Mission Accomplished by Joplin Schools

JHS/FTC: The Long Journey Home A special publication by: The Joplin Globe

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Rebuilding Together!

FORWARD When I visited Joplin in 2011, I was overwhelmed, but also inspired. More striking, more poignant, and more powerful than a tornado’s destruction were the stories of the incredibly strong people I met. The people of Joplin are connected to each other not just through the shared experience of a natural disaster, but through the collective will to make a courageous choice. You do not allow yourselves – in any way – to be reduced or defined by tragedy. You are brave and tenacious and, in the face of unthinkable loss, you are committed to nurturing and strengthening—both your community as a whole, and each person who lives within it. You have demonstrated your steadfast commitment to and care for this town by choosing to make the reconstruction of the high school a priority. School leaders – including Superintendent C.J. Huff, who I appreciate for putting the needs of Joplin students first – understand that schools are the center of communities, providing hope for the present and opportunities for the future. The new Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center reflects the city – both tightly connected and open to the world. The school is designed to facilitate connections among students and staff, respond to community and student needs, and utilize cutting-edge technology that can help prepare students for success in college and careers. In Joplin, across Missouri, and throughout America, students’ success depends on their ability to utilize technology as a tool for learning and innovation, to make connections among ideas, and to communicate those ideas. Students should know how to work with others to create, analyze, and find solutions to complex problems. More and more, success in the real world won’t just be about what you know, but what you can do with what you know. And there is a huge lesson that educators, parents, students, community members, and others in your community have taught each other. It’s a lesson that was learned in 2011 and that rings true today: No matter the obstacles, you can overcome adversity and persevere through tough challenges. Joplin’s people remain committed to bettering the city, not just for themselves, but for future generations. When I think about what a community means – how to truly define it – I know it’s not just a group of people who inhabit the same soil by coincidence. It has to be more than that – and it is. It’s resilience, passion, and all-out commitment. Communities are comprised of people who refuse to fail one another. And your community has refused to fail its students.

Left to right: (former) FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino, (former) Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, JHS Principal Dr. Kerry Sachetta and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan during a 2011 visit.

4 Mission Accomplished

Your city, where everyone chips in and doesn’t quit, has inspired me. I am excited for the students of Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center, past, present, and future. However Joplin may grow and however the world may change in the coming years, this community has learned what it means to have persistence, grit, and dedication. And these characteristics will never cease to be important. Have a great school year! Arne Duncan United States Secretary of Education

Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

EAGLES, WELCOME HOME!

Dear patrons, At 5:41 p.m., May 22, 2011, Mother Nature brought us the worst she had to offer. Over the course of a mere 32 minutes, our community and our schools suffered unimaginable losses. A third of our community and half of our school district were damaged or destroyed. Most tragic, however, were the stolen lives of 161 of our friends and neighbors, including 7 of our students and a staff member. Days later, as the world watched, we announced the kickoff of phase one of Operation Rising Eagle - our promise to reopen our schools as scheduled on Aug. 17, 2011, 87 days after the storm. To many, that idea seemed like an empty promise built on emotions and good intentions. But, over those 87 days, we remained intensely focused on taking care of our school family, meeting the needs of our students, repairing existing schools, and building temporary structures. With the help and support of our community and volunteers from around the world, we proved the doubters wrong. Aug. 25, 2014, will mark another milestone in our recovery effort and the final phase of Operation Rising Eagle — to build back better, safer schools. After three challenging years, we’re bringing our Eagles back home to 2104 Indiana Avenue. Many view the completion of the new Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center as a finish line in the recovery effort. I see it as the starting line for a new journey. After the tornado, we promised to open schools on time, and we did. We also promised to rebuild our schools bigger AND better. Bigger is easy. Better is more complex. Within that terrible tragedy, we saw an opportunity to reinvent the high school experience for future generations of graduates by creating a new vision of teaching and learning. There is no blue print for building a vision. Instead, we brought the best minds, best practices, and best ideas to one table to develop something that we believe will change education as we know it. Over the next few years and with the help of teachers, staff, students, parents, and our community, we will put bigger AND better into action. When you step into the new JHS/FTC – your school – for the first time, take time to reflect on our journey. Together, we rebuilt. Together, we reinvented ourselves. Together, we made the best of a terrible tragedy. And most importantly, together, we did right by our kids. Let’s never forget the love and support shown to us by people from around the globe who helped get us to this day. Beyond religion, politics, and economics, we are all neighbors. The new JHS/FTC represents you and the best of humankind. Sincerely,

Dr. C.J. Huff Superintendent of Schools, Joplin School District

6 Mission Accomplished

Dear students, staff and Joplin School District patrons, Dear students, staff, parents and community, The last three years have been quite a journey for all of us. As a result of an enormous tragedy that none of us could have ever imagined, we find ourselves moving forward as a community. The opening of the new Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center will be another significant step for students, staff, parents, and community.

It has been with great pleasure and a real sense of responsibility that Franklin Technology Center has provided skilled occupational training for secondary students and full time adult students dating back to 1937. The year of 2011, though tragic, was also a milestone year for FTC as our 100th class of licensed practical nurses completed their program. Prior to the tornado of May 2011, FTC had plans to expand and add new programs. We rebuilt FTC at our temporary site, with the help and support of the entire Four-State Area community along with assistance from across the state of Missouri and throughout the nation. The new building allows us to offer additional programs in spaces that will give us flexibility for many years to come.

The new high school and technology center will be significant for several reasons. First, it gives our students and staff members a “state-of-the-art,” permanent home for school. Our students and staff have made the very best of our temporary quarters, but now we can be back together as one student body and one staff. Second, it allows us to implement our new plans for educating our students for the foreseeable future. We can offer our students: more personalized learning experiences, more exposure to techJHS Principal Dr. Kerry Sachetta nology, flexible learning spaces for special projects and activities, visits with FTC Director Dave Rockers and well-designed classrooms and facilities to express their talent during a planning session at the temporary JHS 11/12 Campus. and creativity. Third, the new school will be a source of pride for our community. The new JHS/FTC may be the largest secondary school in our state. The school has a very unique design that will accommodate our students and community everyday with its multi-use spaces and amenities. The new JHS/FTC will be the most advanced education institution in Southwest Missouri in both facility design and program design.

Area Career Centers evolved out of a strong need for skilled labor on a nationwide scale many years ago. We are once again faced with a shortage of skilled labor in the current national labor market. The new building for FTC, connected with Joplin High School under one roof, will provide state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to help all students (young and old) to be college and career ready.

Finally, we want to thank the parents and community members of the Joplin School District for the opportunity to build our new high school and technology center. The bond campaign was another example of how our residents “stepped up” to the challenge of taking care of our students for years to come. It is an exciting time to be an EAGLE. The opening of our new high school and technology center will be a day for all of us to celebrate Joplin’s resilient spirit and determination.

Franklin Technology Center is proud to receive students from the sending school districts of Joplin, Carl Junction, Webb City, and Sarcoxie, as well as home-schooled students and students from our private schools in the Joplin Area. The new FTC/JHS facility will be a tremendous asset to our community and the Four-State Area. It will be a training institute unlike any other in the region. We are excited to be back in a permanent location and look forward to serving the region for many years to come.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kerry Sachetta Principal Joplin High School

Dave Rockers Director Franklin Technology Center Mission Accomplished

INDEX Mission Accomplished

CALENDAR

CHAPTER1: NEXT GENERATION HIGH SCHOOL

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

TIMELINE

Carol Stark Phone: 417.627.7278 Email:cstark@joplinglobe.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Katy Schrader, Rylee Hartwell, Sarah Sticklen, Shelby Hass

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Drew Kimble Roger Nomer T. Rob Brown Laurie Sisk Danny Craven

New JHS/FTC set to open Aug. 25

From May 22, 2011 to August 25, 2014: the rebuilding timeline of JHS/FTC

CHAPTER 2: A LONG HISTORY OF CHANGE

JHS/FTC IN PICTURES: 1885-2014

CHAPTER 3: SPYGLASS PERSPECTIVES

Through My Eyes

A Privilege to Record History

New Year Promises: Transition, Emotion, Celebration

CHAPTER 4: WELCOME HOME EAGLES Alumni letters of congratulations, memories and Joplin Pride

EDITOR

The official JHS/FTC grand-opening events calendar

PARTING SHOT

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COVER DESIGN

Christina Williams

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Christina Williams Brian Huntley

ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS

DLR Group Corner Greer & Associates

THE JOPLIN GLOBE

President and Publisher Mike Beatty Phone: 417.627.7291

EDITOR

Carol Stark Phone:417.627.7278 Email: cstark@joplinglobe.com

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Brent Powers Phone: 417.627.7233 Email: bpowers@joplinglobe.com

SALES MANAGER

Janette Cooper Phone: 417.627.7341 Email: jcooper@joplinglobe.com

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Jack Kaminsky Phone 417.627.7341 Email: jkaminsky@joplinglobe.com

ALUMNI CORRESPONDENT

Blair Weibert

Nearing completion: the two-story media center.

“Mission Accomplished” is a publication of Newspaper Holdings Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials.

CALENDAR

FIRST ANNUAL EAGLE KICKOFF FRIDAY, AUG. 22 Junge Field, 800 Junge Blvd.

5-6:30 p.m. FREE event and tailgate

7 p.m. First home football game (Joplin vs. Glendale)

Fun for the whole family: • • • • • •

Inflatable obstacle course Bounce house Face painting Football toss Concessions Performances by band and cheerleaders • Tailgate contest • Alumni booth

AUG. 21

JHS/FTC Parent and Student Reveal

AUG. 21

Rose Garden Pep Rally

AUG. 22

Alumni Sneak Peek

AUG. 22

Eagle Kickoff

AUG. 22

First home football game

AUG. 22

Dewey Combs Athletic Complex and Community Safe Room dedication and ribbon cutting

AUG. 24

JHS/FTC Community Open House

AUG. 25

First day of school

OCT. 3

Homecoming football game

OCT. 3

Tentative JHS/FTC grand opening and ribbon cutting (watch for more details)

4-6:45 p.m.

