BY KARISSA MILLER
Students, teachers and staff at Central Elementary School gathered around the flagpole on Thursday to honor all patriots, first responders and firefighters and remember the thousands of people who died on September 11, 2001.
Fourth-graders Alexis Johnson and Abbie Robertson were among the handful of students who helped lead the school’s annual Patriot Day ceremony. They honored the lives lost in the terror attacks and explained the meaning of the Freedom Flag.
“The three white stripes are for rescue workers who worked before and after 9/11,” Johnson said.
The two broad red stripes represent “the bloodshed of the people” who died, Robertson said, as well as the workers in the Twin Towers and on the two commercial airplanes that were crashed into the buildings in New York City.
History is important, Johnson said, because it can teach us about the present.
Teacher Jennifer Loyd said that two years ago, while reading an article in Scholastic News about the Freedom Flag Foundation, her class (now sixth-graders) applied to be a partner with the foundation.
“The Freedom Flag Foundation is an organization that was formed to establish the Freedom Flag as a national symbol of remembrance for September 11, 2001,” Loyd said. “They work to promote the educational use of the Freedom Flag and the WTC Steel to build awareness and continue to unify our communities around the importance of our shared freedom.”
Along with receiving a Freedom Flag, Central has a piece of steel from the North Tower on loan, along with other educational materials that are displayed in a glass case at the school.
Central is the only elementary school in North Carolina that has a partnership with the Freedom Flag Foundation.
On September 11, 2001, Loyd was pregnant with her first child and was not at school that day because she had a doctor’s appointment.
“I was teaching at West Iredell High then and was worried for my students and worried about my child,” she recalled.
Loyd teaches her current students about the events of September 11, 2001, with sensitivity and with reassurance while focusing on themes such as resilience, courage and patriotism.
Instructional Facilitator Jennifer Goforth said it’s important that children learn about 9/11. Many of their parents were very young when the terror attacks occurred.
Students were invited to wear patriotic colors to school. Students made cards for local heroes and first responders.
The Central community is a close-knit group with many students being fourth- and even fifth-generation students at the school. The students have taken to heart the message about 9/11, according to Goforth.
“My hope is that having more news about the Freedom Flag Foundation will encourage other schools to participate and partner with them,” Loyd said.
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