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Subscribe to RSSWhen classes begin in Joplin, Mo., on Wednesday, just 87 days after a tornado ripped through the city, about 900 students will take their seats in an unusual learning environment — a shopping mall.
"But this will be no ordinary mall," promises Jim Dunn, a spokesman for Joplin School District.
Joplin officials say they hope the learning center, created for 11th- and 12th-graders inside a vacant 90,000-square-foot department store using donations and federal relief funds, will establish Joplin as a hub of innovation, not as a district crushed by disaster.
Click here to see a slideshow of Joplin: Before and after cleanup
There are no lockers or books at the high school, which students have dubbed "The Mall" though it is in a separate building from the stores.
"The design is what we call a flexible floor plan, with areas that are wide open for large group instruction and smaller settings that can accommodate a classroom and study areas," Dunn said. "It's a high-tech environment with large screens and computers everywhere. And Joplin's mascot, the eagle, will be prominent."
Mike Stone / Reuters
A view of the destruction at Joplin High School after the killer tornado struck the town on May 23.
The May 22 tornado that swept through Joplin killed 160 people, including seven students and one teacher, and destroyed about 30 percent the homes and businesses in the a city of about 50,000 residents. The deadliest tornado in the United States in more than 60 years also devoured 10 schools, including the only public high school, Joplin High. In all, the district estimated the damage at about $150 million, more than $50 million of that being needed to rebuild Joplin High School, Dunn said.
The campaign is off to a strong start, with donors and volunteers from around the world pitching in:
- The oil-rich United Arab Emirates vowed up to $1 million to make sure each Joplin student had a laptop this year. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, the UAE donated $100 million to U.S. relief efforts.
- Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow donated her 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster to raise money to benefit the Joplin Schools Recovery Fund. Estimate of the car's value was at $50,000 to $80,000.
- Nearly 30,000 volunteers, working 140,000 hours, have jump-started the rebuilding effort. Several Kansas towns supplied hundreds of desks and chairs; a Des Moines, Ill., church donated school supplies.
- One resident, Mark Kinsley, enlisted his buddies and launched Rebuildjoplin.org, an online site that provides users with a list of resources for those seeking help.
District officials estimated about 5,000 students out of 7,000 were displaced from their homes. The district expects about 90 percent of the children to return to school this year, Dunn said.
When they do, each student will receive a new backpack and school supplies on the first day of school.
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
"All we did in the old school was sit in the hallways, which would have been a bad thing because we'd all be gone," says senior Chloe Hadley, who stands in front of tornado shelters in the mall's parking lot.
Chloe Hadley, 17, said she is ready to start her senior year, despite the heartache and loss from that terrible night in May.
Hadley said the tornado struck on an evening when her friends and others from the 445-student graduating class were celebrating their commencement.
The tornado's 200-mph winds were so severe that it hurled a church steeple across the road and into the main entrance of the high school. One of her best friends, Will Norton, was killed as he was driving home, thrown from his Hummer H3 when it flipped several times.
"It's been devastating," said Hadley, who is senior class president. "Not only had we had to live with that, but I have had to drive through the ruins and despair every day. You can't get away from it. It is everywhere."
"It will be good to go back, because it will keep us busy and keep our thoughts off of what really happened here," said Hadley. "I'm looking forward to it, even if it is in the mall."
Related link:
Photoblog: Tornado 'helps' Joplin resident downsize home
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I wish more of our so called 'friends' from the international community were as generous as the UAE. Hopefully the money actually reaches the various counties affected by the storm instead of being tied up in regulations and government red tape.
How in the world can these students learn without a $45 million dollar high school with administration offices, classrooms, baby changing rooms, kitchens, dining facilities, entry lobbies, two gyms, locker rooms and weight rooms for both sexes, vocational and ROTC rooms, soft ball and baseball, football stadium with concessions and restrooms and acres of paved painted parking for visitors, admininistration and several for the student body. What is the Missouri state legislature been doing? Dump the governor. It is a crime.
ox
Someone's cranky they didn't have this stuff back in the 60s
I wish you all the best and have a great senior year.
You make do with what you have. I applaud their ability to pick up the pieces and move forward.
Isn't that wonderful, the UAE (another country) gave a million dollars while our own "Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow donated her 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster to raise money to benefit the Joplin Schools Recovery Fund. Estimate of the car's value was at $50,000 to $80,000" gave two old cars she didn't want anymore that the school had to sell to get anything out of them. Ah, thanks Sheryl.
What did you give Bugger?
I am not sure I understand your objection to Cheryl Crow's gift. She is auctioning it and giving them the proceeds. She is also donating part of her record sales to St. Jude's Children's hospitals. She is a giving person.
I drove through the storm ravaged area of Joplin on a trip back from Chicago about a month after the storm. I have never seen such complete obliteration and destruction. I felt as though I had been kicked in the gut. It was horrible. As a high school student, I weathered the Waco, Texas tornado in 1953 which killed 114, destroyed the central business district, and missed our high school by only a block and a half. I never thought I'd see anything that compared with that carnage ~ ~ until I say Joplin. It was ten times worse than Waco. One poignant Joplin memory sticks in my mind. A 2-story home literally wiped away except for the garage and one wall of the bedroom above it ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ and undisturbed clothes hanging in an open closet. My heart still hurts for the people of Joplin, yet it rejoices at seeing the 'can-do" spirit to rebuild their city.
boy compare this to New Orleans. these people pulling together, volunteering and do whatever it takes to recover VS waiting for the government to take care of them, rioting, looting, raping, and murdering each other.
I'm alright, I have a Hummer H3, I'm a bad MF with my big bad car. Oh, heck... what's goin on? My car is flipping, how's that happening? Oh shi...................................................
Hey j70141 in Colorado shut your mouth. This kid was a good kid that had done more charity work than you have probably ever dreamed of. He was driving his PARENTS car home from graduation and his dad saw him get sucked out of the vehicle. Try thinking for just one second before you post stupid, ignorant things online. Why don't you come here and volunteer some. Oh that's right, you're just a loser jerk.
What an ignorant, insenstive comment. Go crawl back to whatever hole you climbed out of.
Very generous of the UAE to make this donation. Where are the wealthy Americans and their donations to help out? -- Oh, forgot! They are busy lobbying their congress people for more tax breaks so they can make more money just for themselves.
NBC - please pass along my deepest thanks to UAE for their generous help to the kids of Joplin, as well as their help with the Katrina disaster. They give me great hope for the future.
Joplin - you are an inspiration. I hope you know your grief was shared by so many you'll never know. You aren't alone.
And for those joking about the losses - shame on you. What if Will or any of the others lost were from your family? I've got news for you - they were. Human up!
Right on Shenandoah. I have never been so proud to live in Joplin as I have been the past two months. Everyone here has really pulled together, rolled up their sleeves and just worked without complaining. I AM JOPLIN!!!!!
Of course Joplin can pull it together and get back on their feet. Missouri is the "Show Me" state. It takes more than an F5 tornado to keep them down. They said school would open on time and they meant it.