Barnsdall Students Back In Classrooms For The First Time Since EF-4 Tornado

Students in Barnsdall went back in the classroom for the first time since an EF-4 tornado tore through their town. 

It was a busy morning at Barnsdall Elementary school as parents dropped off their students to start a new school year.

While snapping some annual first-day-of-school pictures, students looked forward to a fresh start.

"I have to go to the office first to get my schedule, but I think the rest of the day is going to be pretty good," said 6th grader Kimmy Bassett. 

In the drop-off line, parents could see the joy in their kids' faces.

"I'm just excited for my kids. I'm glad I get to be here with them and drop them off for their first day of school so it's just an awesome experience," said Marcus Bassett. 

But getting to the first day wasn't easy. The town was devastated by an EF-4 tornado on May 5th, 2024.

"We lost a lot in town, it was really, really bad, you know a lot of people are still living in campers it's horrible, it's really bad," Bassett said. 

With so much change, the Barnsdall Elementary School principal hoped being back in the classroom would bring some normalcy back to the kids.

"Everybody here is family, we take care of anything from school to any resources and support," said elementary school principal, Dr. Melanie Sweeney. 

This year, the school had plans to help students process their emotions and thoughts about the tornado.

"I'm really excited to see how they learn to write creatively and create some art pieces that are going to speak to where they are at this point in their life," Principal Sweeney said. 

For some, heading into the first day was easy, but for others, it came with a few tears. But just like they did back in May, they would go through the emotions together, as students, parents and teachers took on a new year.