ANNUAL REpoRt 2010-2011 - Ithaca College

PARK SCHOLARS IN NEW ORLEANS:
SERVICE, LEARNING, MEDIA
PARK SCHOLAR PROGRAM
In January 2011, eighteen Park Scholar seniors—the entire senior class—completed a one-week service trip in New
Orleans, Louisiana, assisting with the ninth ward’s rebuilding efforts. This annual service experience was co-chaperoned
by the program director and a Park Scholar alumna, and all participants volunteered with the local grassroots nonprofit
Beacon of Hope. Through this service programming, Park Scholars not only completed “hands-on” volunteer work via
rebuilding projects, but also utilized their media skills to document—and ultimately communicate—the city’s continued
need for assistance. While in New Orleans (and in the months immediately prior to the service trip), Scholars also
participated in a series of discussions that situated their service in relation to examinations of social justice, race, urban
development, educational policy, and media representation.
The Park Scholar class of 2011 (top left) stands in front of “Wally’s House” at the
end of their week in New Orleans. The group worked with the volunteer organization
Beacon of Hope at Wally Muhammad’s house in the Lower Ninth Ward.
Park Scholar alumna and co-coordinator Jessica McCoy ’06 (top right), Zachary
Tomanelli ’11 (bottom right), and Christina Bryant ’11 (bottom left) assist with the
Park Scholar New Orleans service trip.
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