School Pride (2010) s01e02 Episode Script
Follow The Teachers!
Tonight, on School Pride Our mission to restore pride and achievement to America's schools takes us to an elementary school on the brink of collapse.
We only have one ball to play with.
That is not the ball.
This is the worst thing I've ever seen.
The children's future has been put in the hands of a group of young and passionate heroes The teachers from teach for America.
They're improving test scores, but they can't stop the building from crumbling around them.
There are days where I'd just get in my car and just cry.
Who do you think is to blame? In just seven days, these young teachers, students and volunteers will try to save lanier with the help of one of the city's patron saints.
- Look at this! - Aah! Can this community fix lanier elementary or will the projects prove too hard to handle? Where's the furniture? I think Jacob may have bit off more than he can chew.
Four individuals from different walks of life have come together to help communities renovate their schools.
Are you ready? Susie castillo, designer and former miss U.
S.
A.
It's a proven fact that when children have a better learning environment, like what we're giving them, test scores skyrocket and they get better grades.
Jacob soboroff, political journalist determined to find out why so many of our schools are on the brink of collapse.
I think that education in America is broken.
No teacher or no student should feel like their school is a prison.
Kym whitley, comedian and former teacher.
If you can give a child a great beginning, they could become anything.
And me, Tom stroup, team leader and SWAT commander.
We're basically community organizers.
It's about going to a community and helping the community help themselves.
This week, we're going to lanier elementary school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Welcome to lanier elementary school.
I'm Mr.
levin.
And I'm Frank, in fifth grade.
And lanier is a really awesome place, but we need some major help.
It's been so many years since anybody's touched the school at all and tried to make it look better that it's falling apart.
This is our gym.
The roof right there is coming in, like it's gonna fall out.
As you can see, we have an old-time air conditioner, and we never get air in here.
Like, it be hot, hot, hot.
As you can see, it's dingy.
You look up here, it's just really, really depressing.
There's no technology to speak of.
All the students in here deserve better than this.
Just old desks.
A lot of these desks don't work.
Like, the kids sit at them.
There have been times I've seen the desk just completely fall over.
We have one jungle gym where everybody has to struggle to fit on there.
They just try to make the best of it.
And as you can see, we've got raggedy goals.
Like, some of them look like they're going to fall down any day.
And the swings are okay.
It's just They need to fix it.
Every day, we tell them, you are scholars.
You are the future.
What we're doing here is really important, but it's tough to really instill that and have them believe in themselves when the building, you know, looks like it was made in 1940.
But at the same time, you will not find a group of teachers who are more passionate.
- What's our new word? - Go! How do we spell our new word? G-o, go! And that can take you a long way, but in order for it to really come together, the next step is, can we make this place look the way that we feel about it? I think that we have a lot of potential for this to be a great facility, and I just want them to feel like this is a happy place, where they are so happy to come and be, and they're proud of their school.
I love lanier.
It's a good school.
They got good people in it.
But I just feel like it's just messed up a little.
There you have it.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Please, please, please.
We really need your help.
From the bottom of our hearts, can you please renovate our school? We're gonna go into an elementary school today, and it's very unique.
This school has failed five years in a row, academically.
Last year, they brought in a group of teachers.
They come from teach for America, and they teach all around the country.
They go into some of the roughest and toughest schools in America.
But the problem is, in these schools, the facilities are not as good as the teachers that are in them.
So we're driving to lanier elementary school.
It is pouring down rain.
We're thinking, what now? We gotta move this whole thing inside when we get there.
It's raining way too hard out to be outside.
We've got to bring the clock in.
We've got to bring everything inside today.
So we have to make a phone call.
Onstar ready.
Call Stewart.
Calling.
Hello.
Hey, Stewart, it's Tom.
How's it going? I think there's a big storm coming, so we may have to take it inside.
Okay, well, we're right behind you.
All right, buddy.
We'll see you there.
Good deal.
So the first number that we're gonna bring down is the - Zero.
- Zero.
So I put a zero right here.
This school is in bad shape.
These kids live with this every day.
We've got to fix this.
Attention, students.
Please report to the cafetorium for a special assembly.
All right, let's push in our chairs.
Lanier elementary, come on in! Come on, guys! Hi! What's your name? We have a very special announcement.
We are the school pride team.
Where is Mr.
levin and Frank? We got your tape, and we are here to renovate your school because of you.
Nice job.
Hey, students, do you like the way your school looks now? No! I want to know who is gonna help us make it over? We brought the paint, and we brought the nails, but we need some lions.
Are there any lions here to help us out? Yes! All, chanting: Lion pride! Okay, you guys may have noticed this clock over here behind us.
There's a seven on that clock.
That is how many days we have to finish renovating your school.
Are you ready to start the clock? Yes! Start the clock! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Back to your classrooms to start packing! It doesn't seem real right now.
I'm so happy for everybody at this school who really deserves it.
It's gonna be unbelievable.
This is the most amazing feeling.
I keep saying I'm, like, overflowing, I'm just so excited.
These kids are gonna know that this message that we send them that they can achieve isn't just coming from us anymore.
It's coming from outside, and it's coming from everybody who believes in them.
I think the new school is gonna be great.
I'm ready for it.
Thank you, sir.
- Slow.
- Aah! Slow.
You got it? Some speedy work.
Here you go, tatia.
All right, hand them over to me and I'll put them in.
Hey! - I'm here to help.
- Here.
Okay.
We've got all kinds of jobs for you.
Oh, you do? I'm susie.
Hi, susie.
I'm Mr.
levin.
You know, we just do the announcement, and I run into a room and I meet Mr.
levin.
And right off the bat, he's just such an amazing, compassionate human being, really loves the kids that he teaches, and, you know, just needs some help.
Are all the teachers at this school from teach for America, or just ? No, we do have a lot of teach for America teachers here.
And, uh, it's exciting to teach with other people like that.
Right.
Teach for America is an organization that recruits recent college graduates to commit to teach for two years in underprivileged schools all across the country.
The goal is simple, and it's to eliminate educational injustice.
So you're lacking the tools that you need to properly teach.
Exactly, exactly.
And that's definitely a frustrating thing.
You know, we tell them every day, we have high expectations, but when the school looks the way that it does, you know, kids are smart.
Right, absolutely, they are.
So I think that just having a nicer looking school is gonna make the kids so much more excited to be here and so much more excited to learn.
And that's really, you know, all that we're asking for.
And so that's why I'm really excited to have you all here, because we feel like maybe we can't get to that next step as a school until we can fix this place.
It's exciting to me to see that the kids that I care so much about are gonna get a beautiful classroom that is going to inspire them.
So who's your favorite teacher? - Mr.
levin.
- Mr.
levin.
And why is he your favorite? If I'm going through something or I need somebody to talk to, like, I can go to Mr.
levin and talk to him.
He's like one of my mentors.
A teacher like Mr.
levin, he gives me attention, and I didn't even much have that at my last school.
Just tell me, like, what are the things that you'd like changed at the school? Like, I would like more equipment to learn with.
What about this playground? What do you think about this? It's not really nice because we have the broken basketball goals and the balls are flat.
And we only have one ball to play with.
That is not the ball.
This is the one ball that we play with.
How did you play with it? You can't bounce it.
Like, we used to play, like, with no dribbling.
No dribbling, but you play basketball? Okay, could you show me how you would do that? Like, we would just go, like, act like we bouncing it, and we just shoot.
See, it's hard to shoot.
There's 300 kids and one ball.
One ball with no air.
This is the worst thing I've ever seen.
So, what do you want to be? A professional football player or entrepreneur.
Or entrepreneur.
And you could be both.
Now, what grade are you in? I'm in fifth.
This is my last year.
