BY SYDNEY DAILY

This past weekend marked the twentieth anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day all Americans will remember for the rest of their lives. Teachers and students at Wadsworth High School speak out about what they remember and how that tragic day impacts them now.

Mrs. Mathews

“Living through something that horrific teaches that freedom is a very precious idea,” Spanish teacher Victoria Mathews said. “You can’t take it for granted. Life is precious too. We need to make sure we show our loved ones how we feel everyday.” 

Ellie Smith

“It impacted me because that was one of the bigger reasons that my dad went into the military and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Sophomore Ellie Smith said. “He is the person he is today because of being in the army and doing all of the things he did there. It [9/11] holds a deep meaning to me because my dad has such a connection to it, so him talking to me about it helps me get a deeper and better understanding of what happened and the extent of how terrible it truly was.” 

Mr. Callaghan

English teacher Scott Callaghan speaks out about what he was doing that day and how it has impacted him,  “I started to find things out because every teacher in every classroom had a television in it,” English teacher Scott Callaghan said. “We had cable TV and people were watching it during the morning and word just started to spread throughout the high school. It has changed our world forever, I think back then it made me and everyone else very vulnerable. You realize that even though we live in an incredibly strong resilient country, that you are not always safe. When I reflect back upon it I always think of all the people who were murdered by terrorists and I also think about all the police officers and firefighters and EMT workers and boat operators who rescued or tried to rescue all the people, and in so doing gave up their lives in an incredibly sacrificial way. I think about it all the time still.”