By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Students in the Union City School System are paying tribute to fallen heroes and encouraging current ones.
In conjunction with Discovery Park of America, students in all grades either have or are currently making posters to encourage First Responders during the annual 9-11 Stair Climb – scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at DPA.
A number of local first responders will climb the stairs at DPA 10 times in full gear, the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. Terrorist attacks killed 2,184 civilians, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers and 10 EMS workers at the WTC on that tragic day (Sept. 11) 21 years ago.
Many others have died from medical complications in the years since.
Fourth-graders at UCES were educated on that tragic event by teachers through class lessons and videos and received a special visit from local firefighters, who brought trucks and other equipment for display and a question-and-answer session.
Among those firefighters was Shaw Logan — brother of teacher Anna Watson — who donned full firefighter gear, complete with an oxygen tank for an attentive group of students.
“He’s a good brother,” Watson laughed. “I thought it would be a neat learning opportunity for our kids and they were very inquisitive.
“It added something different to see the equipment up close and gave them a greater understanding of the event when they put all things together.”
DPA representatives are excited for Union City Schools’ participation in the event.
“These posters make a great lesson for the kids about what happened on Sept. 11,” DPA Director of Special Events Lauren Jones said in an email to UC Schools. “We love to have posters from all age children.
“The climbers truly love the posters from the kids with encouraging notes, drawings, etc. along the walls of the stairwells to keep pushing them.”
Jones will pick up the posters next Friday to hang in the stairwells for the climb.