There are many reasons why I will never forget September 11, 2001.  My memories are vivid in my mind, and I still feel emotional when I remember that day.  However, one of my most powerful memories involves my senior students that school year; they were the CHS Class of 2002.

In May of 2001, I travelled to NYC as a sponsor for the combined choirs of CHS and RHS. I had been to NY twice before, but I had never visited the Twin Towers. Our group tour of the city included the towers, and we all trooped upstairs to the gift shop, and then some of us went up and outside onto the observation deck.  I took several pictures of the students in our group and some panoramic style photos of NY.

During second period on 9/11/01, the television was on in my classroom.  There were four seniors in that class who had been with me on the roof of the tower. I had muted the sound so that I could talk to my students about what was happening to us that day. I saw several students turn their heads to look at the TV screen, so I looked as well. Together we watched that beautiful tower slowly and violently fall to the ground.  And we cried and remembered being there together.

It was heartbreaking.

 Iwill never forget the sight of the building collapsing and crumbling to the ground, and the irony of having been there just 4 months previously with those students in my classroom.