Twenty-Five Years Later, We Still Remember

There are moments in history that divide time into before and after.

September 11, 2001, is one of them.

Twenty-five years later, most us in America who lived through that day can still remember where they were when they heard the news. We remember the images, the uncertainty and the heartbreak. But we should also remember what came next: extraordinary courage, sacrifice, compassion and a nation that came together.

This September 11, as we mark the 25th anniversary, we have an important responsibility. We must remember, and we must teach the next generation why we remember.

In Citrus County Schools, September 11 provides that opportunity.

Across our district, students and staff pause for a moment of silence. Teachers use that time not simply to explain what happened, but to help students understand the human stories behind the history: the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders who ran toward danger when others were desperately trying to escape it.

Our three high schools also continue the tradition of bringing social studies students to the 9/11 Exhibit at the Valerie Theatre. There, students can see authentic artifacts recovered from Ground Zero.

For these young people who were not alive in 2001, history can sometimes feel distant. Standing in front of an actual artifact from Ground Zero changes that. It makes history real.

We owe a special debt of gratitude to School Board Member, the Honorable Joe Faherty, whose efforts helped bring these artifacts from New York to Citrus County years ago. His work has given generations of local students an opportunity to connect personally with one of the defining events of our time.

Inside our schools, teachers have also created their own traditions of remembrance.

At Citrus High School, ESE teacher Kathy Oliver has spent 17 years building a remarkable memorial. What began as a classroom project has grown into a hallway filled with flags and tributes created by students. The D-wing has become a living reminder that, as Kathy has often said, on September 11, 2001, “the world stood still.”

Florida’s 9/11 Hero Day law reinforces the importance of teaching these lessons, particularly the bravery and sacrifice of first responders. But remembering September 11 in Citrus county school never will be viewed simply as fulfilling a statutory requirement.

It is a privilege.

Our children deserve to know the stories of the firefighters, police officers, EMTs and civilians who demonstrated extraordinary courage. They deserve to understand the sacrifices made by families who sent loved ones to work that morning and never saw them return.

And they deserve to know that, in the aftermath of tragedy, Americans came together.

Twenty-five years later, that may be one of the most important lessons of all.

God bless our heroes, our children, our schools and the United States of America.

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