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Henryville Teens Head to Prom After Tornado

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Happy moments for Henryville High School teens

On March 2, 2012, an EF4 tornado ravaged through the small town of Henryville, Indiana, all but destroying the local high school. Once they’d learned that friends and teachers were alive, the next thought many of the high school seniors had was if they’d be able to still go to school with friends, graduate on time, go on senior trip, or even have a prom. This weekend, on April 27th, the students will gather for a memorable event at Kye’s in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Henryville High School juniors and seniors and their dates will gather for a meal, dancing and a celebration of all that wasn’t lost – close friendships that have seen them through the last four years. Henryville was also the winner of the Lady Antebellum Own the Night prom contest, but the group will perform at a separate event for the students in mid-May. The school was awarded the prize after rival school in the same district, Silver Creek, sent in a video asking Lady A to perform for Henryville. That heart-warming act of selflisness has been the tone of the end of many of the students’ senior year leading up to the prom.

Students were able to choose from free prom dresses, shoes, accessories and even had things covered like nails, hair and corsages. In a moment that could have been much worse than it was, the students are most thankful for the lives saved that day because of a quick decision by their principal.

Prom will be a pure moment of joy and celebration of the blessings in their lives. An exciting after prom is also planned for the students that will run until 4 a.m.

brick from henryville high school

After the March 2nd Tornado: A Lesson in Resilience for Seniors at Henryville High School

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The tornado of March 2nd, 2012 swept through the little town of Henryville, Indiana like an unleashed monster intent on destroying everything in its path. For the class of 2012, the destruction of their school seemed almost surreal. My own daughter, a senior at Henryville this year, first made sure here friends and the teachers were okay and then began to ask the questions that gnawed at the back of each and every senior student’s mind.

  • Will we still be able to have a senior trip?
  • Are they going to split our class up? Will I have to go to another school and graduate with people I don’t know?
  • Are we even going to have a prom?
  • Will we be able to finish the work and graduate in time? I have college! I have plans!

In the midst of all this uncertainty was a sense of guilt for even worrying about those things. After all, they’d come through with their lives and without losing a single student or faculty member.

Like Dominoes, Things Fall Into Place

Thanks to the efforts of thousands of people around the country and local to Henryville, things began to fall into place. As people worked together to begin to clean up and rebuild what once was, news came that the senior trip would go on as planned. Money for snacks had been lost as it was in a desk that was blown away by the storm, but it was fine because people stepped up and donated snacks. A bowling alley invited the seniors to a fun night on them and Fox News interviewed them. The trip went on as planned and good memories were made.

Next, the kids needed to get back to school. Temporary trailers were too expensive. The principal was determined to keep the students together. Finally, two locations were found. A church donated space for the elementary and the junior and senior high school would go to a building in nearby Scottsburg. It was small and there were times when the classrooms were cramped and stifling, but the kids worked together, the staff worked together and somehow got through the last few months of school.

Prom!

It would go on and people were generously donating space, supplies, catering, tanning for the girls, dresses, you name it. But here things took another turn. Lady Antebellum was having a contest to come sing at someone’s prom. We would later find out that schools all over the country began to withdraw their submissions for the contest and request that Lady A go to Henryville’s prom. A few schools, including Henryville’s biggest rival school, submitted videos to the contest on Henryville’s behalf. Lady A announced they would come do an event for the kids.

Senior awards night was May 23rd. At first, it seemed like any other typical awards night. People were called up. They received awards. It was great to see the kids recognized. Then, as the senior video began playing these young adults began to clap and holler for one another. They were expressing joy in getting through 12 years, even this last difficult few months, and ending a successful high school career.

Principal Troy Albert then stepped up to the podium to close the assembly. He mentioned that each student would get a blanket, donated by a parent, and a brick from the original building that was devastated. More than just a symbolic brick, however, were the words Albert added to his announcements.

He indicated that the brick signifies something far greater than a piece of a building. It is a symbol of how when people work together, they can achieve anything. They can help a town recover. They can rebuild a school. I hope that the students really listened to the what he said about the brick and took it to heart.

When they look at that symbol, I hope they remember how many people from all over the country reached out to help their small town and offer a lifeline when it was needed most. I hope they pass this on when they see a similar need in the future. It is my belief that the difficult times Henryville’s class of 2012 faced will shape them into people who will create a positive force like the world has never seen. The next five to ten years should tell us more. At the very least, they’ve learned about resilience and pushing through even when you feel like giving up.

bus through building henryville

Teens Across the Nation Reach Out to Henryville High School Students

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Teens across the nation encourage Lady Antebellum to go to Henryville High School’s Prom.

