At 8:45 a.m. on Sept.11, 2008, Pinewood Upper School students rose from their seats and had a moment of silence. They thought about Joseph Angelini and his father Joseph Angelini, Sr., Juilana McCourt and Michael Dauria. They thought about these people whose lives ended that day seven years ago. Although the students never met these individuals, they now felt as if they had.
Each student researched the life and death of a Sept. 11 victim and then composed an essay that shared the person’s story. Children and firefighters were among those researched. “The person I choose to write about was just like me,” said Pinewood senior, Lisa Weber. “She played softball for four years and she was a swimmer. We had a lot in common."
Four students read their essay that evening to a standing room only crowd who listened in admiring silence. In that moment, the lives of those who perished Sept. 11, 2001 were celebrated with words, a musical tribute by the Summerville Community Orchestra and through the creation of a quilt square that was intricately sewn together and displayed that evening. The quilt honoring the lives of these heroes will be proudly displayed on the Pinewood campus. Pinewood will continue to celebrate of the endurance of the human spirit each year by adding to the quilt with squares created by each incoming high school class on the anniversary of Sept. 11.