President Barack Obama called graduates at Joplin High School an inspiration “to me (and) the world” on Monday to regard the lessons they’ve learned and spirit they’ve shown to rebuild not only their tornado-wrecked Missouri city, but also their nation. Obama told the students, “America only succeeds when we all pitch in and pull together — and I’m counting on you to be leaders in that effort. Because you are from Joplin. And you’ve already defied the odds.”
On May 22, 2011, minutes after 450 seniors from the same Missouri school got their diplomas, a monster tornado ripped through the community, killing more than 161 people. The disaster caused the worst death toll for such a tornado since modern record-keeping began in 1950, while dozens of buildings were torn to shreds by winds as strong as 200 mph. Joplin High School itself was destroyed, with damage so severe that the students ended up attending classes in a vacant section of the city’s Northpark Mall. Obama adopted a new slogan for students and townsfolk to “Remember. Rejoice. And rebuild.”
