When we think of 9/11, the same pictures appear in almost everyone's mind. Pictures of the planes crashing, the towers falling, debris as the sound of sirens plays in the background. We think of all the people who died that day; the people on the flight, the hundreds who worked in the towers and the others who rushed in to help those in need. But today, the senior grade thought of more than that. We thought of the value of every single person's life. We had the opportunity to walke around the National 9/11 Memorial today to see the thousands of names who perished, but we understood that there is depth to each one. A name is an identity but just remembering it is not what's important. It's realizing the fact that this name represents a life. A person with friends, a job, hobbies, and a family. Each senior was assigned an individual to research. The results were incredible. The experience was heightened as we sat in groups discussing and listening to the stories behind each name.
As the day progressed the students reminisced on their experience of 9/11. We were in first grade. We saw the tragedy through children's eyes. Seeing the memorial and the Freedom Towers really resonated how little we understood and how far we've come to understand since then. The 9/11 memorial is extremely special in the fact that we have the past and the future together on one sight. As we reflect on what has happened, we look up to what is coming next, the Freedom Towers that stand as unyielding as ever. This event was a threat to the nation and country as a whole. Although we lost so much, we've gained as well. We are now strong and determined to never stop fighting those who try to tear us down. ~Kimi Hamadani, Senior Council 2013, President
