St. Mary’s Students Honor September 11 Victims and Heroes
None of the students were alive during the attacks, but school leaders used the anniversary to connect them with stories of sacrifice, unity and service.
ALTON - St. Mary’s Middle School students, faculty, staff and administrators gathered Friday morning at the school’s new flag space with local first responders and members of the military for a Patriot Day ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Principal Mary Rivera said.
The ceremony was held to help students, none of whom were alive when the attacks occurred, understand the significance of Sept. 11 while remembering the nearly 3,000 people who died that day. Rivera said students and guests also honored first responders, military members and others whose service and sacrifices followed in the days, months and years after the attacks.
This year’s ceremony took place around the school’s new flag space, recently completed by Luke Brown as his Eagle Scout project. Rivera said the space is dedicated to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, a dedication she said is especially meaningful to the St. Mary’s community because several St. Mary’s graduates are currently serving, including some overseas.
“The new space provided a meaningful setting to reflect on the American flag and all that it represents,” Rivera said.
As part of the ceremony, students learned about the meaning of the flag, proper respect for it, and the sacrifices made throughout the nation’s history in defense of the freedoms it represents, Rivera said.
The St. Mary’s community also offered prayers for local first responders and members of the Armed Forces, including men and women with ties to St. Mary’s School. Rivera said students were reminded that some of those now serving their country and communities once sat in the same classrooms and desks they use today.
Rivera said the ceremony honored those who have answered calls to service while also challenging students to recognize their own call to serve.
“Their service may look different from that of a firefighter, police officer, EMT or member of the military, but the mission is much the same: to recognize when another person is in need and be willing to step forward to help,” Rivera said.
Rivera said St. Mary’s hopes to continue passing the lessons of Sept. 11 to a new generation, not only to remember the lives lost but also to recognize the courage, sacrifice, unity and service that followed.
St. Mary’s School extended its gratitude to the local first responders and military members who joined students for the ceremony, as well as to those who serve the country and local communities.
“May we never forget,” Rivera said. “God bless our first responders, God bless our military, and God bless America.”
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