For a high schooler born a decade after Sept. 1, 2001, or a first grader born in 2020, the first image they come across from 9/11 might be a scene of the Twin Towers falling or aftermath in New York.
A local organization wants to make sure they also learn it as a story with profound Massachusetts elements.
"We want the students to realize that it all started in Boston at Logan Airport," said Pat Bavis, chair of the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund’s education committee. "The two planes left Logan Airport. They were pilots from the general area, they were flight attendants from the general area and stewardesses from the general area, and they came from all of our communities. Massachusetts lost 206 victims that day and 206 families' lives changed completely."
Bavis comes from one of those families. His brother, NHL scout Mark Bavis, was a passenger on one of the hijacked planes.
When Bavis talks to students, he walks them through his personal memories of Sept. 11, 2001, recalling "probably about 200 kids" gathered outside his Roslindale home that afternoon to show support for his family as the news spread.
"The key thing, what I try to do with the students to teach them is that somewhere in life, you're going to face difficult times and tragedies, and you need to find the strength to fight through and not go down in that dark hole," Bavis said.
Gov. Maura Healey marked the 24th anniversary of the attacks last year by directing state education officials to ensure that 9/11 history was "fully incorporated" into school curriculum frameworks across the state, crediting the families of victims for their advocacy.
Massachusetts is one of 40 states, the Associated Press reported this week, that expect or suggest public schools teach about the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The approaches vary throughout the country.
As time passes, the challenge grows. In addition to the students who “don’t even know the world changed because they weren’t even born,” Bavis said plenty of current high school teachers were kids themselves in 2001.
The Mass. 9/11 Fund and GBH teamed up on a series of videos — which Bavis said are about six minutes long, with teen attention spans in mind — and an interactive lesson to help high school and middle school students understand the facts of the day, the short- and long-term impacts and how 9/11 is remembered, including in Boston.
Representatives from the fund and GBH previewed one of the videos for the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in April, and board members said the education department’s curriculum team would review them.
Teachers want resources to help them navigate 9/11 instruction, Education Secretary Stephen Zrike said at the time. Zrike himself was in the classroom on Sept. 11, 2011, teaching fifth grade.
"They want to make sure that they have the tools to message this appropriately and sensitively to the kids," he said.
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HAPPENING TODAY
8:30 | Senate President Spilka speaks at Natick's 9/11 remembrance ceremony | 20–22 E Central St., Natick
8:30 | Gov. Healey hosts the state's 9/11 commemoration, starting with the annual name-reading . Healey and First Lady Lydgate will present the American flag to the Color Guard before it is raised and lowered to half-staff. At 8:46 a.m., the people gathered at the commemoration will observe a moment of silence.
9:30 | Commemoration events scheduled by the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund continue with presentation of the Madeline "Amy" Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery and a keynote address from retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jonathan Treacy, who on 9/11 was the commander of the Otis Air National Guard unit that was the first to scramble fighter jets to respond to the attacks and provide an initial air defense of New York City | House Chamber | Livestream
10:00 | Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission holds a status conference concerning Marie Sylvain | Zoom
10:30 | Senate President Spilka attends Framingham's 9/11 remembrance ceremony | Living Memorial, Cushing Memorial Park, Dudley Road, Framingham
11:00 | Boston Mayor Wu delivers remarks at The New England Center and Home for Veterans annual Greater Boston Stand Down | City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Sq, Boston
12:00 | Lt. Gov. Driscoll attends the Annual Tribute Service hosted by Project 351 and the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund/Home Base | Rose Kennedy Greenway, Atlantic Ave, Boston
1:00 | Gov. Healey, Lt. Gov. Driscoll and Mayor Wu attend the annual September 11th Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Public Garden | Arlington St. at Newbury St., Boston
3:15 | Procession of pipes and drums, honor guards and firefighters from Boston Common for the 3:30 p.m. Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial Annual Ceremony, where 27 names will be added to the Ring of Honor. Speaking program features remarks from Gov. Healey. Lt. Gov. Driscoll, Secretary Galvin, Treasurer Goldberg and Auditor DiZoglio are scheduled to attend | Ashburton Park
5:00 | Deadline for local clerks to submit final certified results for any recount election to the Secretary of State's Election's Division.
