Halfway through period 5 on Wednesday morning, the deep, solemn sound of a bell broke the normal routine of class. A moment of silence followed, heavy with remembrance, before teachers and students resumed their class activities.

On Sept. 11, the upper school observed a series of memorial services to honor the victims of the tragedy that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, when three planes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly three thousand people. Bells rang over the loudspeakers at each of the times that a building fell or a plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, and the hallway near Main Office was lined with colored papers that housed remembrances from the Harker community. Students and faculty were asked to talk about their 9/11 stories in advisory last Friday and write their reflections down to share with the school community, with the goal of remembering 9/11.

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I want everyone to feel like they can now ask their parents or just be more aware because I think that our generation needs to be about that.

— Anna Miner (12)

These memorial services were headed by senior Anna Miner, who first recognized the need for remembrance when she wrote a speech about 9/11 in her junior English class. Anna, being a part of the first generation to be born after 9/11, believes that it’s important for the American youth to never forget the impact of 9/11 and the unity that brought America together in the wake of tragedy.

Last week, she delivered a presentation at school meeting on the significance of remembering 9/11.

“When I was up there, I actually felt like our student body was one, and there was so much unity, especially during the moment of silence,” Anna said. “It’s important to go back and never forget that moment that brought us together.”