story11208.xml

story11208.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-12-12

September 11, 2001 is a day that I remember very well. It is a memory that I would rather not have and for several reasons. The higher ups in my high school, mainly the principal and vice principal were very secretive and did want any of the students to watch the televisions or use the computers because they did not want us to know what happened. In the wake of 9/11, a beloved man from our town who worked at the World Trade Center was missing and later found dead in the ruins of the twin towers. We later had a candle light vigil for him on the high school's football field. For me personally, 9/11 was a very secretive and deceiving day that I wish could be erased from my and all people's memory.

It was a typically beautiful september morning at Waldwick High School in northern New Jersey. I had just finished my first period gym class and was on my way to homeroom when I passed the faculty lounge. I saw several of my teachers gathered around the small television in there looking on intensely. When they noticed my friends and I approaching them, they forced us out of the room and closed the door. We were only sophomores in high school and did not really think too much about their actions. We continued on to our homerooms and the school seemed like it did everyday for the three previous years I had attended it. It was not until a girl in my homeroom came in and nonchalantly said, "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center." Everyone's initial reaction was one of disbelief and even laughter in some cases at the ridiculous comment she made. Then, our homeroom teacher took that girl in the hall and talked to her for several minutes. When she came back in she apologized to us and sat there silently. We then realized that something was truly wrong.

After homeroom, the rumors around school began to spread very rapidly. In my second period class, my teacher would not let us turn on the television although they decided not to teach class. Later that period, the principal made an announcement to keep all televisions and computers off throughout the school. It was not until fourth period when I found out at least some basic information about what had happened. My history teacher, who was also my tennis coach, told me in private that two planes had hit the World Trade Center and it did not look good. My seventh period math teacher that year was a slightly strange woman who did not take things of this magnitude lightly. She told us all to just put our heads down and that everything would be all right. Every five minutes she got very emotional and told us not to ask her any questions about it. When I got home from school, my mom was all ready home from work watching the news. It was at that point that I saw video of the two planes crashing into the towers. It was truly hard to believe and my mother was very upset about it. We just sat there for hours watching and discussing how we felt about it. It brought my mother and I much closer than we had been in many years.

It was not until a week after the tragic event that the aftershock of 9/11 hit our community. We found out that a well respected man in our town named John Griffen had passed away in the attack. No one in my family knew him, but we still felt that we should go to the candle light vigil our community was having for him that weekend. It was a very sad experience to be a part of. A couple members of his immediate family spoke along with his close friends in the community. There were over one thousand people there holding hands and remembering him and all those who perished in the unfortunate event. Even though this was a very sad and hard time, it brought our community together like it never had before.

When looking back on it now, it really saddens me how secretive the officials in my high school were. All of the students had a right to know what had happened and it was absolutely ridiculous for them to shelter us from it knowing that we would find out eventually. At the same time, as tragic as it was, 9/11 brought many people together who otherwise would never be. I felt privileged to be able to be a part of the candle light vigil for John Griffen and his mourning family. The picture in my mind of the planes hitting the World Trade Center along with over one thousand people holding hands mourning the loss of a beloved member of our community will never be forgotten.