You do all of this work for this school, and then you're gonna leave? Like, I want to make it.
I want to make the change for the next generation that comes to this school.
Wish I had a little Frank.
After seeing the basketball court and the outside grounds, I am inspired to change that.
Okay, we're gonna make a change for you.
- Thank you.
- You deserve it, sweetie.
Thank you.
We're here at lanier elementary in Louisiana, and it's gonna be hot and it's gonna be wet.
Old school.
We're gonna make some big changes that have been overdue for a long time.
Mm-hmm.
So let's get to it.
Susie.
Tell you what I want to take over is the teachers' rooms.
All the classrooms.
I would love to be in charge of that, because these teachers are young.
They're full of energy.
I mean, they bring so much passion to their work, so I really want to give them what they need.
I would like to take the outside.
Okay.
The playground area and the front of the school.
Because I'd like to tie everything in together.
So I want to take the outside playground.
I want to take it all.
Absolutely.
Nice, nice.
Jacob? I'm gonna be getting the technology into this school.
You can't have a school with smart, young teachers without the technology to have the kids be up-to-date.
And you're also gonna try to find out the politics behind all of this.
To prevent it from happening again, I need to find out why things are the way they are here.
Perfect.
I want to work on the cafetorium.
I want to make it into what it's supposed to be Two separate places for two separate functions.
All right.
We've got a lot to do.
All right.
Rock and roll, school pride team.
- Miss howell.
- Hello.
- What's up? Jacob.
- Hi, Jacob.
Maggie.
- Nice to see you.
- Nice to see you.
What's going on? Um, we're just covering these poles.
All right.
So that they can come and paint.
- You got more tape? - I do.
Here.
Let me help.
Thank you.
So you're a teach for America teacher, huh? Yeah.
What's different now than from, you know, before, before teach for America was in here? The kids say it's a lot different and the school's run a lot differently.
These kids, a grave injustice has been served to them for many years, you know? And they're two grade levels behind.
The kids here are two grade levels behind? Yeah, on average.
That doesn't change in a year.
You know, we made a year and a half growth in most classes, but we still have a long way to go.
What about technology? In a time where, like, they go home and they play video games, we don't have computers that are working and, you know, the technology to keep them engaged.
They don't have computers here at school? They don't even have, like, chalkboards.
It's hard to get these kids what they need, and you kind of have to be tough about it, and that wears on you.
There are days, at the beginning of the year, I'd just get in my car and just cry.
You know, you're just furious.
This has got to be a challenge for them, and they are taking on a task that That I don't know if experienced teachers would want to take on.
How do you do it every day? You get to go out to recess and play with these kids, and And they just run off the bus to see you because they love school.
That's why you keep doing it, because they're so happy here.
What drives you is those kids.
You want so badly to give them everything in the world, and it literally hurts your heart that you can't make their whole world, their whole existence wonderful.
Who do you think is to blame? It's you can't really point a finger at one person.
It takes time to make a situation this bad, and it takes a lot of players and a lot of neglect.
If I want to go to the top, if I want to talk to somebody, who could I talk to to get the ball rolling on stuff? I'd say, you know, superintendents and talking to people in the government to say, "listen, there needs to be change.
There needs to be more funding in these schools.
" There's a lot to be done around here.
Whatever you need, let me know.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I'm gonna figure out who's in charge and I gotta go talk to them.
Good morning.
Y'all come on in.
Thanks for showing up.
We appreciate it.
New York? You came all the way from new York? No, from Maryland.
From mar you guys really came from Maryland? How many of y'all are there? There's about 14 of us.
Welcome.
The spirit of the volunteers is just incredible.
I mean, we have people that are from all over, from all walks of life.
Some are natives of Baton Rouge.
Others have driven 13 hours.
Some have flown in because they're alumni.
- Hi.
- Hi.
How are you? You must be Dana.
I'm Dana.
Hi, susie.
It's so nice to meet you.
They're taking vacation time to come and work their tails off this entire week, and so that's how you know that there's something special happening at lanier elementary school.
All right, let's go.
It's day two of seven, and after seeing the basketball court on the outside grounds with Frank, I realized that we have to demo things.
We have to tear things down.
So I needed some people that knew how to move heavy equipment.
Yo, what you guys doing? Gonna tear down the old basketball goals.
Yes! Tear down those goals! I see this little machine, and they tell me it's a bearcat.
So you gonna climb in that little machine? Why don't you climb in here and try it and we'll watch you.
Me? You got good eye/hand coordination, you can do it.
Oh, gosh, it's making me nervous.
Wait a minute, I'm scared! We got to go.
Can you get in there with me? No, there's not enough room for two.
I get in and I pull the little ride thing down.
Everything is simple.
All right, back on the left.
Back.
Aah! You got it.
Now, down.
Forward on the left.
Forward? Oh, my whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Maybe I shouldn't be in that.
Aah! Oh, my God! I don't know why I got in that machine.
I thought it would be simple.
- You ready to get out? - Uh, yes, sir.
Mm-mm.
I'm gonna go plant some flowers.
- Hello! - Hi! Hi, guys! How are you? - We're excited! - Are you ready for some paint? Who's doing Mr.
levin's room? - Um, I am, I am.
- You are.
Okay.
Here you go.
All right, let's grab some stuff.
- How are y'all feeling? - Oh! - Are you having fun? - I'm having a blast.
Yeah, it's so fun, like, to meet all the different people that are out here helping us and, I mean, it's so overwhelming, you know? Like, "thank you" just seems so insufficient.
Yeah, it's nice, right? You came a long way to come back here.
- A long way.
- Why? What made you want to come back to lanier to do this? I lived in this area for about 20 years.
I learned a lot here in elementary school, so it was an important one to me.
When I heard that this was happening here in Baton Rouge, it made traveling back an important thing to do.
It was really an important part of my life, and it helped me to become the person I am today.
This isn't just any ordinary week, is it? No, this is a great week.
It's like a one in a lifetime week.
Once in a lifetime week.
You might remember this for a little while? I'm gonna remember this for the rest of my life.
I think Frank has taught me more than I've taught him, and what he showed me is that if they're in elementary school and they're not loving it, then we have to change that, and he showed me that that is possible.
What about when the whole community comes out here and you're standing there, looking at a brand new school? It's gonna be hard to wipe the Frank smile off of my face.
The Frank smile? I know that smile pretty well by now.
I'm looking forward to seeing that.
well, I bet you never thought you'd be doing this when you got your degree in teaching, did you? No.
This is the easy stuff.
What are you talking about, Tom? We can't waste any time.
That clock started ticking the moment we got there.
So I'm in the cafetorium.
The floor's gotta be replaced.
There's no way around it.
So we have to get the tile inside.
So we get this bucket brigade, and guess who's doing the hardest job there? The principal, Mr.
Crowe.
So what's your story? You're here, you're principal.
You've been here for a while.
From new Orleans.
I did some schools there after Katrina.
Uh-huh.
And then some friends of mine were doing some schools up here in Baton Rouge and needed some help, so here I am.
So you were basically brought in to To fix the school? - Fix the school.
- Academically? Sure.
And now we're here to fix the school - Fix the school physically.
- Physically.
Do you think there's a correlation between learning and the actual environment that a child's in? Wouldn't you want to learn if you were in a prettier building? We've come to that acceptance that this is okay.
No, it's not.
We shouldn't be used to this.
They update prisons more than they do schools.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
Well, speaking of that, when was the last time this school was updated or renovated? That I know of? 1958.
- 1958.
- When it was built.
This school's not just messy.
It's unsafe.
I'm talking in the auditorium, in the classrooms, in the ceilings, in the pipes.
This school does not live up to the standard of education in this country, so we're gonna fix that.
