After discovering that the majority of her students were homeless, Principal Sherrie Gahn went to great lengths to help her students stay in school.
The poverty level has always been high at Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegan. But the current economic recession has had a devastating effect on students there: A shocking 85 percent of enrolled students are homeless.
“I thought that I saw the ultimate poverty when I got here eight years ago and every year it has gotten worse and the recession made it ten times worse,” principal Sherrie Gahn told CBS News.
When Gahn realized how tough things were for so many of her students, she knew she needed to go to great lengths to keep them enrolled in school. So she created a plan.
“I told the parents that I would give them whatever they need,” Gahn says. “All I need them to do is give me their children and let me teach them. In turn I will give you food and clothes and we will take them to the eye doctor. I will pay your rent, pay your utilities, but keep your child here.”
It sounds far-fetched, but Gahn is totally serious. She’s built a network of more than 500 local businesses and independent donors, who work to help her obtain all of the items on her monthly “wish list.” Some donors give cash: anywhere from $20 to $2,000 per month. With the money and supplies, Gahn is able to provide the students with free clothing, food, books and anything else they need to stay in school.
It’s tough to tell how many of these elementary school students, who’ve already suffered such misfortune in life, will make it to college. But for those who do, Gahn vows to pay the way, thanks to a school trust fund.
Gahn knows that she can’t protect all of the children from the difficult realities of life. Nonetheless, she feels rewarded every day.
Success is “the look in their face that I made their life better,” she says. “That’s my success rate when they hug me and thank me for the food, the clothes. Then I know it’s a good day.”