"Pre-Katrina" and "Post-Katrina" are common terms for time frames these days in New Orleans, often reminding me of the BCE/CE timeline distinctions. You hear "Pre-Katrina" and "Post-Katrina" on the news, in the paper, and in everyday conversations. Although more and more people have moved back to New Orleans, businesses and restaurants are open, the St. Charles streetcar is running again, and normal life is continuing, Hurricane Katrina is still an everyday topic of conversation. In the midst of the constant reminders of the storm, Montessori education proved to be a stabilizing force in our school community. This is the story of how one public Montessori survived and redefined itself after Hurricane Katrina. (Contains 1 footnote.)