On Friday morning, students and staff at the Ormsby Educational Center paused to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, marking the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
The observance held special meaning at Ormsby, where a 2,600-pound piece of structural steel recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center stands outside the East Aurora center as a permanent memorial to those who lost their lives.
Former Ormsby Principal Thomas Huebert returned to the site early Friday to pay his respects. Since the memorial was installed, Huebert has made a point of visiting each year on the anniversary of 9/11.
Huebert played a key role in bringing the World Trade Center artifact to Ormsby. In 2006, he worked through the formal process with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to obtain a piece of steel from one of the towers.
“I felt Ormsby deserved an artifact due to the fact we offer programs where the fields of study played an important role in 9/11 and in the recovery,” Huebert said at the dedication ceremony in 2022.
That connection remains an important part of the tribute. Ormsby has a long history of preparing students for careers in public safety and service, including firefighting, emergency medical services, criminal justice and health careers. The center was home to New York State’s first Career & Technical Education firefighting program.
The structure was also a community effort. Several Ormsby CTE programs played a role in preparing it for installation, while local businesses helped bring the project together. General Welding & Fabricating welded the lower beam to the World Trade Center artifact, Karalus Landscaping prepared the site, and Masterson’s Garden Center provided shrubs.
The design carries meaning as well. The steel beam points toward New York City, while its concrete base is shaped like the Pentagon, which was also targeted in the attacks.
Speaking to students Friday, Ormsby Principal Laura Sokol-Scott acknowledged that for most of them, Sept. 11 is something they learned about rather than experienced.
“For our students here, 9/11 is a chapter in a history book. You weren’t born yet,” Sokol-Scott said. “But that steel beam in our front garden ensures that 9/11 is not just history. It is a living, breathing part of what it means to be an Ormsby student.”
Sokol-Scott also drew a connection between the students in the building and the first responders who answered the call 25 years ago.
The firefighters, paramedics, police officers, nurses, and other professionals who responded to the attacks were working in the same fields many Ormsby students are now preparing to enter, she said.
“Every time you put on your gear, every time you study medical protocols, every time you practice structural safety, you are answering a call that echoes back 25 years,” Sokol-Scott said.
The plaque at the site honors the victims and their families and describes the steel as a testament to “the heroism, liberty, and charity of our nation and humanity.”
Friday’s observance concluded with a moment of silence for the 2,977 people who died in the attacks and for those who have served and sacrificed in the years since.
“May we never forget,” Sokol-Scott said.
