Charles City Middle School students connect with the past

Conducting interviews to learn about the 1968 tornado

By Molly Ann Howell, Special to the Charles City Press

May 15, 1968, is a day many Charles City residents will never forget. On that day, now more than 50 years ago, a tornado tore through the town, killing 13 people, injuring more than 400 and destroying hundreds of homes.

But for Charles City Middle School eighth-graders, that day is something they might have only heard about in passing, if at all. Until now.

Eighth grade social studies teacher Ryan Rahmiller introduced a video project about the tornado to his students this year. His Community Connections class has begun conducting interviews with survivors of the tornado.

Rahmiller explained that the idea for the project started because students were curious and began asking questions about what the town used to look like.

He had actually started this project back in 2014, but the footage was lost when YouTube made some changes to its platform. So now he’s starting all over again with students this year.

“We’re getting a really good picture through these interviews of the impact of the storm not just (on) that day but then through the lives of these people too,” Rahmiller said. “It’s helping the kids understand what took place better.”

He also noted that the interviews have given the students an opportunity to connect with an older generation.

“I feel like sometimes the people that experienced this tornado are a part of a demographic now that we don’t have a lot of everyday contact with, from the middle school students to them,” Rahmiller said. “They’ve been hungry to hear these stories.”

One of the students, Alexia Clark, has a real interest.

“I just like hearing their stories,” Clark said. “It was really cool and interesting.”

Rahmiller said the students have gotten a bit competitive with getting as many interviews as possible, but it takes time to get them. He explained that what often happens is someone will hear about the project, reach out, and then some more people will come in, but then the trail can go cold. It’s a project based on word of mouth.

When asked what the students were getting out of it, he stated that he hopes they’re learning valuable life skills.

“I think there’s a lot of life skills that they’re taking away from the project,” Rahmiller said. “It’s a real project with real outcome and real value to the community, too. It’s a way for our students to preserve history and interact with the community.”

The students are using Google Earth to map out the storm’s path. They use the app to place the pictures they’ve received of the wreckage to see where everything happened. Then, a person can trek through the path of the storm and view the photos and the interviews the students have done in real-time locations.

Since it’s on Google Earth, Rahmiller is hoping to post it on the school website, where people would be able to download the app and then view it, but no concrete plans have been put in place yet, he said.