Lesson: 9/11 can never be forgotten

Flags flew at half-mast throughout Oceanside as the community remembered the events of 9/11 and paid its respects to all who were lost that day. In the early evening, the community gathered at Schoolhouse Green on Foxhurst Road for a ceremony of remembrance co-hosted by the Oceanside Interfaith Council, Oceanside Fire Department, Oceanside Education Foundation and Oceanside School District.

In schools, teachers helped students to understand what took place thirteen years ago, an event that many students only know from the stories their parents have told them.

“You’re the first generation that has no memories of its own about 9/11,” said social studies teacher Stephanie Bragman to her eighth-graders, who were born in 2001.

Former Oceanside Fire Department Chief Edward Scharfberg visited Oceanside Middle School, where he shared his recollections of what it was like to be a first responder that day. Mr. Scharfberg was at the time a member of the New York Police Department.

The visit was arranged by Ms. Bragman and English Language Arts teacher, Kayla Toscana, who combined their classes for an extended lesson on 9/11. The students followed the lesson by writing letters to U.S. troops deployed overseas.