Lending a helping hand

~ More than 100 students from Saxony Lutheran High School help clear debris in Crosstown, Mo.

CROSSTOWN, Mo. -- Clearing debris and mending the destruction caused by an F4 tornado takes a village of extra hands and motivated movers.

That's what 127 students from Saxony Lutheran High School in Jackson learned Wednesday when they spent the day in Crosstown helping residents dig out.

The town of about 200 was left battered Friday night when a tornado with winds of up to 210 mph tore up property and left many temporarily homeless both in town and in the three-mile surrounding area.

"You learn to appreciate what you have," said Saxony junior Zachary Bohnert. "I've been up before and I saw that it was bad. You can't explain it. There's just nothing left here like what you'd see in a movie about a disaster."

Others agreed.

"It's like the place has been wiped off the map," said sophomore Rachel Leadbetter.

Bohnert, Leadbetter and classmates spent much of the day clearing the 15-acre cornfields owned by Lorene Bohnert (Zachary says she is a distant relative). The students picked up tin, shingles, stone and large tree limbs scattered throughout the property.

Students of Saxony Lutheran High School helped clear out the debris from a corn field that was flattened by a tornado. (Diane L. Wilson)

And even though the tornado left Bohnert's harvest-ready corn flattened and useless, the students' efforts were crucial in making the area safe both for machinery and cattle grazing. In total, the students cleared more than 50 wagon loads of debris.

Some say they took away much more than just the sweat on their brows.

"I saw it on the news, but seeing it here in person it was like, holy crap this is real," said ninth-grader Ben Buescher. "I remember when it happened in Jackson, and it creeped me out because it hit so close to home. I can't even imagine what it's like to lose everything you own."

Buescher serves as freshman vice president on the school's student council. He and the rest of the council petitioned principal Craig Ernstmeyer to find a way to aid the storm-ravaged area. They wanted to do something for all the Saxony students who live in Crosstown or attend church there. Ernstmeyer estimates one third of his students live in Perry County, which has a strong Lutheran history.

It seemed to be a day well-spent. "Arithmetic is important, English is important, but at the same time part of what we can do is teach kids what it means to lead a life of service," Ernstmeyer said.

One person who appreciates all the help is landowner Lorene Bohnert. Her house was nicknamed "the mansion on the hill," because of its enviable vantage point. On a clear day she watches barges chug along the Mississippi River.

"It's a million-dollar view," she said.

Bohnert has kept a tidy house for 50 years now, but Friday's tornado turned her mansion into a mess. Her roof is peeled off, brick walls are busted and the beloved redwood and oak trees she planted are now sheared-off stumps.

Somehow, Bohnert remains upbeat.

"We'll have to demolish the house, but we're going to rebuild. It doesn't look too great now, but I will have a nice home again," she said. "In a situation like this you can't think down, you just have to think up. Everybody's praying for me and holding me up... I just feel so blessed and thankful."

Bohnert, who works as a nurse at Perry County Memorial Hospital, said a friend has already loaned her a temporary trailer to live in. She said she's been overwhelmed with help from her family and 75 friends who came this weekend with chain saws, trucks and tarps for clearing and repair work.

"Lorene touched so many lives and aided so many people at the hospital, but I don't think she knew it until now," daughter-in-law Tammy Bohnert said.

And now the Saxony students are among those friends. "To see the kids show up, just come off the school bus and start working is wonderful. And knowing they're Lutheran like us, you can't imagine how great that is," she said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

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