Lawrence group trying to locate friends

APPLETON - In her office at Lawrence University, Janet Anthony and some of her students huddled around her computer.

The group spends their summers in Port au Prince, Haiti, teaching music at a school there. Now, they're just trying to find out what's left of it.

"The whole school complex, which is an elementary school, a music school, concert hall, professional school, and a convent, that's all destroyed, we understand," said Anthony, a professor of music at the Lawrence.

"It was hard to sleep,” said Carolyn Armstrong, a student. “It's also just so exhausting. The sense of worry just kind of feels like a sickness."

Anthony has been going to Haiti to teach music since 1996. After finding out Tuesday, she and her students spent Wednesday on the phone, trying to find out any good news.

"Just hitting redial a thousand times,” said Armstrong. “I think I've called the same person a hundred times and one time I got a dial tone. That's kind of enough to keep trying."

They, like many across the globe, are using Facebook to track down friends after the earthquake. A group has been created to track news from the region. Anthony and her students hope to go back during spring break to help any way they can.

"If I can be helping build things, if I can help with literally anything, that's what I want to do,” said Lindsay Schwartz, a student. “If it's not teaching music, it doesn't really matter to me.”

Anthony and her students have heard from a few people who say they are safe, but there are many others that have not answered. They say there is only one way to find out.

Just keep calling.