By AFRO Staff
D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) took time to remember those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, with a special tribute to the DCPS students and teachers who were killed 24 years ago in the tragic terror attacks.
“On this day, we remember six members of the DCPS family we lost 24 years ago: students Asia Cottom, Bernard Brown, and Rodney Dickens, and teachers Hilda Taylor, James Debeuneure, and Sarah Clark,” wrote DCPS officials, in a statement released on the official DCPS Meta (Facebook) account. “They had been chosen to participate in a trip to study ecology in California beside National Geographic Society researchers. On September 11, 2001, less than 35 minutes into the trip, their flight was hijacked. At 9:37AM, the plane crashed into the Pentagon. All passengers on board were killed, and 125 Pentagon employees lost their lives.”
In memoriam, DCPS officials gave details on the students and the teachers who boarded the fateful flight, American Airlines Flight 77.
“Asia was a new student at Backus Middle School. Her father worked at the school as a coach and a classroom aide. Teachers remembered Asia as kindhearted and eager to help her classmates,” said DCPS officials. “Bernard was the type of student who kept teachers on their toes at Leckie Elementary School. Bernard’s teachers agreed that he was showing real progress, and that was one of the reasons why he was recommended to participate in the trip. He loved basketball and wanted to play professionally one day.”
Rodney Dickens is remembered as a student whose name was sure to always appear on the honor roll list at Ketcham Elementary School. He had two young brothers and two older sisters. An aunt told DCPS that “his favorite activity was watching professional wrestling—no matter what he was doing…he made it home to see wrestling.”
Each of the DCPS students who died on Sept. 11 were a mere 11 years old.
The students were accompanied by sixth grade teacher and Sierra Leone native, Hilda Taylor, a mother, grandmother who chose to serve the students at Leckie Elementary School after moving to the country in search of a better life.
“James Debeuneure returned to the classroom as a second career. He was a 5th grade teacher at Ketcham Elementary School. He was known for arriving early and leaving late. Mr. Debeuneure was a father of three,” said the statement. “Sarah Clark began teaching in DCPS in 1965, and worked as a 6th grade teacher at Backus Middle School. She was engaged to be married. Ms. Clark was a mother of two. Asia, Bernard, Rodney, Hilda, James, and Sarah are forever in our hearts. Our deepest sympathies remain with their families.”
Across the nation, Americans used the 24th anniversary to hold moments of silence and ceremonies to honor those who never made it home on Sept. 11, 2001.
Thousands were killed in New York City as the country came under attack. Flight 11 crashed into the 93rd through 99th floors of the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m. Moments later, United Airlines Flight 175, hit the World Trade Center’s South Tower at 9:03 a.m., crashing into the 77th through 85th floors and collapsing entirely at 9:59 a.m. The North Tower fell at 10:28 a.m., compounding the tragedy.
One plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed near Shanksville, Pa. at 10:03 a.m., after those on board fought with multiple hijackers. On that plane, were everyday people who became heroes, like CeeCee Ross Lyles, who was a flight attendant.
Ross Lyles died at the age of 33, and had only completed her flight attendant training in January of 2001, according to information released by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The Ft. Pierce, Fla. native was living her dream, after serving the community as a police officer.
Today, 24 years later, the AFRO continues to say the names of those lost and reflect on how the events of that day forever changed the world.