Schools

Returning Bernards Students Will Study 9/11 as Part of Curriculum

Ridge High School will observe a moment of silence in honor of Sept. 11, 2001 and its victims at about 8:20 a.m. on Monday.

Bernards Township students had only been back in school for two full days before the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday, and so had little time to address the subject.

On Monday, Ridge High School — where some of the students lost parents or other relatives in the terror attack a decade earlier — will observe a moment of silence to honor those victims and recall 9/11, said Kristin Fox, K-12 social studies supervisor for the Bernards Township school system.

The observation will take place at about 8:20 a.m., before the start of second period, Fox said.

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Curricular topics related to 9/11 are found throughout the social studies curriculum at the secondary level., Fox said.
"The district will be commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11 in social studies classes at all grade levels throughout the district," she said.

The curriculum additions will be based largely on materials made available to school districts in New Jersey by the "4Action Committee", a coalition of Families of 9/11, and also by The Liberty Science Center and the New Jersey Center for Holocaust Education, Fox said.

Each grade level has selected a lesson that is age appropriate and reflective of one of the many themes that this national tragedy has highlighted," Fox said. The classrooms will acknowledge that the Bernards Township community was directly affected by the events on 9/11, with about 20 local people perishing in the attack, depending on the way residency was counted.

"We have decided to come together as a district to recognize not only the tragedy of that day, but also the good that came out of it; the heroism, acts of kindness and messages of hope for the future," Fox said.

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Fox said she doesn't know exactly when teachers will be addressing the subject on Monday, and some are sharing resources. At the secondary level the courses are scattered throughout the day as well, she added.

Among the scheduled topics and issues that due to at least be started are a discussion at the seventh grade level on differences between natural and manmade disasters. "Students will compare different types of disasters and will identify ways people come together to help each other during times of disaster," according to the planned discussion.

 


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