Rocky Point High School held its annual memorial ceremony that honored
the victims and heroes of 9/11 on Sept. 13, including four Rocky Point
High School graduates. The assembly program featured guest speakers and
recollections of the day that changed the course of American history.
Organized
by social studies teacher Rich Acritelli, high school students and
staff members listened intently as honored guests – Lila Nordstrom, an
advocate for affordable health care for young adults affected by 9/11,
New York City Police Officers and first responders Anthony Flammia and
Tom Wilson and Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. – shared
comprehensive and personal accounts of heroism as well as the physical
and emotional after-effects of that tragic day.
The Suffolk County
Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard presented the colors at the ceremony and
members of Post 6249 Rocky Point Veterans of Foreign Wars were in
attendance. Senior Tyler Kotarsky, president of the high school’s
Varsity Club, also addressed the audience and honored guests.
“Boatlift,” a short documentary about people who risked their own lives
helping to rescue more than 500,00 by sea immediately following the
World Trade Center attacks highlighted American’s strong determination
and inclination to help one another. The touching tribute ended with
songwriter Alan Jackson’s emotional song “Where Were You When the World
Stopped Turning.”
“It is extremely important that we recall the
moment that our nation was attacked and remember our four lost
graduates,” said Mr. Acritelli. “I would like to thank high school
administration for supporting and helping this assembly become a very
strong program for our students.”