During the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Joplin High School/Franklin Technical Center Friday, Superintendent C. J. Huff sat beside the vice president of the United States, and alongside the secretary of education, the governor of Missouri, and even the Seventh District Congressman.
This was the pinnacle of a dream that began for Huff after he first declared "We Shall Have School," and then told Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer to make sure it happened. Three months later, school started on time.(In the speeches he gave in the months after the tornado, Huff always credited Besendorfer with lining up the temporary buildings and making sure the machinery was in place for school to start on time. Since that time, Besendorfer's name has vanished from Huff's speeches.)
School started on time- just as it would have if Huff's predecessor, Jim Simpson, had still been here, if Besendorfer herself had been superintendent, if former assistant superintendents Doug Domer or Steve Doerr had been in charge, or just as if any number of area superintendents had been in that position..
The only difference, a former school administrator told me, "With anyone but C. J. Huff, it would have been done without the public relations machinery." No one ever thought about the possibility of not having school.
School is what educators do- one way or another Joplin students would have been in class come August 2011.
Huff's famous statement was referenced again Friday by some of the powerful speakers he had lined up. The hero story continues to be spread.
But the attention, despite the presence of Joe Biden and Arne Duncan, has shifted away from Joplin. Other places have had disasters. Moore, Oklahoma, for instance, is managing a magnificent, hero-free recovery.
Ten thousand people will show up for the dedication, C. J. Huff had said. That did not happen. Generous estimates of the attendance put it at 2,500.
The ceremony featured a long list of speakers, including Biden, Duncan, Gov. Nixon, Billy Long, Joplin Mayor Michael Seibert, and High School Principal Kerry Sachetta, among others.
All of them received much more applause than C. J. Huff.
When Huff began tearing up in the middle of his speech, there were some audible groans in the audience. They had all been through that before.
Then it came time for the big event, the cutting of the ceremonial six-and-a-half-mile ribbon. In the Joplin Globe Friday, a story credited Joplin High School senior Alan Hass with coming up with the idea for the ribbon. In a meeting with high school teachers the week before school started (for the rest of the district, but not for the high school) C.J. Huff said the ribbon was his idea.
Both are accurate.
The idea for a record-breaking event came from the Huff Administration and was passed down to the teacher who sponsors the Link Crew organization who told students it would be a great idea to break a record at the dedication ceremony.
At that point, Hass came up with the ribbon concept.
With all of the negative publicity that has surrounded the $11,500 cost of the ribbon, right before the dedication ceremony, the Huff publicity team went into action once again and trotted out Hass for a Joplin Globe story that allowed Huff to claim that the ceremony, as a Globe headline said, was a "student-driven event."
Anyone who doubted Hass' role in the ribbon idea would have had those doubts removed when they saw how worried he was that the wind and the rain were going to wreak havoc with the ribbon-cutting.
The Joplin Globe article, which was designed to curb criticism of Huff, was the last publicity the senior received.
Hass' name was not mentioned during the dedication ceremony. His role was already done.
Alan Hass, however, was not the only one whose contributions were overlooked during the 75-minute program.
It was Joplin High School teachers, many of whom have left the district over the past three years- not because of the tornado or because their spouses found different jobs, or because they were unable to keep up with 21st Century learning demands, all reasons Huff has given for the departures- but because they wanted to get away from a man-made disaster that threatens to rival the forces of nature that destroyed the high school on May 22, 2011.
A hardy group of teachers have stuck it out these past three years, hoping against all hope, that somehow things will change for the better.
Not one of those teachers was on stage Friday.
Not one.
It has been the teachers and students of Joplin High School who have suffered these past three years while C. J. Huff has visited more than 17 states, Washington D. C. and next month, Saskatchewan, to tell the story of how he declared there will be school.
The students had a prominent role in Friday's ceremony because, of course, it was all "for the kids," the kids that C. J. Huff famously declared as his own.
The teachers, just as they have been throughout C. J. Huff's tenure in Joplin, were left out. After all, under the Huff Administration, they have become nothing more than interchangeable parts- one teacher is as good as another.
The teachers and students were the ones you couldn't have blamed for shedding tears during Friday's ceremony. They have been through a lot and have not had the ability to jet somewhere for an $8,000 speaking fee.
Friday, however, was C. J. Huff's day, no doubt about it. Important people said nice things about him as he sat humbly, hanging on every word.
