- Essay by Jackie Kimmel, Grade 10

This day was like no other; a day of unforgettable feats and unbelievable sadness. The day of September 11, 2001 is one of the many pages in the book of America's history that will never be lost, just like the days of Pearl Harbor and even back to the civil war. These events are all remembered and known clearly just as the day of September 11th is to me.

Coming from the mind of a 5th grader, nothing seemed worse than having to sit through a full day of school, but little did I know I was about to find out how wrong I was. Sitting in my homeroom class I suddenly realized that many of my classmates were being mysteriously dismissed from school. I secretly envied them, wishing that I could leave also. From the time of the first dismissed student to the unveiling of what was actually happening, is a time I regard as one of dumbfounded and complete mystery. To me it seemed as if everyone knew a secret and was intentionally keeping me out of the loop. I can remember hushed whispers in the hall from one teacher to another. As more and more students started being picked up by their parents, I became more and more worried, what exactly had happened and what was going to happen to the rest of us students that were still at school?

In time though, all was revealed. I can still hear the coldness in my teacher's voice as they spoke the words that will forever be etched into my mind "There was an attack on New York, there were 2 planes flown into the World Trade Center, but a plane also crashed in Shanksville". At this point all I remember is the room freezing, the whole moment on standstill in my mind.

The next thing that I can recall is being told that school was being let out early. On any other normal day this would have been a rejoiceful time, but today it only reminded us of the present and upcoming problems that the United States was going to be faced with. There was not a single smiling face to be seen, no laughter to be heard; this was a major event and everyone knew the severity of it. Some students can even recall the exact moment when the planes hit in Shanksville, they remember being able to feel the tremor from the plane crashing into the ground.

Once safely at home, I recall grilling my mother with questions of the day's events. What happened exactly? What caused this? What was going to happen next? She comforted me and promised that everything would turn out all right, but that is not how I remember the day and future days turning out. In fact, everything was not okay, many people lost their lives and there was extreme damage to what seemed like almost everything. It seemed as if nothing would ever be all right ever again. But America proved my theory wrong. Today as one, we are stronger than ever before and nothing is going to change that. We stood strong and united, we never let the terrorists get the upper hand. Overall I remember this day as one of extreme terror, sadness, indescribable emotions, but also as the start of something amazing.

The extreme terror was that of the time of not knowing what was happening, and not knowing where your loved ones were at and if they were okay. The sadness is for all the wonderful people that were robbed of their lives earlier than was meant. The amazing part was of how our country reacted to this horrific event, how we all became one and learned the importance of time and togetherness. September 11 is a day that will never be forgotten, and that should never be forgotten.