JHS/FTC Campus

7 p.m.

JHS/FTC Campus

4-6 p.m.

JHS/FTC Campus

5-6:30 p.m.

Junge Field

7 p.m.

Junge Field

during game halftime

Junge Field

4-5:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

JHS/FTC Campus

Junge Field

JHS/FTC Campus

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10 Mission Accomplished

Construction: Summer 2014

JHS/FTC:

NEXT GENERATION HIGH SCHOOL One of the many think tanks located throughout the new school. Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED NEW JHS/FTC SET TO OPEN AUG. 25 by: Kathleen Schrader

F “It is a great feeling to know we are about to put into practice what we have planned, thought about, and worked so hard to achieve for the last three years.” -Dr. Kerry Sachetta

Mission Accomplished

or days that stretched into many long months and finally years, the site where Joplin High School once stood at 2104 Indiana Ave. was one of many heartbreaking scenes of destruction dotting a tornado-ravaged landscape across one-third of the city. The 32-acre campus and sprawling school lay in ruins after an E-F5 tornado devastated Joplin on May 22, 2011, killing 161 people, including seven Joplin school students and one staff member. As shocked community members struggled to rebuild homes and lives in the weeks that followed, the high-school frame stood as a gut-wrenching reminder of all that had been lost. Fast forward to the summer of 2014. The community continues to recover, and there are promising signs — new homes and construction — throughout the tornado zone. At 2104 Indiana Ave., all remains of

the destroyed JHS and Franklin Technology Center have vanished. To the intense relief and excitement of the school community, a new school on an expanded 66-acre campus is slated to open Aug. 25. Motorists driving by the location can now take in the fresh athletic fields, see the school’s mascot — a giant graphic eagle — keeping watch from a window, and view the exterior of an approximately 488,000 square foot building that will house a school educators have especially designed for 21st century learning. And, for the first time, FTC will be under the same roof as JHS. “It is a great feeling to know we are about to put into practice what we have planned, thought about, and worked so hard to achieve for the last three years,” said Dr. Kerry Sachetta, Joplin High School principal. “2104 Indiana will be a dynamic educational institution with a

college, career and technology focus for all students.” Extraordinary demands To be certain, the coordination that goes into holding high school under normal circumstances is challenging, said Sachetta. But the demands of holding high school after the tornado were extraordinary, making the opening of the new school that much more welcome. For three years, the necessity of operating a split campus – with ninth and 10th graders at the former Memorial Middle School, 310 W. 8th St. and the 11th and 12th graders at a leased and renovated former big box store at Northpark Mall – made everyday life more difficult. Sachetta worked from both campuses, and assistant principals were stationed at each building. Some teachers traveled between

both campuses and Franklin Technology Center’s temporary location at 420 S. Grand St. in order to hold classes. However, the split locations meant that some classes could no longer be offered. The loss of all athletic, theater and music facilities at the high school meant that temporary spaces had to be located for performances and practices. Clubs such as the Key Club got creative holding meetings at the two separate campuses by communicating through Skype. However, when construction crews broke ground for the new high school on the first anniversary of the tornado, excitement began to brew. Now it is a matter of days before faculty, students and staff will reclaim a vital part of the community. Ashley Nicholson, president of the Key Club, says she is eager to see the new building and glad to have the entire student body united again.

“We’re all extremely lucky – definitely my class – to be able to be in there our senior year,” she said. “I look back and see the classes before us and they don’t get to experience this.”

Left to Right: Joplin High School at 2104 Indiana Ave. before the May 2011 tornado, tornado damage at JHS/FTC, temporary 11/12 campus at Northpark Mall Below: Students on their first day at the mall campus, August 17, 2011.

“We’re all very excited but we generally don’t know what to expect,” said Evan Blue, senior class president. “We’re curious to see what this will actually be like.” Nicholson said it won’t be particularly difficult to leave the mall school, but there is one aspect of it she will miss. “I know we’ll all definitely miss going to the food court,” she said. “That was probably one of the best things we got to do. We would earn incentives in some of our classes if we did well to be able to go to the food court and get food or snacks. I know it was like a miniature field trip.”

Mission Accomplished

JHS/FTC is a comprehensive high school and career education center designed to focus on each individual student’s education and career interests.

A career approach The cost for construction of the new high school and development of the athletic fields and grounds is estimated at $121.5 million, which will be paid for through insurance, government grants, donations, and part of a $62 million bond issue passed by voters in 2012. Different in both design and educational philosophy from the previous school, the new JHS/FTC is a combined high school and career education center in one building. That means that in addition to taking traditional high school classes, students will also have opportunities to explore a variety of careers before they graduate. Dave Rockers, director of Franklin Technology Center, said the new approach makes sense as technology continues to impact the workforce by changing the nature of jobs and creating new ones. “Nationally, there’s a real push for career and technical education,” he said. “One of the things we’re trying to do in the new school is give students some exposure to some different career pathways prior to them getting out and then spending a lot of their own dollars.” Joplin School District Superintendent C.J. Huff said that the groundwork for the

Mission Accomplished

career approach had been laid prior to the tornado, but the loss of the high school gave educators a clean slate to work from. “We realized quickly that we had an opportunity to build an innovative 21st century model of education that could potentially change the way we do high school in this country,” said Huff. “We had input from many of the best education thinkers in the country, as well as from teachers, parents, students, and community members. We carefully selected a number of the best high schools in the country. Then a number of our staff, parents, and community members traveled to these communities to tour the schools and ask questions of the faculty, staff, and students…We then brought the best ideas together to design the programming that served as the catalyst for the design of the new school. Seldom do you get the chance to build a vision for teaching and learning and build a box around that vision, but that is exactly what we are doing.” To make the transition to career education, the district established a team of career path coordinators to work with teachers to design the specific career paths. The coordinators also worked as liaisons between the school and business community to ensure the new program would meet the needs of students, teachers and

employers. They contacted more than 440 businesses and individuals, with more than 100 indicating they would support JHS by being available for internships and job shadowing, student tours or field trips, or classroom presentations and consultations. Teachers proposed more than 100 new courses for the program; next year, JHS will offer approximately 49 new or replacement courses with plans to add more in the future. Now, when students enter the high school, they will have the opportunity to choose one of five career paths: human services, business and information technology, arts and communication, technical sciences, or health services. Once a career path is chosen, a student can focus on areas of emphasis within that path. For example, a student who selects health services as a career path could choose an emphasis in biomedical science, sports medicine, certified nurse’s assistant, or emergency medical technician. Middle schools will play a significant role in helping students select a path by providing guidance activities, career discussions and presentations, and interest surveys before students reach high school. Sachetta said that in the past, some students did not begin thinking about life after high school until it was nearly upon

help kids who don’t think they can go to college or don’t think they can go even to the end of high school start thinking it’s possible.” However, students do not have to be locked into one career path for the duration of high school, Taylor said. For example, a student may begin with one career path and finish school on a different path. Or, students may take classes from more than one path to see which path they like better. Sachetta said most career courses students take will be electives, although in a few cases career courses will also satisfy a requirement for graduation. Also woven into the structure of the program is a new class, Transitions, that students will be required to take each year. The course will explore topics such as social-emotional learning, career exploration and secondary planning. The purpose is to ensure that every student gains the self-knowledge, goal-setting and planning skills that will help them succeed after high school. “It’s a progressive stance on our guidance program,” Sachetta said. Having FTC under the same roof as the high school will also be a huge advantage in terms of opening students’ eyes to their options, said Sachetta. them. However, the Career Path program will help students identify their interests, put them in control of what they’re doing at an earlier age, bring real world relevance to their high school experience, and prepare them to either enter the workforce after high school or continue their education through college or a trade school. Rayma Taylor, a business instructor and career path coordinator who helped

develop the career program, said it will benefit all students and also help at-risk students who may think they don’t have many options for the future. “Maybe they’re going to (pursue a path) in high school that will provide them sustainability while they go through college — a job of some sort that will help pay for their college. It could be something along that route,” said Taylor. “We’re going to try to

“By having FTC classes in one building, we think students will naturally be inclined to investigate or see what FTC classes have to offer. We also think some students who thought FTC courses weren’t for them may change their mind. Finally, by having FTC teachers in proximity to JHS teachers, we think we have a better opportunity to create interdisciplinary lessons which will help us with relevance for our curriculum.” Mission Accomplished

TIMELINE February 2012: Demolition of the high school begins after crews finish pumping water from the basement and complete asbestos removal.

April 2012: Voters approve a $62 million bond issue that helps fund the rebuilding of schools, including the high school.

Aug. 9, 2011:

May 22, 2011: An EF-5 tornado destroys Joplin High School, 2104 Indiana Ave. Franklin Technology Center, across the street at 2020 Iowa Ave., is also determined to be a total loss.

16 Mission Accomplished

Representatives from the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington, D.C., announce a $500,000 donation to provide laptop computers to all high school students. This begins a shift toward a 1:1 technology initiative within the district, starting at the high school level.

Aug. 17, 2011:

November 2011:

Classes begin for high school students in two temporary locations — At the former Memorial Middle School for freshmen and sophomores and at a renovated department store at Northpark Mall for juniors and seniors. Franklin Tech moved into a temporary campus at 420 S. Grand Ave.

Officials introduce the concept of a career paths curriculum for the high school. Students will be able to take classes in one of five general career paths: Health sciences, arts and communication, business and information technology, human services and technical sciences.

