Schools plan low-key memorials for Sept. 11

By Del Stover

8/27/02 – When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, hundreds of students in Manhattan saw the burning buildings, heard the wailing of sirens, and evacuated their schools along city streets covered with the dust of collapsed buildings.

A year later, these students will be forced to relive these memories as the nation commemorates the anniversary of Sept. 11. And, as the date falls on a Wednesday, they will be at school–a fact that has prompted much soul-searching by New York City educators about how to handle the day.

"We were so closely involved with these events, we want to keep things as low key as possible," says Shelley Harwayne, superintendent for New York City's District 2, which encompasses schools in downtown Manhattan. "We will acknowledge the [anniversary] in small ways."

Across the nation, local school officials are thinking along the same lines. Many are planning modest, restrained ceremonies–with children lowering the school flag to half-staff, bowing their heads for a moment of silence, or attending a brief school assembly.

No one has given more thought to the appropriate handling of the upcoming anniversary than officials in New York City. Hundreds of students witnessed the terrorist attacks, and some students watched as people fell or jumped to their deaths from the burning buildings. In May, a report released by the school system estimated that 75,000 students showed signs of post-traumatic stress.

Until teachers and principals report back for the new school year, planning for the upcoming anniversary cannot begin in earnest, say city school officials. But there was never any serious talk of closing the schools on Sept. 11–or organizing some grand memorial service.

"Our kids need to be in school," says district spokesperson Margie Feinberg. "What we plan to do is leave it up to each school to have an assembly or moment of silence."

A similar plan is taking shape in Arlington, Va., site of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Although several school board members may attend a community ceremony, administrators at each school will determine what is appropriate for their students.

"All that's certain is that caring for our children is our No. 1 priority," says a district spokesperson. "While we want to remember and pay tribute . . . we're trying to limit how much of this we do. We want to make sure children feel safe. We want to create a sense of normalcy."

Elsewhere, preparations for Sept. 11 are at various stages of development. In Florida, several South Tampa schools are planning to participate in Flags Along the Bayshore, a event where residents are being asked to line a prominent street and wave American flags.

School personnel in Littleton, Colo., are considering some kind of "flag ceremony"–and perhaps a visit by local firefighters, says Principal Kelly Bergman.

Officials in Denver have provided principals with a 14-page document outlining various remembrance activities, such as honoring firefighters, police, or military personnel; gathering around the school flagpole for a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance; working on art projects; or helping to raise money for the American Red Cross.

At William Allen High School in Allentown, Pa., students studying Spanish last spring were inspired by a lesson on ceramic tiles. They came up with the idea of creating a mosaic to depict the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the American eagle and flag.

With the financial help of community members and the United Way, students purchased hundreds of Spanish tiles, says teacher Debra Lakatosh. Working before and after school–and during the summer–they were able to complete an 80-square-foot mosaic that will be unveiled at a Sept. 11 ceremony at city hall.

"They needed to do something," Lakatosh says about her students' project. "I thought it was well worth it to pursue it. How do you say no?"

At the Metropolitan Learning Center in Bloomfield, Conn., students taking a 10th-grade civics course will spend the first week of school studying a learning unit developed by Brown University. "Responding to Terrorism: The Challenges for Democracy" examines the roots of terrorism, strategies to combat it, and the challenges facing emerging democracies around the world, says social studies teacher Caryn Stedmann.

The students also have been asked to plan an assembly scheduled for Sept. 11–and share some of the lessons they've learned with the rest of the school.

"We want students to think about what it means to live in a democracy, and what are the challenges of a democracy," Stedmann says. "Students felt very insecure about Sept. 11, and we hope to empower them."

The Brown University program is a weeklong high school unit developed by its Choices for the 21st Century Education Program, says program director Susan Graseck.

When the terrorist attacks occurred, "it was so fresh that it was really hard to do more than help students with the emotions they were having at the time," she says. "But now it's time to be more substantive."

Other organizations–including the National Education Association and National Association of School Psychologists–also are providing materials to educators. Some have criticized the NEA's guidelines, accusing them of placing some of the blame for the attacks on American policies.

One of the more touching projects produced by students is a 163-page book, Messages to Ground Zero: Children Respond to September 11, 2001. A compilation of stories, poems, and artwork by New York City students, the book shares how children have attempted to understand the terrorist attacks.

"It's a first-person, eye-witness account of what it was like to be in school that day," says Harwayne, who convinced the Heinemann publishing company to support the project. Royalties will go to support children who lost parents or are receiving counseling as a result of the terrorist attacks.