Today...

*Shanon*

I was in my first year of college, and it was only my first semester (St. Johns at the time) so we were only a few weeks in. I happened to have had a late class that day. And since I didnt have to be in I was sleeping. The phone kept ringing, so I dragged myself to the phone.. and missed the call. I thought nothing of it, so I put on NY1 like I usually do to check the weather and see some news before I started to get ready for class. Then the phone rang again and it was my mother. I was the only one home and she told me that i was not going to class.. and me thinking there was only a fire in the WTC i had no idea why. When she told me a plane hit it.. I figured it was an accident. Then that was when the footage of the second plane hitting the other tower came on. My stomach sank. It took her yelling at me what was going on for it to sink in. (I was still half asleep) and I just remember crying and asking where my dad was. (he works in the city and i had no idea where in relation to this he was).

She heard from him already.. he was fine, but not coming home that night. He is head of security in his building, and had to have it evacuated and secured so him, along with the rest of security stayed, and they knew they werent getting a train home. so they stayed.

I was home all alone and just remember calling everyone I could to see where they were and signing online, because i was afraid something was going to happen the phone and I wasnt going to be able to get through to everyone.

Eventually everyone else got home from where they were and we just sat in the living room watching tv.. and calling everyone.

I will never forget how I felt that day..
My thoughts and prayers are with EVERYONE today.

* liz *

i was in my 1st period class(media) at sacred heart high school in hempstead

we had TV's in the room and the principle called everyone who had relatives that worked in the WTC to the theater and told those first then the principle told us what happened and we were all asked to put the TV's on.

i am sad

karin*

I was a senior in hs ...

we were in AP studio arts and I vaguely remember someone running down the hall screaming a plane hit a building in the city. Immediately my thoughts were of my dad - he worked in downtown manhattan about 2 blocks from WTC. no one thought TOO much of it, accidents happen! Well next period, im in advertising art and a parent of one of my classmates comes running into the room hysterically crying, grabs her daughter and runs out. Now we are all like '*** is going on?' All of a sudden, the teacher got a call on the in class wall phone, everyone was silent. She told us that she didnt have too many details but there was something going on in the city with the WTC and plans were flying into buildings. Everyone just looked at each other. Keep in mind, we live on the South Shore of LI in a community where MANY students parents work in the city.

So I proceed to my next class. We are waiting to hear news, NO NEWS. My school decided to take the stance of not updating us. They pulled the TVS out of the cafeterias, the stereo out of our school store. It was mass hysteria ... I'm sitting in my AP english class, and parents are running in, grabbing kids, screaming and running out. All the while, the teacher is lecturing like nothing is going on. There are students, parents, teachers collapsing in the hallways, and the admin. pretends like nothing is going on.

Finally we hear that the buildings are collapsing and we think (not actually seeing it) that parts are falling - no THE WHOLE building is falling!

No phone could reach parents in the city, there were LINES hallways long at the nurse, main office, AD office trying to reach parents ... nothing! It was the scariest day of my life (besides the death of my father.)

My dad worked with FEMA for the ARMY CORPS of ENGINEERS and he didnt come home for a week, he was involved heavily in the cleanup. He was a changed man, and he wouldnt describe what he saw those days. For months he would go to ground zero and organzie the recovery efforts. I cant even imagine what that did to him .

I worked in CVS at the time in the 1 Hr. Photo. I went to work the afternoon of the 9/11 and all afternoon and night, I developed peoples pictures from the city, from Jones Beach and Long Beach (where you could see the smoke billowing for weeks). I will never forget the feelings of that day, I remember what i was wearing, I remember the screams, I remember the memorials word for word...

we are all forever changed, let us not forget and let us honor those who gave their lives that day!

ETS - Seaford lost 8 Alumni (2 sons from 1 family) and with the grace of god - no parents to current (at that time) students!