While much of America was reflecting on the events of Sept. 11, 2001, two Freedom Area School District teachers were using their personal connections to help educate younger students about the events of that day.
On Sept. 8, sixth grade students gathered in the middle school auditorium for a presentation by kindergarten teacher Lori Sacco about her niece who was one of the victims of the terror attacks on 9/11.
Adriane Scibetta, Sacco’s niece, worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, who had offices in the north tower of the World Trade Center. Although Scibetta was not supposed to work that day because she was scheduled to leave for vacation the next day, she went into work anyway so that she could reuse that vacation day to take her kids trick or treating. Unfortunately, the tragic events of the day caused Scibetta to lose her life due to the terror attacks. Scibetta is survived by her husband as well as her two children. Additionally, there is a street in Brooklyn named Scibetta Avenue as many streets in the borough have been given second names in memory of those who lost their life in the terror attacks.
Despite the effect that the events of Sept. 11, 2001 had on the United States, many of the students in the middle school don’t know of the severity of the events and why terrorism is such a large topic of discussion in the world today. Due to the fact that many of these students were not alive for this tragedy, it’s important that teachers take the initiative to inform their students of the events of the day that shaped many things in the world they live in.
Fifteen years after the tragedy of 9/11, the United States has seen many changes from airport security being increased tenfold to the increased security measures taken by the government to attempt to provide foresight into preventing another tragedy of the same magnitude.
Among these changes, however, America has also chosen 9/11 to be a day that is remembered not as a day where America let those who wish to destroy it and what it stands for, but instead a day that America as a nation proclaimed that they would not be intimidated by acts of terror against the U.S.