January 17, 2012
New Orleans, LA

Hynes Elementary School in Lakeview originally opened its doors in 1952.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina inundated the area destroying the school.
Six years later, the 100,000-square-foot building welcomes students back.

Michelle Douglas
Hynes Charter School Principal
The new Hynes school will house between six hundred six hundred forty students 

Wendy DeMers
Middle School Science Teacher
Leave your pencil out, and let’s go this way…

Michelle Douglas
Hynes Charter School Principal
The school building is over a 100,000 square feet, while we are able to educate nearly the same amount of students this new school space built today rather than the fifties allows for us to have areas to meet the needs of the modern day curriculum.

Benoit Forner
2nd Grade French Immersion Teacher 
Hello children. Please organize your things quietly…

Michelle Douglas
Hynes Charter School Principal
One section is thought in French which is the target language for learning math, science and social studies.
In the nineties the school was selected as part of the state’s CODOFIL program to preserve the French in Louisiana and we have tried to carry that tradition on.

Michelle Douglas
Hynes Charter School Principal
I’m grateful for FEMAs involvement, while it’s been a little bit of a delay making sure the standard was developed prior to building the school building I think after touring the facility one can say that it was very much worth the wait.

Grand Opening Ceremony

Mitch Landrieu
New Orleans Mayor
In New Orleans because of the devastation that David talked about, but primarily because we as a people have decided not to build back what we had, not to think about becoming what we were, but to start dreaming about what we actually could be and try to find ways to do it better has been the one thing that has sent amazement across the country about the people of New Orleans. 


Eddie Williams
FEMA PA Division Supervisor
This is the epitome of what FEMA is here for today is what we look forward to recovery and every last school that we come to and we expect to do may many more of these is a symbol of recovery and it’s not until the last school is built and the last group of students are out of temporary schools and into permanent schools we are going to consider our job done, so until that happens FEMA is going to be here, we are going to be committed, we are going to have staff committed to working with Orleans Parish school board and recovery school district to move forward the face of recovery.   


Michelle Douglas
Hynes Charter School Principal
Thank you all, and thank you for coming out today for whatever reason that you are here, weather you are a neighbor, a volunteer, a retiree, a student a parent a family member of mine, my best friends, thank you all, thank you.

For more information visit:
www.fema.gov
www.fema.gov/latro