Kasey,

Thanks for getting our SMART Board back up and running.  As I shared with you, that particular board has a unique story.  During Katrina, our school was used as an impromptu shelter by several local residents, and much of the academic materials were damaged or destroyed.

That following winter, the school was being refurnished to open in the Spring.  Our librarian, Ms. Florence Brumfield, was at the school when the dump-trucks came by to cart out almost all of the materials.  She noticed that a SMART Board in almost perfect condition was being loaded onto the truck-- though she had already retired twice from librarian positions, Ms. Brumfield still has a lot of 'spunk', so she climbed back onto the truck and rescued the board from demolition.  To this day the board remains in our library.  Thousands of students benefit from its use during instruction.  The board has been used as a back-drop for presentations to the Walton Family Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Gates Foundation and for presentations by the Hornets and New Orleans Saints.  What a difference the actions of one educator can make! 

Alex N. Hochron

Health Sciences Academy Principal

Walter L. Cohen High School