PAGE 14A
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDUCATION
After tornado devastation schools reconvene all over
JOFLIN, Mo. — Seniors and juniors are taking classes in a converted big-box store. Freshmen and sophomores are in a building across town. The new middle school is in an industrial park.
Across Joplin, the schools are still a jumble, with books, computer monitors and unassembled furniture littering unfamiliar hallways. But as classes resumed Wednesday, students and teachers welcomed the start of another year as a return to something normal
MOVIN'ON UP
— or what passes for normal in a city crippled last spring by the nation's single deadliest灾祸 in six decades.
"You can't pretend like nothing happened," said English teacher Brenda White. "But everything is so new here. Every single thing that is this school is new and different."
The twister killed 160 people,
injured hundreds more and destroyed thousands of buildings, including Joplin's only public high school.
After months of cleaning up debris, attending funerals and trying to rebuild shattered lives, it was time to get back to pop quizzes and homework assignments.
"It's going to take a while to build everything back, but books are a good start." White said while stocking her classrooms with copies of The Great Gatsby, the Kite Runner and other literary standards, past and present.
District leaders quickly realized that they would play a huge role in Joplin's recovery, for reasons symbolic as much as practical. They expanded the hours and locations of summer school in an effort to give children a reassuring routine — and their parents the time to deal with insurance agents, contractors and social service agencies.
The school system was hit especially hard by the May 22 tornado. Seven students and one employee were among the victims, including a senior pulled from his car by winds on his way home from the Joplin High School graduation ceremony. Six school buildings were destroyed, including the high school. Seven other buildings were badly damaged.
They cobbled together a hodgepodge of temporary locations for fall classes, from the old Shoppe store at Northpark Mall to a former Missouri Department of Transportation office where the superintendent and other administrators now work. Rival elementary schools combined, and a middle school found space in an industrial park.
Even in a corner of the country where hard work is cherished, the swiftness of the transformation was striking, White said.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Christopher Miller, a sophomore from Overland Park, moves his TV into his residence hall on Daisy Hill Wednesday afternoon. Miller said he is looking forward to meeting new people this school year.
WEATHER
Tropical storm gets stronger but not a major threat yet
MIAMI — Tropical Storm Greg is strengthening as it moves parallel to Mexico's Pacific coast but is not prompting any coastal watches or warnings.
The storm is forecast to become a hurricane later Thursday but on a generally northwest track out to sea that will keep its center well away from land.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Wednesday the storm
had maximum sustained winds north 65 mph (105 kph). It was centered about 195 miles (315 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. It's more than 450 miles south-south-east off the southern tip of Baja, Calif.
Meanwhile, farther out in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Fernanda is moving slowly west-northwest with no change in strength. The storm's maximum sustained winds remained near 50 mph (85 kph).
Associated Press
Marine donates organ as last act
MILITARY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Nicknamed "Superman" because of his chiselled 6-foot-3 frame, Marine Lt. Patrick Wayland saved his most heroic act for last. He donated a kidney to a comrade he never met.
Wayland, a flight student at Pensacola Naval Air Station, died earlier this month after his heart stopped beating during water survival training. He was already an organ donor, but while on life support, his family decided they wanted to help a fellow Marine.
A doctor who treated the 24-year-old Wayland searched the Internet for "Marine needing transplant" and found a website for Sgt. Jacob "Jake" Chadwick, who was stationed on the other side of the country at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Chadwick had a serious kidney disease and was undergoing dialysis, four hours each day. He
and Wayland were about the same age, and after several tests, doctors said they were a match.
"He has given me a second chance at life," Chadwick, 23, said Tuesday.
Wayland decided he wanted to become a pilot and attend the Naval Academy after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was a top high school student, athlete and involved in his community
of Midland Texas, according to his father. But he didn't get an academy appointment on his first try and went to Tech. He was accepted to the academy the next year.
"He did accomplish that goal." David Wayland said. "He had done his preliminary flight instruction and his solo flight. I joked with him that if he didn't make it back, we would give his room to his sister."
When Wayland was taken to the hospital Aug. 1, friends and family spent four days at his bedside before he was declared brain dead.
He had recently taken his first solo flight as a Marine flight student. He sent a text message to his father, David Wayland, as he was waiting on the runway.
JEFFERY MOORE Flight surgeon
"Patty was physically very strong and seeing him in a hospital bed was very difficult," said Wayland's roommate, Marine Lt. John Silvestro. "... At it we thought
he was stable and then it went from one sort of bad news to another."
Jeffery Moore, a flight surgeon at the Pensacola base who initially treated Wayland, kept vigil with family and friends. He wanted to do something for the family.
such a perfect match was pretty amazing." Moore said.
"I know it will take time for them." Chadwick said. "I cannot begin to express what I feel for what they have done. This is all so overwhelming."
The Waylands don't know who received the other five organs that were donated. But they hope to eventually meet Chadwick.
He didn't know the full story behind his transplant until days later when Silvestro, Wayland's roommate, called him. They have kept in touch ever since.
Chadwick is married and he is expecting his second child in November. His wife, Victoria, created a website for her husband when he was diagnosed with kidney disease after returning from a yearlong deployment to Iraq in 2009. Chadwick had been on a five-year waiting list for a transplant when he received the kidney Aug. 7.
Chadwick said the Marine Corps is a brotherhood.
"I was very happy that I found somebody but there was still a lot of screening that had to be done. The fact that he turned out to be
"From the time you go into boot camp to the time you leave boot camp, it is about being there for your fellow Marines. This is the ultimate example of that."
ask listen solve
YOUR MONEY ON CAMPUS. ONLINE. ON YOUR ID.
] K ]
With KU Checking youre always close to your money.
- Email Alerts
- Mobile Banking $ ^{1} $
Apply today at our location inside the Kansas Union.
Your mobile carrier's text messaging and web access charges may apply.
Click listen solve and call click come by are trademarks of Commerce Bartshares, Inc. © 2011 COMMERCE BANSHARES, INC