For the second- and third-graders at Slidell’s Honey Island Elementary School, “fish” is not just something daddy catches in the Rigolets.

It’s a state of mind, an attitude, even a model for good behavior.

Fish Week, which took place Sept. 22-26, gave them a chance to put it all into practice by collecting hundreds of school supplies for students at Pointe-aux-Chenes Elementary School in Terrebonne Parish, much of which is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Ike.

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Located in Montegut, the school serves the Pointe-aux-Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles areas, populated mainly by lower-income families. Although Ike dumped 2 feet of water into the school’s four buildings, it was able to reopen less than a week later, thanks to the efforts of Principal Dawn LaFont and scores of volunteers.

“The kids were back in class by Thursday,” said LaFont. “The problem is, we’re sending them home with assignments, but a lot of them don’t have a table or a desk to write on anymore.”

The school is one of only a handful of services available to residents in the tiny town in the storm’s aftermath. Except for churches and a small local grocery store, the pickings are slim when it comes to returning to normalcy.

According to Honey Island Assistant Principal Ramona Carlin, the Fish! for Schools philosophy was adopted in 2006 as the guideline for Honey Island’s Positive Behavior Support System. Originally a business philosophy, the program is designed to strengthen relationships both inside and outside the classroom.

There are four basic tenets that make up the program: Be There, Choose Your Attitude, Make Their Day, and Have Fun. Each day of Fish Week would highlight a single principle. As Carlin was planning the Fish Week activities, she realized that by helping a school in need, her students could implement all four principles.

“Last year we did a canned food drive around Thanksgiving,” said Carlin. “I wanted to do something that would have a more lasting impact this time around.”

Carlin got in touch with St. Tammany School Board Superintendent Gayle Sloan, who helped her locate Pointe-aux-Chenes.

A letter went home with students the Friday before Fish Week, explaining the project to parents.

The response was overwhelming.

“I couldn’t believe how much was brought in, and it just kept coming,” Carlin said. “Uniforms, notebooks, book bags, pens and pencils, arts and craft supplies, it was amazing.”

Not only did they respond in a big way, Carlin said many of the students put a lot of thought into what they donated. Many took time to make sure supplies were coordinated, matching Hannah Montana bookbags with similar items, for example, or tucking notes of support inside their gifts. Teachers contributed items as well, offering up lesson planners and so on.

As Carlin was considering how the donations might be delivered, one parent, employed with a shipping company, offered his assistance.

Honey Island will continue to support Pointe-aux-Chenes throughout the year. A toy drive and possibly a pen pal project is in the works, Carlin said.

As for LaFont, her school has become a distribution point of sorts, not only for local families but for those who evacuated to the area from the even harder-hit Texas coast.

The Slidell students’ donations, she said, are a huge blessing.

“It’s not uncommon to hear our kids say they have 17 people in their house,” said LaFont. “What those Honey Island kids are doing is restoring hope, and that’s a powerful thing.”