* Hometown pride *

We live in a neighborhood that includes four schools within a half-mile radius. It's quiet here, except for weekday mornings during the school year. That's when, as you can imagine, everyone is rushing to get to one of them. Parents, teachers, staff, high school kids driving old cars at high speeds, you get the idea.

Around the corner sits Emmett O'Brien Technical High School, one of the few schools around that continues to hold Sept. 11 remembrances. The school maintains a memorial garden in front of the entrance that was installed in 2002. I was there for that dedication ceremony, which featured several speakers.

I remember one of our state representatives read an emotional poem that evening, that I believe he had written.

I was there last evening and I interviewed students who were in second grade when our nation was attacked. They recalled how they didn't comprehend what was happening that day, they just knew "something really bad" had occurred. One student said two of her cousins have since served in Iraq, and are now back home.

My story was wrapped into a bigger one about regional observances, of which there were not too many. Here is what was published:

Emmett O’Brien Technical High School moved its ceremony indoors after rain hit and students used battery-powered tealights that were placed atop the folded-up bleachers in the gym.

Principal Laurie LeBouthillier said they had planned to light luminaria during the ceremony and put them in front of the school, next to 156 flags that were placed in the ground Thursday.

About 100 people attended the Friday evening ceremony.

Volunteers read the names of all 156 people from Connecticut who died in the attacks.

Students and teachers took turns reading profiles of the victims, which featured anecdotes about them that had been recorded by family members soon after the attacks. “Amazing Grace” played in the background. Copies of the victims’ profiles were displayed in the school corridors.

LeBouthillier said she was grateful a parent donated the battery-powered candles for indoor use, and parents and several stores donated refreshments.

Social studies teacher Jim Marrone coordinated the annual event as in the past.

The school held a moment of silence at the time of the attacks Friday morning, and firefighters circled the school in the firetrucks.

The reading of the names lasted more than 90 minutes. “We knew it would take a while, but we couldn’t leave anyone out,” LeBouthillier said.

Sophomores Ashley Balisciano of Shelton and Amanda Laing of Ansonia, both 15, helped at the event. They were in second grade in 2001 and didn’t understand what had happened.

“We just knew something bad had happened,” Amanda said. “More people should come to (ceremonies like) this,” she said. “It’s important to remember."

I hope people where you live took the time to show support for the victims, emergency workers, and their families, for whom life has never been the same.

Remembering 2001: a re-post

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Never, ever forget

Yesterday I visited a high school where students and teachers had created a flag display in front of the building to mark Sept. 11. I was assigned to write a brief story on the tribute. What I wrote was added to an article about local Sept. 11 commemorations, of which there were apparently just a few. I posted about it here yesterday, and my friend, Duchess Linda, asked me to share the link to the story.
Since it's short, I just copied and pasted it:
"Social studies teacher Jim Marrone organized an effort to create a flag display in front of Emmett O’Brien Technical High School in Ansonia.

"We thought about putting flags up because we wanted to have something simple, but meaningful," he said. A group planted mums in a memorial garden, and heating, ventilation and cooling department students fashioned two metal structures to symbolize the World Trade Center towers. The towers stand in the center of the garden. A larger American flag stands between the two towers and smaller flags are placed among the flowers. Marrone said they used 220 flags for the entire display.The school has held a remembrance each year since the terror attacks. "Every year we will do something, as long as I’m here," said Marrone, who was assisted by administration and colleagues. Art teacher Julie Criscuolo painted a picture of the towers with the Statue of Liberty on one side and a dove flying overhead. It reads: "Remembering those who died on Sept. 11, 2001." The painting is placed against a tree among the flags. "It came out really nice for the amount of time and money we put into it," said sophomore Jeff Glick, 15, of Naugatuck. Teachers and students donated money to purchase the flags, he said. Sophomore Megan Graft, 15, of Ansonia was in awe of the display. "It’s just unbelievable," she said as she gazed out over the rows of flags. Megan was in the third grade when the attacks occurred, but wasn’t told about it that day. "When I got home from school, my mom explained to me what happened," she remembered. "The students wanted to know what we were doing for 9/11," Marrone said. "I’m very proud of these kids."

* This school is holding a candlelight vigil in memory of the victims at 5 p.m. today that I am going to cover. Unfortunately it is pouring out now, so it looks like the ceremony will be moved indoors. The students and staff have once again placed flags outside the school in remembrance.

Never, ever forget

Yesterday I visited a high school where students and teachers had created at flag display in front of the building to mark Sept. 11. I was assigned to write a brief story on the tribute. What I wrote was added to an article about local Sept. 11 commemorations, of which there were apparently just a few. I posted about it here yesterday, and my friend, Duchess Linda, asked me to share the link to the story.
Since it's short, I just copied and pasted it:
"Social studies teacher Jim Marrone organized an effort to create a flag display in front of Emmett O’Brien Technical High School in Ansonia.

"We thought about putting flags up because we wanted to have something simple, but meaningful," he said. A group planted mums in a memorial garden, and heating, ventilation and cooling department students fashioned two metal structures to symbolize the World Trade Center towers. The towers stand in the center of the garden. A larger American flag stands between the two towers and smaller flags are placed among the flowers. Marrone said they used 220 flags for the entire display. The school has held a remembrance each year since the terror attacks. "Every year we will do something, as long as I’m here," said Marrone, who was assisted by administration and colleagues. Art teacher Julie Criscuolo painted a picture of the towers with the Statue of Liberty on one side and a dove flying overhead. It reads: "Remembering those who died on Sept. 11, 2001." The painting is placed against a tree among the flags. "It came out really nice for the amount of time and money we put into it," said sophomore Jeff Glick, 15, of Naugatuck. Teachers and students donated money to purchase the flags, he said. Sophomore Megan Graft, 15, of Ansonia was in awe of the display. "It’s just unbelievable," she said as she gazed out over the rows of flags. Megan was in the third grade when the attacks occurred, but wasn’t told about it that day. "When I got home from school, my mom explained to me what happened," she remembered. "The students wanted to know what we were doing for 9/11," Marrone said. "I’m very proud of these kids."

* * *
I urge you to read this post about Sept. 11 that was beautifully written by Dianne at Forks Off The Moment.
I find it difficult to write about such emotional topics. But she did a great job with it, and made many of her readers cry, as they told her in their comments.

A simple remembrance on Sept. 11

I took these and other photos Wednesday at the technical high school near our house. I knew I was going to be writing about the school's remembrance today, and took some photos of their 220-flag display in case the newspaper didn't send a photographer. Luckily for me the paper sent a great photog to the school today. I can't wait to see the picture she took.

The teacher who organized the display, got the donations for the flags and for flowers for a memorial garden, vowed that as long as he is teaching there something will be done each year in memory of those who died that awful day.

it's hard to believe that the number of services to remember Sept. 11 has decreased greatly just seven years later. But sadly it has.

Dec. 7, 1941 remembered

I joined a small group of veterans and other residents who gathered last Friday to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
I was there covering the brief ceremony for the newspaper, as I have in the past. I'd like to think if I had a different job I would have been there anyway.
We stood in the bitter cold (the folding chairs were way too cold to sit on!) to hear a Vietnam veteran speak about remembering what happened at Pearl Harbor and about supporting our troops, even if we don't support the war in Iraq.
Several veterans I have gotten to know invited me to join them for lunch. I wasn't going to, but they insisted. It was an honor to spend a short time with these veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.
And at a lunch like that, that's when the real stories come out!