9/11: 20th anniversary is a teachable moment

SPARTA  Lily Marino, 17, a senior at Pope John XXIII Regional High School here, does not have any first-hand memories of experience the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks because she was not born yet. She heard stories from her parents and her uncle, a news reporter on that fateful day, and saw his photos of the unimaginable horror.

This week, a series of engaging events is immersing Marino and fellow students at Pope John High School, Pope John XXIII Middle School, and Rev. George A. Brown School, all on campus here, in the reality of 9/11 on the 20th anniversary of the attacks. From Tuesday, Sept. 7 to Saturday, Sept. 11, these events — educational, patriotic, and spiritual — are designed to help them better understand the circumstances that surrounded the attacks and the horror of the attacks and help them connect emotionally to those affected by them. The school community also will pray for the victims, soldiers, and their families, including members of the Pope John family, and for God’s lasting peace.

“The 9/11 attacks were so important to our country’s history — a seminal moment,” said Marino, who today, Thursday, Sept. 9, will participate in a symposium about the attacks and in a memorial Mass tomorrow. “Because I wasn’t born yet, I have a hard time grasping it. The most I can do is understand it and appreciate what we have. In the United States, we are so lucky. We live in a peaceful, safe environment. I hope that with the end of war [recently in Afghanistan], Americans can feel a sense of calm and closure to 9/11,” she told The Beacon late last week.

The 9/11 remembrance started on Tuesday, Sept. 7, when students, K-12 started planting 2,977 flags across the campus to commemorate the lives lost, during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. On the next day, Wednesday, Sept. 8, students finished planting flags, according to Jacquelyn Burt, a Pope John High School social studies and fine arts teacher, who planned the almost weeklong commemorations.

The events will continue today, Thursday, Sept. 9 with a symposium, “A Day Like No Other.” Forty-five students will participate in this full-day activity, which will cover such topics as the construction of the World Trade Center, Al Qaeda, specific stories of those killed on 9/11, and changes that have occurred because of the terrorist attacks. Then, students will visit the Moving Wall, a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington D.C., led by a motorcycle escort.

On Friday, Sept. 10, a liturgy will held with a chorus comprised of students from all three schools. Pope John alumni, who have served in the War on Terror, will be guest speakers. The next day, Saturday, Sept. 11, will feature a 9 a.m. Mass at Pope John High School (to which all are invited) and a 10:15 a.m. dedication of five new flagpoles on the campus as well as a wreath dedication at a bench, which honors Jean DePalma, a Pope John parent, who was killed in New York City. Events will continue that day with an 11 a.m. singing of patriotic songs in the football stadium and a 2 p.m. homecoming football game will feature a 3 p.m. half time with a on-field event, a flag flyby and the singing of Lee Greenwood “I’m Proud to be an American” by Madison Washer, Rev. Brown’s music teacher, Burnt said.

For Burt, the Pope John’s 9/11 memorial events are personal to her and her family. On the day of 9/11, she was an assistant dean of a law school in Manhattan. She was traveling into New York City late, when the terrorists slammed two airliners into the World Trade Center. It had a tremendous impact on her daughter, then 9, by sparking her desire to help protect the U.S. as a soldier in the military. Today, she serves as a captain in the Army and served in Afghanistan, she said.

“This is a teachable moment. It’s important for our students to understand the issues that surrounded 9/11, which led to a 20-year war, and now the transition from war to hopes for peace. We want them to know about the sacrifices that were made and are still being made. It’s important for us to share our stories with our students, who weren’t born yet,” Burt said. “We hope that these students pass along these stories to future generations,” she said.

Another participating Pope John High School senior, Carley Klein, understands a bit about the aftermath of 9/11, as the daughter of Capt. Greg Klein, deputy chief of staff of naval forces Atlantic. Klein learned that, shortly after the attacks, her father was almost deployed. “His bags were packed and at the door — very scary,” Klein said. She then told The Beacon, “I’m proud of my dad.

“The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks affected military families, who helped each other out. It also affected the kids. These are hard topics to talk about,” said Klein, whose uncle was tasked with finding human remains at Ground Zero — a experience “that scarred him.” “[With these 9/11 events at Pope John], I want to be aware of why the U.S. deployed troops. I also want to see what has changed in the U.S. for our safety and protection,” she said.