Governor Rell has called for a moment of silence at 8:46 am today. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum web site is here.
9/11, Six Years Later. Remembrance.
by turfgrrl
September 11th, 2007 · 32 Comments
Tags: In the News
32 Responses so far ↓ “9/11, Six Years Later. Remembrance.”
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God Bless.
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We tend to try and forget the horrors of that day, but if we do, we will be destined to repeat them.
My condolences to all who lost family and friends in that attack on America.
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This from today’s Writer’s Almanac…
On this day in 2001 terrorists flew two planes into Twin Towers in New York City, causing both towers to collapse. In the weeks following the attacks, many writers and other artists wondered how to respond to what had happened.
One of the first groups of writers to take action were the reporters for The New York Times, who began writing portraits of the victims in a special section of the paper called “Portraits of Grief.” The journalists involved decided that they would try to write portraits of every victim of the attack whose family they could reach. And they decided that the stories would focus on how the victims lived, not how they died.
The portraits were shorter than the average Times obituary, at about 150 words, and they skipped things like college degrees, jobs held, and names of surviving family members. They just tried to capture some detail or anecdote that would express each person’s individuality. There was a firefighter who wore size 15 boots; a pastry chef who could eat as many desserts as she wanted without gaining weight; a man who put toothpaste on his wife’s toothbrush when he got up before her; and a grandmother who wore pink rhinestone-studded sunglasses and a metallic gold raincoat.
Ultimately, 143 reporters worked on the project, and they managed to write about 1,910 of the 2,749 victims. They would have written about every victim, but some families didn’t want to participate or couldn’t be found. The portraits were collected in the book Portraits 9/11/01 (2002).
One of the people who read the “Portraits of Grief” was the singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and he noticed how many of the victims of the attacks had loved his music. So he started calling the spouses of the victims on the telephone to express his condolences. One of the people he called said, “I got through Joe’s memorial and a good month and a half on that phone call.”
Less than a year later Springsteen released his album The Rising (2002), with songs written in response to the attacks, many of the lyrics based on the stories people told him in those phone calls.
The novelist Don DeLillo has just come out with a novel about the September 11 attacks called Falling Man (2007). When asked why he wanted to write about the attacks, DeLillo said, “They say that journalism is the first draft of history and maybe in a curious way fiction is the final draft. Not because it’s more truthful, but because it can enter unknown territory. A writer can work his way into the impact of history on interior lives. He can examine what a character sees, thinks, feels, hears, even what a character dreams.”
So sad…
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my thoughts and prayers to all the families that lost loved ones, to all of those families in public service that lost a family member in the line of, my family and myself send prayers and thoughts as well.
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I was told that Norwalk High School did not participate in the governers request for a moment of silence this morning. Can anybody from the BOE or NHS staff verify or explain this? I have heard this from several students who also stated that many of the students were upset over this inaction on the part of their school/staff.
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BMHS participated it was a positive way of talking to our students about showing respect. Many teachers had discussions about where they were when the it all happened, simmilar to where were you when Kennedy was shot, it let students know that they lived through history.
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NHS had a moment of silence at the start of morning announcments
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“NHS had a moment of silence at the start of morning announcments”
Shouldn’t the moment of silence have been at the time of the first attack? The moment of silence you mention took place at 8:20 or so, but the anniversary of the attack was later than that. This was such a momentous time in the history of this country that interrupting classes would not have been too much for people to expect.
BMHS in recent years seems to be doing many of the right things. Whatever happened to NHS? Someone told me yesterday that BMHS is now by far the largest school because so many students want to go there. What happened?
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Strange, I just asked another student and they didnt hear the request at morning annoumcments. If it did occur, it obvously didnt have the effect that it deserved….Do we have any NHS staff that actually heard the request for the moment of silence?
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Maybe their home room is not quiet enough to hear the announcements?
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To all questons above;
There WAS a call for a memorial moment on NHS announcements. Everyone needs to remember that the school in under intense construction. Part of that renovation included all new clocks, PA, phones, and bells. The bell system finally worked correctly on the 12th. PA and phones not always so. Further, the din of drilling, hammering, and sawing is ever present. Many times, students and staff simply can’t hear clearly. Additionally, there is zero HVAC operational in a bulding designed without sufficient windows. That means that many windowless interior classrooms are hovering between 90-100 degrees and the rest of the school suffers heavy, motionless air. All of the floor tile has been removed, so a cloud of cement dust adds to the ambience as students pass between classes. The workers have skim coated the floors in preparation to lay tile this weekend. It’ survival mode at NHS.
