Emily Brand & Isabel Lawrence
News Editors
On Sept. 14, NCHS had its annual 9/11 assembly in the auditorium at 9:15 a.m. during periods 1 and 4. The goal of this assembly is to bring the school together to remember those who risked their lives 11 years ago, and show the strength and resilience of those impacted.
The assembly began with a video playing as people came into the auditorium. Next, the Star Spangled Banner was sung by senior Christy Coco, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by History Department Head Richard Webb. A film by senior Kyle Connor played, as well as a video clip from VOICES of September 11th. The speakers were then introduced by Mr. Webb and spoke about their experiences with the event. The assembly closed with a “call to action” presentation by the student interns for the VOICES of September 11th.
Director of Development for VOICES of September 11th Frank Fetchet was a speaker at the assembly along with student summer interns from his family’s organization, VOICES of 9/11. Mr. Fetchet’s involvement with the 9/11 assembly at the high school began after his eldest son, Brad Fetchet, died on the fateful day. According to Mr. Fetchet, it is important to keep bringing the school and community together to remember the anniversary of 9/11. “Each year, the kids that we are speaking to will have been younger and younger when 9/11 happened,” he said. “They think they know what happened from the stories they’ve heard, but it’s also important to remember what’s happened since.”
Mr. Webb also sees the importance of commemorating the day each year. “The next thing is to move forward, see what we can do in response to 9/11,” he said. “Certainly there’s a lot of destruction globally in response to 9/11; see Libya, see the attacks, see the murder of the ambassador. So, this is the next step in processing the event that’s called 9/11.”
Junior Connor Gress agreed that 9/11 is an event that should not be forgotten. “It was an important moment in history that impacted almost everyone in the U.S,” he said. “It’s something that we shouldn’t forget because it reminds us of our struggles in history.”
Many members of the New Canaan community have a personal connection to 9/11, whether a loved one was lost or they themselves were near when the event took place. Mr. Fetchet said he wanted “people to come away from the assembly and feel that they’ve learned things that they didn’t know before, to hear the passion of people who dealt with something bad and think ‘what can I do to make a difference as a person?’”
In order for the assembly to impact NCHS, direct student involvement was necessary. Lizzy Kilbride, who is now a freshman at Colgate University, and seniors Annie Fox, Jessica Karl and Madeline Diamond were all involved in the summer internship program. “Our interns reached out to members of the community and worked with Mr. Webb to start creating ideas for how to implement their visuals at the High school,” Mr. Fetchet said.
Mr. Webb emphasized the ability for future generations to reflect on 9/11. “The importance is that you as the new generation understand, and you as the new generation make sense of, and you as the new generation move forward with.”
