Our 5th - 8th-grade students gathered to remember September 11, 2001, a day in history that revealed the incredible strength and courage of first responders who answered the call of duty without hesitation, running toward danger to save the lives of others.  The stair climb activity gave students a small glimpse of the number of stairs firefighters climbed on their way up the 110-story World Trade Center, and to honor the ones who lost their lives in the act of service. Students wrote cards to our local first responders thanking them for their courage and compassion, and for keeping our community safe. Thank you also to Mr. Scheeser, who was instrumental in organizing this memorable day for our students. --Mrs. Terri

There are a lot of kids who don't know how bad 9/11 was, and how many people died. This is terrible, but 2,976 people were killed in one day, and it injured many others. Many people were risking their lives for those people in those buildings, and most of them lost their lives for others. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the Department of Defense. On 9/11, one of the four planes that was hijacked crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people. This Pentagon crash occurred at 9:37 am. It was so traumatic. This series of events changed the world's defense. Then the twin towers got hit by two hijacked planes. They hit the north tower at 8:46 am, then hit the south tower at 9:03 am in New York City. So many people were trying to get out, but could not, and some people were jumping off the building. Then the south tower collapsed, then the north tower collapsed, and many people died when the towers fell. 

Then they made 9/11 a holiday because on that day we remember and give prayers for the people who died and those who lived through that tragic time. We thank the 343 firefighters, 71 law enforcement officers, and eight paramedics who lost their lives for the people in the towers.  Though lots of people did not get to say goodbye to their parents, some people on that plane called their parents and said goodbye. They did not find 1,100 of the 2,753 unidentified victims. This tragic event changed the airport's safety and the flight lines. 

I interviewed Jake Chandler about 9/11. Jake learned about Osama Bin Laden and how he orchestrated this horrific event. His class watched a video of it, and he said it was horrible. Jake said he liked paying tribute to those who died for others. Jake loved making cards for the people who risk their lives for us. After that, I interviewed Lindsey Boggan, who watched the same video, and she said it was bad. She said she learned a lot about the kids who died, and where they were going. Lindsey said one of the kids who died was going to Disney World. That was very sad. She also said that five kids died at the Pentagon. This is one of the most tragic and horrific events in history. To summarize this traumatic event, this is one of the worst events that has happened in world history. However, this teaches us to always be aware of our surroundings.--Eli Hope