by Luke Higginbotham

In honor of 9/11, there was a memorial event at Miami Valley South Stadium for the fallen firefighters, police officers, and citizens caught in the World Trade Center twin towers, the Pentagon, and the heroic people who took charge of the plane in a field in Pennsylvania 25 years ago. All the Bellbrook teachers were at the event as well as many students and community members. Participants could walk the track for a mile or climb the steps of the bleachers for an equivalent amount to represent the efforts of firefighters climbing the World Trade Center steps.

The event was run by Bellbrook High School’s JROTC. From 8:30am-10:30am there were six moments of silence after a brief announcement. Each moment of silence represented a significant moment of the fateful morning in 2001. 

One of the many reasons the event was held was to designate a time and place where people can share their experiences and feelings on the nationally shared traumatic event. 

“The event helped me truly put into perspective how many lives were lost that day,” English teacher Mrs. Lewis said. Mrs. Lewis and Mr. Craig were two of the many teachers at the event. They both were able to reflect on the event and the impact it has had on their country.

“I heard some new stories about the courageous acts of heroism that happened in the buildings,” Craig said in reference to the event on Friday. “It’s crazy that something that happened 25 years ago is still being talked about so much today. This Bellbrook event goes to show how much emotional impact 9/11 truly had on our nation.”

Mr. Craig wore a weighted vest at the event alongside engineering teacher Mr. Barnes. “We agreed to wear weighted vests to try and feel a fraction of the struggle that the firefighters felt carrying people [and equipment] through the buildings,” Craig said.