Neosho High School students volunteer to help after Joplin tornado

A Wall Street Journal blog tells the story of Neosho High School students chipping in to help after the tornado that tore apart their neighboring city of Joplin:

Matty Liedtke, 16, and Whitney Wise, 15, were two of the dozens of students from nearby Neosho High School who got on a bus Friday morning and headed to Joplin to help the cleanup effort.


The two girls, members of the basketball team, said they set aside their rivalry with Joplin High to help out, and anyway it was the last day of school.

“Everwhere you look it’s bad,” Matty said.

The pair ended up at the decimated home of Mickey and Janice Heatherly. Mr. Heatherly, a referee in the area, was connected with the students through an associate at their high school.

Whitney, a freshman, said the crew had helped clear the front lawn of debris and salvage some clothes and a teddy bear. They were on the lookout for a turquoise ring–a Heatherly family heirloom.