Our children

[Lindaloo]

Most of us get caught up in what happened to ourselves and we forget something very important, that is the children that suffered emotionally and physically. Some of them lost a parent, if not both, a brother, sister or a close relative or even a friend to Katrina. Can you imagine what their little minds were possibly thinking? What they were going through when that surge rolled in? I found this article on our local news site and it brought tears to my eyes because I never stopped to even think about the children. A teacher found a way to help children funnel their emotions in a positive way with the help of an author who just happened to get lost and from that a book is written. Story below.



"I saw some boats people are in and the glass had been broken," third grader Tai Nguyen remembered. "And then people in there, they started crying."

Children recalled the vivid images of the dark moments, when Katrina turned their world upside down.

"I drew a car," described third grader Rodrick Murphy. "It tore into pieces and I drew a tornado, and it went through the trees."

"The window broke and the water flooded," said another third grader Cathy Tran.

"We woke up because the house was rocking," sixth grader Matthew Santiago read from his work. "We sat inside the porch and watched my uncle's house fall."

More than 100-riveting storm stories, reflections, and artwork fill the pages of the new book "The Storm: Students of Biloxi, Mississippi, Remember Hurricane Katrina." For the first time, a few of the book's authors and artists got a chance to see their creativity in the final draft.

"I had not let anybody see this. Nobody. Look right there. Isn't that exciting?" Nancy Hunter asked the group as she pointed to the pages.

Hunter is the Instructional Trainer for the Biloxi School District. Shortly after the storm, she met a children's author from Natick, Massachusetts, who was in town doing relief work and ended up lost. When the author learned that the children were using creative artwork and stories to heal, she asked to see their work. Hunter sent her hundreds of selections. Soon, everyone will get to see some of those inspirational stories compiled in the book.

"When you look at the pages of the book, you realize it took a lot of strength to get through what they got through and they did it," said Hunter. "We're proud of them and we're proud to have a book to show the efforts of these kids in Biloxi."

The collection focuses on lessons learned from the storm, as well as recovery and hope.

"I feel happy that it went this far, and that I'm an author now," said Matthew Santiago.

"I was surprised," said Tai Nguyen. "Because they chose me for the book and I can't wait to get the book."

"It's very exciting, and it's just so nice to have something so good come out of something that was so horrible," said Hunter.

All the artists and authors of the book will be honored at a reception next Monday night. The book will be released next Tuesday, and costs $9.95 for paperback, $18.95 for hardback.

If you'd like to find out how to purchase a copy, go to Amazon.com or your nearest Barnes and Noble book store. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Biloxi School District.



http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=5280018

http://www.wlox.com

[sunny]

It's true Linda - sometimes we do forget to consider the impact on the children

[george_r_1961]

It's true Linda - sometimes we do forget to consider the impact on the children

Yes and many of them will carry the emotional scars for life too

[timNms]

There are still many children who have been uprooted from their homes and are attending new schools. (I have one in my classroom. She came from New Orleans and they lost everything). It's truly sad to see adults suffer, but my heart breaks for the children who are in this situation. I can't complain about one thing. Yeah, I lost a few shingles, a roof vent, got a waterbed out of the deal, but at least I have a home to come to every day after school. And my son didn't have to go to a new school in a strange city.