On September 11, 2001, 4 planes were hijacked by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda. On that day in the attacks 2,997 victims and 19 hijackers died and destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and part of the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and one plane crashed in a remote field in Pennsylvania. People who were alive when this tragedy happened will always remember that feeling they had that day.

“I was in class at a school in Dallas when I got a text from family asking about if a family member who works in the Secret Service was alright,” professional communications teacher Coach Heermans said. “People were evacuating from the highrise buildings and in Dallas it is usually chaotic but it was surprisingly calm.”

But what was LHS doing during this time?

“I was at home when the first plane hit,” child development teacher Mrs. Rattan said. “Then I drove here, and I got a call from my husband panicked saying ‘oh my God, it’s another plane’ so I ran into the building and turned on the TV and me and my kids watched them replaying when the second plane hit.”

For the next week kids and students were glued to the TVs waiting for news because nobody felt like working. Everyone wanted to know why it happened, who had done this, and what had caused it. 

“All week it was tough for the teachers and students,” Mrs. Rattan said. “Another teacher and I had our conference period during the memorial service that President Bush put on and I cried the whole way through.”

For students and for parents who had kids in school during this time it was very difficult. Most students at LHS haven’t had a moment where they remembered exactly where they were.

We asked some students what they thought it would have been like to experience a tragedy like 9/11.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be able to process it correctly at first,” current sophomore Jenna Abadie said. “My mind would be everywhere and I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.”

Concern for their families and friends was a common response.

“I would first probably deny it had happened,” sophomore Jordyn Farrar said. “I would call all of my family to check and make sure they were okay.”

14 years later, some Americans are still struggling with the tragedy of that day but the important thing is that we have made steps to move on as a nation and the families and friends of those lost have tried to heal.

“This is American leadership at its best,” President Barack Obama stated at a press conference on the day of remembrance. “We stand with people who fight for their own freedom, and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.”