March 25, 2011
‘Boil water’ event taught people to ‘take care of each other’
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Catholic school principals in the Evansville area had high praise for the community spirit that manifested itself two weeks ago during a two-day “boil water” event. And the minor inconvenience jogged a lot of hearts and minds into greater awareness of the suffering in earthquake and tsunami-stricken Japan.
It was a hassle, but “nothing is too much when Japan’s victims and survivors are in one’s heart and soul!“ said Sister Mary Karen Bahlman at Christ the King School in Evansville.
Relatively new technology was universally praised.
“We feel very lucky to have known about the boil advisory the evening before,” said The-resa Berendes, principal at Resurrection School in Evansville. “We were able to use our School Reach phone messaging system to communicate to families the need for their children to bring in bottled water to school.”
Berendes said the school was already prepared with “additional cases of water here for students who forgot their bottled water.”
The cafeteria staff at Resurrection “was wonderful working during this time. They boiled water for cooking the food, for cleaning the food, for washing tables, and for any other need in the cafeteria. Our dishwasher temp was at a level where we were able to still use the dishwasher.”
“We sent out a School Reach message encouraging students to bring their own water bottles from home,” said Angela Johnson, principal at St. James School in Haubstadt. “Most of them did, so we only used a little of the bottled water that we had available for students.”
Johnson said it was not much of a problem at all. “Everyone is taking it in stride and realizes this is just a minor inconvenience. It is nothing like what the Japanese people are having to deal with this week.”
Martha Craig, principal at Westside Catholic School, found the two “boil water” days no big deal. Fortunately — or unfortunately — the Westside has had boil orders before.
“This was just another in-stance in which School Reach is a blessing to have,” said Judy Van Hoosier, principal at Good Shepherd School in Evansville.
Marianne Webster, principal at Holy Redeemer School in Evansville, found the whole experience to be positive.
“It emphasized the need for preparedness and making sure our contacts for water delivery were current. It also was an experience of teamwork at its best! School principal and all the teachers, kitchen staff and manager, maintenance supervisor and staff, pastor and parish staff — everybody put the children first and took care of each other.
Webster said she always ends announcements everyday with “Take care of each other.” “That’s the bottom line.”