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MPS Marks 10th Anniversary of May 20

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A memorial arrangement features a potted plant with a tribute card surrounded by a circle of illuminated luminaries on a tiled floor.
MPS Marks 10th Anniversary of May 20
Anna Aguilar
MOORE, Okla. (May 19, 2023) — Tomorrow marks the 10th year since the devastating May 20, EF5 tornado ripped through parts of south Oklahoma City and the City of Moore, changing the lives of so many forever. 
 
Moore Public Schools, in partnership with the Norman Regional Health System and the City of Moore, coordinated a remembrance ceremony for first responders, school officials and government and hospital employees. It was a morning to remember, reunite and express a unified resolve to always be ready and continue on.
 
Held at the NRHS Moore location, Pres. and CEO Richie Splitt welcomed attendees, followed by Moore Councilman Mark Hamm reading Gov. Stitt's proclamation declaring that May 20, 2023, is to be known as "Moore Remembrance Day" in Oklahoma.
 
Dr. Romines shared his sincere gratitude to local first responders and noted the long-standing strength and resilience of the Moore community. Afterward, thoughts were shared by Shayla Taylor, RN and NRHS Chaplain Nick Napoli, who then read the names of the 25 lost in the storm. It was followed by a moment of silence.
 
The Moore High School Chamber Choir opened the ceremony by singing the National Anthem, led by Director of Vocal Music Lynn Herbel. Toward the conclusion of the event, the choir moved the entire site with their chilling performance of "Stars," after MHS senior Denisyn Brown read her original poem in honor of Moore and May 20.
 
Additionally, individual MPS schools that suffered great loss, including Highland East Junior High, Plaza Towers Elementary, and Briarwood Elementary, each held remembrance events for families and community members. 
 

Stars (edited for performance)
by Eriks Evsenvalds
 
Alone in the night
On a dark hill
With pines around me
Spicy and still,
And a heaven full of stars
Over my head
White and topaz and misty red;
Myriads with beating hearts of fire
That ae, ons cannot vex or tire;
Up the dome of heaven like a great hill
I watch them marching stately and still,
And I know that I am honored
To be witness of so much majesty.
 