- Bye-bye, ugly carpet.
- Good-bye.
Walking from classroom to classroom, I'm noticing that the teachers all have the same thing in common.
Pretty much all of them are from teach for America.
You're super young, so I'm assuming you are one of the recently graduated teach for America teachers? Yes, I graduated last year, and I just finished my first year teaching.
- That is so cool.
- Thank you.
I think so.
Yeah.
I had kids in the beginning of this year who did not know all of the letters of their alphabet and now not only know their alphabet but are reading at a second grade level.
I can imagine that, I mean, 'cause the other teach for America teachers that are here are away from their families as well, you guys probably You become a family.
Oh, my gosh.
We live together.
We do everything together, yeah.
- Oh, how fun.
- Yeah.
Oh, that's cool.
I think it's incredible what you do, and so thank you.
Oh, thank you.
At lanier, we needed specialized, skilled labor, so I brought on Stewart from ab ceiling.
- Hey, Tom.
- How's it going? It's looking good.
Yeah, it's getting there, huh? Stewart is our main builder for this work.
He's really got his hands full.
You know, the kids are gonna come here a see a totally new school, and they're gonna say, "you know what? There's somebody out there that cares about us.
" You know? And they carry this on to others.
The spirit of volunteerism is simple.
It's part of giving back.
If you don't do it, it's not gonna get done.
We can't always expect other people to do it.
Just make it happen.
Just volunteer.
Thank you, Tom.
Thanks for coming back and giving back.
- You bet.
- Thank you very much.
We'll be seeing you.
This is amazing.
I never thought I'd see this school better than it was.
Like it's Christmas in July? - It's Christmas.
- It's Christmas in July.
Randall! Yes, I'm in Baton Rouge at lanier elementary school.
I need you to come and do me a huge favor.
I got a chance to really get to know Frank this week, and one thing he told me is that he wants to be a professional football player.
And one of his heroes is super bowl champion Randall gay, cornerback for the new Orleans saints.
So you know what? I'm gonna give Frank a surprise.
I feel like the kids are gonna be overwhelmed.
- The kids? The staff.
- The teachers, yeah.
Mr.
levin, please report to class.
Your children are waiting for instruction.
Maybe a little bit more paint? Yeah.
What's this? - My gosh.
- Oh, my God.
Look at this! Look at this! - Oh, my God.
- What is this? Randall gay.
It's Randall gay! I was like, oh, my God.
Hi, I'm Frank.
What's going on? One of the champions of the saints came to our school.
He's gonna be a "d" lineman, so I think he thinks he could take you down.
I don't know.
To see Randall gay come to our school, it means even celebrities care.
Even champions like Randall gay even care to see our school get renovated.
All right, I need some work to do.
The state of Louisiana puts zero dollars annually into school facilities, so I went to the state capital and I met the state superintendent of education, Paul pastorek.
Jacob soboroff from school pride.
- Great to see you, Jacob.
- Nice to see you.
Thank you for having me in.
My pleasure.
My pleasure.
I appreciate it.
This is the man that implements education policy on the state level in Louisiana.
I want to talk to you about what's going on with education in Louisiana.
What are the key factors to improve schools here in Louisiana? The number one factor is an effective teacher.
It is also important that we have an environment where kids can be successful.
But the state puts zero dollars into school facilities.
Is that correct? Well, it's it's Uh, you know, the state is a relatively poor state, and the way the funding works is, the state picks up for other costs, particularly for teacher pay.
That's been the biggest area that we've focused on.
But even at a school like lanier, you still have a facility that is in terrible shape.
Why is lanier in such bad condition? We're dealing with a failing school four years in a row.
Why do you think that is? Facilities are what the locals pick up, with local tax dollars.
These are poor people.
You're passing the buck to the local communities, but they don't have any money.
Well, the challenge is, if we decide to put money into facilities, then we'll put less money into teachers.
If we were a wealthier state, we may be able to contribute to both pots, but particularly right now, we're not.
The fact of the matter is, in this state, if you're poor, you get a poor education.
Thank you, sir.
Why is the state superintendent accepting the status quo instead of saying he wants to change the rules.
There are questions that I still don't have answers to.
In this situation, the only thing we can do is turn to the community.
doin' well.
How are you? Is it hot enough for you? Oh, my goodness.
One thing about being down in the south, you're gonna find strong community.
Everyone helps everyone.
But economically, it's a struggling community, so I wanted to do something for these kids.
91% of lanier students qualify for free breakfast and lunch, but that's only on school days.
On the weekends, they may not be getting the well-balanced meals they need.
Okay, so how many of you like breakfast? Now, you know why breakfast is important? It is the most important meal of the day.
It gives you energy.
That means you're gonna do better in school, you're gonna get better grades, and you're gonna be nice to your teachers and to your parents.
So Walmart and their suppliers are gonna let us fill up these baskets with all of the good breakfast food we want.
All right.
Get ready, set, go! Walmart spends $2 billion in fighting hunger here in the U.
S.
, so they are sponsoring the Walmart weekend breakfast backpack program for one full year for every student in the school.
Good job.
Come on, we're running out of time! Ah, we did it! Come on, guys, let's get back to work.
We gotta go back to the school.
The teachers of lanier elementary, they have put in so much hard work to change the mindset of these students.
- How are you? - I'm good.
What is it like to see these teachers, once the pressure is off? What do they do when they go home? So, when you guys first got here, it obviously wasn't like this.
No.
We met the first night that we moved down to Baton Rouge.
Signed a lease the next day.
- With each other? - Mm-hmm.
We were so lucky to, like, find each other to be able to lean on and work with.
And I don't know that I would have made it to tomorrow if not for Joe or Brent or kaelan.
And I think we're really lucky.
What is it gonna be like once we leave? I'm gonna be really pumped for us to get back to doing what we do and see if we can do it better this year.
I'm so impressed by the teach for America teachers here.
They have shouldered so much responsibility at age 22.
It's a bit late in the game, but you know what? It's time to put a teachers' lounge in lanier elementary.
I want to give a place for the teachers, where they can feel like someone's taking care of them.
Right now, they've got a room filled with boxes and a coffee pot that one of them brought from their house.
They need a teachers' lounge where they can relax, they can gather their thoughts, and I intend to give it to them.
The outside grounds of the school, they're looking great.
We're putting in plants.
We are putting in flowers.
And home depot has come in, and they're building the benches.
But of course, I have to oversee anything that's outside.
Okay, this is going forward.
This will allow you to tighten up that nut that I just put on that that side, so go ahead.
This is the compact version, so it's a little bit lighter, a little easier to handle, and it'll get in tighter spaces.
I don't get along with power tools, but I'm here to help.
I got this.
Now, you watch how a woman with a pink hat gets down.
This is serious.
Wait, I think I pushed the little reverse button.
Watch.
I'm not even gonna look.
- Ooh.
- Look at that, look at that.
Bam! Outstanding! Zzz zzz zzz.
The benches are done.
Okay, what's the weight limit on this thing? - It'll fit both of us.
- It'll fit? Let's see.
Ah! That's kinda nice.
- All right.
- Let's get painting.
- Oh, thank you very much.
- Thank you so much.
These kids are working so hard, so I think to myself, I'm giving them the day off.
Attention, students.
Please come to the front of the school.
We're gonna send you on a special trip, and when you come back tomorrow, you're gonna see a brand-new school.
We're in Louisiana.
The Mississippi river is right here.
What better thing to do for them Send them on a river boat cruise.
When I got on the boat, I was kind of nervous.
It was my first boat ride.
I never thought I was gonna get on a boat like this, like, a boat this big.
It's like a Titanic boat.
Now we're headed forward, Frank.