And when he cried and was overcome by emotion during his speech, maybe there were some groans from the audience, but the vice president of the United States touched his arm and consoled him.
And that made everything OK.
22 comments:
I did more than groan when C. J. started to get choked up, I left before I puked. I can't stand the phony! God, he has a big head in more ways than one.
I also agree that Joplin R8 would have started school no matter who had been in charge three years ago. Common sense tells me that. You just did your job Huff! What was the worse that could have happened, some students sitting in temporary settings like many are presently doing (I hear) or starting the school year later like some did recently?
If young Hass is the student who did this, then he should be commended. That was a very huge task for a high school student to undertake, and he did get the thing figured out and hung up around the grounds.
It remains unfortunate, however, that this task was ever created. It was a waste of resources at a time when we should be trying not to make excess waste for landfills, and it required donations that could have been used for much better things, such as learning materials for the students. It is nothing but a symbol of Huff's excess pride to be flaunted around the community. A wise board would have said no. Instead, the Joplin School Board indulged Huff in this as they have in all things. Shame be upon them, too.
So, Mr. Hass, you can be commended for carrying out your task well. The adults should be ashamed for having asked you to carry it out.
Thank you for pointing out how few of the staff members have stayed. It must have been a very difficult day for those who have stuck it out. But I doubt that a one of them was ever asked to participate in the day's events, and if they are like the rest of us, they would have declined the offer to help exploit this situation so CJ could have one more public crying episode for the cameras.
Did anyone notice tons of media there? I think the magic has worn off the lamp. People have moved on. So should CJ.
All was not lost. The TLCs and admin and the other staff members who didn't have kids got to stay and have their pictures taken with the VP. The teachers had to go back to work, but if you look on social media, the bane of vain people everywhere, you will see that the highly and overpaid excess staff members got to play a lot longer. But then, when did anyone care what the teachers might have wanted? Never in the last seven years, for sure.
Good job, Joplin! So glad I got away.
Dear Dr, Huff,
Please cry yourself a river and float away in a boat made of Swiss cheese!
Sincerely,
Your Staff
I have mixed emotions about this whole ceremony. On the one hand, it is excessive, ridiculous, in bad taste, a waste of time, a publicity stunt, and an ego boost for someone whose ego is already grossly overgrown. On the other hand, though, this is most certainly Huff's last hurray. What faces him now is a disgruntled staff, huge turnover, budget problems, growing public criticism, an audit, and dropping test scores. I am sure he knows that he has nothing more to gain by staying, so I would be very surprised to see him back next year.
I am the parent of three Joplin students. My 10th grader and his friends had a good experience and have been happily discussing it all weekend.
My 7th grader was not chosen by lottery to attend and my first grader is too young to have been chosen by lottery to attend. We were told it was an excused absence for all students who wished to attend with their families so, of course the three of us went together. I thought it to be an opportunity not to be missed, a moment in history I would like them to remember forever.
We arrived two hours early because it was repeatedly mentioned that early arrival was important. We were seated just to the east of the area where the stage was located. The upfront spots were held for high school students, younger students chosen by lottery and faculty members. There were risers of some kind positioned in between the seating area we were in and DIRECTLY in front of the stage. We heard the voices of each speaker but never actually saw them at all. We heard music being played but never saw where it came from. We didn't see even the top of a speakers head or their hands as they waved to the crowd. Our view 100% blocked. No one is the only occupied seating area could see a thing. If all of the other seats had been full I would have been inclined to feel less irritated. There were hundreds of empty chairs. Empty chairs with a plain view of the stage. We were not permitted to occupy those seats. The empty seats for community members by far out numbered those that were filled.
Minus the students and faculty I estimated there were approximately 250 community members in attendance. It was a very small crowd. The crowd was so small that there was absolutely no reason that every single, security checked attendee shouldn't have been able to have a good seat with a clear view of the ceremony. For us, it was if we were seated outside in the cold wind for three hours only to hear it all from a radio. There was so little concern shown for the community attendees. There was a family of 5 seated in front of us. They were all having a very emotional reaction to the day itself. They all cried, hard through the entire ceremony. I can only imagine what this family must have endured to make them so emotional. They too, could only hear but not see any of what was taking place. Why why why could this family and the rest of us who waited in the cold all that time not have a seat we could see from. I think we all wanted to feel included. We were not included or even noticed. We had a very different experience than the students and faculty up front.
