The first thing Huff did after the tornado was strip all his employees of their job titles. He analyzed their strengths and weaknesses and created new job descriptions based on the overall strength of each team member. With Huff at the lead, the team moved forward as a cohesive unit instead of as individual faculty and administration.
The presentation was filled with emotion.
The 2013 Superintendent of the Year made the audience laugh, cry and evaluate the priorities their school currently maintains. He presented a slideshow that included pictures and videos of the devastation that the tornado left behind. He moved from topic to topic within the tragedy, talking calmly about the challenges that he and his community had to overcome.
Then he stopped and took a deep breath.
He tried not to, but eventually Huff began crying as he talked about the children who were injured during the storm.
Huff also talked to the Columbians about the opening of three new schools last month:
Joplin opened three new schools this year on Jan. 9. A second-grade boy was walking down the halls on the first day of his brand new school when a teacher asked him a question.
“What do you think of the new building” she said, “Does it feel like school?”
He looked at her point blank and said, “No, it feels like happiness.”
