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President Obama to speak at Joplin High School commencement

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President Barack Obama announced this morning that he intends to give the commencement address at Joplin High School’s graduation ceremony.

The ceremony is slated for 7 p.m. May 21 at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center at Missouri Southern State University. The ceremony will coincide with other tornado anniversary memorials, such as the Joplin Memorial Run, scheduled to take place that weekend.

During his visit to Joplin one week after the May 22, 2011, EF-5 tornado that struck the city, Obama lauded the resiliency of the community and challenged the rest of the country to look to Joplin’s example.

“We can’t know why we’re tested, but we’re not powerless in the face of adversity,” Obama said in a speech May 29, 2011, at MSSU. “How we respond is within our control. Joplin has taught the world that. The world has seen how Joplin has responded, and you have demonstrated a simple truth - that amid tragedy, no one is a stranger.”

JHS juniors and seniors have been attending school throughout the year in a temporary building at Northpark Mall. School administrators plan to rebuild a high school during the next three years, but are waiting on the results of a $62 million bond issue that could determine funding for the project. The issue will go before voters April 3.

Shortly after Obama’s announcement, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said he, too, would be attending the JHS commencement ceremony.

“During the past 10 months, the people of Joplin have worked tirelessly to recover from the deadly tornado and rebuild their thriving community," Nixon said in a news release. "On May 21, I look forward to joining President Barack Obama in Joplin to celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2012 and to somberly mark the eve of the one-year anniversary of the tornado."[[In-content Ad]]

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