One hundred and twenty-four Aviation High School students participated on June 12 in a kick-off of the Reclaiming the Sky Resiliency Project designed to expand 9/11 education to New York’s high school students. The program gives students a chance to explore the courage and sacrifice of aviation workers on 9/11, including their paths to recovery, and apply the lessons to their lives.
A bill in the NYS Senate has called for increased 9/11 education in NY schools. Through this program, Aviation High School is leading the way by demonstrating how the resiliency strengths of aviation’s 9/11 heroes can serve as a teaching tool to enhance students’ capacity to meet challenges. Reclaiming the Sky is offered by the Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham in collaboration with Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning and major sponsor SSP America. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum will host a workshop in September to allow participating students to share what they have learned.
During the June 12 session, students were introduced to the stories of the heroes featured in the book “Reclaiming the Sky,” authored by Tom Murphy, who is also the founder of the Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham. The book recounts how employees in Boston, New York, and Washington, DC, arrived at work on September 11 expecting an ordinary day, only to find themselves in the midst of a national attack, with their industry being used as a tool in the assault.
The workshop touches on the impact of the attacks. Still, the primary focus is on the steps frontline employees and everyday Americans took in the days, weeks, and months that followed to rebuild their airports, restore hope, and “reclaim the sky” for themselves and the country.
Over the summer, Aviation High School students will read free copies of the “Reclaiming the Sky” ebook contributed by SSP America. They’ll write an essay expressing how the heroes’ stories resonated with them and the lessons they can apply to their lives. Justin Foley, Ken Weinberg, and Alexander Carlson, Aviation High educators overseeing the project, will select thirty top-performing students who will be invited to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 18 for a session to share their thoughts.
Students will have the opportunity to meet leaders from the aviation industry, including several profiled in the book, and discuss ways they can apply the lessons to their lives in preparation for the day when they will lead the industry.
The program follows a resiliency workshop series offered by the Human Resiliency Institute in partnership with Airports Council International – NA and SSP to support Young Professionals at ACI-NA airports.
