Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 286 RAPPORT | Short Take Learning in the Face of Horrific Disaster Red Batons Confront Katrina Trauma ON LOCATION hey came with sleeping bags, compassion and courage. They left with new skills, new assumptions, new confidence and new relationships with people from a variety of backgrounds. Each year for several years, six to eight William James Red Batons, the full class of those taking a course called “Culturally Sensitive Responses to Trauma and the Aftermath of Disaster,” spent a week in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, working with low-income African- American children, adolescents and parents, and with local mental health professionals and para- professionals. Meeting and consulting with individuals from Cajun, Creole and Southern African-American cultures was just the beginning. It began when Sister Judith Brun, described by Core Faculty Member Lionel S. Joseph, PhD, PsyD, as “a force of nature,” scooped up the first group in 2009. She needed them to do educational testing that would distinguish school children with severe learning disabilities from those with severe trauma but no pre-existing learning disabilities. Under careful supervision of local psychologists, they administered tests, wrote reports, provided brief supportive interventions, and resolved complex diagnostic questions to help the social workers in Brun’s organization, Neighbors Keepers, provide appropriate treatment to the children. Without exception, they learned more than they’d ever imag- ined possible. Though Katrina’s unprecedented rampage unleashed on people and property started when the storm hit early on August 29, 2005, the post-traumatic damage to countless individuals of all ages and ethnicities persists. Brun’s Community Initiatives Foundation was busy serving children and families in dire need, but was eager and grate- ful for additional help. Brun was later selected as commencement speaker at 91�㽶��Ƶ��������’s graduation. She was introduced at that ceremony by three alums, Drs. Lindsay Henderson, Molly Parks and Talya Rabina, who had first introduced her to the college. Joseph talks about the extraordinary enthusiasm his students brought to this experience, opening T