer and it has really shown.
Thanks for reading! Be proud of your children and the people they are developing into! Stay tuned for our last day of work! Samantha
Hi Y'all!! Today the group was divided into three different groups: The Clean Up Crew, The Painters, and The Scrapers."The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the main who will win. " Roger Bannister This is the perfect quote to describe the effort, determination, and progress from the kids today.
The Clean Up Crew was to clean out an empty a lot full of dead trees, high weeds, overgrown grass, bushes, and leftover debris. Standing in front of the lot the kids questioned, "Wait, we have to clean out this whole lot?" With a reply of "Yes!" we were on our way to making a remarkable change. A task that would make anyone feel defeated before attempting, beared no competition to our kids. (picture coming soon) They worked all day in direct sunlight, pulling weeds, taking down trees, snip here, snip there. The difference from what was there when we started to what is now there is unbelievable. The Pastor, from the church next door, said "This is absolutely amazing. I am so grateful for this. We want to expand our church and are trying to buy this land. Cleaning this lot out has greatly helped us." The woman behind our lot came out multiple times grateful of our hard work. "I really appreciate what y'all are doing out here, it's really great. I have tried to clean out my yard where the lot has overgrown into and I just could not keep up. It's my birthday next week, will you get together for a picture?" The kids posed for the picture as she continuing to praise us with gratefulness.
The Painters were to continue painting and replacing boards on Dwights house. After a small mishap with the wrong paint color being bought the kids were very determined and excited to continue their work. Dwight was the first reciever of our services, which made the kids more determined to finish what they had started. The leadership shown in this group was absolutely amazing. Each kid knew what he/she had to do and got right to work.
The Scrapers were go getters, as their task was to chip away all weathered paint off of a house in order to prep it for its new paint job. Given this task, the kids surpassed the goal of the day as they scraped all of the paint off the house, primed it, and began painting!!This group took great pride in their work and it really showed through their progress.
To see the kids in this environment, taking leadership roles, working together, and pushing each other has really shown the outcome of true teamwork. As I walked around helping the students and directing them in areas of help, I find myself more motivated to continue working and pushing through my times of weakness. The kids not only need us to help them, but we need them to help us, and I am so thankful to have been a part of this group. Each and every kid has something great to offer and it has really shown.
Thanks for reading! Be proud of your children and the people they are developing into! Stay tuned for our last day of work! Samantha
Final Day
First off let me say thank you for commenting this week. All of us down here in the Big Easy have been following it and appreciating each and every comment. Today was a day when all of the students were able to work on one location toward a single goal: paint a house...all of it...(by 4:30 when the college bookstore closes so they can buy mom and dad last minute souvenirs).
They did it. With time to spare.
We challenged the kids last night with the task and they stepped it up with their best collective effort of the week. We've been working hard on four different sites this week doing a ton of good in this deprived and impoverished neighborhood. However, today the kids were able to start and finish this house in unprecedented timely fashion. A group of 14 and 17-year-old students to paint an entire house in 6.5 hours is simply astounding. As I sit in my room about to leave for dinner with everyone I am having a difficult time putting today's accomplishment in perspective. Let's put it this way: When Ms. Sheryl learned that we had donated all of the paint and supplies and completed this enormous task for her she replied, "My God, this must be a miracle from above." To which Mr. Galasso replied, "No, it's a miracle from New Jersey."
Perfect.
This will likely be our last post because we are waking up at 6 AM tomorrow and heading to the airport. It will take me far longer than the 15 spare minutes I have now to put this week into perspective. I'll be able to address everyone tomorrow when we arrive (as of now) at the high school at roughly 2:30 pm, but your children are an extraordinary group of young men and women. To all of the parents reading this you should know you have done a fantastic job raising your children and you should be (as I'm sure you are) extremely proud of them. The complaining was non-existent, the laughter was abundant, and the hard work, determination, and old fashion gutsiness was plentiful.
I know I speak on behalf of all of the chaperones when I say Thank You for the opportunity to spend a week with such fascinating and inspiring children.
Signing Off,
Ray Cottiers
They did it. With time to spare.
We challenged the kids last night with the task and they stepped it up with their best collective effort of the week. We've been working hard on four different sites this week doing a ton of good in this deprived and impoverished neighborhood. However, today the kids were able to start and finish this house in unprecedented timely fashion. A group of 14 and 17-year-old students to paint an entire house in 6.5 hours is simply astounding. As I sit in my room about to leave for dinner with everyone I am having a difficult time putting today's accomplishment in perspective. Let's put it this way: When Ms. Sheryl learned that we had donated all of the paint and supplies and completed this enormous task for her she replied, "My God, this must be a miracle from above." To which Mr. Galasso replied, "No, it's a miracle from New Jersey."
