This week marks the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a day that changed America. Every year, people honor the courage shown on that tragic day and the lives of lost loved ones during the attack.
At Green Level High School, students and staff found their own ways to take part in the remembrance of 9/11. The Green Level Lacrosse team gathered for an honorary 9/11 conditioning practice at 5:30 AM while the campus was still sleeping.
The team ran up and down the bleachers wearing red bandanas as a special tribute workout to Welles Remy Crowther. A college lacrosse player who was playing at Boston University and working in the South tower as an equities trader during the time the planes hit.
The Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach, Kyle Sopko, says, “We had all the guys wear red bandanas throughout the run to represent Crowther because he always carried a red bandana and is even known as The Man in the Red Bandana.”
Crowther saved as many as 12 lives the day the Twin Towers were hit. After bringing down a group of people to safety, he risked his own life multiple times running back into the building to save more people until the South Tower eventually collapsed on him, and he was unable to make it out alive.
“To represent Crowther, we developed our workout to run up and down 110 stories on the bleachers as there were 110 stories in the World Trade Center.” Said Sopko.
This year was the first time the Lacrosse team held an honorary 9/11 run, a tradition they hope to continue for years to come.
“Next year it would be cool to open the 9/11 run to the school and the staff and have hundreds of people out in red bandanas running the stairs to bring Green Level and the community together, honoring those who have fallen.” Said Sopko “It’s so important to show the team the patriotism and sacrifice that heroes in our country gave so they can understand the value of working hard for something bigger than themselves.”
The workout was about a lot more than conditioning. It was also about team bonding. Going out with the team at 5:30 AM and running 110 stories speaks for itself and reflects the team’s dedication to one another.
Andrew Cheng, a senior lacrosse player who participated in the 9/11 workout, said, “Going out with the guys before sunrise and honoring the first responders to the 9/11 tragedy was a great experience; it really brought the team together.”
“It felt different than a normal conditioning practice because we were running for a reason more than ourselves,” says Cheng. “It also felt different because it was a lot harder, and I puked all over the place after finishing the workout. I had too many pickles that morning.”
While the lacrosse team found its own way to honor lost ones during the 9/11 attacks through Welles Crowther and an honorary run, the impact of 9/11 is remembered in multiple ways throughout the campus. Beginning with a moment of silence in the morning announcements, and another moment of silence after the starting lineup of the Varsity Soccer game.
Principal Karen Summers says, “We are expected by Wake County to do a moment of silence in the morning. However, I think it’s really important for students and staff to take a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are.”
“I hope the moment of silence gives teachers an opportunity to share their 9/11 story with students to teach them how significant and scary the event was. I want them to build relationships and connections with students as I think they are so important to build the community of the school,” says Summers.
Mrs. Summers has her own 9/11 story. She was at West Lake Middle School when she got pulled from a meeting to be told something bad was happening in the world.
“I was walking through the halls and weirdly enough everything was silent, even eerie, like a pindrop. I walked into a food classroom and right when I went in the door, I saw the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower.” Says Summers
She had a best friend who worked in the South Tower, but was luckily late for work that day. Even though we live in North Carolina, it’s a small world; people have related family members or friends who were impacted by the 9/11 attacks. That is why the moment of silence has such power, especially at Green Level.
September 11th has served as a way for students and staff to pause and reflect, to honor lost ones, as well as teach new generations lessons of resilience, sacrifice, and gratitude. Though it has been 24 years since the 9/11 attacks, the lessons learned from that tragedy continue throughout the school through teaching and reflecting on the past.
