Teaching service through trip to Katrina's ground zero
By Diane C. Beaudoin Journal Correspondent

A North Middlesex Regional High School teacher has taken the word service to a new level by planning a trip to New Orleans at the end of June to help rebuild what Hurricane Katrina has destroyed.

Raymond Kane, foreign language teacher at the high school is taking 25 students on a trip down south to rebuild houses and work in soup kitchens, work with children, to get the meaning of what service to others is all about.

"I had 100 applications come in for the trip, and choose 25, there is actually a waiting list to go," Kane said.

The students will stay for one week in the New Orleans area.

Kane feels it is extremely important to teach what service is all about, and this trip is far more valuable than what can be taught in a classroom.

"I have always been involved in various types of public service, and have done things like this before. I think it is important to teach this to the students, and by doing it is more than what we can teach in a classroom," Kane added.

The students are doing their own fundraising to defer costs for the trip. Kane said spaghetti suppers, car washes, candy bar sales and letters asking for help are some of the ways the group is raising money.

"Some of the kids are doing their own personal fundraising too. We have sent out 600 letters to local businesses asking for support. We will do the best we can to help us get there," he added.

Kane said during his career, he has done service projects in parts of the United States as well as in Mexico. He is currently in his second year as a teacher in the North Middlesex district.

"The students are getting excited about going once school is done. It's going to be a great experience," he concluded.