I've attended other lowly populated events in the past where spread out attendees were asked to move in closer making small crowd feel more intimate. Even though we were all security checked, that was not an option at the ceremony.
I watched the ceremony on line when I got home but kids were just kind of over it all by then. They will never know it was like to see the Vice President of the United States speak at our High School because.....THEY COULD NOT SEE. It will always feel like a missed opportunity and a let down.
We'd still like piece of the ribbon to include in a framed memory piece. We left before people started taking it, we were too cold to stay any longer.
As for CJ crying I did not nearly puke nor did I gasp out loud. That would be inappropriate. I was there with my kids and what I do or do not think of the administration didn't need to be part of the day.
2:11
I don't know who all those extra seats were for, but you can believe me when I tell you they weren't for faculty and students. Faculty stood with the students and were provided no extra accommodations. So, like you, they saw very, very little. And, like you, they didn't get to meet the VP. My spouse was in that group of overlooked people. It was a disappointing experience to see people who had resigned and run off to another district get to have pictures taken with the VP and Duncan. She was so tasteless as to then put them on Facebook.
No one cared what the teachers thought or felt that day. They are not valued, and I cannot wait until my spouse can retire and be out of there. We have struggled to stay with the district because this is our home, but it's become quite dysfunctional in recent years.
I commend your self-control about the 'puking,' etc., but I bet if you had been abused by these administrators, felt threatened if you dared to voice an opinion, and lived without decent salaries for years while they indulged themselves in anything they thought of, you might not be quite so disaffected by the feelings of others. I perfectly understand how they would have felt when CJ cried. I would have felt the same way. Unlike you, we do not care for a piece of the ribbon. The brick from the old school has much meaning and value to us. The ribbon from CJ's latest extravaganze means nothing, and that is sad. What should have been a joyous day for our families was diminished by the neglect and abuse suffered through previous years, coupled with the building's huge areas that are not yet usable, causing much disruption in learning. The mission is far from accomplished.
To 2:11,
Don't turn up your nose at the people who felt ill or upset by CJ and his perpetual tearful manipulations!! You haven't been in their shoes. If your oldest is just a sophomore, then you haven't seen all of your favorite teachers leave before your upcoming children can have them. I have no idea who the teachers are that my children have. I don't recognize very many names at all on their schedules. I know they struggle more than they used to because they have so little to work with, especially in math, English, and history, and all so this man and his former partner in true crime, Dr. Besendorfer, could claim to be innovative. Apparently, that isn't working.
It's a shame that the Vice-President and Arne Duncan didn't get the experience of having class with the non-stop sound of hand dryers and toilets flushing while sitting in an ugly open area. Why are the areas not walled in? No one can learn there. The only thing worse, the kids tell me, is to be in their scheduled room with another class on the other end and no wall between them. Then there is the wonderful experience of having health/PE in the cafeteria or sitting in they gym. Or debate in the library and choir in FTC. If this is innovation, you can keep it. If this is your idea of a mission fulfilled, then you need to get off your drugs, CJ and Anne Sharp. What this really amounts to is a disaster for the kids who are not getting what we parents have paid quite dearly for.
Puke away, people. I'm right there with you.
It seems strange to me that those who sponsored the ribbon were never mentioned. I'd think they'd be so proud they'd want their names mentioned. Isn't that odd? I'd like to see some documentation to prove I didn't pay for that damned thing.
From the Globe's account, you would've thought there were millions of people there, not just a captive audience of bored kids. Nobody showed because no one supports Huff and his little gang of thieves who keep him employed.
And then, even though this is off topic, did anyone notice that little plug the Globe gave WGU in the Sunday paper? Besendorfer must have passed that on to Carol Stark to put out there under the guise of "news." News and the Globe go together like oil and water. It was free advertising. No news. What a joke. The whole town has become a giant joke between CJ, the no-news media outlets, and the city government. It's past time for that auditor to get the job done here. We need these people gone
Various thoughts on the Ribbon Event and the rest of the hoopla:
This should have been about the students; the high school students finally getting to have a school. There was a time scheduled for the community later in the day and that is when other people should have been allowed to see the new facility. Friday was not about students, it was about visitors.
Alan Hass is a really nice kid. HE should have been the one that was on stage instead of the kids that show up all the time.
