Within days of Harvey’s crippling blast through Houston, a group of students and staff at Carrboro High created a committee to organize support for affected students and teachers in Texas. They called the group “Hope for Houston,” and through a grassroots Facebook effort, “Principals Helping Principals,” Carrboro High adopted Cypress Creek High in Houston.
Beverly Rudolph, principal at Carrboro High, and CTE teacher, Julie Francis, set the process in motion at a faculty meeting in late August as reports of damage from Harvey dominated the news. Francis said, “It actually started through my business classes. I wanted to open up a dialogue about businesses getting involved in their communities...it boiled down initially to hey, we can write letters of support and encouragement...then look to next steps.”
Principal Rudolph knew of the Facebook leadership group, “Principals Helping Principals;” a member of that group, Texas principal Kristen Eriksen, created a Google sheet to share with principals around the country. Within 24 hours of Rudolph’s conversation with Francis, Carrboro High had connected with Cypress Creek High in Houston, and their drive was underway. Now, a group of CTE and other students are providing leadership and ideas as they meet weekly in Ms. Francis’ classroom.
Since the school adopted Cypress Creek, the country has watched as two other hurricanes have decimated parts of Florida and Puerto Rico, but the committee decided to stay focused on their original goal of supporting one high school. Ms. Francis said they recognize how many donation drives have sprung up around the country, but they want to sustain a long term partnership with Cypress Creek.
As future business leaders, Ms. Francis’ students, as well as the members of DECA and Skills USA, understand how important it is to step forward and contribute in your own community and beyond. During the first meeting, Ms. Francis urged the new committee to ask themselves, “How do you step out of the box and make an enormous impact?”
Reflecting on how social media targeted and expedited this national aid drive, the creator of Principals Helping Principals, Kristen Eriksen said in a Dallas News article, “A big part of that Facebook page was sharing great ideas and advice that helped fellow principals. Now to see those principals who have helped you in need? You have people in Texas losing everything, including schools. There’s going to be so many little things that you’re used to having that are just gone now.”
By early September, more than 275 partnerships between schools had formed, and the original spreadsheet now has been changed to “view only,” since all of the Texas schools in need have been adopted.
Anyone who would like to contribute to Hope for Houston can make donations via the following:
- Write a check payable to Carrboro High for any amount with Hope for Houston on the memo line. Bring to room D212 or email Ms. Francis at jfrancis@chccs.k12.nc.us.
- Go to k12paymentcenter.com: under Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools/Carrboro High School, Donation- Hurricane Harvey
- Cypress Creek High School has suggested that if individuals would like to contribute something more personal, they are requesting gift cards to the following stores: Target, Walmart, Lowe’s Home Improvement or Kroger’s. Gift cards should be sent to the attention of Ms. Francis in D212 so that they can be mailed together.
The students on the committee reflect a “sky is the limit” attitude as they continue to brainstorm ideas for support, both large and small, beyond the direct financial donations. Certain Carrboro High clubs are discussing ways to adopt their sister clubs at Cypress Creek, and several members are looking toward the holiday season, when they hope to send homemade gifts.
One young entrepreneur at Carrboro High, Katie Coyne, is exploring ways that she can contribute from Katie’s Kreations, her growing online business that sells small stuffed animals, soft slippers and other fabric items. “I’m always trying to find a way to help out, and every year I try to incorporate my business as my way to donate.” Katie hopes the committee will create a Hope for Houston logo soon, so that she can use that on each toy or baby blanket she sends to Houston. “We can also do theme colors for the stuffed animals. Or I can donate 30% of my overall profits for a certain amount of time as well if that's easier.”
The entire school community has undertaken a letter writing campaign to students and teachers at their adopted school. Several of Ms. Francis’ students drew from comparable experiences in their lives. One who lived in New Orleans as a child wrote, “Before Katrina, there was an incredible aquarium in New Orleans that I loved visiting. After Katrina, there was an incredible aquarium called New Orleans that I hated visiting.” Another shared her dramatic story of living through floods in Southeast Asia, when the river “came to our home and some houses (were) taken away by the river.”
Another wrote that he had lived in Texas for 11 years, and he watched the news from Houston, wondering if his family would get to safety. One student described how she had watched reports on television as she worked at a restaurant, “During the time of Harvey, it never left the news channel, and so I constantly had my eyes on what was happening. I thought about high school students a lot.”
Who knows what new support ideas will spring from the next Hope for Houston meeting in Ms. Francis’ classroom?
Other Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are engaged in a variety of hurricane relief activities. Stay tuned for an update on those drives!
A comprehensive list of organizations collecting support for Hurricane Harvey victims is posted on the TASA website, Texas Association of School Administrators. https://www.tasanet.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1028
