BY JOANNE KWON ’27
September 11, 2001, is marked as one of the most tragic days in American history, still impacting Americans to this day. On Wednesday, September 16, Jericho High School held a three period-long 9/11 assembly program for all juniors and seniors with the goal of honoring the sacrifices of first responders, while also helping students understand how such an important day of remembrance became a federally recognized day of service.
During this program, students heard firsthand testimony from first responders. Students also watched an exclusive screening of the new documentary “9/11 Day.” Jericho High School welcomed 9/11 first responders Andrew Sausmer, who is a firefighter, and Daniel King, who is a retired NYPD Detective Sergeant to share their experiences.
Mr. Sausmer, who lost his best friend to the attacks, believes that it is important to not just think of 9/11 as a historical event, but to also remember the people behind the tragedy through firsthand experiences. Mr. Sausmer said, “It’s important to remember what happened that day, not so much what you read about and hear about but to hear from people that have experiences with that.”
Among the tragedy and loss, there was good, as people banded together to respond and help one another, oftentimes sacrificing to do so. Mr. King said, “death and destruction doesn’t help anything, and remember that on a horrible day, a lot of good things happened.”
Mr. King recalled that September 11, 2001 was his son’s tenth birthday. He recalled being on his way to work in Brooklyn, having been assigned to the New York City Police Department. He heard of the attacks over the radio and helped people evacuate over the Brooklyn Bridge. King said, “[I never want people to forget] how people helped each other, and how everybody came together. We [were] all working for one cause.”
Later on in the program, the unreleased documentary “9/11 Day” was screened for students. This documentary discussed the aftermath of 9/11 and how it affected Mr. Sausmer and Mr. King. The documentary is set for release next year.
The assembly had positive feedback from students and educators. Jinglan C ’27 said, “[the program] was very informative and helpful.” The messages of service shared by first responders inspired students and administrators to adopt a service-focused vision for the first Jericho Wellness Day of the 2026-2027 school year.
As Jericho reflects on the tragedies of 9/11, the Jericho community is committed to honoring the victims and those who heroically risked their lives. Students and staff, alike, were inspired by this somber event to move forward in honoring sacrifice through acts of service.
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