Teen panel discusses thoughts about 9-11
Most teenagers were in school on the morning of
Sept. 11, 2001. The events of the day confused many of those youngsters, and frightened them as well.
The Times Free Press assembled a group of local teens and asked them to talk about where they were when they heard of the terrorist attacks, how they felt as events unfolded and their reactions a year later.
■ Name: Danielle Paque
■ School: Notre Dame
■ Grade: Freshman
■ Age: 14
“I was at school coming back from the gym. The seriousness of it really didn’t hit me until I got home and saw the look on my parents’ faces. I realized then how bad it was. I learned that the world is not as safe as I had previously thought.”
■ Name: Rachel Corell
■ School: Soddy-Daisy
■ Grade: Junior
■ Age: 16 “I was in Voice for Stage class when I heard the news. We watched TV all day. Everyone cried. It was surreal. It was frightening, but I try to not let it affect me. I don’t dwell on what happened.”
■ Name: Terrell Houser
■ School: Howard School of Academics and Technology
■ Grade: Senior
■ Age: 17 “I was in class and all of a sudden everything stopped, and we started watching TV. I was scared then, but I’m OK now.”
■ Name: Yigael Anavi
■ School: Ooltewah
■ Grade: Sophomore
■ Age: 14 “I was in art class and my teacher got a phone call. My science teacher let us watch it all day, and by the time I got home I understood what was going on. I was scared, at first, to fly anywhere, but
I did fly the following October with a youth group. Things like this happen all the time in other countries. Now it has happened here.”
■ Name: Charlotte Kimsey
■ School: Ooltewah
■ Grade: Sophomore
■ Age: 14 “I was in English class, and we were in the middle of asking questions when the librarian came in and told our teacher. We
Danielle Paque, who participated in the roundtable discussion, wrote a poem days after the attacks. She said it was a way to relieve the tension and share her feelings. Danielle dedicated her poem to the rescue workers, firefighters, police and volunteers who lost their lives or helped others on Sept. 11. She said the day should “live in our hearts as a day of reckoning and a day for a new beginning.”
watched the coverage as it was happening. When my teacher started to cry, I felt really sad. It has made me apprehensive about being in crowds.”
■ Name: Shawna Holsomback
■ School: Ringgold
■ Grade: Sophomore
■ Age: 15 “I was in literature when the teacher turned on the TV. We were all in shock. It seems like we watched TV all day. I’ll never forget in gym class that day — no one said a word. Security at school has gotten tighter since then. I’m afraid to be in large crowds anymore, and it kind of freaks me out to see people with dark skin like the terrorists.”
■ Name: Teale Schier
■ School: Homeschooled
■ Grade: Freshman
■ Age: 14 “I was in bed and I heard my mom going on and on about the Pentagon. When I got up and saw it on TV, I was in shock. I was really scared. It made me appreciate my family and friends.”
■ Name: Caleb Pitkin
■ School: Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences
■ Grade:
Sophomore
■ Age: 15
“I was in choir class, and we got a weird note from the office. The teacher read it and turned the TV on, and we saw what was happening. We watched most of the day. (Later) one of my teachers was called to (military) duty. Today, I don’t think about it much.”
■ Name: Jenny Stracener
■ School: Soddy-Daisy
■ Grade: Sophomore
■ Age: 15
“I was in my geography class when my teacher said, ‘OK, drop your test and watch TV, because this is history happening right now.’ When I got home, my dad didn’t want me watching TV at first. He didn’t know what they would show. I don’t think we are as safe as we used to be.”