Cooley Ranch Elementary Pays Homage to Heroes with 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony

Colton students came together in remembrance and honor of those who lost their lives in the tragic events of September 11, 2001 at Cooley Ranch Elementary School on the 12th anniversary of the fall of the Twin Towers in New York City. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, students at Cooley Ranch Elementary gathered for a short presentation and observed a moment of silence, while the Colton High School (CHS) NJROTC (Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard joined the school to present the colors during the ceremony. The NJROTC cadets participating included Cadet Samantha Perez, Cadet Gerardo Vargas, Cadet Mathieu Zamora and Cadet Earnest Hernandez. “This has been my cadet’s third year in participation, and it always brings a tear or two in remembrance of this day,” said Kristine Zamora, whose son, Mathieu is a member of the NJROTC Color Guard and attended Cooley Ranch Elementary School, like many of the cadets in the CHS program, she noted. Cooley Ranch Elementary School Principal Valerie Villareal spoke to the students about the weight of the events that happened more than a decade ago, which claimed nearly 3,000 American lives. There was also a presentation of photographs drawn by the Cooley Ranch Kiwanis Kids, an extension of the adult Cooley Ranch Kiwanis Club, which depicted their version of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The school choirs also led the students in patriotic songs and the singing of the National Anthem, Villareal said. This year, the short ceremony focused on what makes a hero, said Villareal. “We know what happened to the Twin Towers and most [of the students] have seen pictures of that day, but we want to promote the heroes. That was really our focus this year: what are the characteristics of heroes? A lot of kids look at people like firefighters and police officers and doctors as heroes,” she said. Villareal added that she was surprised to realize so many children had “some knowledge” about the events from that day, which she credited to media coverage and discussions with their parents at home. “We also want to keep the focus on how we should treat each other with kindness and respect. Those events occurred in tragedy, but even 12 years later we are still united in our sense of compassion for one another,” she said. Zamora said Principal Villareal also quoted from President Obama’s State of the Union Address that he gave during his first year as president. “It’s a very touching moment,” said Zamora, who added that the short ceremony often evokes some tears in the students. “This is an important part of our history. [The kids] can say that, even if they might not have been born [at the time of the attacks], it explains the situation we’re in now.” CHS NJROTC Color Guard Captain Gerardo Vargas said this was the third year he has participated in the Remembrance Ceremony, and he believes it’s necessary to keep the tradition going. He said, “We participate so people can remember our history,” he said. “We need our young generation, especially those at an elementary school level, to know what happened so nobody will ever forget.”