The 9/11 Tribute Center will celebrate its 10th Annual Teacher Awards ceremony on Monday, February 27 at 10 am. The teacher award was developed to honor and remember the lives lost during the rst bombing of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993. The awards which include a certi cate and award to the winning school, recognize teachers who develop innovative lessons to teach their students about 9/11. Opening remarks will be made by Chancellor Betty A. Rosa of the NY State Board of Regents. On September 11, 2001, the Chancellor was the Superintendent of District 8’s 30 schools in the Bronx. “All educators in the care of children that day will never ever forget it,” she stated in recalling that di cult memory.

This year 7 awards are being presented to teachers from New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Illinois. One unique project in a high school Honors Public Speaking Class asks students to analyze speeches made by public leaders after a disaster and then write their own speech to console a grieving populace. Another project culminated in students making a video with visuals from 9/11 and an accompanying narration of their own personal re ections about the attacks.

Every year the challenge grows as the students have no direct memory of 9/11. As has been the case in previous years, many of the award-winning teachers introduce 9/11 to their students because they have a direct connection themselves. One teacher is a retired NYPD o cer while one teacher is an EMT who helped the World Trade Center from September 12-15, 2001. Another teacher from the Midwest lost one of his college friends in the attacks.

The Tribute Center is able to present these awards through the generosity of several 9/11 family foundations who support the award to each winning school. This year’s 9/11 Tribute Center Teacher Awards are made possible by:

• The Brooke Jackman Foundation
• The Christopher Slattery September 11th Memorial Foundation
• The Greg Richards, Larry Polatsch, Scott Weingard (GLS) Memorial Fund The Mullan family in memory of Firefighter Michael D. Mullan
• The Terence D. Gazzani 9/11 Scholarship Fund
• The Terry Farrell Fire ghters Fund
• The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust