Westwood Center remembers 9/11, acknowledges native first responders

College students at Westwood Center Faculty received to take a deeper have a look at the impression of Sept. 11 and the significance of first responders in our group on Monday through the faculty’s 9/11 Remembrance and First Responder Appreciation Day. The occasion was held to commemorate and memorialize the twenty second anniversary of the terrorist assaults on the World Commerce Middle, The Pentagon and on United Flight 93.

The Westwood vertical social research staff of Barbara Smith (sixth grade), Ashley Grandick-Peck (seventh grade) and Matthew Barcus (eighth grade) labored collectively to make the day significant and memorable for the scholars. The varsity-wide initiative made it potential for college students to take part in quite a lot of actions all through the afternoon and plenty of Westwood educators geared their content material and classes round a 9/11 theme all through the day.

“We’ve sort of made it a practice at Westwood to not simply memorialize Patriot Day, but in addition to shed mild and acknowledge the primary responders which can be in our group,” mentioned Grandick-Peck. “Moreover simply the common common person who stood up on that day, first responders had an excessive impression on Sept. 11. We like the children to have the ability to truly see the individuals of their group and work together with them.”

“We’re excited concerning the alternative to teach our college students a couple of very transferring expertise that many people nonetheless bear in mind prefer it was yesterday,” Westwood Principal John Conrad mentioned. “Our college students weren’t born but when 9/11 occurred, so this chance is about elevating consciousness and bringing to life for them an important second in American historical past. It’s additionally our likelihood to welcome first responders from the larger Morgantown space to our campus and thank them for his or her service in holding our communities secure.”

First responders from numerous companies throughout Monongalia County got here to take part within the occasion, together with Westover Police and Volunteer Fireplace Division, Granville Police, Star Metropolis Police, College Police and Monongalia County Emergency Administration (MECCA 911).

College students have been in a position to ask officers and firefighters questions and look by means of the firetruck, police automobiles and MECCA’s Cell Command Middle.

Smith mentioned for the reason that faculty moved farther away from city, it makes it tougher to convey college students to see fireplace and police stations.

“Since we are able to’t go to them, we introduced them to us,” Smith mentioned.

Grandick-Peck added the occasion offers college students the chance to have optimistic interactions with first responders.

“These youngsters are getting within the firetrucks, they’re talking with firefighters, they’re talking with law enforcement officials, 911 dispatch,” she mentioned. “We’ve our useful resource officer who’s new to our faculty, so he’s doing a meet and greet and attending to the children too, so it offers him a possibility to attach positively.”

College students additionally watched a video recount from Westwood Center Faculty worker Sarah Cooke, who served as a primary responder working rescue and restoration efforts on the Flight 93 crash web site in Pennsylvania.

College students received to decide on a subject they wished to study extra about and expertise that for a time period through the afternoon actions.

Grandick-Peck mentioned a few of the subjects college students may discover embody retired Air Pressure personnel, a lesson on the science and chemical results of what occurred publish 9/11, a grasp sergeant who received an award for world counterterrorism, and the college’s personal useful resource officer.

“We tried to drag in issues so youngsters may get possibly slightly deeper connection however select one thing they wished to find out about additionally in reference to it,” she mentioned.

Choose members of the Westwood workers additionally educated college students on subjects associated to 9/11, together with navy service, multi-cultural views and interacting with major sources through StoryCorps, a nonprofit that collects, preserves and shares tales from individuals with completely different backgrounds and experiences.

The day closed with a school-wide meeting recognizing all of space first responders who have been in attendance on the occasion and a video titled “Boatlift, An Untold Story of 9/11 Resistance” narrated by Tom Hanks. The movie focuses on the story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half 1,000,000 individuals from decrease Manhattan within the largest water evacuation in historical past.

“We’ve labored very onerous with the planning and logistics to make this occasion occur for our college students and our group,” Westwood Social Research instructor Phil Caskey mentioned. “It’s our privilege and responsibility to inform the 9/11 story and acknowledge our group’s first responders who selflessly shield their communities first. It’s our hope that our college students will acknowledge the importance and significance of 9/11 and that’s a lot extra than simply one other web page in historical past for them.”