Seven tornadoes have swept through Moore, Okla., since they were born, but new high school graduates are vowing they won't say goodbye to their town.

When the current graduating class was in second grade, Moore experienced an EF4 tornado with winds approaching 200 mph. And three months before they started pre-kindergarten, a twister with the highest winds on record — 302 mph — sliced through their town.

Westmoore High School Senior Alex Davis says staying close is a way to show "that a disaster can't beat us."

And senior Cameron Knight says if he had a choice to live anywhere in the country, he'd still pick his hometown.

Westmoore was the first of three schools to hold commencement ceremonies Saturday at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City

Monday's tornado killed 24 people, including seven children at the Plaza Towers Elementary School.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman says the Oklahoma City area has been struck by more tornadoes than any other U.S. city, citing records that date to 1893.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)

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