Perfect.
This will likely be our last post because we are waking up at 6 AM tomorrow and heading to the airport. It will take me far longer than the 15 spare minutes I have now to put this week into perspective. I'll be able to address everyone tomorrow when we arrive (as of now) at the high school at roughly 2:30 pm, but your children are an extraordinary group of young men and women. To all of the parents reading this you should know you have done a fantastic job raising your children and you should be (as I'm sure you are) extremely proud of them. The complaining was non-existent, the laughter was abundant, and the hard work, determination, and old fashion gutsiness was plentiful.
I know I speak on behalf of all of the chaperones when I say Thank You for the opportunity to spend a week with such fascinating and inspiring children.
Signing Off,
Ray Cottiers
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Prout Family Correspondence
So the Prout Family from New Orleans bought us the camera we are using down here via donorschoose.org. We have been in contact for the past few months and they offered to buy us all beignets at Cafe Du Monde last night. Here is the email we received today and below is the picture we took after the delicious beignets. We're off to Rock N Bowl now for some bowling, live Cajun music and food. I'll try to give you an update about our day today when we get back.
-Ray
Dear Team New Milford,
Everyone in New Orleans who met you was impressed by your hard work, your thoughtful questions, your politeness, and your desire to help with our recovery. I know your teachers have set high standards for your school work and your behavior, because they want the very best for you. Your parents should be so proud of you!
Some of you said that this would be the trip of a lifetime, but I think it is just one of a large number of opportunities you will have. I am sure that you will always be looking for chances to help others, both at home in New Milford and also wherever you go. I will treasure the memories of the time we spent together, and I hope that we will meet again.
Your friends in New Orleans,
Lee and Linda Prout
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Day 4 - Our Cultural Awareness Day
Thank you to everyone who has been following this blog and supporting us on this most important endeavor. Day 4 was a break from the physical labor of the past two days and we focused on where we are and who we are. Our day started with a tour of the Louisiana Swamps and we saw many alligators along the way. Jay, our tour guide, has lived in the back country for his entire life and was able to share with all of us how the eco-system of the swamps has changed over the years and what is being done to preserve this natural treasure. From the swamps, we ventured into downtown New Orleans and headed to the aquarium to further our understanding of the marine life that exists in this part of the country. The students have a better understanding that the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina and other tropical storms is caused by the fact that the City of New Orleans lies 6 feet below sea level and how this physical characteristic has contributed to the wrath of the storms.
When we left the aquarium, we took a walking tour of the French Quarter to experience the history and architectural uniqueness of this part of the city. Dinner at the Magnolia Cafe was followed by a visit to the Cafe Du Monde for beignets. We also met with a local couple who contributed a camera to our trip. We returned to Tulane University for our nightly debriefing and spelled out our work assignments for our final two days in New Orleans. The students are looking forward to finishing strong and completing as much work as possible be leaving.
One "game" that we had the students play today was requiring them to spend time with someone that they did not know prior to coming on this trip and each student was called upon to share with the group information that they learned about the other person. This allowed the rising 9th graders to form a closer bond with their rising 12th grade peers and it is our hope that this bond carries well into next year in the hallways of New Milford High School.
The students on this trip continue to impress me every day. To the incoming seniors, it has been three years since they left DEO and I interacted with them on a daily basis and I can not be more proud of the caring individuals that they have become and to the 8th graders who just graduated from DEO, I have spent the last three years with them and know how they respect each other and have a true desire to serve those who need some assistance. That is the way that they have been since they entered the middle school three years ago. When disaster strikes, this nation rallies behind those in need. We experienced this first hand in New York City in 2001 and the nation came to the aid of Katrina victims in 2005. Donations came in from all parts of the country and the nation stood up in with one collective voice and wanted to know what it could do to help. As the years pass, others have issued that same cry for help in other parts of the country and our fellow citizens have answered those calls for help. The difference here in New Orleans is that everyone was a victim of this disaster. Government ceased to function and people were left on their own to rebuild their lives. For many, there was no hope. This trip, and the work being done by our students is about restoring hope to those who thought help would never arrive. August 29th will mark the 7 year anniversary of this storm and for many, they are just getting back into their homes. By cleaning their yards of debris, removing the damaged items from their homes, or painting their homes so that the homes that have just been rebuilt and reoccupied look like every other house on the street, our students from New Milford have brought back hope to some and restored faith in others that there are still people out there who care about them. The work that the students are doing here will be remembered for years to come, even if it is just by the one person who owns the home, as work that was done by caring students who brought hope with them from New Milford.
Russell Petrocelli
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