In this photo taken Tuesday, May 8, 2012, a tattered flag shows a years worth of wear as it hangs from the remains of a destroyed home in Joplin, Mo. Reconstruction continues in the community as the anniversary of an EF-5 tornado that destroyed a large swath of the city and killed 161 people approaches on May, 22. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – It was a label they sought both to embrace and avoid, a refrain overheard in whispers or uttered bluntly at soccer games, summer camps and national academic competitions: Here come the tornado kids from Joplin.
For the 428 members of Joplin High School’s Class of 2012, Monday night’s graduation- featuring a commencement speech by President Barack Obama -caps a senior year marked by tragedy, turmoil and perseverance.
The president will visit southwest Missouri the day before the one-year anniversary of the country’s deadliest single tornado in six decades. The May 22, 2011, twister killed 161 people, injured hundreds more and destroyed thousands of buildings, including Joplin High. Five other Joplin schools were also destroyed, with four more among the damaged structures.
The twister arrived hours after last year’s high school graduation, forever defining the Joplin High Class of 2011 and their younger classmates as well.