September 11, 2015

Arlington Heights, IL – Students, teachers, administrators and all staff of Arlington Heights School District 25 honored Patriot Day by remembering, reflecting and celebrating hope, youth, community and peace within the district and the Arlington Heights community. 

Many of the AHSD 25 elementary schools enhanced the message of hope to their students by commemorating this day and pledging to “choose kind.”

Motivated by the video found on 911day.org titled “Hope was Born on 9/11,” students were asked to pledge to do one good deed and then had a piece of red string tied around their finger as a reminder.

“We want our students to perform good deeds for everyone, everyday,” Principal of Windsor Elementary School, Shelley Fabrizio said. “We want to teach our students to choose kind.”

This message of “do one good deed” helps shed a positive light on a day that has been remembered as sad. Adjusting the lens on Patriot Day with the youth who were not alive 14 years ago to live the tragedy can only empower hope as time goes on.

“We are still facing many struggles in our country,” Dryden Principal Akemi Sessler said, “but teaching our elementary students to do a good deed today renews a commitment to raising caring and well educated citizens who will continue to focus on having a peaceful and bright future.”

At Thomas Middle School, the parents and students were outwardly receptive upon hearing that there would be a session of remembrance and reflectivity to begin the school day today.

“The feedback from the parents was great when I sent out a message saying we were going to do this,” Thomas Middle School Principal Brian Kaye said. “It’s important for our students to know the sacrifice many citizens and first responders made on that day.”

At Greenbrier and Westgate, art teacher Nicole Koob not only had the students tie a red string around their artistically drawn finger, but she also taught the students about peace to celebrate the International Day of Peace, upcoming on September 21^st.

Koob guided the students through the process of making their own pinwheels to be hung up in the hallway.

“The art and music teachers came together to think about how this day could be meaningful to the students.” Koob said, “This is a sad day, but there’s good to come out of it because we saw people helping our country and those who needed it.”

Video by Tim Higgins & Adam Harris