May 22, 2012: School officials hold a ground-breaking ceremony at the high school site during the city’s Walk of Remembrance and other celebrations on the first anniversary of the tornado. Chad Greer, of Corner Greer and Associates, is the architect; Universal Construction Co., of the Kansas City area, is the general contractor.

September 2012: The Board of Education approves the preservation of the Joplin High School sign at the corner of 20th Street and Indiana Avenue. The word “Joplin” had lost the J, L, I and N letters after the tornado; bypassers later fashioned the remaining O and P letters into the word “Hope.” The sign is moved to another location for safekeeping shortly thereafter.

March 2014: About 300 construction workers are on site daily, pushing for August 2014 completion.

JHS Class of 2014

May 16, 2014: Students in the class of 2014 sign the concrete floor of the new high school gymnasium and pose for a class photo inside the building.

June 6, 2014: The brick eagle sculpture that had adorned the outer gymnasium wall at the old high school is reinstalled at the new high school.

August 25, 2014: The school, along with Franklin Tech, is expected to open for the first day of classes. The auditorium and performing arts area are projected to be finished later in the fall.

March 20, 2013:

September 2013:

The first beams of steel are erected at the high school site.

Construction work is described as “feverish” by district officials ahead of the winter months.

Mission Accomplished

Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success. –Henry Ford

Congratulations Left: Learning stairs at main entrance Right: Marion Dial Administration and Counseling Services area

JOPLIN HIGH

New Beginning, 2014 Light, space, and flexibility Administrators say the school building designed with 21st century learning in mind is full of light, space, and flexible classroom and work areas to meet the learning needs of students. Sachetta said the three-story design allows for easy travel around the building, and that wider hallways help reduce congestion while also providing additional work spaces and areas for student socialization. Several courtyards also have the flexibility of being used as classroom or social space. Rockers, FTC director, said flexible work spaces will make a tremendous difference in the classroom. The automotive technology class, for example, will benefit from having a roll-up door where the instructor can bring a vehicle into the front of the classroom for demonstration. Previously, the classroom and shop were separated at the old FTC.

Mission Accomplished

“Sometimes in a lab situation it’s difficult because you might have 18 to 20 students trying to crowd around the hood of a car,” said Rockers. “(Now the instructor) can bring it into the classroom. He can use some audio-visual equipment that will actually project what he’s looking at in the engine of the vehicle up on a screen so that everybody can see it in that setting. It’s going to enhance learning a lot.”

more students taking classes off-site. The building is wired and designed to give us the kind of flexibility to handle any significant future growth we may experience.”

While the previous JHS and FTC encompassed approximately 300,000 square feet combined, the new facility has almost 488,000 square feet, allowing for future growth in the student population.

“We learned from the split classes at out temporary 9/10 and 11/12 campuses that students were much easier to manage in that setting. We wanted to maintain that philosophy,” said Huff. “Additionally, JHS is home to 2,200 students. That’s a bunch. By breaking down the classes by floors and career paths, we can actually turn a very large high school into a number of smaller learning communities within the building. This gives us greater opportunities to build relationships and keep tabs on individual students.”

“We know that Joplin will grow over time,” said Huff. “Therefore, the daytime capacity of the school is right at 3,000. However, we also acknowledge that the online and blended approaches to instruction that are becoming more and more prevalent around the world means we will have

The student population will be housed with most of the ninth and 10th grade classes offered on the third floor, and most 11th and 12th grade classes on the second floor, with career path classes on the main floor.

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The school will have a main gymnasium with a seating capacity of 2,500, plus two auxiliary gyms, with the second seating about 1,000 people and the third seating about 500. Jeff Starkweather, athletic director, said multiple gyms will give JHS plenty of space to host tournaments, and the third gym, equipped with an all-purpose floor, will be used as a multi-purpose space for activities such as P.E., ROTC, athletics or dances. New athletic fields for softball, baseball, soccer and football will once again be on campus. “The unique thing about our outdoor fields is that they’re going to be 100-percent turf,” said Starkweather. “It drains extremely well. Over the long term it saves money. Plus it looks fantastic.” Other highlights of the building include a 1,200 seat performing arts center with a black box theater for smaller productions

Mission Accomplished

and multi-purpose events, an indoor running/walking track housed in the gym, labs with windows in FTC so students and visitors can view students working on projects, and several storm safe rooms for students and staff, plus a community safe room that will be accessible to the public at any time during a storm event.

checking our procedures with what the experts consider “best practice” through their literature,” said Sachetta. “In addition, we have a safety committee that will meet often during the first year to make adjustments as necessary.”

Administrators say safety will also be a major priority at the new building, with more than 200 security cameras installed around the building, an attendance secretary to control student access to the building after the bell rings, and a card swipe system to background check visitors to the building. There will be a school resource officer on campus and the district’s head of security will also be housed on campus.

Although the JHS/FTC will be a brand new building representing a fresh start, not everything about the school is new.

“We have discussed security measures with security experts and we are currently

Given its long history, the JHS will also pay tribute to some of the special people

A nod to the past

“We are also excited to have two items reinstalled in the new school…the iconic brick eagle from outside the old JHS gymnasium and the rock from the old Rose Garden,” said Huff. “They have found new homes and are great touch points to have back on campus.”

and places of its past. Eagle Alley, the student commons area near the cafeteria at the former high school, will be recreated. Memorabilia from previous schools – Lincoln School, Parkwood High School, Memorial High School and Joplin High School – will be featured in different parts of the building.

Left: commons area, Right: main gymnasium Below: the rock and rose garden

“We want all public high school alumni from Joplin to feel at home when they visit,” said Sachetta. “The reason it is important to include Lincoln is that many people don’t realize we had an AfricanAmerican school in our city that was part of the school system. Nor do they realize the school boasted several state championships and graduated many people in Joplin that still live here and have made great contributions to our city. One example is Marion Dial, who was the principal of Lincoln for many years.” Mission Accomplished

In honor of Dial, who was also the first African-American elected to the Joplin City Council, the first floor administrative and guidance offices will be called Marion Dial Administrative and Guidance Services. The main gymnasium will still be named after legendary coach Russ Kaminsky, and the auditorium will continue to be called T. Frank Coulter Auditorium. The Indiana Street entrance to the high school will be called Jack Holden Way to honor the late Jack Holden, a beloved teacher, school activities sponsor, announcer, and historian for the district. Huff acknowledges that at this point everyone is tired, but says he is proud of what has been accomplished.

“Under normal circumstances, it would take five to seven years to plan and build a new high school. We’ve done it in just a little over three years. Our staff has been amazing, our volunteers dedicated, and our students and community patient. “I see the opening of the new school as an ending and a beginning. We have much to be proud of as it relates to our recovery effort, but we have much work yet ahead of us. We aren’t finished yet…the best is yet to come.” 

The new and improved Eagle Alley

“We have much to be proud of as it relates to our recovery effort, but we have much work yet ahead of us. We aren’t finished yet…the best is yet to come.”

One of several outdoor courtyards

Mission Accomplished

One of the many think tanks located throughout the classroom halls

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24 Mission Accomplished

Original rendering of the new JHS/FTC site, 2011 (Architect: CGA/DLR)

JHS/FTC:

A LONG HISTORY OF CHANGE Original rendering of Joplin High School at 20th and Indiana, 1958 (Architect: Herman A. Scharhag) Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

A LONG HISTORY OF

CHANGE by: Kathleen Schrader

Joplin High School Class of 1918

ome memories stay with a person for a lifetime, and Jim West remembers the day he acquired the scar that still shows slightly above his right eye. As a third grader at Joplin’s Lincoln School, West was enjoying a softball game with friends on the school lot when he stood too close to the batter. “He missed the ball and caught me on the head and drove me to the ground,” says West. “That is my lasting scar. Wherever I go, it’s with me.”

Lincoln School students, 1948

Lincoln School Principal Marion Dial

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West, who works in the marketing and distribution department at TAMKO Building Products, cherishes his memories of Lincoln School, where black students attended classes before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws establishing separate schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. “In ’54 when the decision came down, then the next year in ’55 we went to Washington School,” remembers West. “I felt welcome.

We all played pretty well and got along pretty well.” Records from that time indicate integration went smoothly in Joplin; while it took place, Lincoln School was gradually phased out as its students and teachers relocated to other schools in the district. West graduated from Joplin High School in 1967. Despite the traumatic loss of his old high school through the tornado, he is pleased to see that the new JHS will pay tribute to Lincoln School by naming the main floor administrative and guidance offices the Marion Dial Administrative and Guidance Services. Dial was a long-time Joplin teacher and served as principal of Lincoln School during desegregation. In 1954, he broke the color barrier by becoming the first black man elected to the Joplin City Council. West was the second. “We’re going to be able to have the history of Lincoln School put back in there for future generations to see. That makes me feel good,” said West.

Lincoln School is just one piece of a big puzzle that makes up the Joplin High School landscape. And, that landscape is ripe with pride, change, rivalry, tragedy, and ultimately, a lasting commitment to quality education. A number of homes The first recorded location in The Joplin Globe archives for the high school was at Fourth Street and and Jackson Streets, where the Red Cross building stands today. The brick structure known as Jackson School housed both high school and elementary students and was constructed on land once owned by Joplin pioneer John B. Sergeant. It was dedicated to the community in 1890. Following an 1892 expansion due to student population growth, however, school officials in 1897 relieved overcrowding by moving the high school students to a building of their own – Joplin High School - at Fourth and Byers Ave.

Joplin High School at 4th and Byers Ave.

