CLARK, NJ — This year, the fourth- and fifth-graders of Valley Road Elementary School remembered Sept. 11 by reading the story “September Roses.” Students were able to see Sept. 11 through the eyes of two sisters who came to the city for a flower show but ended up with more than 2,000 roses and nowhere to go. They watched as the sisters found shelter thanks to strangers and subsequently sprang into action to try to help in any way possible. The sisters used their roses to create a memorial in Manhattan’s Union Square Park, which lifted the spirits of many in New York that day.
The students were able to focus on the unity and compassion that was seen in the hours and days that followed the initial attack. Each student in the fifth-grade classes of teachers Nicole Reagan, Kelly Worton and Tyler Beck created red and white roses, while the students in the fourth-grade classes of teachers Jennifer Guenther, Emma Gilardi and Karen Quigley created purple and blue roses. The roses were joined to create a mural of the American flag and the twin towers.
Photo Courtesy of Christine Casale Broski