Where were you when the world stopped turning?

It has been 15 years since September 11, 2001 when the world seemed to stand still. If you ask most adults where they were on that blue-skied day, they will remember it vividly.

But for the first time since the attacks, the freshmen class at EHS was not alive to remember that day.

Freshman Drea Hoedebeck said it’s difficult for her to grasp the impact the attacks had because she has no memory before 9/11.

The 9/11 documentary that Hoedebeck watched in eighth grade doesn’t have the same effect as the live coverage EHS health teacher Missi Sanders watched on September 11, 2001.

“I walked into class [on 9/11] and I had no idea what was going on until a girl said ‘you need to turn on the TV,’” Mrs. Sanders said.

Mrs. Sanders was confused but listened to the girl anyway. Total shock hit Mrs. Sanders after she turned the television on, a feeling that Hoedebeck doesn’t associate with 9/11 because she has known about the attacks her whole life.

“Kids now get it, but they didn’t live it,” Mrs. Sanders said. “They know it was devastating but they don’t feel it.”

The emotions Mrs. Sanders felt were shared by all Americans in 2001, and high school students were no exception. The kids wanted to talk about their feelings and what happened, Mrs. Sanders said; especially the few students who had family in New York City or the military.

Those kids didn’t know if their loved ones were okay or where they would be sent in the future, Mrs. Sanders said.

“I think that’s all we did all day long: watch TV and try to figure out what the facts were,” Mrs. Sanders said.

The next few days followed the same routine.

“It was difficult to get back to normal schoolwork,” Mrs. Sanders said. “There were so many unanswered questions. Everyone felt somber.”

And 15 Septembers later, the 11th day still feels somber.

But what happened that day isn’t most important. The patriotism that followed overshadows the terrorism that occurred.

“America came together,” Mrs. Sanders said. And Mrs. Sanders hopes the togetherness is passed on to those who didn’t live through that September.

“I think we learned [from 9/11] that heroes are everywhere,” Hoedebeck said. “Americans proved that with their courage.”