By 1915, as Joplin continued to grow, overcrowding at the high school had to be addressed. School board members also voiced concerns about poor lighting and inadequate fire protection; taken together, the conditions, officials believed, would prevent the high school from becoming highly accredited by colleges and universities. On Nov.ember 23, 1915, voters approved a $350,000 bond issue to purchase a building site and construct a new high school at Eighth Street and Wall Ave. In 1917, when the cornerstone for the school was installed, school officials placed inside it a roster of the school board, faculty, and students as well as school publications and daily newspapers. “The building, constructed principally of brick, with its many windows, a high foundation of Carthage stone and trimmed with terra cotta, presents a pleasing outward appearance, but the passerby would hardly imagine that the building houses a so thoroughly modern school plan as the new Joplin school structure really is,” the Globe reported.

The school formally opened on January 21, 1918, with a grand reception and orchestra concerts in the auditorium. Students attended their first classes the following day, and the boys’ basketball team brought school spirit to the new facility with a 29-26 win over Neosho High School later that week. While Joplin High School at Eighth Street and Wall Avenue served its purpose for several decades, by the mid-1950s, school officials were once again wrestling with the same problem: a student population that was outgrowing its school. Superintendent Roi S. Wood proposed two options: add on to the existing structure, which would entail clearing space by purchasing and demolishing several houses and the administration building on the high school block, or build in a new location. The generous donation of a combined 32-acres belonging to L.S. Durham, Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Durham, Mr. and Mrs. George Phelps, all from Carthage, and Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey Norman from Joplin meant that JHS had found a new home. The site was located at

Above: Joplin High School at 8th and Wall Right: Assistant Principal Cecil Floyd, Superintendent Roi S. Wood and Principal Roy W. Greer review plans for a new high school at 20th and Indiana

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Twentieth Street and Indiana Avenue, and a $2,050,000 bond issue approved by voters in 1955 provided for the construction of the building. However, an unexpected shortfall of funding meant there was not enough to pay for furniture and equipment. After voters rejected two more bond proposals for additional funding, some 600 disappointed students staged a walkout protest on Sept. 27, 1957, by leaving the school and marching to a local radio station. While there, a small group of them were allowed to broadcast their frustration. Superintendent Wood quickly climbed into a police traffic cruiser with a public address

system and urged the students, who were blocking traffic on Main Street, to return to school, which they did. In January 1958, voters finally passed a $200,000 bond issue to complete the high school, and students began school in the new building in the fall of 1958.

and a park-like beauty. Retired Joplin R-8 superintendent William Brill, who was a member of the first faculty to inhabit JHS at Twentieth Streets and Indiana Ave. in the fall of 1958, has special memories of the trees that were later destroyed by the 2011 tornado.

Memorable features of the new building included a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium, fold-away wooden bleachers for 3,000 spectators, hallways lined with student lockers, and eventually, a large geometric pattern of trees at the north end of the high school that provided shade

“From my classroom windows, I watched Superintendent Roi S. Wood pace off and point to where he wanted the school district maintenance crew to plant trees to the north of the high school,” remembers Brill. “… the trees, I think, were pin oaks, but not sure of that. My daughters

surprised me by having one of these trees carved with an eagle. I like to think that Mr. Wood planted it, I watched it grow, and the tornado on May 22, 2011 took it so I could have it and remember.” Parkwood and Memorial Within 10 years of relocating JHS students to 20th Street and Indiana Avenue, administrators again cited overcrowding as the reason for the next major change in the high school’s history. Rather than constructing new buildings, administrators decided to split JHS into two high schools, with some students remaining at the Indiana Street location and others moving back to the old JHS building at Eighth and Wall Streets, which would be enlarged, remodeled, and equipped with a new gymnasium.

Parkwood took its name from the parklike area where the school was situated at Twentieth Streets and Indiana Ave., with the “wood” portion of the name paying tribute to Superintendent Wood. Across town, Memorial took its name from its proximity to Memorial Hall. Since the Joplin Eagle’s school colors were red, white and green, both schools retained part of those colors. Memorial took JHS’s Eagle as its mascot and adopted red, white and blue school colors. Parkwood took the Bears as its emblem with school colors of green and white. Over time, however, the school colors morphed into blue and white for Memorial and red and white for Parkwood. The high school split took place in the fall of 1968, with the early years marked by unrest as frustrated parents complained about perceived inequities in boundary

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“Despite the intense rivalry that developed, there was still a degree of camaraderie between the two student bodies.”

designations and academic offerings between the two schools. Partially because of this, an intense rivalry developed between the two schools that mostly played out in the sports arena. Keith Zeka, a former Joplin R-8 Schools administrator who both taught at Parkwood High School and later served as an assistant principal at Memorial High School, remembers the rivalry well. “The football games between those schools were the highlight of the year,” said Zeka. “The crowds that would come to them were just unbelievable. It was something that just made this town bustle.” Generally speaking, Parkwood was known for its football prowess while Memorial was considered the basketball powerhouse. Under head football coach Dewey Combs, Parkwood made six playoff appearances between 1975 and 1984, garnering three Class 4A state championships. Less than 12 months after Parkwood collected their

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first state title in 1975, Memorial, led by head football coach Phil Collins, shut-out visiting Sullivan 31-0 for the Class 3A title. Additionally, Memorial, under basketball coach Mike O’Rourke, won consecutive 3A basketball championships in 1977 and 1978. Despite the intense rivalry that developed, Zeka said there was still a degree of camaraderie between the two student bodies and that many students from both schools socialized outside of school. “There was the sense that we are Joplin, we are part of this community. The rivalry only went so far,” said Zeka. That sense of community was evident in January 1982 when a fire at Memorial heavily damaged two floors of the school and forced educators to combine the student bodies for several weeks in order to continue school. While investigators worked to determine the cause of the

blaze, administrators scrambled to establish temporary repairs at Memorial while hammering out a workable schedule for the two student bodies. They had to work fast. The fire occurred on a Thursday, and by the following Monday, Parkwood and Memorial students were together again under the same roof, attending school in morning and afternoon shifts at Parkwood. “To put something like that together so quickly — that shows the flexibility of the administration and staff,” said Zeka, who was assistant principal at Memorial at the time. “Everyone was pitching in to make it happen. We did some brainstorming like crazy, but it worked.” With special permission from the state, the length of the school day was shortened in order to maintain a reasonable schedule for both schools. Parkwood students attended from 6:30 a.m. to 11:32 a.m., and Memorial students attended from noon to 5:02 p.m. Teachers and administrators from both schools had to share classroom and office space, and there was such a small window of time between school shifts that Parkwood students leaving the building

and Memorial students arriving inevitably resulted in some traffic congestion at the parking lot entrance. Students from both schools, however, showed their goodwill. Parkwood students welcomed Memorial with colorful posters bearing messages such as “Bird Sanctuary: Eagles Welcome” and “Find a Friend and Share a Locker.” When Memorial students left a few weeks later, they left behind posters of gratitude thanking Parkwood for being good hosts. “As I remember, the faculties worked really well together, and so that made it easier,” remembers Marilyn Dishman-Horst, who was teaching English at Memorial at the time of the fire. She remembers that the cooperation between schools “was pretty amazing because Parkwood and Memorial were staunch rivals and this kind of showed that they really could work together, and maybe it laid the groundwork for combining the schools shortly after that.” Parkwood and Memorial served as Joplin’s two high schools for 17 years, but unlike previous years, when enrollment had Mission Accomplished

continued to increase due to the baby boomer generation, a decrease in enrollment at both schools - particularly at Memorial - led administrators in 1982 to begin planning yet another sweeping change: combining the schools into JHS once again. One major issue was curriculum; the student population at Parkwood was large enough to support advanced classes, but Memorial’s declining enrollment meant that some advanced classes could not be offered due to insufficient student sign-ups. Dr. James Shoemake, Joplin schools superintendent at the time, commented that the district could no longer maintain two “absolutely equivalent high schools,” as was required by board policy when JHS had been divided.

In May 1985, Parkwood and Memorial High Schools held their final commencement ceremonies for some 350 seniors who would represent the last graduating classes of their respective schools. That fall, approximately 1,550 students and 80 teachers reassembled under the roof of the former Parkwood High School – a newer facility with more space - to begin another era of JHS. Of the many decisions that had to be made in order to combine the schools, tradition was one that was closest to many students’ hearts. Zeka, who co-chaired the committee to select school mascots, colors and songs, said that once again, everyone compromised. Memorial students were able to retain their school mascot — the Eagle — and Parkwood

retained their red and white colors. “Everybody got something. That was the beauty of it,” said Zeka. “A part of their identity was still being kept in the new identity.” Today, 29 years after the combining of the schools and three years after the tornado, that identity is still strong, and students are looking forward to yet another new chapter for JHS as it opens once again at the familiar old address of 2104 Indiana Ave. “We feel like we’ve arrived,” said Evan Blue, senior class president. 

“Of the many decisions that had to be made in order to combine the schools, tradition was one that was closest to many students’ hearts.”

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1885

1896

JHS: Central School

JHS: 4th and Byers

1948

1958

FTC: 13th & Pearl

JHS: 2Oth & Indiana

1968

1985

Parkwood High School

JHS: 2Oth & Indiana

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1917

192O

JHS: 8th & Wall

Lincoln School

1965

1968

FTC: 2Oth & Iowa

Memorial High School

2O11

2O14

Temporary Campuses

JHS/FTC: 2Oth & Indiana Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

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Spyglass students with JHS journalism instructor, Mary Crane

JHS/FTC:

SPYGLASS PERSPECTIVES Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

THROUGH MY

EYES by: Sarah Sticklen

“Pre-tornado, in the epitome of high school normalcy, my peers accomplished great feats, but on May 22 they also showed strong character in the midst of tragedy.”

ike most young adults, my recollections about my senior year in high school by far outshine the events of my freshman through junior years combined. The 20102011 school year holds some of the most gratifying, exciting, and enjoyable experiences of my life. And then, while most of us traveled home from Missouri Southern after our commencement exercises, the tornado hit. Now, it’s tough to look at my senior year with the same fondness that I did the morning of May 22, 2011. Senior year was the year that everything in my life finally came together. In the fall, the JHS softball team tied the school record for most wins in a season, and I narrowed down my college search (for softball) to Wash U, Swarthmore, Dartmouth, and the University of Chicago. Also in the fall, I began my second year as editor for the Joplin High School Spyglass, and in October, we won numerous awards at the Missouri Southern Media Day Awards. We fared better than any past publication, and I was ecstatic.

