Joplin School District
The Joplin School District is located in Jasper and Newton Counties in the City of Joplin, Missouri. It serves more than 7,700 students in the school district.On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri. In the path of the tornado, Joplin High School, Franklin Technical Center, East Middle School, Irving Elementary, and Emerson Elementary were destroyed; Cecil Floyd Elementary, Duquesne Elementary, Eastmorland Elementary, and Kelsey Norman were damaged as well. In the months after the tornado, plans have been made to rebuild all schools that were destroyed in the tornado. The school district re-opened its Middle and Elementary schools on January 9, 2014; and Joplin High School and Franklin Technical Center re-opened in August 2014.
The Ben Miller Band
In 2010 The Ben Miller Band released a pair of albums. "1 Ton" was released on June 10, 2010, with "2 Ton" released shortly after on August 5, 2010. The albums are each entirely unique; a testament to the band's versatility, despite having similar titles and close release dates. On May 22, 2011 their hometown of Joplin, Missouri was destroyed by a tornado. In response to the tragedy, the band established a charity to help restore the community. They also released a benefit album titled "Record for Joplin". The release of this charity album was followed shortly after by another release titled "Heavy Load" in 2012.