MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — People all across the country, including hundreds of students at Legacy Traditional School – Northwest Tucson, remembered and honored the nearly 3,000 lives lost on this day, 24 years ago.
The school day always begins with a flag ceremony, but today’s was different – with singing, reciting poems and remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“It was amazing to see my school participate so much and see them excited and ready to talk in front of the whole entire school, because it’s scary to talk in front of the whole school, and the poems and songs were amazing,” said eighth-grade student, Gigi Hand.
Sept. 11 ceremonies have been held at the Legacy Traditional School since the campus opened about 15 years ago.
For the charter school’s principal, Peggy Fite, it’s an important lesson for her students, all of whom were born after the attacks.
“We ask them about what their parents do because in all grade levels we have multiple first responders – whether they’re fire department, police, Pima County Sheriff’s – and so they know kind of what their parents’ roles are so they will talk in class about what their parents do and then teachers are able to connect that back to the events of September 11,” she explained.
It’s a lesson that hits close to home for Hand, who has multiple first responders in her family.
“It’s really important to me because they put their life on the line to protect us and they mean so much to me and knowing that today at my school, even though they don’t live here or they’re not here right now, they are getting that respect for them, and it’s very important to me that they are,” she said.
Students also showed their appreciation to first responders with handmade posters and cards at a breakfast following the ceremony.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
