New Hampshire Department Of Education Marks 25th Anniversary of Sept. 11 With Call to Teach History

CONCORD, NH — As the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches, the New Hampshire Department of Education is urging schools to help students understand the attacks through history, personal accounts and reflection.

The department said many of today’s students know Sept. 11, 2001, only as a historical event.

Terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes in a coordinated attack against the United States. Two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City, another hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew tried to regain control. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including passengers, airline crews, first responders, military personnel, and civilians.

For students who were not yet born when the attacks happened, the department said the distance from that day makes teaching the history especially important.

“Students learn history not only through dates and events, but through the experiences of the people who lived through them,” Commissioner Caitlin Davis said. “As we mark 25 years since September 11, we have an opportunity to help students understand this pivotal moment in our nation's history while encouraging thoughtful reflection on courage, service, resilience, community, and the importance of caring for one another.”

The department shared reflections from New Hampshire educators and community members who remembered the day.

Krista Diamond, who was teaching an elective class in a second-grade classroom, described an unusually quiet school building.

“You could hear a pin drop in the hallways, strangely quiet,” she said. “Even the little kids knew something was up from reading the emotions of their teachers. Keeping it all together for the kids, we all went through the motions of the day.”

She added that she still remembered, “the choked-up voice of our principal after the kids had left the building, telling everyone to go home and hug their family members.”

Doug Cullen watched the attack unfold on television.

He remembers an uncertainty surrounding what was happening. His initial thought after the first plane hit was that it must have been a small plane, as opposed to a commercial aircraft. After learning that was not the case, Cullen said the ensuing “silence” is what he remembers the most, as cell and phone communication became problematic.

“The U.S. pulled together as an operating ‘unit’ unlike any other time in recent history except World War II,” Cullen said. “It took a tragedy to bring us together, but it did bring us together. Our goal is to continue to operate with that sense of national unity without, and potentially absent from, tragedy.”

Cullen said he had a business partner at the time who had a ticket on American Airlines Flight 11 but decided just hours before takeoff to switch to another flight, traveling through Chicago to shorten his layover. He still has his printed Flight 11 ticket, said Cullen.

Kelly Jobel, who was teaching at an elementary school, remembered learning about the attack from another educator and watching the news during recess while students were outside. She said she focused on “making sure our students were not going home to an empty house that day.”

Tory Barber lived at Camp Lejeune military base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, because her husband was stationed on the USS Kearsarge. She walked into her friend’s house on the way to an appointment when the first plane hit the tower and she learned later about the second plane when she returned to base.

“I walked back into my friend’s house as the first tower fell,” she said. “We knew at that moment our husbands were not coming home anytime soon. On base, it was very stressful and quiet at first. Then the amount of pride seen was overwhelming.”

Educators, the department said, should create age-appropriate opportunities for students to study Sept. 11 through historical resources and firsthand accounts, while allowing room for discussion and reflection.

The department also pointed to a free Discovery Education virtual field trip and educator guide tied to the anniversary.

“Discovery Education’s 9/11: Day of Service Virtual Field Trip — updated for the 25th anniversary — offers educators a free, virtual journey through NYC that helps students born after 9/11 understand the tragedy through the lens of civic engagement and community service,” Karen Beerer, Ed.D., SVP at Discovery Education, said.