Area schools commemorate Patriot Day

Mat-Su teachers, students and school staff will join the nation tomorrow in commemorating Sept. 11, but the district is leaving it to individual schools to tailor their approach.

Last week the Mat-Su Borough School District sent principals a list of ideas on how to observe Sept. 11, but emphasized that the events should reflect the needs of the community and individual schools. The only districtwide requirement - as ordered by President Bush, who designated tomorrow as Patriot Day, the U.S. flag will be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sundown.

"I think we all need to do what we can to commemorate Sept. 11," Interim Superintendent Bob Doyle said.

At Pioneer Peak Elementary School, this will include showing a 4-minute film clip what principal Pat Mayer describes as a "patriotic tour." Set to Celine Dion's rendition of "God Bless America," the video shows snapshots from all across America, including the Statue of Liberty, small towns in the Mid-West and photographs of Americans with their hands over their hearts.

Beside this video and the flag being flown at half-staff, Mayer said he and his staff have plans to allow teachers to tailor their day's activities to their classes.

"We've discussed that it shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all approach within the building," Mayer said. "Individual teachers know their classes and are getting to know them better every day." He said commemorating an event such as Sept. 11 must take into consideration the age of the students, but he added that the school plans to emphasize the positive heroism of the tragedy rather than the terrorist act itself.

"The film clip really kind of sets the groundwork for a discussion about the heroic efforts of people in general and the fact that bravery

never goes out of style," Mayer said.

Other schools may observe a moment of silence or design class discussions around the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Other suggestions the district sent out to principals include having students write essays about heroes, design patriotic bumper stickers, design a memorial for Sept. 11, or discuss how the events of Sept. 11 led people to support one another and the meaning of the word "united" in United States.

"We have a unique opportunity in schools to help students … commemorate Sept. 11 as a day that will forever change history," said Kim Floyd, public information specialist with the district. "Each of our schools is planning something individual and personalized to meet the needs of their students, staff and community."

According to the National Association of School Psychologists, memorial activities can be a valuable way for schools to mark the anniversary of a tragic event, but how the teachers and administrators handle that memorial can be critical.

The group recommends that schools not underestimate how intense the resurfacing emotions can be, including anger and sadness. They recommend not blowing these emotions out of proportion while at the same time not minimizing them.

"Provide staff and parents with information regarding possible related behaviors and emotions students may display," the NASP recommends on its tip sheet regarding Sept. 11 memorial activities in schools.

The group says students and staff should not be required to attend memorial activities, and the event should be scheduled in a way so that there is time to allow students to "debrief" or process their experiences.

"Allow students to discuss, in small group settings such as classrooms, how they feel about their memorial experience," the group says.

And, similar to Mayer's approach at Pioneer Peak, the group says the focus should be on recovery and hope, not the uncontrollable aspects of the crisis.

"Try to move students from the role as 'victims' to the role of 'doers,'" the NASP advises.