Tushka Students Head Back To Class After Tornado Rips Through Town

Jon Jordan, News 9

TUSHKA, Oklahoma -- Just a week after an EF-3 tornado wiped out the town of Tushka, students are preparing to head back to class. The decision comes despite the town's school being left in ruins.

"It's been pretty overwhelming," said Matt Simpson, Tushka High School principal.

The high school principal has been working around the clock to get Tushka's students back in the classroom.

"We're educators and we are going to educate and we are going to finish the school years as strong as possible," Simpson said.

To do that  teachers have been desperate to salvage their class materials, but unfortunately the storm left most teachers with little.

"What's behinds me are all that was salvaged, these three file cabinets and these two cardboard box," said Kim Anderson, Tushka High School special education teacher.

School officials were able to salvage the belongings inside each student's locker, including several school text books.

"We are just trying to get to as normal as possible and finish out this year," Anderson said.

With the community still in chaos, several students said they aren't worried about class.

"I want to make sure everybody in my class is OK. I've gone to school with them for four years. Some of them I've known longer than that," said Chad Tomlinson, Tushka High School student.

Come Monday students will have class in three different buildings in the community for the remaining 20 days left in the school year. For next school year, the school plans on bringing in portables.

Simpson said about 90 percent of the classroom at the school were completely destroyed. He said the next step will be to demolish the remains and build a new school hopefully within two years.