MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Westwood Middle School will hold a Sept. 11 remembrance and memorial event on Wednesday, the 18th anniversary of the attacks.
Social studies teachers told students to personalize the day by interviewing a family member about where they were on that day in 2001.
Westwood Middle School employee Sarah Cook was a first responder at the Flight 93 site; she will give a presentation on Wednesday about what she saw.
“She is a fantastic primary source, first-hand account of things that she found and saw while scouring that field in Somerset County,” social studies teacher Phil Caskey said. “It’ll make your hair on the back of your neck stand up. It’s a tear-jerker.”
Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston will also speak; he was in lower Manhattan testifying in court as a federal employee when the attack happened.
“This is the first time I’ve actually spoken to a group about this,” he said. “I’ve pretty much not talked about Sept. 11 for the last 17 years or so.”
Caskey said they want this event to be both for the students and the community.
“It is our privilege and duty to tell the 9/11 story,” he added. “It is our hope that our students will recognize the significance and importance of 9/11, and that is so much more than just another page in history for them.”
The memorial event will be held at the school starting at 1 p.m.