Travis Hill School’s The Voices Behind the Walls and Sarah T. Reed High School’s RE2ED earn top prize at Aspen Challenge: New Orleans
Contact: Ben Berliner
The Aspen Institute
ben.berliner@aspeninstitute.org
New Orleans, LA, April 12 – The Aspen Challenge: New Orleans Solution Showcase, the culmination of a two-year partnership with New Schools for New Orleans, took place at the University of New Orleans on Thursday, April 6. The event saw 19 Orleans Parish high school teams compete in five challenge topic areas: mental health, climate change, food insecurity, housing insecurity, and gun violence.
After an intense competition where teams showcased their community change projects, the day ended in an unprecedented tie for first place between the Travis Hill School and Sarah T. Reed High School. Second Place went to Rosenwald Collegiate Academy, and third place went to John F. Kennedy High School.
- Travis Hill School (The Voices Behind the Walls)
In response to the Institute of Mental Hygiene of the City of New Orleans’ Ron McClain’s challenge to educate adults on the mental health needs of New Orleans youth, Travis Hill School’s The Voices Behind the Walls is hosting bi-weekly family counseling sessions to equip the families of incarcerated youth with the knowledge and skills to adequately respond to children’s needs in support of positive decision-making and the fulfillment of children’s potential.
- Sarah T. Reed High School (RE2ED)
In response to Taproot Earth’s Colette Pichon Battle’s challenge to increase awareness to the climate impact of Louisiana’s consumer waste, Sarah T. Reed High School’s RE2ED married the act of recycling and the draw of social media to turn recycling bins into “Learning Hubs” where community members could recycle their plastic and learn about the value of recycling and the danger of allowing consumer waste to pollute the planet. - Rosenwald Collegiate Academy (Operation Change)
In response to Taproot Earth’s Colette Pichon Battle’s challenge to increase awareness to the climate impact of Louisiana’s consumer waste, Rosenwald Collegiate Academy’s Operation Change created an Instagram account to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on New Orleans, implemented recycling bins on each grade level hallway, and hosted Lunch and Learn sessions to further the learnings of their peers and create community for climate action. - John F. Kennedy High School (BLOOM)
In response to the Institute of Mental Hygiene of the City of New Orleans’ Ron McClain’s challenge to educate adults on the mental health needs of New Orleans youth, John F. Kennedy High School’s BLOOM created community events designed to educate adults about the mental health needs of young people without judgment. Their signature event, Bloom Fest, hosted six mental health organizations, eight local clothing and food vendors, and five local artists to educate attendees on the importance of addressing mental health needs and provided mental health resources.
In addition to the top three teams, other awards were also presented at the event. Walter Cohen High School received the Resilience Award. The Originality Award went to the Net Charter High School: Gentilly. The Collaboration Award was awarded to George Washington Carver High School. The People’s Choice Award went to Morris Jeff High School. All 19 schools that participated in the Aspen Challenge will also receive $500 in additional funding to continue their projects.
“The Aspen Challenge: New Orleans Solution Showcase is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students of Orleans Parish and their educators,” said Katie Fitzgerald, Managing Director of the Aspen Challenge. “The solutions presented by the teams showcased their creativity and ingenuity. We were beyond impressed by the depth of their understanding of the challenges facing the young people’s communities.”
The Aspen Challenge is an initiative of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan forum for values-based leadership and the exchange of ideas. In its tenth year, Aspen Challenge has partnered with school districts in Los Angeles, Denver, Washington D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Louisville, Miami, New Orleans, and Brooklyn. For more information on the Aspen Challenge, visit their website at www.aspenchallenge.org.
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For more information on Aspen Challenge: New Orleans, please contact Ben Berliner, Aspen Institute at ben.berliner@aspeninstitute.org.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) has a mission to deliver on the promise of excellent public schools for every child in New Orleans. To guide their work, NSNO has established a set of core values that they rely on to fulfill that mission. NSNO prioritizes work around race, equity, and inclusiveness within each of their priorities. They know that their pursuit of anti-racism and equity, both within their organization and outside it, is necessary and must be ongoing. For more information on NSNO, please visit https://newschoolsforneworleans.org.