Cyndi Loza

From literature to art projects, Washoe County schools have incorporated Sept. 11 and the events surrounding the 2001 terrorist attacks into class lessons this week.

“Being an American means a lot to me,” said Denise Boswell, a fifth-grade teacher at Lena Juniper Elementary.

“So, I’m very passionate about passing that along to my students.”

Before beginning lessons on America history, Boswell asked students to define “liberty,” discuss the term with their families and write an essay on it.

On Thursday, Boswell will discuss the costs of freedom using the events of Sept. 11 and various American wars as examples.

The terrorist attacks were “a cost that the civilians and our military paid because of the liberties we have in our county that others many not agree with,” Boswell said.

The lesson, which will continue through the week, included the construction of a class jigsaw puzzle. Students drew a portion of an image of the Statue of Liberty and pieced them together in class on Wednesday.

“I’m trying to get them to have an emotional tie to the history they’ll be learning this year,” said Boswell, who played patriotic songs in class such Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and “America the Beautiful.”

“They’re not just pictures they’re seeing or words in a book,” she said. “They are part of this.”

District spokesman Steve Mulvenon said it is up to the teachers if they want to include Sept. 11 in their history curriculum.

“The social studies standards were written at the state level long before 9/11 happened,” Mulvenon said.

Wooster High teacher Sheryl Whitehead said her reading class will watch a video about the attacks today.

Her class has been reading literature on them since school started in August.

“It’s the beginning of the school year and I thought that the date was important,” she said.

“I just think it just happened not long ago.”

Wooster junior Janelle Radcliffe, 16, of Reno disagreed.

“It feels like it was a billion years ago, like, not a lot of people talk about it anymore,” Radcliffe said.

“Before, it was like the most important thing was that and then, after a while, everyone was just back to doing what they were doing and it seems like they only remember that stuff on the day that it happened,” she said.

Besides the occasional commercial selling a commemorative Sept. 11 coin, Radcliffe said she doesn’t hear much about the events that occurred seven years ago.

Monica Mariscal, 16, of Reno said she hopes teachers will review the events surrounding Sept. 11 in class.

“People should just be more interested in it because it happened when we were alive,” said Mariscal, who was in the fourth grade during the attacks “It didn’t happen like a billion years ago like what you have to read in textbooks.”

Special events

• Sparks firefighters will observe the anniversary at the life size bronze statue of the “Grieving Firefighter” at the Sparks Fire Department Monument in Sparks Memorial Park, corner of Pyramid Way and “C” Street. From 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., there will be posters with names and pictures of the 343 New York City firefighters killed day. Flowers or other tokens of remembrance are welcome.
• Trinity Episcopal Church’s Bishop Lewis Chapel at 200 Island Ave., from noon to 3 p.m. today will provide a quiet space for prayer and meditation. Church officials have invited members of the public to attend.
• The KURK Bandit crew will broadcast live from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the Sparks Police Department, 1701 E. Prater Way. The station is giving away commemorative anniversary American flags, one for each life lost on Sept. 11, 2001. The event is open to the public and monetary donations can be dropped into the Bandit Barrel. Proceeds will go directly to the Sparks Law Enforcement and Firefighter funds. The public also will have a chance to win various prizes including concert tickets.
• The National Championship Air Races, from 12:05 p.m. to 12:20 p.m., will mark the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks today as races continue at the Reno Stead Airport. Following a special performance of “America the Beautiful” by Reno’s Silver Dollar Chorus, there will be a moment of silence and remembrance as the Nevada Air National Guard Color Guard performs a flag ceremony on the ramp.