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In December, my friends and I were members of the 2010 Snowball Court. We rented a limo and drove to the see the Christmas lights in Carthage before “coronation ceremony,” drank sparkling grape juice, and sang Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” so loudly that the limo driver had to tell us to “tone it down a notch.” In January, I decided to attend the University of Chicago, and for the first time since 1993, the JHS Constitution Team won state and qualified for nationals. In May, my friends and I traveled to Washington D.C. for Constitution Team nationals. This trip was truly one of my greatest life experiences. In D.C., I watched my classmates develop new ideas on life and politics and eloquently present themselves to the judges. In contrast to Anthony Bourdain’s misinformed representation of Joplin weeks before the trip, my friends were poised, personable, and dynamic. Unfortunately, we did not move on to the third and final round of the competition, and while Zach Cox, Griffin Sonaty, and I were pouting in the hotel lobby later that night

after the top teams were announced, we saw on the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed and that people had gathered around the White House in celebration. I still can’t recall why we thought it would be feasible to gather everyone up and cab it over to the White House to join the celebration, but we did, and there we were in the middle of one of the most historic nights of our generation. Downtown D.C. was a madhouse that night—a giant rally of pride and happiness—and Mr. Keczkemethy made national news by climbing up a pole and waving an American flag. My friend Nathan Fisher, who attends West Point, said as we left the festivities, “Well, that’s the closest I’ll get to a real college experience.” The next night, my “unit” (myself, Zach, and Tyler Overstreet) received an award for Best Overall Team in Unit 1. I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable experience. The Spyglass not only joined all of these events together, but also captured these moments for not just me to remember, but for the entire community to recollect and experience as well.

On the other side, I loved having the opportunity to share others’ experiences. My junior year, I ran a piece on Mrs. Schwarting’s retirement after 25 years of teaching. Conducting interviews with teachers allowed me to appreciate them on a more personal level, more than simply sitting in their classes and taking notes. I was lucky enough to have Mrs. Schwarting as my Algebra II teacher, and it was wonderful to be able to present her kind spirit and love for teaching to the rest of the student body. She was so thrilled that she was in the Spyglass, and her excitement made me realize that writing for the school newspaper is more than merely participating in a club—it’s a retelling of Joplin High students’ and teachers’ most important life events. Another moment that stands out to me is my senior year when I wrote a piece on Jimmi Easton, daughter of “CupcakesbyLiz” Liz Easton. The Eastons were so happy that their story was in the Spyglass, and they framed and hung a copy of the piece in their store. Just a few weeks later, the tornado destroyed their building, but they rebuilt quickly and efficiently. Since moving to Chicago, I can say with authority that no cupcake I’ve tasted has yet to match one of Liz’s.

for the Joplin Globe’s “Forever Bound” feature. I think that writing for a student population of around 2,000 really prepared me for this task. It was my job to share my classmates’ stories with the entire country, but it was no different than what I had been doing during high school, only on a much broader scale. My senior year, the year I made some of the best friendships and memories, was brought to an abrupt stop, but I had this opportunity to highlight my peers’ amazing strengths, not as high school students but as adults. This past year I finally read, for the first time, the “Forever Bound” feature without breaking down. Pre-tornado, in the epitome of high school normalcy, my peers accomplished great feats, but on May 22 they also showed strong character in the midst of tragedy. The weeks following that day were full of sorrow. We lost a piece of our childhood innocence and coped with the death of our best friend who sang to Cee Lo Green and chanted at the White House with us not that long ago. But my peers demonstrated superb strength and maturity, and I had never been more proud as their editor to share their experiences with the world outside of our high school. Today, I am still honored to be a graduate of the Joplin High School Class of 2011, and I hope I served my friends and classmates well. 

Today, I feel confident that my role as editor for the 09-11 school years connected me to the entire student body, enhanced my high school experience, and helped shape who I am today. In the summer of 2011, I wrote an editorial and helped write a feature article Mission Accomplished

A PRIVILEGE TO RECORD

HISTORY by: Shelby Hass

Spyglass editor faces daunting year after tornado

N “Our high school was divided amongst two separate buildings, creating a gap between the 9-10 and 11-12 grades, and causing peculiar challenges. Every teacher, student, class, and program had to adapt.”

4O Mission Accomplished

earing the end of my sophomore year of high school, I was told by my advisor, Mrs. Mary Crane, I would take the position of Spyglass Assistant Editor the following year. My parents and siblings had all warned junior year is the toughest. As the year was wrapping up, however, I believed I was getting the hang of Joplin High School and the Spyglass. I felt I was prepared to tackle the challenges of the next year. Little did I know, my experiences as an upper class-man would be a far cry from anything I had experienced thus far as a high school student. My sophomore year was cut short when JHS and much of my home town was destroyed on May 22, 2011, by an EF-5 tornado. Returning to school the next fall, I felt blessed to have a building where JHS staff and students could reside. The first day, and much of the first year, was a whirlwind. A lot of time in the hallways was spent trying to bypass media, such as reporters from CNN, NBC, and National Geographic. Much of class time was spent adjusting to the use of online textbooks, or lack-there-of, and learning to focus despite the noise from other classrooms seeping over the walls. Our high school was divided amongst two separate buildings, creating a gap between the 9-10 and 11-12 grades, and causing peculiar challenges. Every teacher, student, class, and program had to adapt.

I was in a very unique position as assistant editor and eventually editor-in-chief of our high school’s newspaper during such an exceptional time in Joplin’s history. Our staff went from struggling to generate story ideas, to finding an abundance of material everywhere we turned. Suddenly our school was the spotlight of the entire nation, and we had the inside scoop. Not only were we drumming up more interesting content, but our layouts and design took a turn for the better, as well. With access to our own personal MacBooks, staff members now had the ability to use programs such as inDesign and Photoshop at home, as opposed to just the limited class time we had before. I recall many of us experimenting with design and photo-editing techniques and sharing what we had learned with the rest of the staff the next day. Suddenly we were able to do things we’d never done and turn our previously boxy pages into creative, eye-appealing layouts. We began to win more awards at competitions such as Missouri Southern State University Media Days and The Joplin Globe High School Workshop. Taking the reigns as editor-in-chief my senior year, I made the decision in conjunction with my advisor to do something the staff had been talking about for a long time - -turn the Spyglass Newspaper into a news magazine. As with all change, we heard some negative feedback from students

as we pushed out our first issue in September 2012. However, as the year progressed, the newly glossy, all-color Spyglass received an overwhelmingly positive response, and proved a more fitting medium to showcase our updated photography, design, and stories from the inside of a 21st-century high school.

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high school reporters were not given an official White House Press Pass with their name on it, but I was. I don’t know many other high school students who have had the opportunity to photograph the president at their school’s graduation ceremony, but I did.

The shift from newspaper to magazine created new challenges, including funding a much heftier printing price. An advertising representative suddenly became vital to the success of our publication, so a member of our staff was selected for the time-consuming new job. Many hours were spent contacting local businesses, and tracking down ads. One hundred percent of the funding to print the Spyglass came from selling ads, and we were proud.

Although numerous other extraordinary circumstances arose during my two years as an editor of the Spyglass, my favorite memories present themselves through the photographs and stories inside the issues of the Spyglass produced throughout that time frame. I will always be grateful that those two years taught me how to cope with tragedy, how to be continually adaptive, how to work alongside my peers, and a number of other journalism and life lessons.

During those two years, many incredible opportunities were presented to the Spyglass staff. For example, not many high school journalists can say they had the privilege of working alongside ESPN photographers at their first football game of the season, but I can truthfully say I have. Not every high school student is able to say they met and interviewed the governor of their state, but I am able to say that. Most

As the students return to a “normal” high school building this August, I know it will take time for things to really return to normal. But I do know that through everything, the student reporters of JHS have and will continue to cover the stories of our school. It was a privilege to record the history that was made inside our little mall school, and I hope the Spyglass tradition continues for many years to come. 

