Last August, the Gary Sinise Foundation provided 100 juniors and chaperones from Wantagh High School with a remarkable opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum. This experience led to the launch of the inaugural 9/11 Committee and the Inaugural Wantagh Warrior 9/11 Memorial 5K to honor those from the Wantagh community who were lost on 9/11 and those who served afterwards. The event will take place on Sunday, September 22 to continue this opportunity for future students. Participant fees range from $13.00 to $41.00 with discounted rates available for military and first responders.
“It is important that the students understand the events of 9/11 and hear the names of those that were lost from our community, and how it impacted the way we operate today in society,” says Wantagh High School Principal Dr. Paul Guzzone. “But what’s important to me is they learn how an event like that brought together so many aspects of the community such as our police, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, doctors, and skilled tradesmen all working together towards a common goal in the rescue and recovery which is something we should be proud of as a community.”
Wantagh High School senior Aditya Pasricha believes that teachers should talk about their experiences since they lived during that time. “There should be a speaker coming into schools like a firefighter or police officer to explain their experience of what went down that day. We live in New York, so this is a big part of our history. Having these people talk about it is something that will stay in our hearts and brains forever.”
In addition to the 9/11 Memorial Museum visits, 9/11 inspired scholarships for seniors to apply for, and a portion of the funds will be allocated towards a 9/11 memorial to be placed on the school district grounds in the future.
Event supporters include Gold sponsor The Gary Sinise Foundation; Silver Star sponsor the Wantagh students listen intently during a guided tour of the 9/11 Memorial Museum Wantagh 6-12 Association; Distinguished Sponsor Wantagh SEPTA; Booster sponsors Jovia Financial Credit Union, Coldwell Banker, BMW of Freeport, Helix Contracting Corporation, The French Workshop and Dunkin’; and Community sponsors RLH Diamond Group LLC, Lynch Energy Solutions, Wantagh Auto Body, Ryan Anthony Head Start Fund, Inc., HIT Your Pace, New York Plastic Surgical Group, Driftwood Day Camp, Turf Tek USA, US Mutual, Inc., Homes By Gemini, and Varsity Media.
A Kids 400m Dash begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by the Wantagh Warrior 9/11 5K at 9 a.m. For race, volunteer, donation and sponsorship opportunities, please visit https://tinyurl.com/ WW911Run. For additional information, please contact the 9/11 Committee at wsd9-11committee@wantaghschools.org. For more information on the Gary Sinise Foundation, please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.
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