Can you see the wheel turning? We saw how the steam works.
We saw how the motor worked.
Like, the big old arms that dos the work.
It was a nice and joyful ride, and every person had smiles and joy and laughter.
The saving grace at lanier elementary school is the teachers, so this teachers' lounge is extremely important.
Jacob! Tom stroup.
How's it going? How you doin', man? Things are coming along in the teachers' lounge.
- Where's the furniture? - It'll be here.
- When? - Soon, I hope.
I walk into the teachers' lounge, and there is a lot of unfinished business in there.
I'm starting to get a little worried.
I'll be honest with you, it doesn't look like it's coming along to me.
We've got 20 hours to go.
You know that? Yes, sir.
The lighting's not on.
These cabinets aren't done, either.
- The cabinets aren't done.
- I know.
So we've got 20 hours, man.
I cannot bring somebody in here in 20 hours.
This is supposed to be done in 20 hours.
We're gonna work through the night.
Okay.
Get it done, man.
We gotta bring people in here.
- We're trying.
- It's getting close.
We're trying.
It's not looking good at all.
I think Jacob may have bit off more than he can chew.
Oh, goodness gracious.
Getting this teachers' lounge done is a huge task, but these teachers deserve it, so we are going to do whatever it takes to get it done in time.
It's the morning of the reveal.
We're down to the last minutes.
Final touches.
Right.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about the teachers' lounge.
This has to be finished.
Oh, my gosh.
It looks fantastic.
I would not have believed this.
The volunteers came through big-time in the teachers' lounge.
We're actually gonna get that done.
Thanks for you guys.
Beautiful, beautiful.
Awesome week, everybody.
A little stressful.
We pulled it off.
Yeah.
I have never seen such a response.
I mean, people from Canada.
It was just amazing to see the outpouring of volunteers.
Guys, we've got ten seconds left! 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Lanier needed a new heartbeat.
It needed new life breathed into it.
This was perfect timing.
This was something that was meant to be.
Oh, my gosh, we're getting close, we're getting close.
On the bus, the kids were buzzing, 'cause that's the way they go to school every day.
Obviously the same route, but there's something a little bit different this time.
Here they come.
Oh, my gosh.
Welcome back! Welcome back! Come on down! Welcome back! Seeing these kids run off the buses, they are racing to the ribbon cutting.
It is lion pride in full effect.
Lanier elementary school, welcome back! Yes! Seven days ago, we, the community, came together, and we said, "we can renovate and make over this school," and you did it! Yes! Yes! Yes! Mr.
levin and Frank, this journey began with you two, and I think you should have the honors of cutting the ribbon.
Yes! Cutting the ribbon, like, I felt like I was part of the reason why the students had smiles on their faces.
You ready? Hold that end tight.
I never thought I was gonna make people smile like this one day.
3, 2, 1! Cut it! Get over here now! Oh, my God! - Oh, my God.
- Oh! Oh, my God! Look around, look around.
The new auditorium is crazy.
And we know that we've always had lion pride, but to be able to express it like that with a giant, painted logo in the middle of a floor, like a college would have, is awesome.
The cafeteria is redonculous.
It's state of the art.
It's new, it's fresh.
I mean, I think the way it looks now, I know I'll remember it forever.
I know my teachers will remember it forever.
Definitely, our children will remember this forever.
We actually have air conditioning! This is beyond our expectations.
Listen, this is your school, and we couldn't have done it without you guys.
This is unbelievable.
Thank you very much.
It's beautiful.
Oh, my gosh, look at the floor.
Oh, my gosh.
Look at the backpacks! This room is hardly recognizable.
I mean, everything was just bright and beautiful.
There were desks that weren't, like, tilted and wobbling.
And just being able to see my kids using things that should be in every single school, that's what was overwhelming, because it's not my room It's these kids.
This week, I saw people that care about our school in the same way that I care about my class.
And that was incredible.
Ms.
Dickinson, come look at your desk! I'm coming, honey.
Words rarely fail me, and words failed me completely.
I just broke down.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh! I couldn't even talk.
I mean, it was like, it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
You guys, it's touch screen.
Look.
I mean, with these microsoft computers, our kids are gonna be able to do amazing things.
Here we are on bing.
Com.
We're gonna type in "u.
S.
Presidents.
" Here are all of the presidents of the United States.
This is the coolest thing I've ever seen.
It's amazing because I don't think you realize what you've done for these kids and what resources like that are gonna do for these kids.
Can you imagine what we can do with this stuff? They're gonna soar.
These kids are gonna soar with the resources that they have now.
- Oh, my gosh! Wow! - Wow! - What do you think? - Oh, my gosh! Unbelievable.
It is unbelievable.
Do you like it? Oh, my gosh.
It is just great.
Wow! It just feels good in there.
The paint is bright.
The lights are bright.
It's a warm, inviting place.
It's going to change how the kids learn.
It's going to completely change the way that I teach.
- Look at the computers! - Aren't they cool? It's so amazing.
It is so amazing.
Are you excited? Yeah? - Thank you very much.
- For you.
You guys deserve it.
You so deserve this.
You guys all do.
I got emotional because, to me, it all starts and ends with the kids.
The kids that I care so, so much about.
These kids who never got the attention before, that they deserve in school, are now getting above and beyond what I think anybody else has.
It's humbling.
It's really humbling.
It broke my heart when I got here and I saw the condition that your room was in.
When I walked in here, it was it's just You deserve all of this, you guys really do.
You know, Mr.
levin just has so much love for his students, and I felt proud to be able to have the resources to give such a fantastic teacher exactly what he needed.
And you have computers that work now.
Yay! The teachers take care of these kids every single day.
They probably spend more time here, at this school, than they do at their own homes.
We didn't have one of these, did we? No.
I wanted to give a place for the teachers, where they can feel like someone's taking care of them.
Whoa! Oh, my Guys, welcome to your new teachers' lounge.
Oh, my God.
Wow, this is pretty nice.
This is awesome.
Walking into the teachers' lounge today, I didn't think I was still on this campus.
It's beautiful, and the teachers deserve it.
There you go.
There you go.
There's an espresso machine.
What? Jacob, this is extraordinary.
If you gotta spend more time here than at your own house, at least it'll be comfortable like your house.
I'm never gonna leave here.
I'm just gonna I'm just gonna stay here all day.
Before, we didn't have a place to go as a faculty, and now we have a space where we all are gonna be congregating.
I mean, not only is it just a fun place to be, it's also gonna be functional.
Come on out! Welcome to your new school! The playground area is crazy.
Everything's clean, everything's bright.
Everything's new.
I mean, the campus just looks the way that we feel about the place finally.
Oh, my God.
You guys, you have balls to play with.
What do you think, Frank? What do you think? It's great.
When I saw the playground today, I was like, "oh, my God.
Is this really happening?" Like, am I dreaming? Let's see what you can do with that.
Bucket! Whoo! Ha ha! Good shot, man.
Good shot.
Like this.
Good job.
Although our education system is broken in the United States, we shouldn't give up hope.
Communities can come together.
Parents can come together.
Make your voices heard and ask for help.
I hope what people learn from seeing what's been done, that they can have something better if they work for it, if they come together and say, "wait a minute.
It starts here.
Let's build something better.
" You did good for the school, Frank.
It's nice to see that little kids like me can make a big difference in the world.
It makes me feel great.
'Cause I wouldn't have made it where I was at today if I didn't have lanier.
You got it, you got it.
Our job at lanier is done, but our job is not done by a long shot.
There are schools like lanier all across the country.
What we need to do is to raise awareness and that's exactly what we're gonna continue to do.
Our attendance has gone up almost 120 students, which means more money.
It means more staff.
It means more people in the right places to help our kids get to where they need to be.
