Lindenhurst Schools, Students Remember 9/11

Though there was no formal district-wide ceremony, and students remembered the 10th anniversary of in several ways.

For one Principal Dan Giordano gave his usual announcement at 8:48 a.m. to mark the attacks on the World Trade Center, now a decade ago.

“It’s one of the only times I’ll cut into classes with an announcement,” said Giordano.

His remarks noted how many lives were lost in the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and in the fields of Pennsylvania.

“I also ask for a moment of silence to not only remember those who lost their lives, but also for the troops. I ask the students, teachers and staff to keep them all in their prayers,” he said.

“We also try to be sensitive about what we do,” added Giordano, since there are still a few students who lost loved ones in the attacks still attending the school. “We try to make accommodations, and we’ve always kept a close eye on them, with our teachers, assistant principals and social workers.”

In addition, Social Studies Coordinator Richard Finder provided a age-appropriate curriculum to teachers in the high school and middle school well ahead of the anniversary via e-mail and had it posted on his e-board on the Lindenhurst Schools website.

“The curriculum and lesson plans actually comes from the State of New Jersey, and I thought it had plenty for teachers to use and choose from,” said Finder. “But while they could choose, I asked them to address today instead of Monday, after speaking with several districts.”

Colors of the Flag
Another age-appropriate way schools marked the anniversary was having the elementary school students wearing red, white and blue.

“We decided to have them wear [the colors] and do a special Pledge of Allegiance ceremony outside at the flagpole,” said Patti Castine, principal at .

“We have little kids, so we felt it was better to give the opportunity to parents to explain what is and what it means as opposed to us giving a lesson on it. We wanted parents to be able to discuss it with their kids,” she said.

So on Friday morning all of the students at Rall and at the other elementary schools – , , , and – as well as students and administrators at , came to school in the colors of the flag.

At Rall students gathered for the regular morning Pledge of Allegiance outside at the flagpole instead of reciting in their classrooms.

Afterward Castine made some remarks noting the event:

September , 2001 was a defining moment in American history. A few years ago President Barack Obama signed a law making September 11 a National Day of Remembrance. We gather here on Rall’s front lawn to honor and remember those who lost their lives that day.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of , many communities around the country, , will host special events focused on themes of home, love and the human spirit. Some communities will be ringing bells in honor of people lost, others will engage in a moment of silence. At Rall we are wearing red, white and blue to show that we are united and committed to one another, we are a family. Please look at the person you are standing next to and think about how you might make their year a better one. What can you do as a child of the world to make our community a better place to live?

Today I ask everyone to think about how they can shine light on the people we see every day here at William Rall and the neighborhood. What kinds of things can we do to make someone else’s day a little brighter? If each person takes the time to make a little effort, a big difference can be made and then we will be honoring the American spirit that was present after the events of September 11, in 2001.