As for the inevitable comparison with BMHS, God Bless the Senators. It’s about time that they had a first class facility. Their enrollment has increased significantly and why wouldn’t it?! What a beautiful school! Their population is still not as large as NHS, but it is very close. There is some creative fudging on the distinction between BMHS kids and the Center for Global Studies, which is supposed to be a separate and distinct entity. That head count can be manipulated to garner additional teaching and administrative staff. CGS is also used as a kind of athletic recruitment ploy. Or, can it be that so many talented athletes are truly interested in studying Arabic? Perhaps a better question should be, why was more than twice the funding allocated to BMHS renovation compared to NHS? Another consideration might be a disaggregated look at the data from each school. CAPT scores for the high schools are lumped together for publication. One might also ask how does BMHS compare to NHS in other stats: AP enrollment and performance, SAT scores, graduation rate, quality and quantity of college acceptances, staff to student ratios, etc. The public would find such items quite enlightening.
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Gharles the Hammer-I don’t know where you get your information but it is a little off on some of the things you stated. The CGS students still take classes along with the main BMHS students. They are not recruted to play any sports and there are few that have attepted to join a team.Remember they are many times commuting from other school districts-not just from across town. Our school population is over 1650 of enrolled students. The state of BMHS before construction was horrible.
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Sorry I slipped it should have been Charles.
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Charlie the Hammer brings up a good point and one which has been asked many times in the past. The City spent over $75,000,000 at BMHS to essentially build a new school, but is short changing NHS with only $35,000,000. Don’t get me wrong, $35mil is a heck of a lot of money, but the fact of the matter is that the City overspends on one high school and then short changes the other. They over build BMHS, they buy goodies they don’t need, or have not even used yet, they bought all new furniture, that replaces desks, chairs and tables that were still good, and couldn’t be thrown away. Now it sits in storage rusting away. The school was so over built that as of today they still have rooms and spaces that are empty. The City gave Gilbane an open check book to party with. A few years latter we are in the middle of renovating our other high school and find that it is necessary to fight and claw for so many things that have been ignored and neglected by the City. And let me remind everyone, that this project is a CITY PROJECT and NOT a BOE PROJECT. Anyone with any knowledge of the NHS project knows that the people have asked and justified the need for huge amounts of extra things that are not funded. Things that BMHS got with little problems or effort. BMHS was so overbuilt the State refused to allow reimbursement for many items. Hey, this sounds just like Brookside where the CITY over spent and over built an elementary school that it exceeded the space allowance permitted by the State for reimbursement purposes. Frankly I am tired of the BOE being blamed for the inequities of how these projects get funded. BMHS gets everything they asked for, and then lots more. At NHS they asked for everything BMHS got, and what is needed & justified, but get only the basic essential things, with some extras.
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CYA sounds like you are pointing out the mismanagement of Alex Knopp.
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The city of Norwalk did not fund the whole 75,000,000. The state paid for the majority of the CGS building. The city paid for the like new construction of the old building and the building of the new science labs.This is the same construction going on at NHS because it is what the city pays for. Now if the New principal is a savy and smart as Joe Rodriguez then he should step up and fight for more.
This posting was about 911 six years later…
so I would like to say it feels like yesterday. It is still so sad. The hardest thing that I think of is that there is a generation of students looking at the saddest day in our history and saying it is a hoax. They believe this because of videos like 911 loose change found on the internet. It is more disturbing than which school has what in Norwalk. -
anon432
We certainly agree on the effects that 911 had on all of us. However, your statements on what the State paid for and didn’t, and how the CGS worked into the equations are simply not the way it took place. It is sad that people still believe this tale. You can believe what ever you want, but it just ain’t true! Sorry. -
It would help for clarification purposes that people refer to documents that support statements. For example, this one:
states than in 2003 Norwalk authorized $70 million over all and had planned for the State to reimburse additional construction costs.The site is here:
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The facts: There are no empty classrooms at BMHS. If there were, I know more than a few teachers who would be rushing to claim them. BMHS did not get all new student desks; they re-used at least 750 of the old desks that were in good condition. I know from personal observation, not from rumors. Also, I talked to the housemaster who had the responsibility of identifying the desks that could be reused. Ask any of us who worked here at the time, and many will tell you that they did not receive new desks. That isn’t a complaint; it’s just a presentation of the facts. There were other items that were re-used, and some was given to other schools, but it is true that most furnishings are new. My information comes directly from people who are in a position to know — the building committee and others, but it also comes from personal observation.
