Walnut High Students Mark 9/11 Tragedy

Photo Courtesy: WVUSD
Walnut High School students marked the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy with a display of nearly 3,000 American flags.

By Kelli Gile

Walnut – Walnut High School students placed nearly 3,000 American flags on the front lawn of the campus to mark the 14^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Volunteers gathered after school on September 10 for the remembrance project. They created the 12-foot tall 9/11 and pentagon shaped display with thick layers of red, white, and blue patriotic markers.

The Teen Republicans club has organized the tribute for the past five years. This year, they were joined by members of United Medicine, UNICEF, Young Democrats, and the National Honor Society.

“I just want to be part of this because I think we should commemorate this tragedy. And it’s important to remember,” commented senior Gabriel Alfaro, the Young Democrats president.

The teens respectfully pushed the tiny flags into the grass to honor each life lost during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

“We need to memorialize this,” said senior Kai Lin.

English teacher Marissa Beemer quietly watched from the sidewalk during the hour-long project. When the 25 volunteers were finished working, she gathered the group to share her memories of 9/11.

At the time, Beemer was a senior at Fairfield University, a campus that sat on the Long Island Sound just across from the World Trade Center.

“You could see the smoke and rubble from my house.” the tearful educator described. “When the buildings fell, my school lost 14 alumni. Two of those people were my friends.

“So for me, this is very personal and I really appreciate that our students take the time to put the flags up every year,” she said.

The 9/11 flags were on display through Sun., Sept. 13.