For many adults, Sept. 11, 2001, is a defining moment. For people who are high school-aged or younger, it’s a date they might have trouble remembering.
“I vaguely remember coming home, the TV was on and no one would talk about it. They were in shock,” said Kara Adams, a sophomore at Newton-Conover High School.
For junior Anna Tinkelenberg, the memory is a little clearer.
“I remember when it happened. My teachers were freaking out. They were running around and turned on the TV and told us to read,” she said. “I knew buildings weren’t supposed to fall like that. I was in first grade.”
Newton-Conover JROTC Lt. Cmdr. Tom Mentzer said it is because of this he was so eager to get a piece of the World Trade Center Twin Towers at the high school. He applied for part of the towers after talking to the JROTC program at St. Stephens High School.
“I contacted the Port Authority and filled out numerous forms,” Mentzer said. “We decided to hold (the ceremony) on President’s Day. It’s easy to say, ‘I remember 9/11,’ but seven years from now, they’ll not know anything about it.”
Mentzer wanted a part of the towers to keep at the high school to serve as a permanent reminder of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, and everything humanity can stand for.
“I hope it will remind them what it means to be an American. We don’t forget, but can remember: honor, courage, integrity, values. That’s America,” he said. “People are capable of doing terrible things, but also great things, like the firemen did that day.”
Mentzer said the realization that Newton-Conover was going to get a steel I-beam from the Twin Towers didn’t seem real until he received the box in the mail.
“When I got the piece, I was blown away,” he said. “I knew there was something incredible in there. My heart started beating faster. It was like my first Christmas, knowing a piece of the World Trade Center tower was in there.”
The I-beam, which is about 18 inches long and 12 inches high, is housed in a display case that will be permanently kept in the school’s media center.
They also have a piece of the Pentagon wall that was destroyed that day, which is on loan from retired Gunnery Sgt. Pat Burns. It will be kept in the JROTC room.
Both items were unveiled to the student body on Monday in a special ceremony.
Tinkelenberg, 16, said she was glad the school was getting the pieces of history and that it meant a lot to her.
“I hope people will realize how important this is, to have this at our school now,” she said.
Adams, who is a petty officer in the school’s JROTC program, echoed her sentiment.
“I’m really grateful we got this piece,” she said.
Adams helped put the program together for the student body. Because she was a child on Sept. 11, 2001, she said it involved a lot of research.
“It was an eye-opener,” Adams said.
Newton-Conover City Schools Superintendent Barry Redmond told the students and staff that Monday’s ceremony should serve as a time of reflection for the events of Sept. 11, but also to remind them that they should step up when they are needed, whether in the classroom, on the athletic field or later in life during their careers.
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