Spy Spy Spy Sp

Volume Volume lIII Issue lIII 1Issue 1 Volume Volume LIII LIII Issue september september 2011September 20112011 10120n September

Congratulations Joplin Schools on your successful

Septe PAGE mber 2011

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By Rangeline Sim six lock, h attended rs who real bus “So far it’s bee mons says the would w owever, she in w they beg admit that ready fo ess atmospher n a fun experie ork is worth it closet w alk out of her r the real nce, e, so . apprecia an to truly ith tear fi w orld,” that really hel and there’s a eyes, eye lled of life, a te the value ps to get coffee; a Taking inventor he said. you no long glasses that nd y; the hope nd realize o c er had le ounting f course, morning in window nses, ba d Jo ea ck a pl lin re change; While te in. all part g with a s w brew of th glass, an ithout rush as they rears shed (FBLA In the past, Fut e job descriptio of students i ing without ad a home ) h n the butterfl leased a house. through as raised mon ure Business L n. y for eac eaders o ey to se countle lif h e “E lo hi nd ss f A st, t verythin nd due fundra its mem meric was gon g stood in he crowd e, ever, Sim to lack of fundi isers, often leav bers to state a awe, and out of o we walked ng in m be g on . T ur came pr membe s believe hanks to rs b we wer house and s t Jo say they oud to e to FBLA “All the money his will no long plin Joe’s, ho e a bies,” sa like zomw Joplin, M re from Mrs. Go id Oviei said Sim , and this really made from th er be the case rmely pa issouri. do. e coffee . mons, a builds o August rticipate Sh sh fo e 6, pp s in one “T op goe looked to urth y allowed ortuni around, o of the ac student school future is he for stude Job experienc ear FBLA mem ties for the cl s tiv s after las definite people ru nly to see e, ub t spring’s to reconnect wi ities at “I Am nt c be ,” lu s a br r. ly b ighter fo nd teache Jopli funds, an th one an having a tornado searchin nning; . other an n.” The even rs d We’re g r Joplin. t, he g d educato Howev coffee shop w are all great a affordable cof on tangible for loved one rs before ld on er, he sa ithin the ttributes fee on. We’ na move s, pets, a . returnin ys bu p sc th re si ho re se ne e g g ol nted sh nd anyth ss teache , b be strong onna ing rem r, Kristi op would not b elieves Simm by ~Photo . We’re many pe Brant Smith, J otely on e possib M courtesy H of eagles, y sugars a “Mrs. McGow cGowen. le withou s. it wasn’ As Smithople in the wor S senior, had a en nd t said Sm a know,” t t ld brews a creamers, sh is the one w ith. refreshm he school supp the soun stepped outsid wouldn’t kno n experience th ho w e ev g ho oe en le batch en lie at w Simmon Perhaps in two found us a cof s out and buys questio ds of screamin e his destroyed how to handl cessful. In ts that made th s, the enterta s. minutes n if he a g, in fee pot t a nd his fa crying, and fe home, he hear e. the studen stead, it was th e I Am Joplin ment, or the ha nd t 29 seco e d ar. He be mily wer and all t Because of the nds,” sa through ts, teachers, an e powerful m vent so sucga e the on he h id essa darkness d ly ones t n to open eve other BLT st ard work of M and sadn the Joplin com ge that it gav ud hat e mun ess, soon hour. A ry day from 7:3 ents, the coffe cGowen, Simm lthough on e comes h ity: that 0 sh a. s, m op ., th is says he appiness is lookin e shop has run all the way thro able to . week se ugh first g forwar smooth ll preferre the most coffe d to testing w ly so far, Simm hi d, make su in order to in e and what bra ch days of the ons nd cr re they wan the Joplin Jo ease profit for t s or flavors a re e’s custo t. he mers con FBLA Club, and tinue get ting wha t

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~Thermal Engineering International~

SPYGL

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Joplin Concrete

Education

is very

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thankful to have been part of the projects p j

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weapon which you can use to change the world. -Nelson Mandela

Joplin Concrete Company, Inc. 7425 E Newman Rd. 417 624 4366 Dispatch P.O. Box 1000 Joplin, MO 84802 Where Better Building Begins

Mission Accomplished

NEW YEAR PROMISES: TRANSITION EMOTION CELEBRATION by: Rylee Hartwell Spyglass editor begins role in new high school

ne of the top 21st Century, premiere high schools in the nation, will soon be fully functional in Joplin’s backyard. The newly rebuilt Joplin High School is slated to be 487,937 square feet and a regional powerhouse for high quality career and college bound students. Home to some of the area’s finest teachers, quality students, and an age old publication, The Spyglass.. The Spyglass has been a fixture of Joplin High School since 1917. It was a bargaining chip in the infamous 1985 Parkwood and Memorial merger. It survived fundamental changes when many professional newspapers folded, and now it is a thriving magazine that has served the students and families of the Joplin School District for 98 years.

44 Mission Accomplished

As the editor-in-chief of The Spyglass for the 20142015 school year, I am proud to take the helm of this prestigious publication. The opening of a new building heralds promise as a good year for news, only rivaled by the 2011-2012 school year when this journey of recovery and rebuilding began for the students and patrons of Joplin Schools. The 2011-2012 school year marked the beginning of my high school career. I was enrolled in a prerequisite journalism course that I thought would help me advance my skills for writing and storytelling and, hopefully, would prepare me to join the Spyglass staff at the end of the year. That is where I found out that at the high school level we provide a unique student perspective that is much different from the mainstream media, a media that was trying to understand the temporarily “new” JHS but only had a filtered view due to space and time constraints.

Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

Branco is proud to have been a part of the re-building of the Joplin High School and Middle School

Through the lens of the Spyglass I found that I could bring about and tell the stories of students and faculty, and I could also record the history of JHS for years to come. The 2011-2012 school year brought many different people from many different sectors to our “temporary home.” The guests ranged from government officials such as Barack Obama, Janet Napolitano, Arne Duncan, Roy Blunt, to Billy Long. Celebrities who visited or donated were Barry Manilow, Reba McEntire, and David Cook, a former American Idol winner, who played at our first homecoming of the year. News organizations representing CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and FOX filmed us finding our classrooms, hugging our teachers, and receiving MacBook computers. Newspapers from each corner of the

country told the in-depth stories of those most affected by the storm came from The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Kansas City Start and and numerous other agencies flooded JHS. However, who could tell the story of JHS better than those within those very walls? The students are those who tell the story best.

them had attended, and a publication that they will save for years to come. Covering the news under one roof next year will only enhance our publication. We have plans for extensive print coverage and a newly expanded eaglealley.com, the online edition of the Spyglass. We are doing this to better deliver the news to students and community members.

The 2014-2015 school year will begin with an edition that will commemorate the new JHS building, teachers, and students. It will be given to each student on starting day. The edition will be equipped with maps to navigate throughout the school, and will share stories to a student body of what it means to be an “eagle”. As Editor, I know the importance of giving our community both a memorial of the school that many of

The upcoming school year will be one of transition, emotion, and celebration. Many of these emotions will be felt at the same time. According to the publications motto: “The students and staff at JHS make history, the Spyglass records that history.” We make it our promise to continue carrying out that motto, and as the last three years have shown, nothing can stop us, because we are Joplin. 

“Through the lens of the Spyglass I found that I could bring about and tell the stories of students and faculty, and I could also record the history of JHS for years to come.”

46 Mission Accomplished

Sporting Goods, Embroidery, Letter Jackets, Silk Screening, Trophies, Team Uniforms 1222 Main â&#x20AC;˘ Joplin, MO 417-623-0626

The first day of school at the temporary mall campus included a flurry of media and new MacBooks made possible by a generous donation from the United Arab Emirates.

October 2011: Barry Manilow visited Joplin High School and presented a donation of instruments.

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r 2011 Septembe PAGE

le b b u R e h t e v o b a g Joplin Eagles: Soarin feature

SPYGLASS

Boyd Metals

of Joplin is proud to have provided a portion of the structural steel used in the construction of Joplin High School. JHS... educating our future leaders one student at a time.

be By Taylor Camd May 22 was to e to lin High School, ng class of Jop k across the stag stuthe 2011 graduati et; the day they would wal For ents after the last er forg mom nev y ld , Onl wou utes for. a day that they that they’d worked so hard lin. Within min es; r the city of Jop receive a diploma ado had begun to form ove sands of buildings and structur torn te thou always be asta now dev dent walked, a will and n 22 ugh the tow trict. May it would tear thro within the Joplin School Dis ugh Joplin. ithro t important dec including schools day an E-F5 tornado came some of the mos lin the remembered as first 72 hours after the storm, been made and done for Jop In those le work had happen is Dr. CJ edib all incr it t e mos mak helping e of the sions and som e to look up to and thank for n decker Road whe Schools. Someoninspirational story to tell. uation on Shiffer trees surrounding Huff who has an was driving home from grad f ed. Soon enough m in their baseHuf cern CJ stor not too con the was out he ted first or wai At the storm hit. . Once home, he and his wife thankfully only sufferered min him began to fall were fearful of their lives, but fs needed ment. The Huf a broken car window. , Huff knew he and seen the damage and gloves, and they age dam roof gone outside and boots ns, and Once they had So he put on a pair of work saw was St. Joh t his . they g help thin and e worse. He sen to get out ther of town. The first got worse and damaged parts few drove out to the driving Huff says the scenes to retrieve his laptop and a ce while continuing ked the distance to his offi wal been hit. wife home and schools that had n and help ut abo es gs. sag other thin receiving mes run around tow Schools Huff then began I wasn’t going to be able to tendent of Joplin zed to return “I suddenly reli g to have to step up as Superin ’t have a school 0 students didn ght ‘Can an I was goin He quickly beg people, and that some decisions,” said Huff. buildings and 4,20school year would begin. I thou t lost half of our command center. Joplin. Buses for ing nex cy had mak the t rgen l “We star eme unti and ride to the were 86 days le to the city of Huff hitched a 17, and since then next day. There t. resources availab ld begin August high quality eduount for to the Huff. Joplin Schools were made available that nigh a that school wou to locate and acc do this?’” said making all of Schools receive Huff announced to establish a plan al engineers began doing we dings for shelter That next day ing sure the students of Joplin people and buil t day the leadership team met ctur stru o Als . The . The nex dedicated to mak all the students din Joplin Schools ing space for ghts of has been buil hers and faculty dings that had been hit. sleep. But thou quickly found ge would be find all students, teac cation. try to get some over all the buil biggest challen it hard according to Huff, and longer had a school and ’s ents rict rest ssm to dist p. asse slee able The damage him from t, Huff was inistration hit students who no On Monday nigh lay heavy on his heart, keeping leaders of the admto sustain the large amount of n devastation to have freshma ings large enough destruction and Memorial and seniors to attend to go to. and ors juni ted “I originally wan gs in ild and sophomores half of our bu ve a ool “We had lost attend the sch didn’t ha t00 students at the mall. I wan 4,2 day. d an xt ne iors the ed our sen to return to the to feel like theya school days until 86 e er w graduated from gin. I But There high school. ar would be ye ol ho of sc ud pro next I’m very l do this?’” the way the mal thought ‘Can we t ked perintenden set-up has wor s -CJ Huff, Su out. It really look ” ool, sch a like a few. actually added said Huff. ado, they have did not have Joplin Schools grams due to the recent torn ironment that they pro tury learning env n a step back, but taken a step have not cut any Cen t 21s a gaining not take The schools are to Huff, Joplin Schools have ing to them before. Accord ools. We owe it ber of Joplin Sch very hard forward. and a staff mem hand. We’ve been working kids t grea en at “We lost sev said Huff. the situation of on,” out cati t edu bes lity to make the very these kids a good, high qua ng towards providi

Spyglass staff - 2012

i Brown

Photos by Lex

Spyglass staff - 2014

www.boydmetals.com 417-626-2963 48 Mission Accomplished

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Mission Accomplished

Loyd Combs, former longtime Joplin Schools Board of Education member, stands next to a rock that he salvaged to be used in the new high school. It formerly was part of a garden at the Joplin High School prior to the tornado.