As for saying that BMHS got all of this with little effort, I echo Anon432. I know Joe Rodriguez, and he worked very hard to get the funding to get the best possible facilities designed and built. And then he had the patience of a saint when so many people bombarded him with complaints about the noise, dust, air quality problems, floods, diesel fumes, roofing tar odors, issues with construction workers, disappointment about some things that weren’t designed the way people had hoped, belongings missing or damaged during the moves, etc. (Yes, I admit to making more than a couple of complaints myself.)
None of this is to say that I don’t understand NHS’ unhappiness about its building project; it’s only to say that things didn’t come easily to BMHS in its project. It took a man’s vision, his drive, his patient calmness and a very good group of parents and others who supported him. It took teachers and students who kept teaching and learning under the worst conditions imaginable. The result is a building that is beautiful, but the most beautiful part of BMHS is the people who teach and learn here. NHS has every reason to feel equally proud of its teachers and students.
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Amen #19.
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#19….Stay foucused and stick to the main issue here. I never brought up the name of the former principal. I never mentioned the poor staff that had to endure the hardships of a construction project. Heck, they got a brand new school out of it, so I would think that they would be grateful. The facts speak for themselves when you compare what the City gave BMHS and what they are giving NHS. If you can’t see it, then I’m sorry but you may need to have your eyes checked. BMHS was given over $70,000,000 to play with by the City and NHS only $35,000,000, or so. Once again BMHS ended up with what is considered a new school. Every last inch of the existing building was renovated “AS NEW”. Not an inch of space was left untouched. The entire site was redone! Everything! No one had to fight for this….it was given! If you were involved as much as you claim, you would know the facts. The BMHS project had a pretty much “open checkbook” to operate with. Not so over at NHS my friend. There is no comparison in what BMHS got versus what NHS is going to end up with. I would be happy, even delighted to show a comparison of the two. It is unfair to the NHS students, parents, and staff. The City leadership, past and present, should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen.
By the way #19, meet me on Monday morning, 7:00am, at the BMHS main entrance and I will galdly show you the unused rooms and areas.
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#19-NHS project is so haphazard that its almost laughable if it weren’t so sad!
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CYA:
I, as so many others here, choose to remain anonymous, and so I will not be meeting you. However, I guarantee that there is not a single unused classroom. There are two spaces (spaces designed to house a television studio and a radio station - both of which NHS had for years when BMHS had neither) that the school is still trying to find the means to equip, and so they are not yet used yet because they cannot be used without the equipment.
Here’s an idea: If you think you know of unused classroom space, ask Bruce Mellion to meet you. I think he has enough credibility to be the person to make the judgment. Better yet, ask the BMHS NFT stewards, who would love to know where there is more classroom space. (There isn’t.)
As for your saying, “Stay foucused (sic) and stick to the main issue here,” scroll all the way back and see that this thread is supposed to be about 9-11. One comment many postings ago got a number of us off into the wrong direction.
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CYA-I can also tell you there are NO EMPTY rooms at BMHS. The reason why Mr. Rodriguez was mentioned is because he spent hundreds of man hours to keep the BMHS building project as close to the original plans as possible. Yes there were cuts to the project and Every space is in use today. NHS has been at a disadvantage because they did not have a Full Time Principal that would see the project from the beginning stages to the last nail hammered in. At BMHS there are rooms now in use every period of the day and used by many teachers. Even department heads travel from room to room. I’ll meet you outside the front hall n Monday wear a red carnation so I can identify you. Until then enjoy the New Year!
Mazaltoff! -
It is really sad that Bob Henry did not get the Principal position at NHS some years back. He was familiar with construction projects and the parent and student population. But now let’s see, you have a New Yorker Corda buddy in the position. That may be the real problem in Norwalk.
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Anon432 - What does being familiar with construction, knowing parents and some students have to do with being a successful high school principal. Wouldn’t you want a potential high school principal to come to Norwalk with several years of top flight experience at that level? Wouldn’t you want a newly hired principal to concentrate on acedemics, test scores, staff development, building admin issues rather then wasting his/her valuable time with construction matters and rubbing elbows with the kids and parents?
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Mr. Mecca seems to be on top of things and very dedicated to getting things done the right way. Hopefully he doesn’t get caught up in the Corda/Opdhal soap opera!
