GREENSBURG, Kan. – A year after a deadly tornado nearly wiped this western Kansas prairie town off the map, Sunday's high school graduation ceremony went on with pomp and circumstance, and an unusual guest: President Bush.

"We celebrate the resurgence of a town that stood tall when its buildings and homes were laid low," he told the 18-member class. "When the Class of 2008 walks across this stage today, you will send a powerful message to our entire nation: Greensburg, Kansas, is back, and its best days are ahead."

Sunday was the first time he had spoken at a high school graduation.

The ceremony was at once poignant and typical, as students and school administrators recounted American high school life – the boys' basketball team that made it to the state tournament for the first time in 30 years, the time the seniors played a prank on a teacher by locking her out of her room – against the backdrop of the fears and hard work of rebuilding after the storm.

"Although I had a responsibility to my family, you guys were what was important," Jarrett Schaef, co-valedictorian, said, recounting his search for classmates after the storm. "I was terrified that something had happened to you guys."

A year ago, a 205-mph tornado ripped through the town of 1,300, carving a path of devastation through the center of town, killing 11 and leaving only the courthouse and a few buildings standing.

Classes resumed in August in a cluster of beige FEMA trailers. Officials are planning to build a $30 million replacement school.

"The kids are doing really well with it," Principal Randy Fulton said. "They haven't whined or whimpered. Like the rest of the community, we understand where we are, and adapt and move on."

The New York Times

and Washington Post

contributed to this report.