Sept. 11, 2002: Schools a safe place to be

The hallways of Yuma-area schools will be silent for a brief moment today, so teachers and students can remember.

“We are going to downplay it and bring as much normalcy as possible,” said Carver School Principal Deb Drysdale, referring to the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Drysdale said normalcy is a way for the school to maintain a sense of security among its students.

“We want to maintain that feeling of security that students have — the feeling as if they are wrapped in a warm blanket — and that comes from routine,” Drysdale said. “Everything changed back on Sept. 11, but we still have routine in our daily lives and we want to keep that rolling.”

Phil Nash, an eighth-grade science teacher at Crane Middle School, said he also plans to keep his students focused on work, rather than the grim anniversary.

“Kids will be focused on assignments. I may mention the anniversary, but I won’t get into how things are going in Afghanistan and those kind of things,” Nash said. “I plan on teaching class as normal.”

Nash, a retired U.S. Marine major, remembers everything about that day, one year ago, just like it was yesterday.

Nash said that, like himself, many teachers came to school that morning shocked by the events they watched unfold on television.

“(Linda) Huff called for a staff meeting before kids came to school,” he said of the school principal. “We were trying to figure out how to approach kids with it.”

Nash decided to present the students with a five-minute video in which he addressed the events that had occurred.

“I almost remember it verbatim,” he said. “I told the kids, ‘You have just witnessed history in your own time. At this point in time, the world as we knew it yesterday is no longer the same world as today or as it will be tomorrow.’

“I also explained to the kids they are in a very safe environment and, no matter what happened, teaching would go on.” Nash said.

“I finished up by telling them that neither I nor anyone else could tell them what changes they were going to see in the days, weeks and months ahead. I told them what we needed to do was focus on classes and live our lives like we have always, but be attentive of the things around you.”

Though Nash doesn’t want to labor over the events of that day, he isn’t likely to forget them.

“That day, just like the moon landing, will always be imprinted in our minds. No matter how much we want to put it in the back, those visual images are imprinted in everyone’s mind for the rest of their lives.”

Nash said he will pay homage to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and their families, but it will be in his own way.

“I won’t be watching any television specials; I don’t believe in the advertisement of it,” he said. “I’ll pay a few moments of silent reflection to the victims.”

Laurie Doering, principal at Valley Horizon Elementary School, said she and her faculty and students will do the same.

“We are going to do the Pledge of Allegiance at 9 a.m. because that is 12 (p.m.) New York time (when they will be saluting the flag). We will also be playing ‘God Bless America’ either before or after the pledge and having a moment of silence,” said Doering.

Doering said school staff members will also wear red, white and blue to school to show their patriotism. Doering said some teachers also will conduct projects or special assignments that relate to the terrorist attacks.

Faith Klostreich, an assistant principal at Cibola High School, said students will participate in a moment of silence to commemorate the anniversary.

“We want to keep a sense of normalcy. The best way we can do that is to do something small,” she said. “It’s such a tragedy and it’s already in everyone’s mind. We don’t want to disrupt the education process.”