Firefighters and civilians are pictured participating in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Wings Event Center.
By Bruce Rolfe
The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs that took place across the country following the 9/11 terrorist attacks 25 years ago drew huge participation numbers.
Slowly, over time, firefighters and civilians who remember that dark day when 2996 innocent people, including 343 Fire Department of New York firefighters were killed, have noticed a decline in participation numbers.
There’s concern younger people who weren’t born when the 9/11 attacks occurred, may not be learning the impact that event had on our country.
However one instructor at Climax-Scotts High School is helping students understand the impact the 9/11 attacks had on the country by embedding the historical event into her curriculum each year.
Kelly Taunt, who came to C-S last year and teaches U.S. History, World History, and Government, said she has always talked about the 9/11 attacks in her history classes in other school districts she taught at.
She said she has worked in other school districts, and discovered students who attended other schools were not getting exposed much to the 9/11 event in the classroom.
She wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case at C-S.
She first shares her personal experience, noting where she was on that day and her thoughts after the plane hit the first tower and then the second.
“I will share how the country was extremely united, like nothing I have ever experienced since,” said Taunt.
The C-S teacher said she will show some clips of the news broadcasts that day.
She will show the 10-year anniversary video, Portraits of Resilience, to her freshman class. She feels the 10-year anniversary video “does an amazing job showing the effects to many groups of people on that day and the years that followed.”
She said with her sophomore and junior classes, she will likely show the “Turning Point: Generation 9/11” (Netflix) documentary clips which focus on how a generation has been affected by this tragedy.
“The reactions vary. Showing actual clips of the day, although disturbing, I think helps them understand how significant an event it is,” said Taunt, who was hired last year at C-S after Lark Murphy retired.
The C-S teacher adds since she will have many of the same students in the future, how the topic is discussed near the day of 9/11 will change.
She said she also has a few seniors, noting the videos she shows will change, but will focus on the effects since the 9/11 attacks.
“We do a lot of discussions about how local people and families were affected, the volunteers, military, first responders, etc. They (students) tend to ask great questions or have heard of some family stories. I usually go with the flow with them, and where their interests lie,” observed Taunt.
Comstock Township Assistant Fire Chief Mike Meulman was encouraged when he learned Taunt includes the 9/11 terrorist attacks as part of her curriculum at C-S.
“We’ve just got to keep passing it on to our kids and showing them in school and remember what these guys did for us,” said the Comstock assistant fire chief, following the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb held at Wings Event Center.
“It’s a big thing for all that were there and remember what happened to our country that day. One of the reasons we went to war was because of it. The patriotism that it brought on to our country and the close, togetherness that everyone had. It was all over the country, and almost all over the world. It was definitely a significant event. I think it’s important to keep on teaching and keep the tradition going. Pass it down to the younger generations coming up,” adds Devin Dipzinski, a member of the Pennfield Township Fire Department who attended C-S Community Schools, and G-A High School but was a 2012 graduate of Portage Northern High School.
Kady Allen, a 2006 graduate of C-S High School who participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Wings Event Center, feels it is important that younger people learn about the tragic event.
“A lot of kids don’t know. They just hear about it in school. They don’t understand the impact, what happened,” said Allen who said she was in Kevin Langs’ 8th grade class when the terrorist attacks occurred and remembers watching news coverage on television in the classroom.
“I heard that almost half the population now was not born or was very, very young when 9-11 happened. So, I think it’s very important. I feel like we need to get more exposure to this, what Wings Event Center does and what the firefighters in the area do. And they do this every year. I think it’s really important to get more people involved in doing this to support,” adds Allen.
The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs that took place across the country following the 9/11 terrorist attacks 25 years ago drew huge participation numbers.
Slowly, over time, firefighters and civilians who remember that dark day when 2996 innocent people, including 343 Fire Department of New York firefighters were killed, have noticed a decline in participation numbers.
There’s concern younger people who weren’t born when the 9/11 attacks occurred, may not be learning the impact that event had on our country.
However one instructor at Climax-Scotts High School is helping students understand the impact the 9/11 attacks had on the country by embedding the historical event into her curriculum each year.
Kelly Taunt, who came to C-S last year and teaches U.S. History, World History, and Government, said she has always talked about the 9/11 attacks in her history classes in other school districts she taught at.
She said she has worked in other school districts, and discovered students who attended other schools were not getting exposed much to the 9/11 event in the classroom.
She wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case at C-S.
She first shares her personal experience, noting where she was on that day and her thoughts after the plane hit the first tower and then the second.
“I will share how the country was extremely united, like nothing I have ever experienced since,” said Taunt.
The C-S teacher said she will show some clips of the news broadcasts that day.
She will show the 10-year anniversary video, Portraits of Resilience, to her freshman class. She feels the 10-year anniversary video “does an amazing job showing the effects to many groups of people on that day and the years that followed.”
She said with her sophomore and junior classes, she will likely show the “Turning Point: Generation 9/11” (Netflix) documentary clips which focus on how a generation has been affected by this tragedy.
“The reactions vary. Showing actual clips of the day, although disturbing, I think helps them understand how significant an event it is,” said Taunt, who was hired last year at C-S after Lark Murphy retired.
The C-S teacher adds since she will have many of the same students in the future, how the topic is discussed near the day of 9/11 will change.
She said she also has a few seniors, noting the videos she shows will change, but will focus on the effects since the 9/11 attacks.
“We do a lot of discussions about how local people and families were affected, the volunteers, military, first responders, etc. They (students) tend to ask great questions or have heard of some family stories. I usually go with the flow with them, and where their interests lie,” observed Taunt.
Comstock Township Assistant Fire Chief Mike Meulman was encouraged when he learned Taunt includes the 9/11 terrorist attacks as part of her curriculum at C-S.
“We’ve just got to keep passing it on to our kids and showing them in school and remember what these guys did for us,” said the Comstock assistant fire chief, following the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb held at Wings Event Center.
“It’s a big thing for all that were there and remember what happened to our country that day. One of the reasons we went to war was because of it. The patriotism that it brought on to our country and the close, togetherness that everyone had. It was all over the country, and almost all over the world. It was definitely a significant event. I think it’s important to keep on teaching and keep the tradition going. Pass it down to the younger generations coming up,” adds Devin Dipzinski, a member of the Pennfield Township Fire Department who attended C-S Community Schools, and G-A High School but was a 2012 graduate of Portage Northern High School.
Kady Allen, a 2006 graduate of C-S High School who participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Wings Event Center, feels it is important that younger people learn about the tragic event.
“A lot of kids don’t know. They just hear about it in school. They don’t understand the impact, what happened,” said Allen who said she was in Kevin Langs’ 8th grade class when the terrorist attacks occurred and remembers watching news coverage on television in the classroom.
“I heard that almost half the population now was not born or was very, very young when 9-11 happened. So, I think it’s very important. I feel like we need to get more exposure to this, what Wings Event Center does and what the firefighters in the area do. And they do this every year. I think it’s really important to get more people involved in doing this to support,” adds Allen.
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