by Cris Italia
"It's a lot to take in," said seventh-grader Ben Steinberg of the school's trip. One that he says was well worth it. The trip, which was supposed to last about a half-hour, turned into a two-hour tour of the firehouse.
"I thought we were just going there to present a check," Steinberg said of the $4,700 the school raised for the firehouse. "They were really great to us, and they were happy to have us there."
For six weeks through March and April, the middle school set out to raise money for the equipment lost during the Sept. 11 tragedies. The school decided to adopt Rescue One, because of Ken Marino, a firefighter originally from Oceanside who lost his life during the rescue effort.
Marino is also the son of Maryann Marino who worked for the middle school as a secretary for 15 years. She now works for the superintendent, Dr. Herb Brown, in the district office. She joined the 34 students who made the trip to Manhattan.
"It was extremely nice of them to do something like that," Marino said. "Although it was difficult at times to be there, it meant a lot to me that they understood what it meant to be there."
The $4,700 was the most raised by the school in their history. "We all wished we could have raised more," said Nancy Morris, a teacher at the middle school. Morris said the trip was "the best experience for them bar none."
Morris explained that stepping off the bus in Manhattan, everything changed. "Suddenly nothing else mattered anymore. I think they realized any little complaints about the bus or the ride into Manhattan was meaningless compared to what they were about to do." She added, "everything changed; it's amazing how well they received this. ... This really touched their souls."
"What I felt the most was knowing that someone from our town was part of this, knowing that he was a hero and will always be a hero in Oceanside," seventh-grader Jessica Zucker said of Firefighter Ken Marino.
"I think what hit me the most was knowing that the firefighters that were there were only there as replacements for those that died," eighth-grader Lauren Goldberg said. Her fellow students agreed; realizing that the firehouse lost all of its members made it difficult at times.
"It was certainly more emotional than I thought it would be," Nikki Moss said. "I guess you just don't know what to expect until you're there."
Meeting and greeting firefighters made students feel more connected to Sept. 11. The events had an impact, of course, but they gained greater insight through the visit.
"You don't really get a feel of what really happened until you meet some of [the firefighters]," Steinberg said. "Just being there talking to them and sitting in that firehouse, just made you realize it more. If it hadn't hit us before Friday's visit to Rescue One, it sure hit us now."
The fund-raising kicked off with the help of teachers Nancy Morris, Bill Kip and school secretary Susan McConnell. "I think this was a unifying experience," Kip said. "It was important to put faces with the names of people who were lost and this really changed their attitudes and at the same time we wanted to honor Mr. and Mrs. Marino and their son."
"The effort of fund-raising was the most meaningful part of all this," Marino said. "All of the work they put into this, selling food, writing letters to companies; it was just great to see that it meant so much to them." She added that it would have meant a lot to her son, too. "He would have been embarrassed if he was here," she said, "but very proud."
At the firehouse students noticed the amount of support Rescue One has received from all over the world. "There were badges of fire departments from all over the world," Courtney Pincus said. "It really didn't hit me until I saw all the paintings and pictures of everything."
"It just felt good doing something," Steinberg said. "We didn't want to leave; just wanted to take everything in there with us."
Zucker added, "Just going there now I think we feel more part of it. For those of us who haven't been in the city it was just a way for us to connect."
