Michelle Harari, Senior Council 2016 President reflects on her experience:
Solemnity, anguish, horror, despair, sheer shock. Emotions like these were completely normal, appropriate, and regular for the seniors during their visit to the National 9/11 Memorial Museum. Arriving at the memorial, which is made up of waterfall squares, surrounded by trees, surrounded by names of those who perished, an eerie feel was lingering in the air. Watching the water pouring out, down, down into the deep and bottomless abyss was symbolic to the bodies pouring out, down, down into the cold and hard ground on that somber day.
The students were then led into the museum, where they viewed demolished firetrucks from the attack, actual shoes worn by victims, and videos of the towers and news reports from that day. Students were able to watch and listen to tapes of loved ones calling those on the hijacked planes, and those on the planes calling their loved ones. Most of those audios were not conversations; they were messages left on answering machines.
The museum was extremely powerful and moving, but most importantly informative. It supplied the students with a wide range of information spanning over several years. Topics ranged between terrorism over the years to answering common questions. Some questions were how do we remember, or what the aftermath was like, or how do we know what we do, or more simply, why? Phenomenal and touching, and students exited the museum with unimaginable emotions.
On a more inspiring and proud note, student Dylan Sutton of class 4HR shared an insightful observation of his, one which made him proud of the country he lives in, "I love the massive buildings surrounding the pools, the graveyards for those who perished. It just shows how we were able to rebuild ourselves up again. It basically says, 'Don't mess.' I love that."
What an experience. What an occurrence. What a country. God bless America.