Miller Place, N.Y. (September 2019)—In honor and remembrance of the lives lost 18 years ago, several teachers at North Country Road Middle School (NCRMS) in Miller Place took the initiative to educate students and encourage dialogue about the horrific attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.
Mrs. Saulle’s 7th grade English classes listened to and discussed several recorded interviews from the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s oral history collection. The videos captured the different perspectives and emotions of individuals who experienced the 9/11 attacks firsthand. Students then reflected on each person’s perspective and touched upon what they found most shocking or moving in each person’s story. They also took pen to paper to write about a memory from their past and share with their teacher. Mrs. Saulle’s classes also gained a new perspective while reading the article “Growing Up Muslim” and the first chapter of Tahereh Mafi’s A Very Large Expanse of Sea, a novel that depicts the life of a Muslim-American girl following the tragedy of 9/11. To conclude the lesson, Mrs. Saulle had her students analyze Laureate Billy Collin’s poem, “The Names.”
Mrs. Hibbard, a 6th grade social studies teacher, used a lesson on artifacts to educate students on the 9/11 attacks. The lesson taught students about their significance and how they provide us insight into our past. The class also viewed a video about 9/11 which showed students real-life artifacts, including artifacts recovered from Ground Zero.
Mrs. Luchsinger’s 6th grade classes paid tribute to September 11th with a series of writing and literacy activities. Students wrote friendly letters to heroes, poems that express their thoughts on September 11th, and drew pictures that showcased patriotism.
In Ms. Suppa’s 7th grade classes, students read and analyzed the lyrics to Alan Jackson’s “Where Were you When the World Stopped Turning?” Together, the class discussed the events that occurred on September 11th and emotions attached to the day.
For more information about the Miller Place School District, please visit the District’s website at www.millerplace.k12.ny.us. To read more about the great things happening in Miller Place schools, visit www.millerplaceinthemedia.com and ‘like’ our Facebook page: @MillerPlaceSchoolDistrict.