Monday, May 25, 2009

From Mrs. Abernethy


Dear Animal Planet:
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation from high school. Know I will always remember what a wonderful fifth grade class you were. We had some great times! I hope you enjoy looking through the pictures and I hope it brings back fond memories. There are some sad memories, too. The horrible tragedy on September 11, 2001 affected all of us. I found some of your stories that you wrote in 5th grade. See if you can find yours, read, and enjoy! Especially read Megan's, Kaitlin's and Molly's stories which were tributes to 911. I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Abernethy

Chloe's Diary-By Megan

August 29th, 2001

Dear Diary,

Today Daddy and I are going to the New York Mets baseball game. Daddy took the day off from his work at the Twin Towers. I am so excited! Daddy and I love to spend time together.

Sincerely,
Chloe
P.S. Go Mets!

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August 31st, 2001

Dear Diary,

Sorry I couldn’t write yesterday. I had to go to school early because I had to practice my clarinet. Then after school I had to go to dance. I’m having Sarah spend the night tonight. Daddy is taking us to the movies. Mommy just went to Philadelphia on business. Got to go. Sarah is here.

Sincerely,
Chloe

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September 3, 2001

Dear Diary,
Mommy came back while I was at school. Daddy is taking us to the Hardrock Café! I really missed Mommy!

Sincerely,

Chloe

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After Dinner

Dear Diary,
When we were at the Hardrock Café, Mommy and Daddy told me that they are going to take me to see the Radio City Rockets for my birthday on September 11th. I am so excited! I’ve always wanted to see them dance.

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 5th, 2001

Dear Diary,

Today and yesterday we practiced safety and how we would get out if something happens. We practiced fire drills, tornado drills, and if a bomb hit something near us. I thought that was very weird because there is a very slim chance that a bomb will hit something near us. I told Daddy and he said that it was good that we practiced that. Dinnertime got to go.

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 7th, 2001

Dear Diary,

I am so bored! There’s nothing to do. I don’t have any homework, Sarah’s busy, Mommy just called and told me that she is staying late, and Daddy’s still at work. I wish Daddy would come home soon. I want to take a walk in Central Park with him.

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 9th, 2001

Dear Diary,

Daddy finally came home on Thursday, but it was too late to go for a walk. Today we went to see the Statue of Liberty. She is humongous! We went all the way up to the crown. We had to wait 2 and a half hours. I had a lot of fun!

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 11th, 2001

Dear Diary,

I am so scared and I’m shaking. Do you want to know why? Today when I was at school all of the sudden the teachers turned on the news. It said that a plane crashed into the Twin Towers. Daddy’s in there! Then another plane crashed into the Pentagon. Our principal told the teachers to turn off the TV’s. So we had to turn them off. All I wanted to do is be with Daddy. Mommy took me out of school and we went home and just sat there waiting. I didn’t know what to do. I was shaking and crying. Mommy hugged me and said that they’ll find him. Mommy turned on the news and it said firefighters are searching through the rubble for missing people that were in the Twin Towers. As soon as they said that, Mommy and I ran out the door and to this place where there were all these pictures of people that are missing. When Mommy and I saw that, we wrote something too: If you find Robert Carter, please call 724-486-6310. He is badly missed by his family. Please come home to us. We Love you and may God be with you.

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 12th, 2001

Dear Diary,

No one has notified us about Daddy. I am so nervous! Mommy didn’t give me my Birthday presents yesterday because of the tragedy. I don’t really care about my presents anymore. All I want for a late Birthday Present is for Daddy to come home. Mommy told me yesterday that she gave a picture of Daddy to a firefighter. Mommy said that we might as well have my cake. When I blow out my candles I’m going to wish for Daddy to be okay and for him to come home to us.

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 13, 2001

Dear Diary,

I am so excited! A firefighter called this afternoon and said that they might have found Daddy! He’s not sure, though, because the firefighter died that had Daddy’s picture. The firefighter told us that he got trapped in the rubble. Mommy says that we should be thankful that they might have found him. I know, but I still feel bad for all the families that still didn’t get news on their family.