I don't hope but I plan on seeing a lot higher test scores at the end of the year.
We only have one ball to play with.
That is not the ball.
This is the worst thing I've ever seen.
The children's future has been put in the hands of a group of young and passionate heroes The teachers from teach for America.
They're improving test scores, but they can't stop the building from crumbling around them.
There are days where I'd just get in my car and just cry.
Who do you think is to blame? In just seven days, these young teachers, students and volunteers will try to save lanier with the help of one of the city's patron saints.
- Look at this! - Aah! Can this community fix lanier elementary or will the projects prove too hard to handle? Where's the furniture? I think Jacob may have bit off more than he can chew.
Four individuals from different walks of life have come together to help communities renovate their schools.
Are you ready? Susie castillo, designer and former miss U.
S.
A.
It's a proven fact that when children have a better learning environment, like what we're giving them, test scores skyrocket and they get better grades.
Jacob soboroff, political journalist determined to find out why so many of our schools are on the brink of collapse.
I think that education in America is broken.
No teacher or no student should feel like their school is a prison.
Kym whitley, comedian and former teacher.
If you can give a child a great beginning, they could become anything.
And me, Tom stroup, team leader and SWAT commander.
We're basically community organizers.
It's about going to a community and helping the community help themselves.
This week, we're going to lanier elementary school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Welcome to lanier elementary school.
I'm Mr.
levin.
And I'm Frank, in fifth grade.
And lanier is a really awesome place, but we need some major help.
It's been so many years since anybody's touched the school at all and tried to make it look better that it's falling apart.
This is our gym.
The roof right there is coming in, like it's gonna fall out.
As you can see, we have an old-time air conditioner, and we never get air in here.
Like, it be hot, hot, hot.
As you can see, it's dingy.
You look up here, it's just really, really depressing.
There's no technology to speak of.
All the students in here deserve better than this.
Just old desks.
A lot of these desks don't work.
Like, the kids sit at them.
There have been times I've seen the desk just completely fall over.
We have one jungle gym where everybody has to struggle to fit on there.
They just try to make the best of it.
And as you can see, we've got raggedy goals.
Like, some of them look like they're going to fall down any day.
And the swings are okay.
It's just They need to fix it.
Every day, we tell them, you are scholars.
You are the future.
What we're doing here is really important, but it's tough to really instill that and have them believe in themselves when the building, you know, looks like it was made in 1940.
But at the same time, you will not find a group of teachers who are more passionate.
- What's our new word? - Go! How do we spell our new word? G-o, go! And that can take you a long way, but in order for it to really come together, the next step is, can we make this place look the way that we feel about it? I think that we have a lot of potential for this to be a great facility, and I just want them to feel like this is a happy place, where they are so happy to come and be, and they're proud of their school.
I love lanier.
It's a good school.
They got good people in it.
But I just feel like it's just messed up a little.
There you have it.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Please, please, please.
We really need your help.
From the bottom of our hearts, can you please renovate our school? We're gonna go into an elementary school today, and it's very unique.
This school has failed five years in a row, academically.
Last year, they brought in a group of teachers.
They come from teach for America, and they teach all around the country.
They go into some of the roughest and toughest schools in America.
But the problem is, in these schools, the facilities are not as good as the teachers that are in them.
So we're driving to lanier elementary school.
It is pouring down rain.
We're thinking, what now? We gotta move this whole thing inside when we get there.
It's raining way too hard out to be outside.
We've got to bring the clock in.
We've got to bring everything inside today.
So we have to make a phone call.
Onstar ready.
Call Stewart.
Calling.
Hello.
Hey, Stewart, it's Tom.
How's it going? I think there's a big storm coming, so we may have to take it inside.
Okay, well, we're right behind you.
All right, buddy.
We'll see you there.
Good deal.
So the first number that we're gonna bring down is the - Zero.
- Zero.
So I put a zero right here.
This school is in bad shape.
These kids live with this every day.
We've got to fix this.
Attention, students.
Please report to the cafetorium for a special assembly.
All right, let's push in our chairs.
Lanier elementary, come on in! Come on, guys! Hi! What's your name? We have a very special announcement.
We are the school pride team.
Where is Mr.
levin and Frank? We got your tape, and we are here to renovate your school because of you.
Nice job.
Hey, students, do you like the way your school looks now? No! I want to know who is gonna help us make it over? We brought the paint, and we brought the nails, but we need some lions.
Are there any lions here to help us out? Yes! All, chanting: Lion pride! Okay, you guys may have noticed this clock over here behind us.
There's a seven on that clock.
That is how many days we have to finish renovating your school.
Are you ready to start the clock? Yes! Start the clock! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Back to your classrooms to start packing! It doesn't seem real right now.
I'm so happy for everybody at this school who really deserves it.
It's gonna be unbelievable.
This is the most amazing feeling.
I keep saying I'm, like, overflowing, I'm just so excited.
These kids are gonna know that this message that we send them that they can achieve isn't just coming from us anymore.
It's coming from outside, and it's coming from everybody who believes in them.
I think the new school is gonna be great.
I'm ready for it.
Thank you, sir.
- Slow.
- Aah! Slow.
You got it? Some speedy work.
Here you go, tatia.
All right, hand them over to me and I'll put them in.
Hey! - I'm here to help.
- Here.
Okay.
We've got all kinds of jobs for you.
Oh, you do? I'm susie.
Hi, susie.
I'm Mr.
levin.
You know, we just do the announcement, and I run into a room and I meet Mr.
levin.
And right off the bat, he's just such an amazing, compassionate human being, really loves the kids that he teaches, and, you know, just needs some help.
Are all the teachers at this school from teach for America, or just ? No, we do have a lot of teach for America teachers here.
And, uh, it's exciting to teach with other people like that.
Right.
Teach for America is an organization that recruits recent college graduates to commit to teach for two years in underprivileged schools all across the country.
The goal is simple, and it's to eliminate educational injustice.
So you're lacking the tools that you need to properly teach.
Exactly, exactly.
And that's definitely a frustrating thing.
You know, we tell them every day, we have high expectations, but when the school looks the way that it does, you know, kids are smart.
Right, absolutely, they are.
So I think that just having a nicer looking school is gonna make the kids so much more excited to be here and so much more excited to learn.
And that's really, you know, all that we're asking for.
And so that's why I'm really excited to have you all here, because we feel like maybe we can't get to that next step as a school until we can fix this place.
It's exciting to me to see that the kids that I care so much about are gonna get a beautiful classroom that is going to inspire them.
So who's your favorite teacher? - Mr.
levin.
- Mr.
levin.
And why is he your favorite? If I'm going through something or I need somebody to talk to, like, I can go to Mr.
levin and talk to him.
He's like one of my mentors.
A teacher like Mr.
levin, he gives me attention, and I didn't even much have that at my last school.
Just tell me, like, what are the things that you'd like changed at the school? Like, I would like more equipment to learn with.
What about this playground? What do you think about this? It's not really nice because we have the broken basketball goals and the balls are flat.
And we only have one ball to play with.
That is not the ball.
This is the one ball that we play with.
How did you play with it? You can't bounce it.
Like, we used to play, like, with no dribbling.
No dribbling, but you play basketball? Okay, could you show me how you would do that? Like, we would just go, like, act like we bouncing it, and we just shoot.
See, it's hard to shoot.
There's 300 kids and one ball.
One ball with no air.
This is the worst thing I've ever seen.
So, what do you want to be? A professional football player or entrepreneur.
Or entrepreneur.
And you could be both.
Now, what grade are you in? I'm in fifth.
This is my last year.
You do all of this work for this school, and then you're gonna leave? Like, I want to make it.