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Auntie B - Are you in the right school? Brien Mc Mahon High on Highland Ave? You can say whatever you please but the bottom line is that the school was overbuilt and I will repeat myself by stating that there are rooms and areas in that school that as of today are not being used….empty space. You can call it whatever you want (classrooms) but I call it empty, unused space, with perhaps one exception and that is someone may have put junk and clutter in them. Now if you think that this is a wise way to spend tax dollars, to build space that is non essential, for junk and clutter, then okay I quess I’m wrong. And how silly is it for you to allege that the disadvantage at NHS if that they have not had a full time principal to guide everything. Is that the reason NHS only got $35,000,000 compared to BMHS $70,000,000? Because they didn’t have a full time principal? Oh my dear God please tell me no! I’ll see you on Monday Auntie B. I’ll be wearing the red carnation and I imagine that you will the one drinking the kool aid out of a paper cup.
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CYA, perhaps the reason that BMHS needed a full overhaul was because the antiquated original building was opened 11 years before the NHS building & lacked many of the “luxuries” (necessities) that NHS had to begin with. I remember with a lack of fondness trying to concentrate in class on a hot humid june or september day knowing full well my friends across town were able to study comfortably in air conditioned rooms. Even in the 1980’s the building was musty and dirty, showing the signs of age…how different it was to go to swim practice at the NHS pool knowing full well a partially built pool was covered up during the original construction with an aux. gym, due to lack of funds at the time for good ol’ BMHS.
I applaud Mr. Rodriguez and all of the others who championed for a new building for BMHS and cheer those who have built the CGS to what it is today.
NHS does not need a completely new building, the infastructure they are working with is far better than what I went to school in each day in over at BMHS.
Another thing, of course if you are going to build a $70,000,000 school you will build it with room to grow, a few extra rooms are a good thing…wouldn’t it be tragic if, after all of that work and money spent, enrollment reached a point where it surpased what the building was intended to hold? At that point we would be complaining of overcrowding & fighting over funds to build an addition or drag in some portable classrooms to accomodate all of the students.
You call it a waste, I call it forethought.
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Apples & Oranges - The original construction of BMHS was completed in 1959/60, with a major addition and renovation taking place in 1977/78. The new NHS building was completed in 1970/71. The NHS facility never received an addition or renovation until the current project started in 2006. A difference of 11 years in age of a school building is nothing. You make it sound like 100 years. I attended NHS when it was still on East Ave and never remember myself or fellow classmates complaining about our 30 year old school compared to your brand new building. All we cared about was beating you guys on the field and in the gym. Heck being hot and sweaty was pretty routine in life back then, in late June and ealy September, in school and at home. I don’t remember that it had much of an impact on our school day or consumed our way of thinking and learning. Perhaps things were different across town? As far as your comment is concerned on the NHS pool, so you know that this facility is more heavily used by the community then by NHS…probably 20%NHS/80%community. It was built more as a community asset then a school one. And as far as the proposed pool at BMHS being “covered” and in place put a mini gym….well you are dead wrong on this one. I do know a little bit about the history of the City including BMHS, and know for a fact that this is not true. This addition was constructed during the 1977/78 project and was built as a mini gym, not a covered, unfunded pool. This sounds like the prank they pull on freshman at NHS, telling them that the ice rink is on the roof. And if you ever walked the hallways at NHS you would have found them just as musty as those at BMHS, but not dirty. I quess the custodians did a better job cleaning at NHS. As far as Mr. Rodriguez is concerned, where have I ever said anything bad about this gentlemen? You keep bringing him up as though I am accussing him of something. I too applaud him and admire his huge contributions to the school and the City of Norwalk. We all look forward to seeing the same results from your newly hired principal. With respect to your comment that “NHS does not need a completely new building, the infrastructure they are working with is far better than what I went to school each day in over at BMHS.” I’m not sure what qualifies you to make such a statement, but you are certainly entitled to an opinion. Perhaps you are an architect or engineer? But just in case you are not, I would be happy to debate this statement with anyone interested. Lastly, when it comes to school construction you build for what you need, and not for what you think you may require in 10,15,20 years. You don’t build classrooms for the future. You don’t build space and put it in surplus to be used at a latter date should enrollment increase. I don’t know of anyone that follows this logic. When you do this for a school facility in CT, they step in and reduce your reimbursement for the overall construction costs. This is what occurred with BMHS. Finally, I want you to know that I applaud BMHS for getting everything that they got with their construction project. Am I unhappy that we are not the same at NHS? You bet! Am I holding it against you folks across town? In no way! Am I upset with the City because in my mind, and in the mind of many others, they grossly underfunded this project and created these inequities amoung our two high schools? Yes indeed I am!
