JOPLIN, Mo. —
Joplin High School 11th- and 12th-graders will report to Northpark Mall when school starts on Aug. 17.
Specifically, it will be the retail space that formerly held Shopko and Venture in the northeast section of the mall, near Macy’s.
“We really do plan to provide high-quality education,” said Angie Besendorfer, an assistant superintendent. “It’s a 21st century high school in a really odd location.”
She said the arrangement will last longer than the coming school year.
The plan to start school on Aug. 17 has been dubbed Operation Rising Eagle by school officials. The Joplin Board of Education on Thursday approved the plan.
The plan resulted from damage caused to school buildings in the May 22 tornado.
In changes announced Wednesday, ninth- and 10th-graders will attend Memorial Education Center, a building at Eighth Street and Wall Avenue that previously has served as a high school, a middle school and a junior high school.
Franklin Technology Center will move into warehouse space at Fourth Street and Grand Avenue, near the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce building.
East Middle School will be in a building at the Crossroads Center Business and Distribution Park, located at 32nd Street (Route FF) and Prigmore Avenue.
Schoolchildren who attend Irving Elementary School will attend the former Washington School, 1112 E. Second St.
Duquesne and Duenweg elementary pupils will attend Duenweg Elementary School, while Emerson Elementary School pupils will be at Duquesne Elementary School.
Early childhood and preschool children will move to McKinley Elementary School at 610 S. Forest Ave.
The existing Roi S. Wood Administration Building will be renovated to house students in the Beacon and Flex programs.
Administration, technology, Parents as Teachers and the copy center will move to the Missouri Department of Transportation building on East 32nd Street.
Superintendent C.J. Huff said three architecture firms have been hired to design the retrofitting of the buildings, and R.E. Smith Construction Co., Joplin, and Crossland Construction Co., Columbus, Kan., have been hired as contractors.
Huff said the work will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“There will be a crunch unlike anything you’ve seen” Huff said of the rush to get everything in place in time.
He joked that if there wasn’t sufficient progress by Aug. 10, Operation Rising Eagle would become Operation Screaming Eagle.
School request
SUPERINTENDENT C.J. HUFF said he wants Joplin students who now are living elsewhere to return to Joplin schools on Aug. 17.
Local News
JHS juniors, seniors to attend classes at Northpark Mall
- Local News
-
-
County commission opens bids on renovating sheriff’s space
Jasper County commissioners said Friday they hope to be ready to make a decision Tuesday on a proposal to renovate a former bank building for use as a new headquarters for the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.
-
Interfaith service explores different faiths
The interfaith service, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Joplin’s Landreth Park, will explore the theme of “Different Faiths — One Community.’’ The community service is held around the anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado, but organizers say the focus is not specifically on the tornado.
-
Duquesne mayor target of lawsuit from council member
Duquesne City Council member Lisa Daugherty recently filed a lawsuit against Mayor Denny White seeking unspecified damages for an investigation that he triggered just before White and Daugherty each ran for mayor.
-
Schifferdecker water park opening delayed week or two
Wet spring weather has delayed work on the Schifferdecker Aquatic Center, and it will not open over Memorial Day weekend, city officials said Friday. No date was given for the expected opening, but it could be delayed one to two weeks, according to Chris Cotten, Joplin parks and recreation director.
-
Foundation announces $10 million milestone
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas announced Friday that it has reached the once seemingly impossible amount of $10 million in cash assets. The foundation, which was created for charitable giving in 2001 with matching funds from Kansas Health Foundation, had $545,000 in assets by the end of its first year.
-
Hatred, resentment and retribution fueled bloody encounter at Rader’s Farm
Members of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry regiment had been in Jasper County in large numbers on previous foraging missions. Coming from their outpost in modern-day Baxter Springs, Kan., the armed former slaves in Union uniforms had entered the property and homes of white residents to take their food or other useful supplies.
-
Ceremony to mark push for Civil War memorial
Organizers hope that today’s ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of a Civil War battle northwest of Joplin also will encourage support to finance a permanent memorial on the site.
-
Disaster response team to hold tornado memorial ride
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts who focus on disaster relief plan to hold a motorcycle ride through Joplin on the second anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
-
Miami plans annual surplus auction
The city of Miami’s annual surplus suction will be held beginning at 10 a.m. today at City Hall.
-
Pancake feed to benefit Scouts
Boy Scout Troop No. 904 will hold a pancake, biscuit and gravy breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Webb City Elks Lodge, 1010 N. Madison Ave.
- More Local News Headlines
-
County commission opens bids on renovating sheriff’s space
