Demonstrating the true spirit of community many Atlas schools opened their doors to students and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. When Katrina swept through the Central Gulf Coast no one expected the mass devastation that occurred. Many cities were completely wiped out and those left in the aftermath had only the clothes on their backs.

Katrina hit the on August 29, 2005, just as children were getting ready to go back to school. Even during the busyness of the first month, schools grasped the enormity of the situation and chose to extend a hand to those affected.

The generosity of all the schools is overwhelming, just a few examples of support:

• Educational Service Center Region 12 in Waco, Texas took in over 850 students.
• Greenhill School in Addison, Texas had a basic necessities drive that the students put on to help the families that relocated to Dallas.
• The Episcopal School of Dallas in Dallas, Texas raised $10,300 at a bake sale for the Katrina Relief Fund.
• St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Ridgeland, Mississippi integrated 50 students and their families into their community.
• Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida embraced students and their families as they began to relocate in their area.

Atlas shows gratitude and would like to honor all the schools that began their school year with such an open heart. They showed kindness and an overwhelming sense of compassion for the many hundreds of thousands affected by Katrina.