9/11

 Its been 22 years since that day and its hard to believe it was that long ago   if you are old enough to remember that day  you will always remember  where and when you where. I have posted this before but will do it again  I was the Principal at my HS in NY. I got a call from my superintendent that was urgent.  He told me to make an announcement on the PA and I read his statement. Our guidance councilor had already left the building after her parents called the school Her sister worked at one of the towers  We had 12 parents that their fathers were NY Firemen and Police officers   District office had already singled out our students at the high school and there mothers were coming to school for early release. My secretary had turned on the TV in the administration office.  The AV office had already set TV stations in the cafeteria, Gym auditorium , and about 15 classrooms mostly social studies classroom  We had to be careful because we knew many of our students had relatives friends etc in the towers. After my PA announcements with in 5 minutes all students were sent to assign rooms to watch the live feed on TV    District office had identified  those students whose parents worked at the towers and were part of the Fire department and police. They were worried about students they had missed  My guidance office although were very helpful were upset because they knew one of there fellow councilors sister was in the tower. The HS was very orderly and as we watched on the news  and the 2nd tower being hit . We had our nursing staff in the hallways and used the library as our student center for students that needed counseling..  I was so busy didn't really understand the magnitude  of what was going on. I felt like I was the captain of a ship with so many things going on around me. One of the asst supes  came into my school to see how the HS was dealing with it. We had 4 elementary schools one Middle school and one HS  At the ele school we had a father who we later  had died and a few middle school kids parents who were down by the towers. I think I was so preoccupied with my school that I didn't realize that terrorist had done it on purpose.  I never got to see and watch the live TV broadcasters and what they were saying. My superintendent called and praised me and told me to cancel all classes but we are not early releasing school  Students had to remain in school all day. I went to our snow day schedule where classes are 13 minutes each except for lunch ..Although it was a crazy day we were well prepared and everything was organized  My superintendent wanted to address the HS students later in the afternoon which he did. We did have a few hysterical students and we separated them and gave them counseling.  The afternoon classes after lunch went pretty smoothly and most of the teachers were awesome under these conditions  back later  

sorry I was actually give a commendation at a board meeting for my handling the crisis. But didn't really under stand what was really happening when it occurred  

 About 5 years ago my wife and I went to the 9/11 memorial and although the building of it was so controversial it was unreal If you go to NYC its so powerful  The water falls at the base of the towers is unreal , They have all the names of the people all around it. And every other panel there is a flower on that name Its there birthday.  The museum is even more powerful  On one of the floors they have a room that many can miss  Its called " The Jumpers"   Its picture of all the people that jumped .. But one  strikes out and yesterday she is who I thought of. Another man describes her from another building watching her. She was on the 88th floor and she walks over to the window knowing she cannot survive the  the fire  Fixes her hair and holds her dress down so when she jumps her underwear won;t show, Imagine the dignity she has facing certain death  and jumps I read the observer statements that are inscribed by her picture as she is looking down  ...Don't think she was ever identified but her picture of her looking down I will never forget. Yesterday I though of her    also in Middletown NY a suburb of NYC at the commuter parking lot near the mall A husband took the train to NYC worked at the Trade center  left his car in the parking lot . It stayed there for almost a year because his wife thought maybe he survived and left his car there to pick it up at night . People started putting flowers around it and it became a memorial  Then when the snow came you could drive by this huge parking lot with one car by itself covered in snow.  It was a reminder that this commuter guys never came home  His wife didn't want to move the car  It was there for almost a year and everytime I would drive by it on a saurday or sunday it stood out thee by itself.. Then one day it was gone ...Thats what I remember 21 years ago today  Be safe and lets all lve each other out there  Peace