Memorial Commemorating First Responders (Wikimedia Commons)

Upper school history teacher, Mr. Morford, spoke at assembly on Monday, September 11 to share a reflection about the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City that occurred 22 years ago. He projected an on-screen picture from 2001 of firemen in action after the bombings and stressed the importance of looking “for the helpers” and remembering those that saved others rather than becoming bogged down in the hatred stemming from that day.

Mr. Morford told me the found the image after reading an article about 43 more first responders who had died in the past year because of their exposure to carcinogenic conditions at Ground Zero. He said, “It seemed a powerful image . . . focusing on the firemen and the work that they did without question. It really puts it where I think it matters, which is the heroism of people who responded . . . without a thought about the danger to them.”

Mr. Morford recognized even though our current and future high schoolers were not alive in 2001 that “it’s important to figure out what these events mean and how, as educators, we can best get students . . .  to better understand the event and its larger context.”