LETTER: Principal holds moment of silence in memory of 9/11
Rebecca Gratz of Deer Isle-Stonington High School led students through the timeline—and a moment of silence—for those lost 25 years ago
Sept. 11, 2026
By Rebecca Gratz
Principal Rebecca Gratz started her professional career in New York City. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Gratz.
Editor’s note: On Sept. 11, 2026, Rebecca Gratz read the following over the public announcement speakers for morning assembly at Deer Isle-Stonington High School, where she serves as principal. Gratz shared her remarks with The Rising Tide.
Twenty five years ago today, I was teaching in my classroom in Connecticut when a student came in to tell me that one of the Twin Towers had been hit by a plane. My first thought, like many people, was that it was a terrible accident – something that had happened before. We didn’t have smartphones, so we turned on the TVs in our classrooms, and some of us watched as the second tower was hit, and the terrible realization that this was not an accident began to sink in.
Knowing I was from New York and that my family was there, students started coming to find out if they were ok, which they were. Then, our principal asked us to turn off the TVs because he didn’t want our students to watch the tragedy unfold.
Like many people, I spent that day, and days after, glued to the TV in a bit of a daze – three planes hit targets and killed thousands of people, and one plane was diverted by a group of courageous passengers. It was unthinkable.
8:46 a.m. – Flight 11 strikes the North Tower
9:03 a.m. – Flight 175 strikes the South Tower
9:37 a.m. – Flight 77 strikes the Pentagon
9:59 a.m. – The South Tower collapses
10:03 a.m. – Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
10:28 a.m. – The North Tower collapses
The events of September 11, 2001 have shaped the America we know today.
We hold a moment of silence this morning to honor the innocent people who died that day, the brave first responders who put their lives on the line that day, and the way our nation came together afterward.
Now please join me for a moment of silence.
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