Memories of 9/11/01

I was a junior at BHS during the 2001-02 school year. I went to school that Tuesday morning and headed to my first class, Geography with Mr. Walker in room A107 in BHS. It was about 9:00 that Mr. Walker received an e-mail from P.E. teacher Mr. Banfield who told him that two planes had hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Mr. Walker turned on the TV and as I went to my second block class, Psychology with Mr. Niskanen. Since Mr. Walker and Mr. Niskanen were both Social Studies teachers it led to a major class discussion. I went to Algebra 2 with Mr. Muffley third block which included lunch in the middle. When I went to lunch, there was a big line of parents who were overreacting waiting to sign their children out of school. BJ and I made some comment about it because our moms always worried about us and they weren’t there to get us.  We knew that the targets were federal buildings, not some high school in Barberton of all places. We had our regular lesson and then watched the TV while doing homework. Mr. Fahey’s Computer 1 class was fourth block and he had us look up stuff about the attacks on the internet.  I found a “10 Most Wanted” poster on the FBI website for Usama bin Laden (as it was originally spelled), whom I never heard off prior to that day.  I read some biographical info about him and his background.

Mom picked me up from school that day since I had yet to get my license. When I got home, I remember Dad was there for some reason. Grandma Muffet had been in the hospital for the last eight days after having a major stroke; at that point we didn’t know how bad it was going to be. The next day, lessons were back to normal at BHS, but the thought of the day remained in our minds ever since.  Soon after security went up everywhere and the BHS Senior Trip to Disney World was relocated to Kings Island. Great-Aunt Mary was in her last semester of serving on the Barberton School Board and I remember she called and when I answered we were talking about 9/11. She said how putting students in an airplane at that time was just too risky.

Kenny Roda, who hosted the afternoon drive sports talk radio show on 850AM Cleveland (he currently co-host the Afternoon Drive with Michael Reghi), decided to start playing different versions of the national anthem at the end of his show.  I can remember every September 11 since then and all the ceremonial activities that occur. It is a day in infamy that we will never forget.  On the one year anniversary, BHS had a ceremony in which the fire captain and police chief attended, along with a presentation by principal Mr. Gaskill and student leaders Rachel Gore, Stephanie Jerin, Lauren Ondecker, and Lynsey Ondecker.