Student essay on 9/11 photography, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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If this were a movie evacua­ tion it would have been fun; While both towers were still my friends wouldn't be cry­ standing, people started making ing; I wouldn't be crying. If their way north. Here, they pass this were a movie my legs under the TrIBeCa bridge, which wouldn't be sore from walk­ leads Into Stuyvesant. ing from Stuy to Lexington Avenue, and dummies would fall from the buildings, not people; the Twin Towers would not be scattered across very smoothly: the student Lower Manhattan and that body was quieter than he’d dark cloud would have not ever heard it. caught in my throat as I At 10:30 A.M., as students walked away as fast as I were filing out, the north could. But this isn't a movie. tower came down. It's the scariest day of my life. After the students left, —Lu Han, sophomore Teitel went into I.S. 89, the intermediate school across These things happen in the Chambers Street from world. The only way it's dif­ i Stuyvesant, to see if he could ferent from other events like iI help them evacuate safely. But I.S. 89 had already this is that this happened in the U.S. You don't see the been evacuated, so Teitel re­ other people in other coun­ entered Stuyvesant to make tries be as crazy as we are- sure it was empty too. Then he most of those people don't walked north to Chelsea Piers, realize that it's perfectly fair where he and several teachers to have an attack on our soil, organized younger students considering the political into groups for transportation stands we have all around the home. Other teachers came world. upon students walking home — Brian Chu, sophomore ;l and took them under their wing, helping them find their I saw people jumping and way. they looked like debris. I did­ “Teachers walked stu­ n't know people would jump. dents across the Brooklyn —Marisa Ip, sophomore Bridge, the 59th Street Bridge; others went up to the East I had been called to the office Side, the West Side,” Teitel immediately following the said. “Another teacher gave first plane crash, so I didn't students his home phone get to see much of my I' number in case there were teacher's reaction, because a { any problems.” friend's dad was there to get Teitel then proceeded me.... Some of my friends north to Superintendent Tony were crying, others were try­ Sawyer’s office, located in ing to make jokes, because Martin Luther King, Jr. High that was how they dealt with School on 66th Street and it.... I can't watch the news ;| Amsterdam Avenue. anymore, so I have been i The superintendent was helping at fundraisers and waiting to hear from Teitel “so ciothing/food drives. I went I he could tell the Board what the status was of stu­ walked by faculty members to other boroughs.” to a candle lighting ceremony dent safety in all the schools of that area,” Teitel And now that it’s over, how do the adminis­ in the park, and it made me said. “Much earlier, his deputy had told me to sit trators feel? “I’m still very affected, still very trou­ feel a lot better. tight. He had no way of knowing what had bled by what happened,” Blaufarb said. — Erica Meyer, freshman ensued from that point. As soon as I got there I Teitel’s take was sUghtly different. "I think went right into his office. having the responsibility of 3,000 students, 200- “So I gave him the report; I said as far as I plus adults, everything I’ve had to do in the last knew, Stuyvesant High School was evacuated, eight, nine days, I haven’t had time to sit down that no one had been hurt in any way—physical­ and think about what I’ve witnessed as an indi­ ly, of course—that everyone was now being vidual,” Teitel said, “I’ve just been too busy.”

The Spectator • Fall looi 5

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