While a Kansas twister swept Dorothy into Oz, Rolla’s major tornado on Friday, Mar. 14 only brought devastation, leaving gutted buildings in lieu of a Tin Man, shattered trees instead of a Wicked Witch, and omnipresent desolation in place of a faux Wonderful Wizard. But in tragedy’s wake, the Rolla community was anything but defeated—instead, individuals from every walk of life bonded in striking solidarity.
No one was closer to disaster’s heart than Rolla High School junior Gemma Rackham, a cast member of the high school play “Chicago: Teen Edition,” which was performing in Rolla Middle School while the tornado raged.
“We were in the middle of a song when the alarm started to go off. We all evacuated…we were just waiting until the storm was over to be able to start performing again,” Rackham said. “But then all of the sudden I heard a thump, a faint whistle, and then the lights started flickering and completely shut off. The people next door had to come into our room because some tiles had fallen and water was leaking there. That’s when I started to be like, ‘Oh, this is getting really real.’”
At the same time, student employees scattered around town endured the cyclone from within local restaurants and supermarkets.
“I was really just more worried about my family than anything,” said junior Beau Lyle, who was working a night shift at Smoothie King when the tornado struck. “I was kind of trapped at my work…I did not get home until close to midnight. It was definitely weird to see the town with all the debris everywhere. It looked straight out of 1984, very dystopian. You could say it was like The Walking Dead.”
Ultimately, the district softball field received some of the harshest storm damage.
“Our press box, dugouts, batting cages, bleachers, bathrooms, concession stands, and fence were destroyed. And, of course, the infield is littered with debris like glass, mortar, and brick,” RHS English teacher and softball coach Kenneth Hohe said. “It’s sad that the field was destroyed, but it was property and possessions instead of somebody—no person was hurt. We’ll bounce back. We’ll rebuild. We’ll be better than we were before. So we move on.”
Because reconstruction of district classroom facilities take precedence over sports facilities, for the 2025 fall season, RHS softball home games will be played in Ber Juan Park. Currently, no official plans have been made regarding the softball field’s restoration.
In immediate response to calamity, RHS seniors J.T. Rogers and Lillian Webb and junior Hadyn Brooks organized a massive student clean-up operation.
“People step up in a time of need. We put all our differences aside and just went for it,” Rogers said.
Rogers’ community sentiments are reflected by his peers.
“People do care. No matter how much we see bad in this world, people care for each other. People are going to go out and help. It was hard for people to just reach out and be like, ‘Hey, my house needs help.’ But when they did, we got them the help, and they were so grateful for it. It was just cool to see,” Brooks said.
High school principal Dr. Corey Ray personally participated in volunteer efforts.
“On Saturday, I went over to Mrs. Webb’s house and helped her out. Then I was tied up trying to get ready for the moving of the schools from Wyman to the new facility at Wyman West,” Dr. Ray said. “It was incredible. We were able to essentially move an entire building in two days, which was a testament not only to the people that worked there, but all the student and community volunteers.”
The Saturday after the disaster alone saw over 200 student volunteers dispersing around town to assist homes, schools, and businesses.
“That’s inspiring, right? Especially when you see kids jumping in and taking the initiative. They’re the hope for the future. When you see that happening, it gives you hope for what’s going to be in the years to come. It’s just the testament of the community overall. I’m proud to be part of it, for sure,” Dr. Ray said.
Three Rolla 31 schools suffered significant storm damage, displacing hundreds of students and teachers and forcing relocation for the remainder of the school year. On Mar. 20, six days after disaster, Rolla 31 District Superintendent Kyle Dare addressed the Board of Education.
“Thank you to our community. I can’t say it enough, and I’ll never have the right words for what we’ve seen over the past few days. It is truly amazing, inspiring, hard to believe,” Dare, self-admittedly exhausted, said. “We had an amazing group of vendors and businesses that have donated food…We’ve been very blessed to have our students out in the community. That’s just kids who wanted to show up and do something, wanted to help, and what a great opportunity for them to learn and see a community come together and overcome this catastrophe.”
Interviewing support from Louie Ahl, Briana Davis, and Catence McPherson
Photos courtesy of Jamie Mesa, Amber Vick, Joe Cross, and Catence McPherson
