On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 firefighters died responding to the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York City.
At Liberty High School in Bethlehem on Friday, nearly seven times as many people — mostly Liberty and Freedom high school students — honored their sacrifice by making the climb so many firefighters did as they ascended the towers 25 years ago.
“I’m honored to climb the steps that the firemen climbed that day,” Freedom freshman Remy Miller said.
Students from both schools gathered at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, a place where they would normally be athletic rivals, to instead come together and raise money to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Joe Stellato, a Freedom coach, led the student team that planned the event. Stellato said he lost a friend in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, and went to ground zero in the days after to find him. He did not talk about it much.
As the 25th anniversary approached, he wondered if he was doing enough to educate the younger generation about the attacks, and he determined he had not.
The student commission and other staff members of both schools put the event together to teach students and honor the lives lost that day. They initially expected a turnout of 800 students, but instead got 2,300, all of whom donated $10 to be there.
“The turnout itself is inspiring,” Stellato said.
Freedom senior Maliyah Horvath, one of the students on the commission, said it was incredible to reflect on the sacrifice the New York City firefighters made that day.
“This is so much more than we could have asked for,” she said.
Ahead of their climb, Bethlehem Fire Chief Matthew Griffin read a letter from retired New York City Mounted Police Officer Joseph Perno, who responded to the World Trade Center that day. Perno, who was unable to make it because of medical issues, reminded the students that many first responders died not only that day, but from related illnesses in the years that followed.
He encouraged participants to push through mental obstacles that may come up during the lengthy climb — 2,200 stadium stairs, or three miles around the track, signifying the 110 flights of stairs in the tower.
“When that wall hits, I want you to remember those numbers,” he said.
The students climbed the bleachers on both sides of the stadium, and those who did not wish to make the climb could walk the track nearby.
Miller sat near some Bethlehem firefighters that also completed the climb. He said the climb was a bit difficult. Still he pushed through it, and climbed the equivalent of 110 floors in about 50 minutes, with the occasional stop for water.
“Seeing how all those firemen climbed the steps inspired me to do the same,” he said.
Local firefighters were also on hand to show the students what it is like to be a firefighter. Liberty sophomore Anthony Vargas wore the full firefighter gear as he pulled a full-sized fireman dummy across a section of the football field.
Vargas at that point had not made the climb, but said was excited to do it later because it was a good way to remember the firefighters who died that day.
“It’s a good learning experience,” he said.
Bethlehem Area School Board member Emily Schenkel shared with students the story of her aunt, Lorraine Bay, who was a flight attendant on Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pa., after passengers fought back and stopped the hijackers from hitting their intended target. Bay had been a flight attendant for 37 years. Schenkel’s daughter, a junior at Liberty, was named after her.
Schenkel said the best way to learn and honor those lost on Sept .11 is through acts of service and giving back to the community.
“Seeing all these students from Freedom and Liberty is evidence we are doing just that,” she said.
The students who participated were born well after the Sept. 11 attacks. Stellato said he believes those who took the climb will remember it, and the sacrifice the first responders made, for decades to come.
“I think we did make a difference,” he said.