I want to make the change for the next generation that comes to this school.
Wish I had a little Frank.
After seeing the basketball court and the outside grounds, I am inspired to change that.
Okay, we're gonna make a change for you.
- Thank you.
- You deserve it, sweetie.
Thank you.
We're here at lanier elementary in Louisiana, and it's gonna be hot and it's gonna be wet.
Old school.
We're gonna make some big changes that have been overdue for a long time.
Mm-hmm.
So let's get to it.
Susie.
Tell you what I want to take over is the teachers' rooms.
All the classrooms.
I would love to be in charge of that, because these teachers are young.
They're full of energy.
I mean, they bring so much passion to their work, so I really want to give them what they need.
I would like to take the outside.
Okay.
The playground area and the front of the school.
Because I'd like to tie everything in together.
So I want to take the outside playground.
I want to take it all.
Absolutely.
Nice, nice.
Jacob? I'm gonna be getting the technology into this school.
You can't have a school with smart, young teachers without the technology to have the kids be up-to-date.
And you're also gonna try to find out the politics behind all of this.
To prevent it from happening again, I need to find out why things are the way they are here.
Perfect.
I want to work on the cafetorium.
I want to make it into what it's supposed to be Two separate places for two separate functions.
All right.
We've got a lot to do.
All right.
Rock and roll, school pride team.
- Miss howell.
- Hello.
- What's up? Jacob.
- Hi, Jacob.
Maggie.
- Nice to see you.
- Nice to see you.
What's going on? Um, we're just covering these poles.
All right.
So that they can come and paint.
- You got more tape? - I do.
Here.
Let me help.
Thank you.
So you're a teach for America teacher, huh? Yeah.
What's different now than from, you know, before, before teach for America was in here? The kids say it's a lot different and the school's run a lot differently.
These kids, a grave injustice has been served to them for many years, you know? And they're two grade levels behind.
The kids here are two grade levels behind? Yeah, on average.
That doesn't change in a year.
You know, we made a year and a half growth in most classes, but we still have a long way to go.
What about technology? In a time where, like, they go home and they play video games, we don't have computers that are working and, you know, the technology to keep them engaged.
They don't have computers here at school? They don't even have, like, chalkboards.
It's hard to get these kids what they need, and you kind of have to be tough about it, and that wears on you.
There are days, at the beginning of the year, I'd just get in my car and just cry.
You know, you're just furious.
This has got to be a challenge for them, and they are taking on a task that That I don't know if experienced teachers would want to take on.
How do you do it every day? You get to go out to recess and play with these kids, and And they just run off the bus to see you because they love school.
That's why you keep doing it, because they're so happy here.
What drives you is those kids.
You want so badly to give them everything in the world, and it literally hurts your heart that you can't make their whole world, their whole existence wonderful.
Who do you think is to blame? It's you can't really point a finger at one person.
It takes time to make a situation this bad, and it takes a lot of players and a lot of neglect.
If I want to go to the top, if I want to talk to somebody, who could I talk to to get the ball rolling on stuff? I'd say, you know, superintendents and talking to people in the government to say, "listen, there needs to be change.
There needs to be more funding in these schools.
" There's a lot to be done around here.
Whatever you need, let me know.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I'm gonna figure out who's in charge and I gotta go talk to them.
Good morning.
Y'all come on in.
Thanks for showing up.
We appreciate it.
New York? You came all the way from new York? No, from Maryland.
From mar you guys really came from Maryland? How many of y'all are there? There's about 14 of us.
Welcome.
The spirit of the volunteers is just incredible.
I mean, we have people that are from all over, from all walks of life.
Some are natives of Baton Rouge.
Others have driven 13 hours.
Some have flown in because they're alumni.
- Hi.
- Hi.
How are you? You must be Dana.
I'm Dana.
Hi, susie.
It's so nice to meet you.
They're taking vacation time to come and work their tails off this entire week, and so that's how you know that there's something special happening at lanier elementary school.
All right, let's go.
It's day two of seven, and after seeing the basketball court on the outside grounds with Frank, I realized that we have to demo things.
We have to tear things down.
So I needed some people that knew how to move heavy equipment.
Yo, what you guys doing? Gonna tear down the old basketball goals.
Yes! Tear down those goals! I see this little machine, and they tell me it's a bearcat.
So you gonna climb in that little machine? Why don't you climb in here and try it and we'll watch you.
Me? You got good eye/hand coordination, you can do it.
Oh, gosh, it's making me nervous.
Wait a minute, I'm scared! We got to go.
Can you get in there with me? No, there's not enough room for two.
I get in and I pull the little ride thing down.
Everything is simple.
All right, back on the left.
Back.
Aah! You got it.
Now, down.
Forward on the left.
Forward? Oh, my whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Maybe I shouldn't be in that.
Aah! Oh, my God! I don't know why I got in that machine.
I thought it would be simple.
- You ready to get out? - Uh, yes, sir.
Mm-mm.
I'm gonna go plant some flowers.
- Hello! - Hi! Hi, guys! How are you? - We're excited! - Are you ready for some paint? Who's doing Mr.
levin's room? - Um, I am, I am.
- You are.
Okay.
Here you go.
All right, let's grab some stuff.
- How are y'all feeling? - Oh! - Are you having fun? - I'm having a blast.
Yeah, it's so fun, like, to meet all the different people that are out here helping us and, I mean, it's so overwhelming, you know? Like, "thank you" just seems so insufficient.
Yeah, it's nice, right? You came a long way to come back here.
- A long way.
- Why? What made you want to come back to lanier to do this? I lived in this area for about 20 years.
I learned a lot here in elementary school, so it was an important one to me.
When I heard that this was happening here in Baton Rouge, it made traveling back an important thing to do.
It was really an important part of my life, and it helped me to become the person I am today.
This isn't just any ordinary week, is it? No, this is a great week.
It's like a one in a lifetime week.
Once in a lifetime week.
You might remember this for a little while? I'm gonna remember this for the rest of my life.
I think Frank has taught me more than I've taught him, and what he showed me is that if they're in elementary school and they're not loving it, then we have to change that, and he showed me that that is possible.
What about when the whole community comes out here and you're standing there, looking at a brand new school? It's gonna be hard to wipe the Frank smile off of my face.
The Frank smile? I know that smile pretty well by now.
I'm looking forward to seeing that.
well, I bet you never thought you'd be doing this when you got your degree in teaching, did you? No.
This is the easy stuff.
What are you talking about, Tom? We can't waste any time.
That clock started ticking the moment we got there.
So I'm in the cafetorium.
The floor's gotta be replaced.
There's no way around it.
So we have to get the tile inside.
So we get this bucket brigade, and guess who's doing the hardest job there? The principal, Mr.
Crowe.
So what's your story? You're here, you're principal.
You've been here for a while.
From new Orleans.
I did some schools there after Katrina.
Uh-huh.
And then some friends of mine were doing some schools up here in Baton Rouge and needed some help, so here I am.
So you were basically brought in to To fix the school? - Fix the school.
- Academically? Sure.
And now we're here to fix the school - Fix the school physically.
- Physically.
Do you think there's a correlation between learning and the actual environment that a child's in? Wouldn't you want to learn if you were in a prettier building? We've come to that acceptance that this is okay.
No, it's not.
We shouldn't be used to this.
They update prisons more than they do schools.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
Well, speaking of that, when was the last time this school was updated or renovated? That I know of? 1958.
- 1958.
- When it was built.
This school's not just messy.
It's unsafe.
I'm talking in the auditorium, in the classrooms, in the ceilings, in the pipes.
This school does not live up to the standard of education in this country, so we're gonna fix that.
- Bye-bye, ugly carpet.
- Good-bye.
