It’s been two months since a tornado tore through the small town of Chapman, Kansas.

With that day behind them, a new day is in focus: August 18th, the start of school. Meagan Farley takes a look at how Chapman is coming together as a community with one priority: its students. “June 11th changed our world.” Chapman school district Superintendent Tony Frieze surveys the damage left to the elementary school after an EF-3 tornado left it virtually unrecognizable. “The tornado just pulled the roof off.”

What used to be a third grade classroom is now an empty shell with a view of a town left in ruins. Renee Jury taught has tought here for 28 years. “This makes me cry because this is my room. I had sixth grade here…just a room, but a lot of memories…but it’s just a classroom,” Jury said.

After the tornado, Frieze went to survey the damage. “When I saw the old gym and saw the roof and windows, I thought ‘wow, what a wind’. Little did I know that when I could come here I would see the school and office would be destroyed.”

The storm destroyed a church and headed straight for the elementary school. The tornado also destroyed many of the homes in the Dickinson County town. Frieze says “Within hours of the storm we were online procuring classrooms knowing we had to have school.”
The close to 800 students displaced will have classes in temporary modules. They will be fully equipped with air conditioning, bathrooms and internet. Frieze says students won't miss out on a thing. “With the traditions and expectations that are so high in our community, students are going to be in great shape.”

Jury says, “We are ready. We are Chapman. We'll be here.”

The town still needs a lot of assistance and 27 News has teamed up with Manhattan Broadcasting to help. The district is in desperate need of supplies and a fund has been set up in Chapman’s name. If you are interested in helping out, go to our home page and click on the link is on the lower right-hand side.