Caroline G. Atkinson School students offered a lasting tribute to firefighters who gave their lives in the wake of 9/11 with the presentation of a memorial quilt to the Nassau County Firefighter's Museum at the Cradle of Aviation.
"Mrs. Carter approached me and asked that I come up with something for our students to do to understand and honor all those who were lost on 9/11," said school social worker Nina Sasso. "I developed the idea of the memorial quilt as a way for the students to express themselves through words and art."
Each student created a memory square that was combined with over 900 others to create a laminated paper patch quilt measuring approximately 30 feet across and nearly six feet high.
Students, many of them born after the attacks, engaged in a group discussions about 9/11 prior to making their memory squares. Follow-up lessons were given to better inform the children about the tragic event.
In attendance at the ceremony, which included a performance by the Atkinson sixth-grade select chorale, were three retired fire chiefs from Freeport. Freeport lost three firefighters as a result of the 9/11 attacks. Representing Freeport schools were Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Dr. Mary Bediako, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Wafa Westervelt, Atkinson Intermediate School Principal Linda Carter, and social worker Nina Sasso. Many local political leaders were on hand as well.