Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 135 No. 2 Winter 2013-2014 | Page 10

High School News

By Maryann Barnett

Washington, Illinois Tornado
High school science teacher, Mrs. Martha Muller joined the WSD family last year. This year, WSD students
and staff enveloped her with love, warmth, food, cash and more. Mrs. Muller’s family still lives in Washington,
Illinois which is located eight miles from Peoria. On Sunday, November 17th an EF4 tornado blew through the
town, destroying more than 1,000 homes. Luckily, the Muller home was NOT in the path of the tornado. However, many of Mrs. Muller’s friends and neighbors lost their homes and all of their belongings.
The following morning, fellow WSD science teacher, Ms. Amy Dignan, sent out a campus-wide announcement explaining the incident and asking staff to donate to Washington residents. She placed large plastic bins
outside Mrs. Muller’s classroom. By Friday, three large bins were overflowing with non-perishable food items,
blankets, clothing, as well as cleaning, medical, and personal hygiene items. Some people donated cash to Mrs.
Muller to be used to help her friends and neighbors in need.
The WSD Middle School Student Body Council immediately decided to join in to help. They asked the entire
student body to bring more non-perishable food items to school so Mrs. Muller could replenish the shelves
when she returned to Washington for winter break. Once again, Mrs. Muller had an outpouring of support, and
another car full of donations to share with Washington residents.
Mrs. Muller reports that county and state police as well as the United States Coast Guard and the National
Guard arrived in Washington, Illinois immediately. The groups quickly encircled the damaged area to ensure the
safety of property owners. Many people were forced to live in hotels or with friends and neighbors. Some traveled to stay with friends or relatives. Although the schools were untouched, due to the many students and staff
who were affected, classes were not held until the following Thursday. Luckily, most of the places of worship
were untouched and were quickly called upon to respond.
Homeowners were given five-gallon buckets for collecting items they could salvage. Mrs. Muller and her
daughters assisted residents in walking through the rubble and searching for important papers, memorabilia,
photographs, or other personal items. It was a labor of love for them, as they knew many of those whom they
helped.
Mrs. Muller said it would take many years for the area to return to normalcy. She also sends a message from the
residents of Washington, Illinois to all of the students and staff from WSD who donated “Thank You WSD for
all the support.”

RIGHT: The members of the
Middle School Student Body
Council pose with Mrs. Muller and
many of the items collected.
The council members are from left
to right: Faith, Keisha, Madison,
Dakota, (Mrs. Muller) and Lucero.

2013-14 Winter - 10