Remembering 9/11

SCW students learn history from one who lived it

The reality of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has been the focus of a special class unit at St. Clare Walker (SCW) Middle School. 

On Sept. 8, eighth-grade English teacher Jenny Morotini brought Will Jimeno, a retired NYC Port Authority police officer, to Middlesex County Public Schools via Zoom to speak to eighth-grade students and guests. Jimeno survived the 9/11 attack after being buried alive for 13 hours in the rubble when the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11/2001. Jimeno and fellow Port Authority officer Sergeant John McLoughlin were trapped together and rescued that day from underneath the fallen towers.

Jimeno is the author of two books about 9/11. One is for children, “Immigrant, American, Survivor: A Little Boy Who Grew Up To Be All Three,” and “Sunrise Through the Darkness: A Survivor’s Account of Learning to Live Again Beyond 9/11.”

The Middlesex County Kiwanis Club fully funded the project and the speaker. “The students listened intently as Jimeno spoke not only about his experience that day, but also about how he has learned and lived his life in the aftermath of 9/11,” said Morotini. 

Morotini’s eighth grade students were born in 2009, so while they’ve seen videos and heard stories, most of them don’t relate to the day and what happened on 9/11 and the aftermath of the attack, she explained.

“I try to help them understand that for those of us that lived through it, we will never forget that day and how we felt. I also do my best to honor those who died on 9/11,”

Students’ questions

During the Zoom presentation in the school’s auditorium students were able to ask Jimeno questions…