Governor's remarks at Joplin R-VIII School District event
Thank you Dr. Huff . President Micklethwaite.
Good morning! It's great to be here for the start of a new school year in Joplin, Missouri - the toughest town on God's green earth.
Less than three months ago, I stood on this very same stage, in this very same spot, for a Memorial service. That was one week after the tornado had struck.
What you have accomplished in the 85 days since then, is astonishing - far beyond what anyone would have thought possible. Except maybe one person.
When C.J. Huff told me back in May that you were going to start school on time, I sincerely wanted to believe him. Well, he's a man on a mission, and a man of his word.
He says you're expecting 92 percent of the students to return this year. That's a great number -for any school district in America.
And we all know that this wouldn't have been possible without each and every one of you here this morning. Whether you are a principal or a parent, a secretary or a science teacher, a coach or a civic leader, a cheerleader or a trumpet player - your determination, sweat and optimism were crucial to this mission.
It's a testament to Joplin's commitment to its schools and its children. It reflects the strength of our partnership, which has brought every possible resource to bear to help Joplin recover and rebuild. And we're not done yet.
You are helping the healing process for this community, because going back to school means getting back to normal.
So today is a milestone, and a cause for celebration.
We're celebrating the fact that life in Joplin is not a tornado emergency anymore.
We're celebrating the mountains Joplin has moved - literally - in just 85 days.
Mountains of what Joplin used-to-be have been moved to make way for the Joplin, soon-to-be.
It's exciting to see the "Now Hiring" signs popping up along Range Line Road.
And it's great seeing all the cleared lots, just waiting for new houses and families to come back and rebuild their neighborhoods.
A lot of progress has been made, and we're not stopping now. Not 'til every ounce of rubble is out of here.
This hasn't been an easy time. Some of you lost your homes and possessions. Some of you lost friends and family members.
Getting ready for school has meant putting your needs and emotions second, and the needs of your students first. Because you have to be strong for them.
They'll be looking to you every day - for reassurance, for guidance and for discipline.
Some days they'll need a shoulder to cry on; other days, they'll need a firm hand to keep them on track. And as we all know, students rise to meet our expectations.
Today is also a celebration of the mountains you will move in the next month, and the next year, and the next decade. Because much remains to be done in our schools.
We want Joplin schools to be the pacesetter, to lead the statewide push to move all Missouri public schools into the nation's Top Ten by 2020.
We need to educate our children for the challenges of global citizenship in the 21st Century; to rebuild a strong and competitive economy; and to reclaim America's place as one of the most innovative, well-educated and prosperous nations on earth.
Our goal is nothing short of excellence - and together, we will make it happen in Missouri, starting right here in Joplin.
Right now, you are the glue holding things together in the wake of so much loss. In about 19 minutes, 14,000 people were made homeless. Thousands lost their jobs; hundreds lost businesses. A hundred and sixty people lost their lives.
But Joplin didn't lose its faith, or its heart, or its soul.
The schools are the heart and soul of Joplin. In a very real way, you are the key to the future of this community: to its stability, its growth, its prosperity.
When the schools come back, stronger and better than ever, more families will want to stay and raise their kids here. Families like Leanne and Randy Ford and their two sons: Duncan, who's 15, and Grayson, who's 17.
The tornado destroyed their home, all their belongings, and Randy's dental office. In those first chaotic weeks, they did some soul-searching. They thought about moving to Carthage, or Webb City, or even to the West Coast.
In the end, they knew there's no place like home, no place like Joplin.
When families like the Fords stay and rebuild, businesses stay and rebuild. Family-owned businesses like Jim Bob's Steak and Ribs have already started.
I visited the Gambles at the end of June, to let them know the state stood ready to help local business owners rebuild, so they can start rehiring folks so eager to get back to work.
And while we were standing there, looking at the spot where the restaurant once stood, the mailman walked up. He handed them their mail. And then he asked them if they knew where his bass was.
The mailman had caught a big old bass and had it mounted. His wife didn't consider it home decor, so he hung it on the trophy wall at Jim Bob's.
The Gambles actually found that bass in the rubble, and promised it would have a place of honor as soon as they reopen.
