As the 10^th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, people across this nation will remember the devastation of the Category 4 storm, and commemorate the lives lost on August 29 one decade ago. Extensive media coverage is looking at the way the storm altered the course of people’s lives, how it exposed deep-seated issues such as poverty and discrimination, and how we as a nation may or may not have learned from Katrina. 

In the Colorado Academy community, we have been beneficiaries of the storm as we welcomed Katrina “refugees,” including CA parents Gentry and Dickson Griswold and their children, and CA employees Liza and Jessie Skipwith and their family. We also reconnected with CA alums like Leah Berger Jensen (CA ’99) who, having graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Public Health, stayed in the city to help care for hurricane victims. Berger Jensen has been in the forefront of helping to create lasting change in the way that health care is delivered in that city. She has been named one of the nation’s 100 Great Disruptive Heroes for her pioneering efforts there.

And we’re still learning from other Katrina heroes. On October 22, 2015 Our SPEAK lecture program will welcome Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (Ret.) who was Commander of the Joint Task Force Katrina as he managed the city of New Orleans’ recovery after the storm. Honoré, called a genuine American hero, will talk about how to succeed in the “new normal,” in which we live. He’ll share the lessons he learned in the aftermath of the storm and the subsequent levee breach, including the importance of innovation, risk assessment, leadership, and social entrepreneurship.

At CA, our work around character and culture is focused on our students learning and practicing resilience. While many will never be tested in the way that the people of New Orleans were, we know that the best thing we can do as teachers is to help children know that above all else, life rewards those who can adapt, learn from mistakes, and persevere.