Frazier Middle School students remember 9/11
For today’s eighth graders, the events of 9/11 are almost twice as remote as their own birth.
At Frazier Middle School in Perryopolis, eighth-grade students commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terroristic attacks with a memorial ceremony Friday afternoon, capping off a week of in-class activities that brought the impact of the tragedy home to them.
On a hillside by the school, students painted “USA” in red, white and blue letters.
At the foot of those letters, they planted flags for every victim of United Flight 93, where passengers overpowered hijackers before they could crash the plane into their target. They followed by planting another set of flags for the first responders who gave their lives rushing to save people on 9/11.
Afterwards, people could look at a gallery walk including posters students created about the day.
Students heard from Winston Shaulis, physical education teacher at the elementary school, who was in Shanksville when United Flight 93 crash-landed.
The impact hasn’t left him, or anyone else there that day, he said. Over Labor Day weekend, he met with friends of his who were outside for PE class.
They all remembered the same thing — how “eerily low” the plane was. Some also remembered the sound of the crash, and seeing the plume of smoke.
With the constant blare of pop-up notifications that come up on people’s phones now, they can become desensitized to news events, Shaulis said.
“We all need to reflect on those kinds of things … those almost 3,000 people (who died), how those kids and those families and how those people were affected by that,” he said.
Throughout the week, students had taken part in a series of activities. They each had to interview someone who was alive on 9/11 to hear their perspective on the day. In math class, they created scatter plots showing visitation to the 9/11 memorial over time.
They also studied the effects of 9/11 on the country’s economy, government and military, said Principal Amanda Law.
“You have been very busy learning, and your teachers have done an excellent job of helping you understand that 9/11 is much more than a date in a history book,” she told the students.
Student Michael Ryan Matras was struck by the enormity of the tragedy when watching videos and hearing phone calls from the day in Jessica Wildman’s social studies class.
“It’s not as hard for me, but just thinking of them, it was a rough day for them,” he said.
For Kree Robertson, what brought it home was a website showing the timeline of the events as it happened, complete with audio and video.
“I listened to this guy who sent a voicemail to his wife saying he loved her and that he hopes to see her,” she said.
Ruby McGowan found an unexpected connection to 9/11. She interviewed her father, a military member who’d been stationed in Australia.
His first thought: He’d be going to war.
“I was surprised I didn’t know that,” she said. “I would probably cry if I was going to war.”
Examples like that can help the children see the day as more than a remote date in the history books, Wildman said.
“We’re just trying to get the kids involved and realize we might be a small town, but we have a far reach,” she said.
While the tragedy and sadness of the day will always be remembered, the students should also remember the way communities came together afterward, Law said.
“As you leave today, I encourage you to carry that lesson with you. We go further together rather than alone,” she said.