One year ago today, a devastating tornado hit the town of Joplin, Missouri. It left 161 people dead, and hundreds more injured. Thousands of buildings were destroyed, including the town’s high school, middle school and elementary school. President Obama marked the anniversary as he spoke at Joplin High School’s commencement yesterday evening.
Most of the city’s students have been attending class in malls and warehouses. That will soon change. Construction crews plan to break ground on three new schools this morning. Susan Moore plans to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. Susan is a kindergarten teacher at Irving Elementary, one of the schools destroyed by the Joplin tornado.