LI students remember 9/11, then and now

The 10th-grade students in Lauryn Fischer's English class at Jericho High School mostly study the traditional literature of sophomore course work -- "Animal Farm," "Lord of the Flies" and "Julius Caesar."

But this year, the district introduced "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," Jonathan Safran Foer's novel about a boy who loses his father on Sept. 11, 2001.

For the students, the story was about a day they had lived.

"I remember all the teachers left the room," Jennifer Yu, 16, recalled. "Something had happened and it was really scary."

Emme Bih, 15, was in the second grade. "One of my best friends was crying, 'My dad's dead,' " she said. "And she couldn't stop crying."

Educators across Long Island have found students often have a personal connection when the attacks and their consequences are discussed. A strong tie exists, they say, even for those who weren't yet born or in school.

"Since we were so close to it, it is even harder for some of us," said David Jaccino, 16, who will be a Connetquot High School senior in September. "Some of us have family members in the fire department or on the police force. It is definitely tough."

Waverly Park Elementary School in East Rockaway has a Sept. 11 tribute garden organized by science teacher Susan Lindner, who was honored by the Tribute WTC Visitor Center in Manhattan for her work teaching about 9/11. The children planted tulips and have released butterflies at the site. A school nurse, Dorata Zois, lost her husband, Paul Zois, 46, an American Express travel planner from Lynbrook who worked on the 94th floor of the north tower.

"It first came up in kindergarten when they became aware," said parent Eileen Hoffner, whose daughter, Allison Siegel, is 9 and recently visited the tribute center with her classmates. "When it became common knowledge that her husband had died, in our house there was a conversation about it."

The school's tribute garden "has become an everyday part" of Allison's life, Hoffner said.

The Eastport-South Manor district secured a steel beam from the trade center that will be unveiled on the 10th anniversary. Volunteers working on the memorial include Patrick Minogue, 14, and Harry Brenkert, 16 -- both of whom have relatives affected by 9/11.

Patrick, who was 4 in 2001, has an uncle who worked in one of the towers and was injured.

The memorial "will be something in our society forever, and it is something good to do for our community," he said.

Harry's father, stationed at FDNY's Ladder Company 3 in the East Village, lost 13 colleagues.

Harry said he volunteered "on behalf of the 13 guys that my dad lost, and I knew them very well too. It was not like they were co-workers with my dad, it's a brotherhood . . . and they all become family."Harry said he volunteered "to pay my respects and to honor them. It is something that is important and for the future, and for the children to learn -- that you can't forget it."