Though they have barely had time to adjust to the new school year, Cristo Rey Brooklyn students lost no time to help another school in the Cristo Rey Network.

When a flood brought destruction to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in mid-August in the form of 6.9 trillion gallons of water that claimed 13 lives and damaged upwards of a 60,000 homes, the local Cristo Rey School lost the use of its school building.

To help its counterpart in Louisiana, Cristo Rey Brooklyn held a solidarity day to raise funds and awareness of the tragedy. Students and faculty member donated money, wore red ribbons and sold used school supplies.

“It makes me feel really good because it helps me to understand that if anything was to happen to this school we would know that the other schools in the network would also come to help us,” senior Allana Joe told Currents’ Tim Harfmann.

The Cristo Rey Network comprises of 32 high schools providing education and professional work experience for teenagers from economically disadvantaged homes.

Sophomore Jamel Griffin said he can relate to the Baton Rouge flood from New York’s experience with Superstorm Sandy.

He said he wants the Cristo Rey Network to show the same kind of solidarity as New Yorkers did to get through their own natural disaster.