By Liz McBreen
The plans for the day will be handed down to school principals from the district offices. Each school in the three towns will be holding a moment of silence to remember those who were lost in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Douglas Monahan, principal of H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square said that classes will cease for fifteen minutes in all Sewanhaka schools on the morning of Sept. 11. "After a moment of silence, a three or four minute speech will be read by each of the principals." Monahan had not yet received the content of this speech, but he said, "the issues of that day will be addressed."
In the West Hempstead district, a moment of silence will he held at 10:29 a.m., the moment the second tower fell, according to Superintendent Carol Eisenberg.
George Washington Elementary School will dedicate a part of a garden they planted last year, and Cornwell Avenue School will have a dedication in their Celebration Garden in front of the school.
"Family Emergency Guidance Services has set up a curriculum for the day that is age and grade appropriate. We may take some ideas from that. It is important that none of the children are unduly frightened," said Eisenberg.
A moment of silence will be held in the morning at schools in the Elmont school district, and at the end of the day, the children will remain in their classrooms and sing a patriotic song. The song will be broadcast over the loudspeaker, explained Superintendent Maria Palandra. "The support staff is also putting together some ideas for teachers to use during the school day."
Those who are planning the tributes are careful to keep mind the weight of this topic. "We need to have a balance between awareness and respect for the students, and think about how they will interpret things," said Eisenberg.
"Our goal is to celebrate patriotism and the strength of our country," said Palandra, adding, "these are young children, and we do not want to dwell too much on the tragedy, rather instill pride and unity." Teachers in the Elmont district will also encourage their students to wear red, white and blue on the day of the tribute.
