Ward Melville High School Remembers 9/11

Noah Johnson wasn't older than six when the World Trade Center fell on Sept. 11, 2001. "I knew it was very horrific, but I couldn't understand the full extent of it," he said. "It was only when I got older that I understood what happened."

Johnson, a junior at Ward Melville High School, has come to understood a few other things about 9/11, too.

"Since then, we've learned to cooperate more, to help each other," he said. "When there's unity and that sense of cooperation, we can do great things."

Johnson was one of 72 Ward Melville students chosen at random on Monday to leave their classrooms for a little while and take part in a new tradition: the installation of flags outside the high school on Old Town Road, visible for all to see, for what is only the second year in a row.

The flags were acquired last year via a donation of approximately $500 from Student Government, according to principal Alan Baum.

"I think it's a great way to show our appreciation for those who suffered," Baum said. "Hopefully everyone who sees it will take a few moments and pause to think about the significance of this day."