Peoria Unified School District kicked off a series of events marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including the return of the National Unity Flag.
The district hosted a joint Patriot Day and National Day of Service to honor active police officers, firefighters and first responders within the city, as well as those who served during the attacks in 2001.
Some schools in Peoria Unified participated by hosting “hero walks,” in which students lined the school hallways wearing red, white and blue, waving American flags and handing out personalized cards of appreciation as first responders made their way down the halls.
Ben Miller, an officer with the Phoenix Police Department, visited Desert Harbor Elementary School's
hero walk where nearly 700 students participated, including his daughter. He said seeing all of the support for first responders brought him a lot of joy and made him remember why he chose the profession.
“We have to realize what happened, learn from what happened, push forward, to carry on for our loved ones and to carry the memory of those that we lost.”
According to Desert Harbor Elementary School Principal Becky Berhow, this was the 16th hero walk held on campus. She said many first responders attending the event previously joined because their relatives attended the school at the time, but returned in subsequent years long after they graduated.
The annual event also helps students understand the importance of Sept. 11, but in an age-appropriate setting.
“It's important for them to recognize there are professions where people are putting themselves at risk every day," she said. “The kids will never understand the magnitude of that day, nor do we try to get them to understand the magnitude of that day and go into any kind of graphic details.”
Arizona law requires schools to teach about 9/11
In 2022, Arizona passed a bill requiring schools to dedicate a portion of the school day to educating students about the events of Sept. 11. Peoria Unified schools had held commemorative events long before the legislation, according to district leaders.
The events kicked off the day before with a flag assembly. After the Sept. 11 attacks, former Ironwood High School teacher Cathy Wallace created the National Unity Flag, which is made up of the flags of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
The center of the flag lists the names of all of the victims and first responders who lost their lives on that day. The flag was also later signed by all 100 senators at the time as well as former President Joe Biden.
The National Unity Flag has since traveled all across the country. It returned to Ironwood High School briefly on Sept. 10 for a flag assembly before being transported to State Farm Stadium for a memorial the following day.
Frontier Elementary School hosted a "heroes luncheon" on Sept. 11, during which Principal Mark Stutesman grilled hot dogs and burgers for students, staff and first responders in attendance.
Brooke Durborow, a music teacher at Frontier Elementary, said the student council has been planning the heroes luncheon since the first day of school. Preparation for the event began as early as 6 a.m. with students eager to help set up. The outdoor space was decorated with patriotic posters created by every homeroom teacher and their students.
Kyle Haugebak, a firefighter who attended Frontier Elementary's luncheon, said he was in elementary school when the attacks in New York happened. Seeing how his community came together following the attacks helped spark his interest in joining the fire department.
He said the attacks were a learning experience for him and it's important for elementary school students, even if they don't fully understand it, to be taught about the importance of how everyone came together.
Coverage of education solutions on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Peoria students honored first responders 25 years after 9/11
