Little Axe High Seniors Forced to Break Graduation Tradition

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The recent storms forced one group of high school seniors to change their long standing graduation tradition.

Instead of having Tuesday night's graduation on their football field, Little Axe High School switched locations because of all the damage caused by last Monday's storms.

A tornado struck not only their field but knocked out several of the district's buildings.

St. Gregory's University in Shawnee offered their facilities for the graduation ceremonies. Tuesday evening, 84 Little Axe High School seniors took the stage at the college's field house.

For seniors like Marlena Clark, it is a bitter sweet night.

"I don't even know how to explain it. It is all bundled up," Clark said. "We had so many memories on that football field and this was supposed to be one of them."

For 13 years, the seniors at Little Axe waited and worked for this moment, proving they've got what it takes to succeed, even when mother nature gives them a crash course in weathering life's unexpected storms.

Conditions are still bad in Little Axe. The crowd at Tuesday night's graduation was asked to show up on Saturday at the school for a community-wide clean up event.

More on News9.com: Little Axe School Year Canceled Due to Tornado Damage