Photo by Daniela Rible, a freelance writer based in San Francisco and a volunteer with the Common Ground Collective

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology celebrated its rededication ceremony on June 10th. King school is the first to reopen in the Lower 9th Ward since Hurricane Katrina. School Principal Doris Hicks and staff endured a nearly two-year battle to reopen the school after being told it would take three to five years following Hurricane Katrina on Aug, 29, 2005.

Though thrilled to finally be home, Hicks reiterated that the homecoming is bittersweet because more than 30 students and family members lost their lives during Katrina. “So we take this rededication and dedicate it to their memories,” she said. Hicks emphasized that the school has always been a beacon in the community. King opened 11 years before Katrina hit.

New Orleans, Louisiana.

Check out the article: Lower 9th Ward School Reopened

Also, check out articles in New America Media category: Hurricane Katrina