When the students of Henryville Jr./Sr. High School in southern Indiana left school on March 2, 2012, it was a rush of getting kids onto buses and those who drive scrambling to get home. Less than 30 minutes later, the school and town would lay in ruin. Had a quick-thinking principal not released the children early, many lives would have been lost and many students injured that day. The aftermath of the storms was truly heartbreaking. As a resident of Henryville, the thing that strikes me most isn’t necessarily the school or the homes that are lost. Those can and will be rebuilt. It is the trees. Huge trees that were scattered around town are just gone. I wonder if I’ll ever see another tree that large in town in my lifetime and realize I likely won’t.

Touching Moments

henryville tornado
Source: Caitlin Soard

In the aftermath of the storms, one thing has stood out bright and clear and that is what a loving country the United States of America is. The relief efforts were nearly instantaneous as churches and disaster response teams from all over the country mobilized to help those who lost everything.

Lady Antebellum Prom Contest

Perhaps one of the most touching things I’ve witnessed is how unselfish today’s teens are. As a former youth group leader, and someone who has substitute taught in the schools, I already knew that there were good-hearted teenagers out there, but sometimes it is easy to forget this fact when you watch the news or hear horror stories from others.

Teens from all over the country began to rally around Henryville High School. The country music group Lady Antebellum is holding a contest where the winner will get a 45 minute performance from Lady A at their prom. Since they are one of the hottest groups around, you can imagine that just about every school would want Lady A at the prom. That is perhaps why it is particularly heartwarming that schools that do not even know our students began to produce videos urging Lady Antebellum to come not to their own proms but to Henryville’s prom.

At the time the videos started showing up on the Internet, Henryville was not even sure if they were still going to have a prom. We have since learned that they will have a prom in April, close to the original prom date.

I wanted to share some of the videos with you. I think you’ll quickly see why these touched my heart. I also think you’ll come to have an entirely new appreciate for the current generation and how loving and kind they are. I know they’ve changed my perspective on some things and I think they’ll change your perspective as well.

Video from Harrisburg, Illinois

Mere days before the March 2nd tornado swept through several states, another EF4 tornado hit Harrisburg, Illinois and destroyed hundreds of homes. Yet, through their own heartache, Harrisburg teens worried about Henryville students, who had lost their school to the storms. They made this video urging Lady A to go to Henryville.

Video from DC Everest High School

Probably one of the best produced videos submitted, the video from DC Everest urges Lady Antebellum to remember Henryville as it shows the students of this Wisconsin high school enjoying various events around school and town. The end of the video states that what the school really wants is for Lady A to choose Henryville. Reports from those who know the kids in this school state that they have a mentor who has taught them it is best to give back to others and to look at the world and see where you can have an impact for someone else. I’d say their mentor is doing a good job. This video touched me so much that it made me cry. I am not a cryer, not even in really sad movies, so that tells you something about this video.

Video from Silver Creek High School

Those who live in the West Clark school district could tell you stories about the rivalry between Silver Creek and Henryville. When it comes to sports, things can get pretty tense with the Dragons (Silver Creek) trying to incinerate the Hornets (Henryville), while the Hornets get their little stings in where they can. However, when it came to caring, I have to say that I believe Silver Creek is the true champion in the school district. They made this video telling Lady Antebellum that they want Lady A to go to Henryville, because the other school deserves it more right now. The video ends with them saying that they love Lady A but they love Henryville even more. What a great example these students are to other students around the country. This one made me cry, too, because I know about the intense rivalry and what a tender group of hearts it took to make this video.

Video from Henryville Jr./Sr. High School

Seeking out hope where they can, Henrvyille High School students submitted this video right on the contest’s deadline. Even though they state they’d love for Lady A to come to the prom, they also say that they plan to “own the night” whether Lady A is there or not. Most of the students realize what a privilege it is to still have this prom. My daughter, who is a senior, wasn’t sure if she would go to prom originally. However, when she saw the outpouring and the effort the prom committee went to to ensure the prom went on, she changed her mind and embraced attending the prom. While having Lady A there would certainly make it memorable, it is going to be a memorable night and a memorable end to their senior year no matter what.

Henryville Has Already Won

henryville tornado
Source: Caitlin Soard

Through the devastation and tears, it doesn’t matter ultimately if Lady A chooses Henryville or not. You see, Henryville has already won something more precious than any contest. We’ve learned that we’re strong. We’ve learned that everyone can come together and help others and start to rebuild. We’ve learned that people we’ve never met care enough about us to sacrifice something they want for themselves.

Life is such a precious gift. When a tornado passes close to your home and goes on to destroy the homes and businesses of those you know and care about, you quickly realize how unimportant all the stuff we strive to attain truly is. Things can be wiped out in moments. The only precious thing is life, friendship and being with those we love.

Update: Lady A Chooses Henryville