In 21st Century America, no event is perhaps as significant to the development of our nation’s social awareness and thought as 9/11.
On that sunny Tuesday morning of September 11th, 2001, Hewitt Students followed routine. Natalie Landsberg ’14 remembered, “That day was my second day in Kindergarten. All the girls were dressed in their plaid jumpers and excited for a full day of school.” However, at 9:00 am, when the first tower was struck by American Airlines Flight 11, many students felt the impact of the attack in various ways. Julia Bronheim ’13 recalled, “My mother picked me up from Hewitt. Although I was young, I knew something must have been wrong because she used to only pick me up before she left for business trips.” Natalie also remembered the state of confusion she experienced when everyone’s parents began to pick their children up early. “We were all so confused as to why we were let out early, but given our young age, we did not question it very much. We were mainly excited to share our experiences at Hewitt that day.”
Many Hewitt students hurried home to spend time with their shocked parents; Anna Mendelson ’13 recalled spending her night “standing in [her] living room in front of the couch, staring at [her] parents with their eyes glued to the television screen. I remember being surprised by how silent they were, not knowing if I should say something. Looking back on it now, I do not regret having kept silent,” she said.
As Hewitt Upper School students look back on the event from a more mature perspective, many agree that the event’s significance seemed minor at the time compared to how it seems now; Natalie stated, “I think I must have understood the concept of the buildings being destroyed, but none of the reasons behind it. Now, I understand what this event means to New York City and America as a whole.”
So how has September 11th affected our community, both on an international, national, and citywide scale? Sofia Stafford ’13 stated, “I think it has made America much more cautious of terrorism, and I think it also has brought the country together on a new level. It reinforced the idea that we, as a country, can all get through something if we work together and cooperate.” Natalie Landsberg remarked, “It has made America a more xenophobic and prejudice place in many ways. For example, racial profiling has increased since the event. I also think that immediately following the event, Americans gained a sense of nationalism, because everyone wanted to show the world that we could pull through.” On a similar note, Victoria Zoha ’14 commented, “America has shown its resilience and power even through this disaster.” In regards to increased national security, Julia Bronheim said that, “airport security is really difficult now; it seems that new procedures have come about every year since the attacks.”
On September 9th, Hewitt’s Upper School gathered together in the library to commemorate 9/11 and the lives lost. Haley Sherif ’12 read a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, which was followed by a moment of silence. Ten years ago, Hewitt students created commemorative books as part of their response to that terrible day. Upper school students now have the opportunity to review the responses of the upper and middle school girls from ten years ago and adding their own memories to that story.