Daily Archives: September 1, 2005

Here in the Greater Boston area, the start of school for elementary and secondary school students is just around the corner (a day of national mourning for most kids, but a time of rejoicing for some parents—memorably conveyed by this 2001 TV commercial for Staples office products).

In honor of the beginning of the new school year, the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences has released an electronic press kit to help parents prepare their children for the challenges that a new school year can present, aimed at “encourage[ing] the teaching of the ‘whole’ child”. This kit offers strategies on fighting childhood obesity, handling emergencies, and even tips on dealing with conflict.

A great resource for parents, educators, and kids is the Southern Poverty Law Center‘s award-winning web site, Tolerance.org, which offers resources for promoting diversity and combatting bullying and violence in schools and communities.

For ADR professionals and attorneys on the lookout for a great resource on developments and news in education law, visit the web site for the National School Boards Association, as well as BoardBuzz, the NSBA’s highly informative weblog.

News sources around the U.S. report endlessly on the devastation left in the path of Hurricane Katrina. I’ve been to New Orleans twice within the past twelve months to conduct corporate training, and I am deeply saddened to think of the unimaginable loss that the people I worked with in Louisiana are facing in the aftermath of the storm. I hope, therefore, that you will understand this off-topic post.

To make donations to aid hurricane disaster relief, visit the web site for the American Red Cross. (Their web site has received countless visitors, so the page may take some time to load.) Cash contributions are urgently needed. Click here for a list of other organizations which support the relief effort.

With the enormity of human suffering involved, it is easy to forget that animals–wildlife, pets and livestock–have also been impacted by the storm. Rescue operations and efforts to find shelter for abandoned or lost animals are now underway, thanks to the Humane Society of the United States, which seeks donations as well.

To gain some sense of the power and ferocity of the storm that pounded the Gulf Coast states, you can view this video clip of Katrina shot in Gulfport, Mississippi, by storm chaser Scott McPartland, or see the clip shot in the same location by storm photographer Dave Lewison of facethewind.com. (Thanks to Ericka Gray for the links to the hurricane video clips.)