While some of his classmates at a Carbondale prep school prepare to conduct their graduation projects by helping to hatch turtles on a tropical island, Michael Chock is checking the status of his tetanus booster and packing a respirator and work clothes for the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast.
“To me, this is an opportunity to do something that can really have an impact on other people’s lives,” said the 17-year-old from Colorado Rocky Mountain School. “My friends will be on the beach. … But this gives me a really good feeling.”
Chock and two other graduating seniors, Halley Keating and Brooke Houston, decided to return to the Gulf Coast for their public-service project after visiting Pearlington, Miss., along with about 50 classmates during their spring “interim” in March.
There, they found a community still in ruins more than six months after Hurricane Katrina steamrolled ashore, a situation that hasn’t changed much even since being targeted by charitable efforts throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.
“When we first got down there, I was expecting it to be getting cleaned up and people getting back on their feet. I thought: ‘What will be left for us to do?”‘ Keating said. “I was shocked when I saw it. Somehow, it hadn’t been touched six months after the storm hitting.”
She described debris cloaking the landscape: a mattress still hanging in the branches of a tree, mold-infested possessions stacked in front of ripped-open homes.
At the 170-student private school, which focuses on outdoor activities, arts and sports in conjunction with traditional classroom study, students are made aware of their privileges and strongly encouraged to participate in community service on their breaks.
Traveling from the Roaring Fork Valley to Pearlington over spring break only reinforced that message, Keating said.
“Oh my gosh, we have it so good here. We have it easy. We definitely have our hardships, but it’s easy compared with down there. It’s definitely a reality check.”
For their last projects before graduation, seniors are directed toward internships and volunteer opportunities around the globe.
“One of my original ideas was to go to Haiti and work with orphans there,” Chock said. “But I thought it was ridiculous to travel so far when there’s so much help that is needed here.”
When they leave Wednesday, the three – who have since been joined in their plans by three other classmates whose projects fell through – said they expect to pick off items on the community’s lengthy task list, such as demolition and gutting homes.
“We’ll just go check the list and start at the top and see what people need for help,” Chock said. “There’s no absence of work.”
Chock acknowledged that the task may seem depressing, but he finds that the welcome and appreciation that he receives from Gulf Coast residents more than compensates.
“Seeing the resilience of the spirit of the people down there,” he said, “it’s totally inspiring.”
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495.