The work that happened after the tornado truly was incredible and inspiring. In fact, other communities have also been inspired to react like Joplin. It seems that this is all taking an ugly turn with too much whining about how hard this is and how pitiful we are so we deserve to have others give us lots of stuff. That's topped off with many people, like Huff, getting a big head and thinking that they've worked miracles.
What could have been a true celebration is overshadowed by lies and mistrust. There is no trust in the land of R8. There is fear, loathing and a sadness about what has been destroyed not only by that tornado but also by people who are much too full of themselves.
A better plan would have been to wait until spring when the building and all would truly be finished and then have a celebration. A Saturday would have been good since it would not have disrupted the school day.
Now that all of that is over, let's see if we can get this mess cleaned up. No more lies. No more acting like you're better than everyone else. No more excuses. No more ridiculous parties. No more school board rubber stamps. No more special privileges for the special few. It's time for school to be in session.
I'm mad as all get out about how many teachers have left in three years. How pathetic. Don't go and be bragging about your school and boohooing about how much you care when you've run off your staff and mistreated the ones who tried to stick it out. We've heard CJ's excuses for why they left and no one is buying that, and too many people have heard Anne Sharp say they will just have to go if they aren't happy. Her memories she talked about don't mean much. It's her actions that speak out loud. She supported McGrew so he can keep Huff happy. Enough said, Suzanne. You don't have to exploit the tornado just because CJ does. Pathetic excuse for a board.
It wasn't the tornado that tore down that school. It was CJ and Bessie who tore it down. And it'll stay destroyed until they are both out of the way. I hope they go to prison for what they did to this town and I hope they take their rats with them.
The pictures of the folks on the stage make me thing group mug shots. A bigger bunch of criminals never were so highly lauded before. I wonder if they will ever be held accountable, and if they are, will the VIPs who lauded them over the last three years admit they were the equivalent of political cuckolds?
My son said he stayed in fourth hour all day. Did nothing for school all day long and tons of kids stayed home. I wonder how they'll rig attendance for Friday so they can still get their money even though no one learned a thing all day. Hello, Mr. Auditor!
I am 2:11.
Careful not to assume we are not on the same side. The educators are the people I am rooting for. I am not a fan of the administration. My oldest son is not a sophomore. My oldest son is a number of years older. My sophomore is #2 in my family. I too, have watched the good teachers my kids loved the most leave in record numbers. The teachers have my support and my sympathy for reasons too numerous to list.
I did not turn my nose up at anything...I think my admission of my hanging head might indicate how I feel about the crying and about CJ in general. I'm not a fan.
There was more than enough time space and security to insure all attendees were comfortably seated with a clear view. A great many people felt short changed for various reasons that were likely ALL valid.
3:44 and 4:00 I agree with you both almost completely. I think we are on the same disgruntled side.
I just shared what happened from one mother's point of view...that's all.
I still want a piece of the ribbon but not for the sentimental reason you may think. My kids will grow and age have a better understanding of the whole big mess than they do now. I just want a piece of the scandalous ribbon...so that it might be a reminder of things the way they really were.
I hope Jim Kimbrough and Debbie can hang in there and help us push for changes and better times. I can't wait for a better time when everyone isn't so ready to pounce on everyone else.
I'm selling the left-over ribbon. $9.99/ft, cash only! Please contact J.C. Puff at 417-624-****
It is interesting to note that there are at least two camps opposed to the current administration. Those with little exposure to the self serving megalomaniacs, attempt a measured and reasonable response. Those who fight back the foam spewing from their mouths are way past responding to the wanton abuse of power, that is so representative of this gang of thugs, with understanding and kindness.
The latter envies the composure of the former. The former has yet to appreciate the exhausted disposition of the latter.
I've heard from a credible source that CJ has interviewed with 3 different school districts and has been rejected from each. Does anyone know if this is true? I have no idea.
Annie Sharp needs to go. She can whine and cry all she wants about her days in High School going to the Dairy Jane and driving her mustang but how does that add any value to the school district today. She is just another one of CJ's puppets
CJ is being soundly rejected by each district after they contact the NEA and are informed of his abysmal track record with teachers.
Of course they might also be getting wind of public sentiment through social media and listening to people talk.
3:02
Thank you. Love your comment. I felt a little attacked by people I thought wanted the same things I did.
Post a Comment