7 years ago

I was a senior in high school and I was heading to my Pre-Calculus class when the hallways were buzzing with news that terrorists were attacking NYC. At first I thought it was some stupid prank made by the juniors (who were notorious for causing mayhem). But when I got to class and our teacher was very quiet and still for a long time, I knew there was truth to it. Then our principal made an announcement on the PA system. "The World Trade Center has been the target of a terrorist attack. The details are unclear but school will remain open. We will notify you of any changes immediately." And then everyone was very very quiet. It was one of those rare times when you were in a high school classroom and it was dead silent and no one was taking a test or gossiping or laughing. Everyone just looked at each other, confused, scared, isolated.

The school day continued on (I went to Middletown High School which is 70 miles outside of NYC). There were fears that terrorists might attack Indian Point which held the closest nuclear power plant (40 miles from Middletown, 30 miles from NYC). Some students had parents who worked in the city and immediately left school to be with their closest relatives. Some of us stayed in our Electronic English classroom (the only place in the school where we could watch TV) and watched CNN.

And that was the day terrorism became a household word.