JOB BOARD
Associate General Counsel-MRSB — NEW, Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General
Utilities Program Manager, MassDevelopment
Climate Action Coordinator, City of Newton
Project Manager, District Services, Longwood Collective
Chief Financial Officer, Bristol County Sheriff's Office
Housing and Human Services Policy Analyst, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
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The Commonwealth has over 42,000 nonprofits that educate us, keep us healthy, support our most vulnerable populations, and care for our cultural, historical, and environmental treasures. With federal actions seeking to undermine this critical work, the Massachusetts Council of Nonprofits encourages you to listen to the nonprofit voices in your community and advocate for causes that help them thrive — Learn more.
FROM BEACON HILL
RECOUNT HIM IN: Sen. Will Brownsberger held onto his seat by a 35-vote margin over primary opponent Daniel Lander in the hard-fought and closely watched race. Lander, not ruling out another run for office, says the nail-biter sent the Senate a message. | Cambridge Day
THE RED BLUEPRINT: Republican nominee for governor Mike Minogue's general-election pitch includes cutting taxes, deploying AI to fix traffic woes, auditing the Legislature and canceling the state's net-zero emissions mandate. Much of the plan would require buy-in from Democrats elsewhere in state government, and he says he's ready to work with everyone. | Boston Globe
BLUE GOES BLUE: Four police unions — the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, Massachusetts Coalition of Police, the State Police Association of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts State Police Commissioned Officers Association —are backing Gov. Maura Healey in her reelection bid. | State House News Service (gift link)
NEWS NEXT DOOR
FROM THE BENCH: The Supreme Judicial Court publicly reprimanded Judge Shelley Joseph for her role in the 2018 courthouse escape of a suspect wanted by ICE, saying her conduct created an appearance of impropriety. | Boston Herald
CLEARING THE CALENDAR: The debate over debates hits the North Shore, with Micah Jones, the Republican candidate for the Sixth Congressional District, accusing Democratic nominee Dan Koh of ducking debates after two scheduled ones were canceled. Koh's team says he's participated in 11 debates during the course of the campaign. | Eagle Tribune
FIGHTING HACK: Springfield officials, preparing to reopen schools Monday after a cyberattack from "very sophisticated organization" forced closures, say they won't let the hackers win. | The Republican
CAPE SHERIFF: Members of the Barnstable County Correctional Officers Union voted no confidence in Sheriff Donna Buckley, pointing to facility conditions and problems with the work environment. They also knocked her for a spending increase, which Buckley calls "head-scratching" because it was to improve pay structure. | CAI
LYNNWAY LANES: Select boards from Marblehead, Nahant and Swampscott wrote to Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, raising traffic concerns and asking that the state consider regional impacts from a redesign of the Lynnway. The project plan calls for converting one travel lane in each direction into a bus lane. | Itemlive
A Home Energy Assessment can connect homeowners, renters and landlords with a specialist to find energy-saving opportunities in your home and connect you with rebates to help make improvements. Income-eligible options are also available — Learn more.
MORE HEADLINES
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THE SUNDAY SHOWS
KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller hosts a mini-debate on Question 9, the proposed repeal of the state's 2024 gun control law. Toby Leary of the No on Question 9 Campaign and Ruth Zakarin of the Yes on Nine for a Safe Massachusetts Campaign discuss the various elements of the new law and their impact on gun violence and gun owners' rights. An expanded version is available online at cbsboston.com.
@ ISSUE: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard’s guest is U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton, a Bolton Republican.
ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. NewsCenter 5’s Sharman Sacchetti and Erika Tarantal sit down with Republican candidate for state treasurer Elizabeth Dionne. Democratic political analyst Mary Anne Marsh and Republican political analyst Lizzy Guyton join for a roundtable discussion.
JOB BOARD
Government and Community Affairs Division Chief, Mass Gaming Commission
Senior Legal Counsel, Office of the Child Advocate
Marketing and Communications Manager, St. Francis House
Assistant Environmental Planner, City of Newton
Capital Projects & Procurement Manager, MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
Director of Centralized Project Development, University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute
Hellman and Simons Fellow for Science, Engineering, & Technology, American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Enforcement Counsel, Mass Gaming Commission
Chief of Staff, Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate
Information Technology Director, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Instructor, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Payroll and Benefits Manager, City of Fitchburg
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