JHS/FTC:

WELCOME HOME EAGLES Mission Accomplishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

Congratulations to Joplin Schools students, kindergarten through grade 12. All of you either are in new schools or updated facilities since the May 22, 2011, tornado. We, Larry and Sammye Beck, had an interesting introduction to Joplin Schools. We were at the University of Arkansas and wanted to begin our teaching careers together. We saw on the bulletin board in the music department at the University that Joplin Schools needed music teachers. Believe it or not, we came to Joplin July 4, 1968, and met with Cecil Floyd, elementary assistant superintendent, and Marguerite Teeter, director of elementary music. Since the new Memorial/Parkwood High Schools were opening that fall, there were several music openings. Larry taught elementary band then later orchestra at Memorial High School and junior high/ middle school choir and band at North and then band at South. Sammye taught elementary music and orchestra at Columbia, Oakland, and West Central Schools for six years, then was coordinator of elementary music 6 years and coordinator of music K-12 for 7 years, and finally taught elementary music and orchestra at West Central and Cecil Floyd Schools her final eleven years. We had great experiences and really enjoy running into students and parents of students we taught. Our greetings are often, “How are you and who are you?” We follow some of our favorite former students on Facebook. May God bless all of you as you pursue your education in Joplin Schools! Sincerely, Larry & Sammye Beck Music Education

Dear Students, As a 1980 graduate of Joplin High School, I would like to extend my wishes for a memorable learning experience you are about to embark on. I would encourage everyone to find out where their passion lies, and pursue it. Being able to have a career in a field you truly love is one of the most rewarding things you can do in life, and all of you have the talent and ability to manifest this reality. Many of you may not know exactly what you want to pursue in life. That may come later. But for now, use your high school experience to help pave the way. Enjoy the moment you are in now, for it will never come again, and the experiences and friends you make over these 4 years will stay in your memories for your lifetimes. I have been fortunate enough to build a career out of my love for fishing, and each of you can do the same. Remain positive, help others, and practice kindness and gratitude from this moment on. These qualities will serve you well, and help you the rest of your lives. Best of luck! Randy Blaukat Professional Angler Parkwood High School Class of 1980

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1969 was the year I started high school. The next year Joplin High would split into Parkwood and Memorial. I was off to be a proud Parkwoodian and Go Bears was my cheer. C-Hall was my meeting place with my friends like Gayle. We would plan to meet for lunch and what do after school. Would it be Gene’s Dairy Jane or Dairy Queen? Some of my teachers were just back from Vietnam. Wow, Vietnam. At the time it seemed a routine part of our daily media influence. We had the Parkwood Walk-Out! It was a heated event over the rumor that a teacher was fired for demanding a pay raise for other teachers. At the time, I honestly did not know what the walk out was about, but why not walk out. It was the 70’s and was the thing to do. Memorial also walked! During the 70s I met my high school sweet heart. We married in 1973 and we are still married and best friends. I was destined to become a hair stylist. My mother’s beauty salon was in the home where I grew up. During high school, playing beauty shop was my playground with my friends. One of my sophomore friends was transferred from St. Mary’s School. Tom and I worked out a deal out of necessity where he gave me a ride home after school for a haircut. It was a wild ride flying down 22nd street in the family work truck. Wow, what a ride! We got out of school at 3:00, I was home by 3:05 and he got to work by 3:30. He is an attorney now and one of his specialties is speeding tickets. After all that and 44 years later, I still cut his hair. There is an advantage from living in a town your whole life. One is your long time friendships. I graduated with many of my friends that I started elementary school at Lafayette. And get together with many of them still. Go-Bears! Paula Jane (PJ) McAferty-Calihan Parkwood High School, Class of 1973

Dear Future Students of JHS, In the weeks following May 22, 2011, we were surrounded by unbelievable destruction. In short order visions were cast to rebuild homes, businesses, churches, and schools. A big part of that vision is now reality with completion of the new JHS. Exciting times and meaningful experiences await you in the years you will spend in the new JHS. What surprises me, 40 years after high school, is how relationships from those days grow stronger and more important. My classmates and I shared days of youth and learning and adventure in high school, and that is something that we will always have in common. When I connect with others from the Class of ’74, whether around town or on Facebook, I picture them as I remember seeing them in the halls or on stage in an assembly. Realizing that someone is “Parkwood ‘74” is all it takes for there to be a special connection between us. My thoughts for you going forward are to enjoy the new JHS – it is an amazing facility that you should be proud of. By all means work hard, and prepare yourself academically for the life ahead. But, what will enrich your experience is developing relationships within a group drawn from all over town – from different economic and cultural and family settings – and identifying yourself with your classmates and with Joplin as a whole. I am proud to have Joplin Parkwood Class of ‘74 as a part of my identity, and I cherish it more as time goes by. I hope that you will have the same feelings for your JHS classmates, and the community you come from, so that wherever you go you can say with pride “We are Joplin!” Glen Davidson Parkwood High School Class of 1974

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1027 S. Main • Joplin 417-553-0835

You Can’t Keep a Good Team Down

Congratulations Keep Putting Your Best Foot Forward

I graduated from Parkwood High School in 1985. Unfortunately that was the last graduating class from Parkwood, because the very next year Parkwood High School and Memorial High School would combine to create what we now know as Joplin High School. Some of my favorite memories are from playing sports in high school. There was no bigger rivalry than Parkwood versus Memorial. During my senior year the district administration sent out a request for all students to turn in their ideas for school colors and mascots to be used at the new Joplin High School. I don’t remember what my ideas were but it turns out the district decided Joplin High School would use the Memorial Mascot “the Eagles” and also use Parkwood’s school colors of cardinal and white as a way of preserving something from each school. Now almost thirty years later I am very excited to see the opportunities the students of Joplin Schools will have with the opening of their new high school. This campus and the new career pathways approach to education will provide opportunities that will only be limited by the student’s desire. I want to encourage all students of Joplin Schools to participate in whatever you can, take advantage of what the citizens of the district have provided for you. I would also like to tell current and future students of Joplin High School good luck and be proud to be an Eagle! Jeff Flowers Parkwood HS Class of 1985

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Dear Joplin High School Students, My name is Bill Kelley; I am a 1954 Joplin High School graduate. Can you imagine that? Our class is having its 60th reunion this year. I would encourage you to take part in the school’s extracurricular activities. I chose sports and I made many lifelong friends from my participation in the JHS sports programs. You might be interested in drama, band, or auto mechanics. Find some activity no matter what your talent may be and dig in. The other thing I would suggest is to prepare yourself for the future. Many of you will end up in careers that do not even exist today. The world and career opportunities change very quickly. Above all study hard, play hard and enjoy your years in high school. Be proud to be an Eagle. Thanks and good luck. Bill Kelley Joplin High School Class of 1954

Goodwill Hi Joplin High School Students, My name is Earline Campbell Kelley; I am a 1954 Joplin High School graduate. I have to say I find this hard to believe. My class is getting ready to celebrate our 60 year class reunion in October. I remember the first day of enrollment as a freshman and that was when high school was grades 10, 11 and 12, boy was I scared. The sophomore-‐ students were from East, North and South junior high schools. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to make many new friends; some have remained my friends to this day. All of you have this incredible opportunity to be the first students to attend this state of the art high school. Take your time to enjoy and I would encourage you to be active in activities and make the very most of your education. Thank you and good luck! Earline Campbell Kelley Joplin High School Class of 1954

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Dear Joplin High, You are about to be thrust into a new place. High tech and modern, the new school will change the face of Joplin High School. Alumni of all ages will be flabbergasted at the differences between your high school careers and ours. This is not the first time that such a drastic change has taken place. The journey you are about to take mirrors mine just three years ago. It was early August 2011 when I first walked into the 11/12 campus. Amazed at the quick renovations, I was overwhelmed by the newness of it all. The year was full of figuring out all those new things. Frustration, confusion, and sadness were definitely part of that year but ingenuity, success, and joy also came. Extending my personal wishes of success to the students, teachers, and staff of Joplin High School as you take possession of this beautiful, built-‐for-‐the-‐21st century campus. As a group, you stand at the threshold of a unique opportunity to forge new traditions and blaze new trails that will leave its mark on this high school and this city in the coming decades. I wish you wisdom and foresight to explore all the horizons that you will have in your sights. I also wish you compassion and humility in remembering those who suffered unspeakable pain and loss when the original campus was destroyed. Although the bricks and mortar were swept away at 20th and Indiana, the spirit of that building was never obliterated, only the physical presence. Keep in mind that there are many thousands of alumni that passed through those halls that will always keep those spirits alive in hearts and minds for years to come -‐ even those of us who just thought of that building as “dumb old Parkwood!!!” My advice is as always, to borrow the words of Kenny Chesney -‐“Don’t blink.” Four years seems like a long time, but it is not. Create new memories and soar high, Joplin Eagles! Lynn Hinds Memorial High School Class of 1977

