By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
June 22, 2011

When the May 22 tornado devastated Joplin, James Elementary School began thinking of ways to help.

More than 260 of the Joplin School District classrooms were destroyed, James Elementary First Grade Teacher Lynne Raynor said.

To help the Joplin School District rebuild, James hosted a school supplies drive earlier this month and collected more than 1,052 pounds of supplies, including copy paper, rulers, pencils and more.

“We collected anything a teacher or student would use in a classroom,” Raynor said.

Both James Elementary teachers and students contributed to the 2 ½ week-long drive and teachers utilized the drive as an educational opportunity.

Raynor surfed the web and showed her students footage of the tornado aftermath, as well as before and after photos. The same devastation could have happened in Kansas City.

Days after the Joplin tornado, Kansas City received a scare of its own when tornado sirens echoed through the city. James Elementary students took cover.

“I wanted the students to see firsthand why we did that – why we put them through those hours of sitting on the floor and covering up being prepared,” Raynor said of viewing the Joplin tornado damage. “It was amazing to see the looks on their faces and how much they cared. They were so excited to help.”

James Elementary Principal Jo Nemeth said other teachers also held class discussions on the effects of a tornado.

“We talked about what it would be like if they lost everything,” Nemeth said. “We talked about losing a family member, losing your pets, your couches, your home, your cars… How you’d have to go to a shelter without any or all of those things. That really put it in perspective for some to understand.”

Raynor and her husband, Bill, and their son Adam delivered the supplies to Joplin and crammed two cars full of supplies. Together, they met a familiar face at one of the middle schools – the Joplin schools’ superintendent.

For 27 years, Raynor taught in the Eldon, Mo., school district under then-superintendent C.J. Huff, who’s currently the superintendent of the Joplin School District. While in Eldon, the Raynors also lived in the same subdivision as Huff. At the Joplin middle school, Huff helped the Raynors unload the supplies.

While in Joplin, Raynor wanted to visit a school similar to James’ architecture that was damaged by the tornado. Finding the school, Irvin Elementary, wasn’t easy.

“It’s so bad you have to type in the addresses in the GPS because the street signs are gone. It’s pretty devastating down there.”

When Raynor returned to Kansas City, she showed her students personal photos of the damage, including Irvin Elementary.

“What really got to me is that the urban school looked so much like this school,” Nemeth said. “It shows you have to be so prepared and organized in a disaster.”

Raynor summed up the supplies drive.

“Our whole goal is to be a caring community and the students have really proved that this year, whether they’re collecting money to help cancer victims or the school supplies for Joplin. It’s just amazing,” Raynor said.