Walking from classroom to classroom, I'm noticing that the teachers all have the same thing in common.
Pretty much all of them are from teach for America.
You're super young, so I'm assuming you are one of the recently graduated teach for America teachers? Yes, I graduated last year, and I just finished my first year teaching.
- That is so cool.
- Thank you.
I think so.
Yeah.
I had kids in the beginning of this year who did not know all of the letters of their alphabet and now not only know their alphabet but are reading at a second grade level.
I can imagine that, I mean, 'cause the other teach for America teachers that are here are away from their families as well, you guys probably You become a family.
Oh, my gosh.
We live together.
We do everything together, yeah.
- Oh, how fun.
- Yeah.
Oh, that's cool.
I think it's incredible what you do, and so thank you.
Oh, thank you.
At lanier, we needed specialized, skilled labor, so I brought on Stewart from ab ceiling.
- Hey, Tom.
- How's it going? It's looking good.
Yeah, it's getting there, huh? Stewart is our main builder for this work.
He's really got his hands full.
You know, the kids are gonna come here a see a totally new school, and they're gonna say, "you know what? There's somebody out there that cares about us.
" You know? And they carry this on to others.
The spirit of volunteerism is simple.
It's part of giving back.
If you don't do it, it's not gonna get done.
We can't always expect other people to do it.
Just make it happen.
Just volunteer.
Thank you, Tom.
Thanks for coming back and giving back.
- You bet.
- Thank you very much.
We'll be seeing you.
This is amazing.
I never thought I'd see this school better than it was.
Like it's Christmas in July? - It's Christmas.
- It's Christmas in July.
Randall! Yes, I'm in Baton Rouge at lanier elementary school.
I need you to come and do me a huge favor.
I got a chance to really get to know Frank this week, and one thing he told me is that he wants to be a professional football player.
And one of his heroes is super bowl champion Randall gay, cornerback for the new Orleans saints.
So you know what? I'm gonna give Frank a surprise.
I feel like the kids are gonna be overwhelmed.
- The kids? The staff.
- The teachers, yeah.
Mr.
levin, please report to class.
Your children are waiting for instruction.
Maybe a little bit more paint? Yeah.
What's this? - My gosh.
- Oh, my God.
Look at this! Look at this! - Oh, my God.
- What is this? Randall gay.
It's Randall gay! I was like, oh, my God.
Hi, I'm Frank.
What's going on? One of the champions of the saints came to our school.
He's gonna be a "d" lineman, so I think he thinks he could take you down.
I don't know.
To see Randall gay come to our school, it means even celebrities care.
Even champions like Randall gay even care to see our school get renovated.
All right, I need some work to do.
The state of Louisiana puts zero dollars annually into school facilities, so I went to the state capital and I met the state superintendent of education, Paul pastorek.
Jacob soboroff from school pride.
- Great to see you, Jacob.
- Nice to see you.
Thank you for having me in.
My pleasure.
My pleasure.
I appreciate it.
This is the man that implements education policy on the state level in Louisiana.
I want to talk to you about what's going on with education in Louisiana.
What are the key factors to improve schools here in Louisiana? The number one factor is an effective teacher.
It is also important that we have an environment where kids can be successful.
But the state puts zero dollars into school facilities.
Is that correct? Well, it's it's Uh, you know, the state is a relatively poor state, and the way the funding works is, the state picks up for other costs, particularly for teacher pay.
That's been the biggest area that we've focused on.
But even at a school like lanier, you still have a facility that is in terrible shape.
Why is lanier in such bad condition? We're dealing with a failing school four years in a row.
Why do you think that is? Facilities are what the locals pick up, with local tax dollars.
These are poor people.
You're passing the buck to the local communities, but they don't have any money.
Well, the challenge is, if we decide to put money into facilities, then we'll put less money into teachers.
If we were a wealthier state, we may be able to contribute to both pots, but particularly right now, we're not.
The fact of the matter is, in this state, if you're poor, you get a poor education.
Thank you, sir.
Why is the state superintendent accepting the status quo instead of saying he wants to change the rules.
There are questions that I still don't have answers to.
In this situation, the only thing we can do is turn to the community.
doin' well.
How are you? Is it hot enough for you? Oh, my goodness.
One thing about being down in the south, you're gonna find strong community.
Everyone helps everyone.
But economically, it's a struggling community, so I wanted to do something for these kids.
91% of lanier students qualify for free breakfast and lunch, but that's only on school days.
On the weekends, they may not be getting the well-balanced meals they need.
Okay, so how many of you like breakfast? Now, you know why breakfast is important? It is the most important meal of the day.
It gives you energy.
That means you're gonna do better in school, you're gonna get better grades, and you're gonna be nice to your teachers and to your parents.
So Walmart and their suppliers are gonna let us fill up these baskets with all of the good breakfast food we want.
All right.
Get ready, set, go! Walmart spends $2 billion in fighting hunger here in the U.
S.
, so they are sponsoring the Walmart weekend breakfast backpack program for one full year for every student in the school.
Good job.
Come on, we're running out of time! Ah, we did it! Come on, guys, let's get back to work.
We gotta go back to the school.
The teachers of lanier elementary, they have put in so much hard work to change the mindset of these students.
- How are you? - I'm good.
What is it like to see these teachers, once the pressure is off? What do they do when they go home? So, when you guys first got here, it obviously wasn't like this.
No.
We met the first night that we moved down to Baton Rouge.
Signed a lease the next day.
- With each other? - Mm-hmm.
We were so lucky to, like, find each other to be able to lean on and work with.
And I don't know that I would have made it to tomorrow if not for Joe or Brent or kaelan.
And I think we're really lucky.
What is it gonna be like once we leave? I'm gonna be really pumped for us to get back to doing what we do and see if we can do it better this year.
I'm so impressed by the teach for America teachers here.
They have shouldered so much responsibility at age 22.
It's a bit late in the game, but you know what? It's time to put a teachers' lounge in lanier elementary.
I want to give a place for the teachers, where they can feel like someone's taking care of them.
Right now, they've got a room filled with boxes and a coffee pot that one of them brought from their house.
They need a teachers' lounge where they can relax, they can gather their thoughts, and I intend to give it to them.
The outside grounds of the school, they're looking great.
We're putting in plants.
We are putting in flowers.
And home depot has come in, and they're building the benches.
But of course, I have to oversee anything that's outside.
Okay, this is going forward.
This will allow you to tighten up that nut that I just put on that that side, so go ahead.
This is the compact version, so it's a little bit lighter, a little easier to handle, and it'll get in tighter spaces.
I don't get along with power tools, but I'm here to help.
I got this.
Now, you watch how a woman with a pink hat gets down.
This is serious.
Wait, I think I pushed the little reverse button.
Watch.
I'm not even gonna look.
- Ooh.
- Look at that, look at that.
Bam! Outstanding! Zzz zzz zzz.
The benches are done.
Okay, what's the weight limit on this thing? - It'll fit both of us.
- It'll fit? Let's see.
Ah! That's kinda nice.
- All right.
- Let's get painting.
- Oh, thank you very much.
- Thank you so much.
These kids are working so hard, so I think to myself, I'm giving them the day off.
Attention, students.
Please come to the front of the school.
We're gonna send you on a special trip, and when you come back tomorrow, you're gonna see a brand-new school.
We're in Louisiana.
The Mississippi river is right here.
What better thing to do for them Send them on a river boat cruise.
When I got on the boat, I was kind of nervous.
It was my first boat ride.
I never thought I was gonna get on a boat like this, like, a boat this big.
It's like a Titanic boat.
Now we're headed forward, Frank.
Can you see the wheel turning? We saw how the steam works.
We saw how the motor worked.
Like, the big old arms that dos the work.
