Life Lessons

Last month the students and staff of I.S. 89 unveiled their "tile quilt," a mosaic of ceramic pieces created in the aftermath of their evacuation. Here, in the words and images of a few, are expressions that speak for many.


I remember everything and every one, friends, neighbors and family from my mom’s office at the World Trade Center. I have many memories of running around playing tackle football in the halls, doing my homework at the big round table while looking out at the Statue of Liberty from the 102nd floor and drinking hot cocoa (with at least 10 sugars). I loved sticking my head over the cubicle walls to say, "Hi" to everyone. Everyone was a friend to me and it tears me up not being able to see those people anymore.

I loved my mom’s office so much because it was like a gallery of my life, my art work, my crafts and pictures of me. Now there is a big empty space in my heart. I miss all our friends.

Thirteen years of memories stacked in 2 World Trade and 13 years taken from me in minutes. My second home has now disappeared.

I will never forget!

 Gregory Kozma 7th Grade


September 11 came without warning, a shock to us all. I sometimes think about how strange it is that the world can change so drastically in a matter of minutes. That’s how it was with our school. Immediately we all felt connected, like we were in it together. We traveled to our temporary residence, and each day, hoped for better times; hoped that we could finally go home. I am astounded and very proud at how well we handled it. Especially the sixth graders—imagine something like that happening on the fourth day of being in a new school, in a strange setting! They must have been the bravest of us all. But finally, though we will never forget, we can put those times behind us and have a wonderful rest of the year together.

Carla Fabris 8th Grade

We were all scared of the fire in
the sky,
Yet we formed a strong chain
And linked ourselves together.
We persevered through the wreckage
And now that it is all over, we can finally
Breathe free.
We can be reminded of the time when we were running for our lives,
And stand firm.
We can be reminded of the time when we were searching for loved ones,
And not fall apart.
We can be reminded of the time when we saw the worst of times,
And we can stand tall.
Now, we greet each day with a smile as we watch the much missed
Tribeca scene:
The scene of kids running to the corner delis,
The scene of Wall Street workers bustling around to offices,
The scene of mothers pushing little babies in colorful strollers.
Without the past we cannot move forward.
With one hand we grip the memories,
And with the other, we grow.

Lana Barkin 6th Grade


I have been at I.S. 89 for three years and I am graduating this year. I never imagined that the most important lesson I would learn would be the importance of a strong community bond.

When the tragic attack on 9/11 occurred, our school formed an even stronger community than before. We all experienced the same horror of being three blocks from the site, of seeing the planes crash, of being right there. We made all the changes a school could make, but we made them together. Even though the people at the O’Henry Center made us feel welcome, all we wanted to do was to come back. I.S. 89 felt comfortable to us; it was our home. Though the events we shared were awful, they brought us together in the realization of how much we loved our school. I am proud to see this memorial put up; it will commemorate the amazing spirit our school has. It shows all we went through, but it shows that we are looking to the future, always optimistic. I am honored to say I was a part of it.

Kate Dries 8th Grade