Sometimes a school building is more than just a place to learn. After a tornado whipped through Joplin, Mo., in May 2011, destroying the town鈥檚 high school, the wrecked building was another sign of the devastation that had come to the community. Rebuilding the school became a matter of symbolic importance. Plans were drawn up overnight, and only 55 days after the tornado, the district鈥檚 juniors and seniors had a new school building鈥攊n a former shopping center.
In a town recovering from trauma, in a school that didn鈥檛 look quite like a school, rebuilding school spirit and a sense of community was an important first step. The walls are bedecked with the school鈥檚 mascot, an eagle.
鈥淲hen they walked into a building that was 鈥榚agled up,鈥� full of school spirit, looking comfortable and different鈥擨 think that made a difference,鈥� says Angela Besendorfer, an assistant superintendent in the 7,400-student district.
BUILDING COST
$6 Million
YEAR BUILT
2011
SQUARE FOOTAGE
93,949
ENROLLMENT
1,092
鈥淭he transition would have been a lot harder if we鈥檇 been sitting in a big metal room,鈥� says Hank Millard, 18, a senior who plans to study architecture. 鈥淭he subtle things about it helped. There鈥檚 a lot of trust, and a lot of interaction between students, a lot of collaboration. That probably helped us get a sense of normalcy.鈥�
Creating a temporary school allowed Joplin High to take risks in the design that it might not have in a more permanent building, but Besendorfer says many of the interim building鈥檚 features will be replicated in the permanent building, which is being planned.
The building has small breakout rooms dubbed 鈥渢hink tanks,鈥� and 鈥渋nfo-links鈥� where students can see each other鈥檚 computer screens projected on a shared screen (the school has also implemented a 1-to-1 laptop program).
Students no longer have lockers. The building that was destroyed had been built in the 1950s, and the hallways were often crowded and chaotic. The interim building has wide hallways鈥攁nd storm shelters, which the old building lacked. All of those features will carry into the new building, which is slated to open in 2014.
The school鈥檚 shopping center roots mean it鈥檚 missing some elements that make learning pleasant: daylight, for one, and full-length walls to soundproof classes. Even so, there鈥檚 been a change in the atmosphere since students moved into the new building. Discipline problems and vandalism have gone down, says Besendorfer. The new building sent a message to the community, she says.
Students鈥� voices will also be part of the design process for the new high school building: There is even a Facebook page set up to collect students鈥� input on the design of the new high school.