 
Rows of yellow ribbon pins with black bands are laid out on a purple surface, with the %22TECU%22 logo visible on each card.
A large banner with %22#MooreStrong%22 and the Oklahoma City Thunder logo is covered in signatures, with a table of small cards in front of it.
A large banner with messages of support is displayed in front of a wall adorned with photographs and architectural renderings of schools.
A young person speaks at a podium in front of an American flag and a screen, while an audience sits in chairs in the foreground.
In the foreground, people are seated in chairs facing a group of young adults standing in front of a projection screen, while the background shows a large audience in a well-lit room with an American flag.
In the foreground, people are seated in rows of chairs, while in the background, a group of young people in green shirts stand on a stage in front of a large screen.
A small, tri-colored dog wearing a harness is being petted by people in a room with a textured floor and a brown wall.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium with an American flag behind him, while an audience watches in the foreground and a large screen displays an image in the background.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium in front of an American flag and a projection screen, with the backs of audience members visible in the foreground.
A man in a light blue shirt and tie speaks at a podium in front of a large screen displaying a speaker, with an American flag to his left and audience members in the foreground.
A man speaks at a podium in front of an American flag and a large screen displaying a speaker, while an audience watches from the foreground.
A man speaks at a podium in front of an American flag and a projection screen, with audience members visible in the foreground.
A woman speaks at a podium in front of an American flag and a large screen displaying an image, with audience members visible in the foreground.
In the foreground, people are seated in chairs facing a group of young people standing in the background, who are looking towards a large screen.
A large group of students in matching shirts poses in front of a modern building, framed by a large, intricate metal sculpture.
A geometric sculpture with colorful rods and crystal accents stands against a backdrop of a cloudy blue sky and distant trees.
Photographs of disaster scenes and a hospital are displayed on easels in the foreground, with a street scene visible through large windows in the background.
A large banner reading %22We Stand with You!%22 is displayed in front of several easels holding photographs, with a framed abstract artwork hanging on the wall behind them.
A white banner with %22Moore Medical Center%22 and %22Norman Regional Health System%22 is displayed behind a white banner with %22Encouragement and Hope from Greater Regional Medical Center%22 written on it, both resting on a purple tablecloth.
A purple-draped table in the foreground displays donation information and a framed collage, while a television screen showing a news report hangs on the wall in the background.
In the foreground, a collection of framed photographs on easels are displayed on a speckled floor, while the background features abstract art on the wall and a seating area with green chairs.
A man in a light blue shirt speaks at a podium in the foreground, while a wreath and a crowd of people are visible through glass doors in the background.
Three people stand in front of a building with glass doors, two wearing orange aprons, while a crowd watches in the background.
A woman in a floral jacket speaks into a microphone at a wooden podium in the foreground, while a crowd of people watches in the background through glass doors.
A woman speaks at a podium in front of a crowd gathered outside a building with a wreath to her right.
A woman and three girls stand at a podium in the foreground, while a crowd and a wreath are visible in the background through glass doors.
A woman speaks at a podium in front of a wreath, with a crowd gathered behind glass doors in the background.
A man in a tan suit speaks at a podium in the foreground, while a wreath and a crowd are visible through glass doors in the background.
Three people stand in front of a stone monument with a carved figure, while a fourth person's head is visible in the foreground.
A crowd of people gathers under a modern covered patio with houses visible in the background.
Black letters %22PT%22 are in the foreground on a red tablecloth, with a wooden plaque featuring a panther logo and the words %22Moore Strong%22 in the background.
A granite memorial bench with carved reliefs and floral tributes sits on a paved area with grass in the background.
A band of musicians plays outdoors in front of a brick wall with chalk drawings.
People gather under a modern black awning in the foreground, while a band performs in front of the brick building labeled %22Plaza Towers Elementary%22 in the background.
A floral wreath with red and white flowers rests in front of a granite wall etched with a drawing of a dancing figure.
People gather under a covered patio in the foreground, while a building with large windows and a wreath display is visible in the background.
A band of young musicians plays instruments in front of a brick wall, while an audience watches from chairs in the foreground.
Three people converse near a wreath and a memorial plaque on a building.
A man speaks at a podium in front of a crowd gathered outside a building with a wreath to his right.
A man in a black shirt stands in front of display cases filled with trophies and awards.
A motivational bulletin board with red and blue flower trim displays the words %22WE DON'T QUIT, WE DON'T COWER, WE DON'T RUN. WE ENDURE AND CONQUER. WE ARE COUGARS!%22 against a black background, mounted on a white brick wall.
A group of people stand in front of a trophy case in a hallway.
Hands hold a commemorative plaque dedicated to survivors of a tornado, with blurred figures and a carpeted floor visible in the background.
White paper luminaries with handwritten messages and drawings are lit from within, resting on a speckled floor.
A wooden plaque with an Oklahoma-shaped cutout filled with red resin sits in front of a red curtain.
Two white paper luminaries, one decorated with a teddy bear and the words %22ALWAYS A BEAR%22 and the other with a tree and swing, are lit from within and placed on a speckled floor.
A woman in a striped shirt places a luminaria around a potted tree in the foreground, while in the background, people gather in a room with a stage, American flag, and a large screen.
A small tree in a pot is surrounded by illuminated luminaries in the foreground, while a group of people stand in the background of a school hallway.
A group of adults in the foreground are gathered in a school cafeteria, where other students and adults are visible in the background.
Adults and teenagers gather around tables in the foreground, while a hallway with lockers and a doorway is visible in the background.
A lush green tree dominates the foreground, while in the background, a group of people are seated in a room with chairs and tables.
People gather in a school cafeteria with long tables in the foreground and a stage with red curtains in the background.
Two handwritten notes lie on a wooden surface, with a small pink sticky note pad to the right.
In the foreground, a group of people are gathered around tables working on papers, while in the background, others stand and chat near a doorway.
A small tree is surrounded by a circle of illuminated luminaries on a tiled floor, with chairs and a stage visible in the background.
A memorial arrangement features a potted plant with a tribute card surrounded by a circle of illuminated luminaries on a tiled floor.
A small tree stands in a black pot surrounded by a circle of lit luminaries on a tiled floor, with a red curtain and chairs visible in the background.
An American flag stands in the foreground next to a screen displaying a digital image of Briarwood Elementary School with the text %22May 20, 2013 - May 20, 2023 10 years Remembrance%22 overlaid.