Twenty years ago Shaler Area Middle School teacher Brian Duermeyer started an annual assembly to commemorate 9/11. Duermeyer explains:

I started 9/11 Day in 2005 after realizing my students had very little knowledge of what had happened four years earlier. The old SAMS held a building-wide moment of silence, but only a few teachers actually taught 9/11 lessons.

As a result, I began sharing my own experience with students. I was a student at La Roche College in 2001, and many of my classmates came from the very countries where the attackers were born. They were devastated by the attacks, and I felt it was important to convey that perspective to the young people I taught.

The observance has grown into an annual assembly focusing on service, patriotism, sacrifice, heroism, and acceptance.

Dozens of teachers have shared their stories over the years. One that stood out: Mr. William Baine tells of his cousin, Greg Baine, who was stranded near Ground Zero on 9/11. His family could not reach him, but Greg managed to send a one-word email that simply read: “Alive.”

Our longtime SRO, Frank Spiker, helped run the presentation for nearly a decade. He provided raw 9/11 photographs of Ground Zero that few people had seen and gave me an American Flag pin from the NYPD. Officer Spiker focused on citizenship and the sacrifices of first responders, and he deserves recognition.

The current lesson includes slideshow photos, testimonials from any adult who wishes to speak, and discussions about how students can show patriotism and identify true role models. We talk about first responders, police and fire personnel, the military, and the importance of not judging a person by race, country, or religion.

This year, Ms. Nicole Cignetti, Mr. Tyler Schultz, Ms. Robin Donovan, Ms. Jill Milliard, Ms. Christine Hlad, and I spoke to the ELA7 students in the library. Our students were engaged, respectful, and mature.