Sincerely,

Chloe

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September 14, 2001

Dear Diary,

I think my birthday wish is almost going to come true. I just hope that we get word on Daddy soon. I don’t think Mommy or I can take the suspense. Mommy said that I should have Sarah over so the time will go by faster. I suppose she’s right. Well I got to go. Mommy said that I should call Sarah before lunch.

Sincerely,

Chloe

P.S. If you are wondering about why I am having Sarah over on a school day, it is because Mommy doesn’t want me to go back until we get word on Daddy. Sarah’s uncle was in the Twin Towers too. She’s not allowed to go to school either.



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September 15, 2001

Dear Diary,

Today the fire department called and said that it is Daddy! They told us to come down to the NYC hospital. As soon as Mommy hung up the phone, we ran out to the car and got in it as fast as we could. When we arrived, Mommy asked for Robert Carter’s room and she said room 12. When we went up there the room was empty. When we saw a doctor and asked if they had moved him, he told us that Daddy died. He said that Daddy was unconscious when he arrived. When a nurse was in there getting his clothes she said that his heart rate was really low. They did everything they could, but it didn’t work. Mommy and I both started crying. When we went home, we got all of the photo albums out and looked at them. It made us sad to see all the memories that we had with him. I will always remember how he took me to the Mets game, when we went to the Statue of Liberty, and when went to the Hardrock Café. I will miss him so much! I will always remember him as my daddy and a wonderful person.

Sincerely,

Chloe

Hidden Lies-By: Molly

HIDDEN LIES
By: Molly H.
Dedicated To: The Victims of the September 11th Tragedy

My name is Melissa Parker. I’m 11 years old and a straight A student in the 5th grade. I have great friends, a mother who writes books, and a father who is a janitor on the 5th and 6th floors in one of the Twin Towers. I have a one year old baby sister named Mary, a big apartment, and if you look out the window of my room you can see the tops of both the Twin Towers.

Every Friday after school my parents take Sarah (my best friend who lives two floors below us) and I to the park. Dad plays catch or something like that with Sarah and I while my mom watches Mary play in the sandbox. My life is great!

At least it was until September 11, 2001. September 11th was a normal Tuesday, just like any other. We were doing math when another teacher came into our classroom, and told my teacher to turn on the T.V. My teacher walked over to the T.V., and turned it on. On the T.V., my class and I saw a plane crash into a building. Then a news reporter came on and said, ”Terrorists have attacked the Twin Towers!”

Later that day when I got home from school, I couldn’t find my mom! “Mom!” I yelled, “Where are you!”

I found my mom in my room holding Mary, looking out my window. Mom never came into my room except to say goodnight.

”Are you alright?” I asked. She nodded her head, but didn’t speak. I walked over to the window where my mom was standing, and looked out. I couldn’t see the Twin Towers anymore…just smoke. I looked up at my mom. She was fighting back tears in her eyes. I knew if I made her speak she would cry. So I didn’t ask any questions.

Suddenly, it hit me. Where was Dad? Today was his day off! “Where is dad?” I asked my mother. Her eyes filled up to the brim with tears. “Where’s Dad?” I repeated. She let a single tear roll down her cheek. “Where Is DAD?” I asked for the 3rd and final time.

Even though, I already knew where he was in my heart. Now the tears were flooding out of my mom’s eyes. “We’ll talk in a minute.” Mom sobbed.

With Mary in her arms she left my room and went into Mary’s room. I saw my mom put Mary in her crib. My mom came back into my room with a tissue, and was dabbing her eyes with it. I was not crying. It was too much of a shock.

“There was an emergency where your father worked in the Twin Towers,” my mom said.

“He was the janitor of two floors. What happened? Was there a synchronized coffee spill on both floors?” I asked sarcastically, but in an angry tone.

“Your father isn’t a janitor.”

“What?”

