Scars from the Tornado: One Year at Joplin East Middle School

When the most deadly tornado to hit the United States in six decades roared through Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011, it destroyed one-third of the city, and took 161 lives. Among those most affected by the natural disaster were the 500 students of East Middle School, most of whom lived in the path of the tornado. Many of the students lost their homes and had their lives changed forever. One student lost his life. Scars from the Tornado tells the story of how those students and the staff at East Middle School battled their tornado demons, moving their base of operations to an empty warehouse on the outskirts of the district and starting school on time, just 87 days after the tornado. In their own words, students tell their tornado stories and recount the events of their most unlikely school year. Randy Turner, an eighth grade English teacher at East and co-author of 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado and Spirit of Hope, reveals how he and his fellow faculty members battled to make a warehouse into a school and a second home for the children. Scars from the Tornado is the heartwarming story about how teachers and students faced one of the most challenging years any school has ever had.