I tell that story because it says so much about the kind of friendly, close-knit community Joplin is. The eyes of the world are on Joplin once again this week, and there's a lot of wonderful things for folks to see.
They'll see the transformation of a big, empty box into a sleek, high-tech high school. Thanks to the generosity of people all over the world, Joplin will be getting twenty-two hundred new laptops - one for every high school student.
They'll see hundreds of little kids marching down the halls at Cecil Floyd, Duequesne and Emerson elementary, with brand new backpacks stuffed with donated school supplies.
They'll also see the best of the human spirit in action. They'll see what people with common sense can accomplish when they put the common good before self-interest. And they'll see the unstoppable forces of tenacity and teamwork.
And what an outstanding team we've got here in the Joplin schools.
Educating our children is a high calling, and those who answer the call are heroes in my book. Public schools have always been, and will always be, a beacon of hope and opportunity for all.
No one is turned away. Some children come to school hungry or homeless. Some bear the burdens of poverty and neglect.
But when a child of want, and a child of wealth, walk through Joplin's schoolhouse doors, they enter as equals - both precious in the sight of their Creator.
We must work together to help each child fulfill the promise God has placed in them, and to carry out the sacred trust He has placed in us.
Here in Joplin, we are a team. The team includes everyone in this auditorium, and thousands more. It includes the legions of carpenters and masons, electricians and plumbers who worked around-the-clock to get the walls up, the lights on, and the water running in every school.
It includes scores of business that dug deep for cash, football gear, books - whatever it took to get Joplin schools open for business, even if their own businesses were still struggling to get back on their feet.
The team includes the doctors and nurses, technicians and cooks who have pledged to stay and care for this community until a new hospital is built.
The team includes every family and every student, whether they're living in a FEMA trailer or a house upon a hill. And it includes the hundreds of churches and thousands of pilgrims still making their way to Joplin.
More than a thousand Boy Scouts from across the Midwest put in 10,000 hours in Joplin's schools a couple weeks ago: painting playground equipment, spreading mulch and picking up debris. The temperature hit one hundred and six that day.
A fifth-grade teacher drove down from Central Michigan - 850 miles each way - to help unpack and assemble furniture at the new high school, before her own school was back in session. There are hundreds more stories like these.
Disasters happen every day around the globe. So what is it about Joplin that draws people so powerfully?
I'll tell you what it is. The people of Joplin never acted like victims. Not one; not ever.
Yes, a terrible tragedy occurred, and the losses were staggering.
And you stepped up with courage, determination and true grit. You started looking for opportunities to make Joplin even better.
As great as the needs were - and will be - you never took it for granted that the world owed you something. You know that the only way to get anything in life is to work hard for it. And you worked hard for it.
You put your shoulders to the wheel and haven't stopped. If you did, you might collapse. So don't. School starts the day after tomorrow!
When the world sees so many positive, tangible signs of what your hard work has accomplished, it inspires confidence.
Folks can see that an hour spent in Joplin makes a difference in Joplin; that a dollar planted in Joplin, blooms in Joplin. That makes them want to be part of Joplin's comeback story.
And finally, I think what draws folks to Joplin is that you have made it so easy to help you.
You're organized. You're energized. And you never forget to count your blessings. This is how all good parents raise their children,.and all good shepherds raise their flocks.
I know you want the lessons the children learn in class this year to stay in their heads as long as possible. You want your students to use their Joplin education as a springboard to their dreams - whether they want to be doctors or dancers, engineers or entrepreneurs.
This year, you are teaching them life lessons, by the example you have set.
You are showing them that from great adversity, great blessings flow.
You're showing them that when you get knocked down, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on going.
You're showing them that hard work really can turn dreams into reality.
And I guarantee you: those lessons will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Not in their heads, in their hearts.
There's a lot of uncertainty in this life. We can't control the weather. We don't know when the first kid will be able to dive into the swimming pool at Cunningham Park, or when the first new house will be finished.
We don't even know how many children will show up at the right schools - or the wrong schools - on Wednesday.
We can't see the future, but one thing is clear. Brick-by-brick and board-by-board, Joplin is rising:
• one life;
• one house;
• one business;
• and one school at a time.
The spirit of Joplin, Missouri can move mountains. Just watch us. Thank you.
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