“Wait here. I’ll be right back”, she said holding back more tears. She went into her room, and came out with an envelope in her hand. I saw her cry a little more, but she wiped the tears away before reentering my room.

She handed me the envelope and said, “Your father and I had decided to give this to you when you were 12, but I think you’re ready now.” She walked out of my room, and closed my door behind her. After she left I opened the envelope. It was from my dad! It read:

August 5,1990

Dear Melissa,

The reason I’m writing this letter to you and not telling you in person is because a letter is more official. You cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you. I’m not a janitor. I’m an F.B.I agent. I wish I could have told you sooner, but I needed to be sure you were old enough to keep this big secret. I love you, but I have to go.

Love,

Dad

P.S. Happy birthday!

I realized that he wrote it the day I was born, and planned to give it to me on my 12th birthday. I put the letter back in the envelope, and put the envelope in my dresser drawer where I keep all my important things.

I went into the kitchen where my mom was making two microwave dinners. “Is it true?” I asked.

“Yes,” She said. “But there is hope that he’s still alive.”

School was closed the rest of the week. On Friday, someone called. Mom talked for what seemed like hours. She hung-up.

“I have to go out. I think they found your father’s body.” She gulped, holding back tears. ”Watch Mary for me.” Then she left.

Mary started to cry, so I went into her room, picked her up, and walked into my room. She stopped crying when I set her down on the floor to play with her ball. I looked out my window and began to cry.

“Dad is alive!” I kept saying to myself. “They don’t know if it’s him yet. They just think it’s him.”

I made myself stop crying, put Mary back in her crib, went into the family room, and turned on the T.V. There was nothing on, except pictures of the Twin Towers and what they look like now.

“I don’t need to see this on T.V. I can see this in real life.” I thought sadly.

I put in a tape called Miss Congeniality, but when there were funny parts I couldn’t laugh. All my feelings felt blurred together. I felt sad, mad, surprised, afraid, but mad the most, I guess. I was mad at the people who did this! I couldn’t help but let all my feelings out. I started to cry again for a little while, but then I made myself stop again.

“Waah!” Mary cried. I went into her room. “Waah!” I picked her up. She stopped crying. I took her into our family room, laid her down on the couch and piled pillows around her so she wouldn’t fall off. I lay down on the couch too, and at three o’clock I fell asleep.

At five my mom came home. “Melissa we have to talk.” She picked up Mary and sat down. “Your father is truly gone.” She cried.

“No, he can’t be! He just can’t!” I cried. I ran into my room, lay on my bed and cried. All the emotions that I had been trying to hide came out. My mom came in, crying a little, and sat down on my bed.

“How could this have happened?” I sobbed.

“He went back in to save a family. I’ve arranged for us to meet the family that he saved on Sunday.”

“I don’t want to meet them! I’d rather have Dad than them!”

“I know, but they’re very nice people, and I want you to meet them.”

“Alright, but I won’t like it one bit!” I cried.

Soon, Sunday came and I was getting ready to meet the family. Ding-dong! It was the doorbell. My mom opened it. There was a lady with a baby in a baby carrier with a blanket over it.

“Come in. Sit down ” Mom said.

“Thank you,” said the lady. “My name is Linda, and this is Kathleen. She held up the baby carrier, but I couldn’t see Kathleen. She sat down on the couch beside me. I was holding Mary. My mom came in and sat down in a chair.

“Please, Linda tell us what happened,” Mom said.

“Well, normally my husband goes to work by himself, but on Tuesday I went with him so that he could show all his coworkers our new five month old little girl. I talked for a little while, but just when I was about to leave there was a big shake and the ceiling caved in around us!”

“There was a tiny opening where we could see out. It was only about three square inches. We screamed, ‘Help us,’ but everyone was too busy running down the hallway to help us. Then your father came over to us and said that he would help us!”

“He started to dig through the rubble, until there was a hole big enough for us to crawl out. We were running to the stairs when a beam fell on his leg! We tried to lift it off but it was too heavy. ