September 11 for many is a moment to reflect and honor the victims of one of America’s darkest days.
But at a San Jose elementary school bearing the name of one of those victims, Friday’s 9/11 memorial is not only about reflecting, but creating a more hopeful future.
None of the current children attending Captain Jason Dahl Elementary was alive during 9/11, but nobody forgets the day on campus.
United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers charged the hijackers on 9/11. The plane was headed to San Francisco International Airport and it is believed the hijackers intended to crash it into the U.S. Capitol.
The pilot on that flight was Capt. Jason M. Dahl
“When he was a student, he really dreamed of being a pilot,” Michelle Quilantang said of Dahl.
Quilantang is the principal of Captain Jason Dahl Elementary in San Jose’s Seven Trees neighborhood. The campus is where Dahl went to school as a child, when it was known as Hillsdale Elementary.
In Palo Alto Thursday night, more than one hundred community members and faith leaders gathered at King Plaza to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Alyssa Goard reports.
The school today bears Dahl’s name and a tribute to him adorns the main office.
Every day at the campus is Capt. Jason M. Dahl day. And on the 25th anniversary of that tragic day, the lesson plan changes for the entire school.
In a first grade class, students wrote thank you letters to their heroes. Among the heroes students wrote letters to were firefighters, police officers, teachers, and even Capt. Dahl.
Students in a third-grade class used the word “patriot” to write synonyms with each letter — words like “protect” and “thankful.”
Firefighters from the Bay Area are traveling to New York City to honor the lives lost on 9/11 25 years ago. Janelle Wang reports.
Meanwhile, fourth graders took a deeper dive into 9/11.
“Even though it was 25 years ago, we are still finding ways to make sure the legacy of September 11 and Capt. Dahl continues to live on for our students,” Quilantang said. “And that they ultimately do their best to be positive students in our school community.”
Each student also had a second assignment to draw or write a good deed they promised to perform for someone else in memory of Dahl.
The American flag at the campus on Friday was also flown at half-staff in memory of Dahl, an American hero whose memory now inspires a new generation to create a better world.
Betty Ann Ong was the first to sound the alarm about the tragedy that was about to unfold. Hijackers had taken over American Airlines flight 11.