After seeing the path of destruction that tore through Shawnee High School in Oklahoma, a junior at Shawnee high school in Medford, New Jersey, knew he needed to help the students who would be forced to finish their school year online. NBC10’s Cydney Long shows us how the bond between these sister schools grew out of a tragedy.
Wednesday marked two weeks since a massive tornado ripped through parts of Central Oklahoma.
Clara Timmons, a student at Shawnee High School in Shawnee, Oklahoma, told NBC10 she and her family had just gotten home from church when the EF-3 tornado hit their town as well as Cone, Oklahoma.
“Something about the way that the weather guys were talking on the TV. She was like, ‘Hmm. Maybe we should go down to the storm shelter,’” Timmons said. “Our ears popped. The garage door started rattling. And we were just like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is an actual tornado.'"
The tornado cut a 15 mile path of destruction, causing heavy damage to homes and businesses. It also wiped out much of the gym and athletic facilities at Shawnee High School.
“All this is our first really normal year ever since COVID. And then the tornado hit,” Anna Jordan, a senior at Shawnee High School in Oklahoma, told NBC10. “And it kind of all affected us deeply. And it’s just been all hard on us.”
More than two weeks after the tornado, the community continues to work to restore electricity after around 600 power poles were wiped out.
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“It’s not a very pleasant thing to have to hear that you’re gonna not be able to go back to your high school as a student again,” Scotland Meier, a senior at Shawnee High School, said.
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Due to the damage, Shawnee high school students were forced to return to virtual learning.
“I was really upset when I found out we were doing virtual for the rest of the year,” Timmons said.
Unbeknownst to them however, students at Shawnee High School in Medford, New Jersey, were aware of their plight.
“When I saw the damage, it really resonated with me,” Ben Barclay, a junior at Shawnee High School in New Jersey, told NBC10. “I put myself in their shoes and imagined how unfortunate it was.”
Seniors at Shawnee High School in New Jersey were especially empathetic given their own experience being out of school when they were freshmen during the coronavirus pandemic. Wanting to help, Barclay reached out to his principal, Matt Campbell.
“When Ben came to me, I said, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do what we can do,’” Principal Campbell said.
Principal Campbell reached out to Shawnee High School Oklahoma Principal Matt Johnson over Google Meet.
“Our minds were blown,” Principal Johnson said. “It really made us realize how small the world is and how really connected we are.”
Shawnee High School students in New Jersey realized a physical donation site would lead to logistical and financial issues due to Shawnee students in Oklahoma being 1400 miles away. That’s why they decided to create a tornado relief registry online.
Principal Johnson said they already started receiving the donations.
“They’ve been able to support us and kind of make us feel better about all of this and say, ‘Hey, we are here for you,’” Jordan said.
For the sister high schools, it was an act of kindness that will ensure a lifetime bond much deeper than just a name.
