"I think it is very important that we as a country, as a community, never forget that day," said Dumas Independent School District Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Brett Beesley.  He was at Dumas Intermediate School (DIS) Friday where the entire student body of fifth and sixth graders, joined by their teachers and other school staff and administrators, had gathered outside to mark the 20th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center of Sept. 11, 2001 and to thank veterans and local first responders for their service to the community.

The students had not been born when nearly 3,000 people died that day, many of them first responders who were in the process of climbing up the fire escape stairs of the towers to help victims when the buildings collapsed, killing everyone inside.  The student body is also extremely diverse.  "We have so many first and second generation Americans," said Philip Rhodes, principal of DIS.  "It is crucial that we teach them what America is about."

Recommended for you

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.