C. J. Huff's new blog tells "truth' about six-and-a-half-mile ribbon

C. J. Huff has gone into the blogging business and being the helpful person I am, since this latest public relations effort is being funded, as have all the rest of them, by our taxpayer money, going to help spread the word.

In the first blog published earlier tonight, the Joplin R-8 superintendent gives the lowdown on the six-and-a-half-mile ribbon. He does seem to contradict what his board president said a few days ago, but here goes:

Real or Rumor?

I am starting a new weekly blog called Real of Rumor. Each week, I will address a question that I have been asked about or a rumor that I have heard regarding Joplin Schools. Several months ago, we created a web page with this title to solicit feedback from the community. In all honesty, we didn't promote it well and have received few questions through the email address we provided on that page. The email link is below, and I encourage you to submit your questions. I will address some of them in this blog post, and we will do our best to answer all questions on the Real or Rumor web page.

Email your questions to webmaster@joplinschools.org.

Today's topic: The ribbon

We are in the process of planning several events surrounding the opening of the new high school and technical school. You can click here to view a calendar of events. One of the events we have planned is a ribbon-cutting ceremony at JHS/FTC during our October 3 grand-opening event. 

Here are the facts:

• The event is scheduled for October 3 (we just finalized the date and a time has yet to be set - we are still in the early planning stage of this event).
• The ribbon cutting was never planned for the first day of school.
• We are hosting the official grand-opening event and ribbon cutting after the start of school to allow our students and staff an opportunity to settle in to their new building. We did this for Irving Elementary, Soaring Heights Elementary, and East Middle School as well. The first day of school for all schools in the district is August 25.
• We are hoping to break a world record for the longest ribbon used in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students helped with the research on how to host such an event, and they will be recognized at the ceremony.
• The ribbon will be six-and-a-half miles long and will be looped around the JHS/FTC campus.
• The ribbon cost approximately $11,500, and the cost will be covered by sponsorships. We have secured some of these sponsorships already. The sponsors will also be recognized at the event. We seek out sponsors for many of our events to help keep costs down. 
• Bright Futures Joplin is not paying for the ribbon and never was paying for the ribbon. The plan has always been to secure sponsors for the ribbon.
• Bright Futures Councils from our schools will be invited to participate in the event.
• The community will also be invited to participate in the event and will be able to keep a portion of the ribbon as a souvenir. We also plan to make pieces of the ribbon available for purchase to those who do not wish to participate but want a memento from the event. Details will be shared on our website as plans are finalized.

 

Why the ribbon? We want to celebrate! The opening of this school is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for our students, staff, parents, and community. It symbolizes the end of a long, difficult journey and the beginning of a new era for Joplin Schools. It is a big deal to many, many people who have made sacrifices for the last three years to get to this point - students, staff members, parents, and others. It took thousands of volunteers from across the world and the support of our entire community to make this school happen. We wanted to create an event that would allow our entire community to participate if they choose. 

You are invited to join us on October 3 to be a part of this moment in Joplin's history. We hope you'll come and celebrate recovery, resilience, and the future of Joplin Schools.