WHS Remembers 9-11 Through "With Their Eyes" Summer Reading

In honor of the tenth anniversary of 9-11, Wheeling High School’s Fine Arts Department put on the play “With Their Eyes” last weekend.  
Some students attending Stuyvesant High School, a high school four blocks from the World Trade Center, wrote the play “With Their Eyes” based on interviews with various people around the school.  
These interviews reflect the experiences and feelings from the terrorist attacks ten years ago of students and staff of different ages and backgrounds.  Annie Thoms, an English teacher, led the project and edited the play.
At WHS, the production had a cast of ten students.  The play begins with an overture of quotes about 9-11 from people at Stuyvesant High School.  Throughout the play, the students take turns putting on clothing to go into character and reciting monologues originally said by their character.
The cast consisted of Mallorie Bromer, senior; Tia Allen, Maggie Nickl and Harlan Rosen, juniors; Celine Dirkes, Aaron Jung, Tegan Reschke and Katherine Wargo, sophomores; and Naomi Carmeli-Shabtay and Marco Mazzetta, freshmen.  Orin Xavier, English teacher, directed the play.  Jennifer Zorn-Sargent, English teacher, worked as the assistant director and house manager.  Derek Ellertson worked as tech director.
On Friday, throughout the day, freshmen went to the theater to see clips of “With Their Eyes.”  The freshmen had to read “With Their Eyes” for their summer reading book.  In addition, a couple of the writers of the play visited and gave presentations.
WHS also remembered 9-11 through summer reading.  While freshmen had to read “With Their Eyes, sophomores, juniors and seniors had the option of reading three books: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer, “Firehouse” by David Halberstam and “Love is the Higher Law” by David Levithan.
On Friday, Sept. 9, students had to discuss the books they read during their third period class.

I don’t remember 9-11 very well because I was only in first grade when it happened.  I remember going to school and hearing about it on the announcements, but at the time, I did not think it was so big of a deal.  However, our teachers did not let us go outside for recess, and we had an early dismissal.  I only realized how bad it was when I saw my parents, with grave expressions on their faces, watching the attacks on TV.
Much has changed in the U.S. since the attacks.  Another thing I remember was the airport security.  Before 9-11, going through security was very fast, but now, security takes a very long time and has very strict procedures.
Looking back, I now understand the extent of the tragedy more.  A group of terrorists caused almost 3000 people to die because they of hatred for our country.  This event shocked and saddened millions more.  Our country is currently at war.  9-11 has changed the U.S. forever, and we can not forget this.
After watching “With Their Eyes” and reading “Firehouse” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” I felt even sadder about the losses of 9-ll after reading and listening to the accounts of different people.  Oskar, the fictional main character of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” lost his father.  The students at Stuyvesant High School lost their innocence.  In “Firehouse,” Halberstam interviews the firemen and their families and recounts their stories and personalities  By the end of the book, I felt like I knew the each of the firemen written about in the book, and empathizing with those who knew the firemen really put the tragedy in a different perspective.