It was a nice and joyful ride, and every person had smiles and joy and laughter.
The saving grace at lanier elementary school is the teachers, so this teachers' lounge is extremely important.
Jacob! Tom stroup.
How's it going? How you doin', man? Things are coming along in the teachers' lounge.
- Where's the furniture? - It'll be here.
- When? - Soon, I hope.
I walk into the teachers' lounge, and there is a lot of unfinished business in there.
I'm starting to get a little worried.
I'll be honest with you, it doesn't look like it's coming along to me.
We've got 20 hours to go.
You know that? Yes, sir.
The lighting's not on.
These cabinets aren't done, either.
- The cabinets aren't done.
- I know.
So we've got 20 hours, man.
I cannot bring somebody in here in 20 hours.
This is supposed to be done in 20 hours.
We're gonna work through the night.
Okay.
Get it done, man.
We gotta bring people in here.
- We're trying.
- It's getting close.
We're trying.
It's not looking good at all.
I think Jacob may have bit off more than he can chew.
Oh, goodness gracious.
Getting this teachers' lounge done is a huge task, but these teachers deserve it, so we are going to do whatever it takes to get it done in time.
It's the morning of the reveal.
We're down to the last minutes.
Final touches.
Right.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about the teachers' lounge.
This has to be finished.
Oh, my gosh.
It looks fantastic.
I would not have believed this.
The volunteers came through big-time in the teachers' lounge.
We're actually gonna get that done.
Thanks for you guys.
Beautiful, beautiful.
Awesome week, everybody.
A little stressful.
We pulled it off.
Yeah.
I have never seen such a response.
I mean, people from Canada.
It was just amazing to see the outpouring of volunteers.
Guys, we've got ten seconds left! 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Lanier needed a new heartbeat.
It needed new life breathed into it.
This was perfect timing.
This was something that was meant to be.
Oh, my gosh, we're getting close, we're getting close.
On the bus, the kids were buzzing, 'cause that's the way they go to school every day.
Obviously the same route, but there's something a little bit different this time.
Here they come.
Oh, my gosh.
Welcome back! Welcome back! Come on down! Welcome back! Seeing these kids run off the buses, they are racing to the ribbon cutting.
It is lion pride in full effect.
Lanier elementary school, welcome back! Yes! Seven days ago, we, the community, came together, and we said, "we can renovate and make over this school," and you did it! Yes! Yes! Yes! Mr.
levin and Frank, this journey began with you two, and I think you should have the honors of cutting the ribbon.
Yes! Cutting the ribbon, like, I felt like I was part of the reason why the students had smiles on their faces.
You ready? Hold that end tight.
I never thought I was gonna make people smile like this one day.
3, 2, 1! Cut it! Get over here now! Oh, my God! - Oh, my God.
- Oh! Oh, my God! Look around, look around.
The new auditorium is crazy.
And we know that we've always had lion pride, but to be able to express it like that with a giant, painted logo in the middle of a floor, like a college would have, is awesome.
The cafeteria is redonculous.
It's state of the art.
It's new, it's fresh.
I mean, I think the way it looks now, I know I'll remember it forever.
I know my teachers will remember it forever.
Definitely, our children will remember this forever.
We actually have air conditioning! This is beyond our expectations.
Listen, this is your school, and we couldn't have done it without you guys.
This is unbelievable.
Thank you very much.
It's beautiful.
Oh, my gosh, look at the floor.
Oh, my gosh.
Look at the backpacks! This room is hardly recognizable.
I mean, everything was just bright and beautiful.
There were desks that weren't, like, tilted and wobbling.
And just being able to see my kids using things that should be in every single school, that's what was overwhelming, because it's not my room It's these kids.
This week, I saw people that care about our school in the same way that I care about my class.
And that was incredible.
Ms.
Dickinson, come look at your desk! I'm coming, honey.
Words rarely fail me, and words failed me completely.
I just broke down.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh! I couldn't even talk.
I mean, it was like, it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen.
You guys, it's touch screen.
Look.
I mean, with these microsoft computers, our kids are gonna be able to do amazing things.
Here we are on bing.
Com.
We're gonna type in "u.
S.
Presidents.
" Here are all of the presidents of the United States.
This is the coolest thing I've ever seen.
It's amazing because I don't think you realize what you've done for these kids and what resources like that are gonna do for these kids.
Can you imagine what we can do with this stuff? They're gonna soar.
These kids are gonna soar with the resources that they have now.
- Oh, my gosh! Wow! - Wow! - What do you think? - Oh, my gosh! Unbelievable.
It is unbelievable.
Do you like it? Oh, my gosh.
It is just great.
Wow! It just feels good in there.
The paint is bright.
The lights are bright.
It's a warm, inviting place.
It's going to change how the kids learn.
It's going to completely change the way that I teach.
- Look at the computers! - Aren't they cool? It's so amazing.
It is so amazing.
Are you excited? Yeah? - Thank you very much.
- For you.
You guys deserve it.
You so deserve this.
You guys all do.
I got emotional because, to me, it all starts and ends with the kids.
The kids that I care so, so much about.
These kids who never got the attention before, that they deserve in school, are now getting above and beyond what I think anybody else has.
It's humbling.
It's really humbling.
It broke my heart when I got here and I saw the condition that your room was in.
When I walked in here, it was it's just You deserve all of this, you guys really do.
You know, Mr.
levin just has so much love for his students, and I felt proud to be able to have the resources to give such a fantastic teacher exactly what he needed.
And you have computers that work now.
Yay! The teachers take care of these kids every single day.
They probably spend more time here, at this school, than they do at their own homes.
We didn't have one of these, did we? No.
I wanted to give a place for the teachers, where they can feel like someone's taking care of them.
Whoa! Oh, my Guys, welcome to your new teachers' lounge.
Oh, my God.
Wow, this is pretty nice.
This is awesome.
Walking into the teachers' lounge today, I didn't think I was still on this campus.
It's beautiful, and the teachers deserve it.
There you go.
There you go.
There's an espresso machine.
What? Jacob, this is extraordinary.
If you gotta spend more time here than at your own house, at least it'll be comfortable like your house.
I'm never gonna leave here.
I'm just gonna I'm just gonna stay here all day.
Before, we didn't have a place to go as a faculty, and now we have a space where we all are gonna be congregating.
I mean, not only is it just a fun place to be, it's also gonna be functional.
Come on out! Welcome to your new school! The playground area is crazy.
Everything's clean, everything's bright.
Everything's new.
I mean, the campus just looks the way that we feel about the place finally.
Oh, my God.
You guys, you have balls to play with.
What do you think, Frank? What do you think? It's great.
When I saw the playground today, I was like, "oh, my God.
Is this really happening?" Like, am I dreaming? Let's see what you can do with that.
Bucket! Whoo! Ha ha! Good shot, man.
Good shot.
Like this.
Good job.
Although our education system is broken in the United States, we shouldn't give up hope.
Communities can come together.
Parents can come together.
Make your voices heard and ask for help.
I hope what people learn from seeing what's been done, that they can have something better if they work for it, if they come together and say, "wait a minute.
It starts here.
Let's build something better.
" You did good for the school, Frank.
It's nice to see that little kids like me can make a big difference in the world.
It makes me feel great.
'Cause I wouldn't have made it where I was at today if I didn't have lanier.
You got it, you got it.
Our job at lanier is done, but our job is not done by a long shot.
There are schools like lanier all across the country.
What we need to do is to raise awareness and that's exactly what we're gonna continue to do.
Our attendance has gone up almost 120 students, which means more money.
It means more staff.
It means more people in the right places to help our kids get to where they need to be.
I don't hope but I plan on seeing a lot higher test scores at the end of the year.