Star Valley High School students and staff gathered on Friday morning, September 11, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Assistant Principal Josh Frazier and US History Teacher McKay Young spoke to the student body, encouraging honor and reverence for victims who lost their lives and first responders who gave their lives in the attack.

Students met at the outdoor flagpole on the south side of the school building, “where we honored America and the victims of 9/11,” said SVHS Principal Farren Haderlie in an email to SVI Media. Those gathered opened the assembly with the Pledge of Allegiance and were led by Will Hinton in in National Anthem.

RELATED: REMEMBERING 9/11 – 25 YEARS LATER – 

Planned by Assistant Principal Wyndy McGinley, the assembly focused on inviting students “honor our country and remember the lives lost on 9/11,” said Haderlie. Student response was strong and clear. “They would like it to become a tradition,” said McGinley.

As part of his presentation, Young discussed the ideologies that brought such devastation to American soil. “That day showed us just how evil man can be, but also, in that dark and tragic event, we also got to witness just how good man can be. So many of those who lost their lives in New York City had no reason to be in those towers when they came crashing down, other than they rushed there from every corner of the city, policemen and fire fighters, to run up the stairs while others were running for their lives to get down. The terrorists thought that they would bring America to its knees, but instead what I witnessed was it bringing the best out in us.”

Young continued, illustrating the unity and compassion forged throughout the nation by the attacks. “I’ve never seen Americans more kind, more patient, more forgiving, more focused on all that we agree on and less interested in arguing about the few things we disagree on. People were no longer Democrats or Republicans, gay or straight, pro-life or pro-choice. For a while after 9/11, we were all just Americans. Charles Dickens wrote a century and a half ago, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,’ and that’s how I remember 9/11, and more importantly, the days, weeks and months that followed. It was the worst of times, but it brought out the best in us as Americans.”

Haderlie felt that it was a “pretty special morning here at SVHS,” and Frazier encouraged students to experience their day with a more sacred perspective on the value of all human beings. “As we go throughout today and our school year, as we reflect on the service that was given on 9/11, let’s try and find ways to take care of each other.”