On Wednesday, September 21, students from J.W. Dodd Middle School traveled to the World Trade Center Memorial Site in lower Manhattan to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11/01. Social studies teachers Mr. Noviello and Ms. Brown prepared the students for the trip with classroom lessons that helped them develop ways to honor the victims and heroes of the attack.
One of the educational goals of the trip was to enrich the learning experience and enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of 9/11/01. The students were encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and memories of the event ten years ago. The students were also able to get a close-up view of the progress of construction of the Freedom Tower, which is now over 60 stories tall.
"One of the greatest lessons for the students was that although 9/11/01 was one of the saddest moments in our country's history, Americans came together and displayed profound acts of humanity and generosity towards one another during a time of tragedy," said Mr. Noviello.
The Memorial's twin reflecting pools, in lieu of where the towers once stood, are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. The name of every known person who died in the 1993 and 2001 WTC attacks is inscribed in the bronze panels edging the Memorial's pools.