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With this in mind, I implore you to step into the new building this August with grace and maturity. Have patience with the faculty and staff, keeping in mind that they are learning with you. Show the city of Joplin your gratitude for their provision and value of education. As you walk through the Rose Garden and Eagle Alley, as you play ball on new fields and new courts take a moment to remember all that was lost 3 years ago. Memories, tradition, and legacies that cannot be replaced will be missing from the new building. So much has been asked of you these past years as you have helped rebuild Joplin. But those who are graduated and gone and those who come after you must request one more thing-‐ create a new legacy for Joplin High. Enjoy your time in high school and cherish the memories you make, but never forget the responsibility you have been given to rebuild what it means to be a Joplin Eagle. Sincerely, Julia Lewis Joplin High School Class of 2012

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To all of the current and future students of Joplin High School, High School is an incredible time during your life. Many of you will find out – if you haven’t already – that high school is what you make of it. You can make memories that will last a lifetime, everything from scoring that basket in basketball, to acing that exam you never thought you would, or maybe just the memories you have with the friends you made. All of those things will last you for a lifetime, and you may never experience those same feelings again. As a member of the last graduating class of the “old” Joplin High School, I can tell you firsthand how painful it is to lose a building filled with four years of my life that I’ll never have back. High School is where we all come into our own, and now each of you will have the opportunity to do so in a beautiful new building. I sincerely hope that each of you can make the most of your time in that new building, as high school really can be the best years of your life. In particular, I would like to wish the best of luck to the class of 2015, which includes my brother, Bryant. Bryant and the rest of his classmates will be the first class to graduate from the new building, where I was part of the last from the old. I would just like to wish the graduating class of 2015 and each one thereafter the best of luck in all of their endeavors, and hope that each and every person who walks through those halls tries to make the most of it. Thank you, Tyler Overstreet Joplin High School Class of 2011

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Dear Future Alumni of Joplin High School, There are blessings in the do-‐over! A new school is just one of them! You’ve been given a chance to make the losses you’ve endured in Joplin, go beyond an end to a new beginning. First of all, it makes going back to school this fall actually exciting for you! That’s a big plus, wouldn’t you say? Of course, there will be a certain pride that goes along with the honor of being the first students to walk the halls of your school. Cherish that! How fun will it be to look at the faces of your classmates, teachers, and coaches as you pass them by and see the collective joy in their eyes? As a Memorial High School, Class of ’77 alumna, I’m excited to see what your futures hold. Whether you become a parent, an athlete, a business executive, or a future political leader, you will all have the common launching pad of Joplin High School; the place where it all began! There are memories to be made and friendships to hold on to. You’ll be surprised by what these will mean to you in the years to come. Be thankful always! You could have gone to school with me and you’d be a sassy 55 year old now! I’m truly grateful to call Joplin my hometown, let’s go EAGLES! Congratulations! Charla (Fraizer) Reid, Dallas, Texas Memorial HS Class of 1977

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Mission Accomplished

So many high school memories come flooding back like it was just yesterday. My four years of Memorial were great, but most of the fun was not in the school. It was at Junge, or on bus trips to basketball games or track meets, especially the basketball state championships! I found basketball was better since the vertically challenged have no fun running hurdles in track. Fun times were winning district for girl’s basketball and wearing “Beat Willard” on our underpants because the uniforms had white see-‐ through shorts. The house was packed for every basketball game. Eagles dominated the hardwoods and any time we played Parkwood, our school was full of Eagle pride! Go Memorial Eagles! Coach O’Rourke lauded that our Eagles won because, “team unity was the key to our successful seasons!” Coach Dresh says about the girls’ success, “They were playing for the team and not themselves!” That’s the way it should be for all of our team sports. I “called in” orders to Gene’s Dairy Jane from sewing class and raced my Marvin Mustang to 26th and Main to pick it up on a twenty-‐minute lunch break. Those fifty-‐cent gourmet lunches were the best and my Marvin Mustang made the Eagle yearbook with 20 other Mustangs. Memorial’s nooks, crannies and back hallways were great to hang out. I operated the switchboard as an office helper, picking up attendance slips and “accidentally” throwing away the slips with my sister’s name on them, and in typing class, slamming that carriage return lever to make the teacher crazy. Metrics are introduced and computers hit Memorial; grades, schedules and tests are processed at MSSC with the IBM370. Programming instructions began, and finally, let us not forget the onset of pocket calculators! I wish many happy memories to all students attending Joplin High School! Anne Sharp Current School Board Member Memorial High School Class of 1978

As we prepare to open the brand new state-‐of-‐the-‐art Joplin High School, it is a perfect time for me to reflect back on the excellent education that I received in the Joplin Schools. Having graduated in May of 1963, our class celebrated our 50th JHS reunion last October, and, over a weekend this past June, we celebrated my wife’s 50th reunion. Melanie and I dated all through high school and we both have great friends in the Class of ’63 and the Class of ’64. We also have great memories of outstanding teachers like Ted Anderson, Bill Brill, Jack Holden, Helen McFadin, William Spear, Mary Wieman, and many, many more and also of school clubs, Student Council, sports, cheerleading, ROTC, dances at the Eagle’s Nest and in the school gym, and of just growing up in a small Midwestern town at an ideal time. The educations we both received in Joplin prepared us so well to go on to Westminster College for me and what is now MSSU and the University of Missouri for Melanie. We often comment about how fortunate we were to have been brought up and educated in Joplin, Missouri in the 1950’s and 1960’s. As parents of four sons, Melanie and I have lived most of our lives in Joplin, but we have also lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, and in Denver, Colorado. Most of our sons’ educations were in Joplin, and all four of them are living very happy and productive lives because of the great start they got in the Joplin Schools. We have seven grandchildren in Joplin, and all of them either are or will be attending Joplin Schools. In fact, Del, Jack, Anna Pearl and Reid are the third generation of the Stanley family to attend Columbia Elementary School. The tornado of May 22, 2011, changed all our lives forever. Together we experienced so much shock, sadness, and sorrow because of the people who were lost, those who were injured, and those whom we know and love who lost so much. No one who lives in Joplin escaped the impact of that tragic storm. But God, in all his love and glory, has blessed us with over 200,000 volunteers who have come to help us rebuild, with millions of dollars in charitable contributions and government grants, and, most importantly, the leadership to build our 141 year old city back better than she was before. A perfect example of outstanding leadership is Dr. C.J. Huff, combined with his impressive faculty and staff, and his dedicated School Board, who, out of tragedy, have designed a school system for the 21st Century. With the revolutionary design of Irving Elementary, Soaring Heights Elementary, and East Middle School, we have schools that truly meet the needs of our present and future students. It took wisdom, vision, and courage from everyone involved to design such a innovative system. In Melanie’s and my opinion, the biggest change and improvement to the school system is the design of the new high school in which vocational education and training are mainstreamed with academic education. More of our high school graduates do not go to college than do. As a community, we have not done a good job of helping those non-‐college directed students in getting the training and education they need to live happy and productive lives. This high school design, which, according to Dr. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, says is the role model for the nation as to how to meet our country’s educational challenges. Please join Melanie and me celebrate the future of education in Joplin and our nation when the Joplin High School opens on August 25, 2014.

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Dan Stanley Joplin High School Class of 1963

Mission Accomplished

I have good memories as a former student of Lincoln School. I attended first to third grade there, and my teachers Ms. Bernice Smith, and Ms. Thelma Meeks were good and personable with us. They really took a special care in their students. It was sixty years ago that the Supreme Court ruled on the integration of the school. Then after the move I felt like the white students, and black students all got along rather well. I attended Joplin Senior High School, graduated and then went to MSSC. I have good memories of the former Joplin High School, and look forward to the opening of the new high school. It will be a total change from when I went there, and something that we can all be proud of.

Congratulations on being the First: The first group of students to attend and walk the halls of the new JHS. You will also experience Career Path, another first for Joplin High Schools. As you experience this new facility. Develop those relationships, strive to be the best. Get the best education that you possibly can. I graduated Parkwood High School the Class of 1979. I am proud to be a former Bear and now a current Eagle. Soar High Eagles. Reach for the Stars. “Education is not preparation for Life; Education is Life itself.” John Dewey. Randy Steele Current School Board Member Parkwood High School Class of 1979

Mission Accomplished

I have gathered pictures, and lots of other items from Lincoln. I am happy to hear that along with the name of Mr. Marion Dial being placed inside the main entrance of the new school, there will be an area for some of Lincoln School’s history to be displayed, so those memories can stay alive. I am thankful for the hard work done on this project by Dr. Kerry Sachetta, and all those who worked hard to make it happen. To all the students that will be entering the new school in August, you will be attending a model school and should be proud. I know I am. God Bless You All. Jim West Joplin High School class of 1953

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PARTING SHOT

Welcome home,

EAGLES. After a long journey, the brick eagle has returned to welcome our Joplin Eagles home. Photograph by: Drew Kimble

Mission Accomplished

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IRVING ELEMENTARY SOARING HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL JOPLIN HIGH SCHOOL FRANKLIN TECHNOLOGY CENTER 14 COMMUNITY SAFE ROOMS

JHS Class of 2014

JOPLIN SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION APRIL 2011 - APRIL 2014: Jeff Flowers, Michael D. Landis, Anne Sharp, Jim Kimbrough, Randy Steele, Phil Willcoxon, Ashley Micklethwaite, Dawn Sticklen

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Thank you for your tireless service and countless hours in our recovery efforts.

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Mission Accomplished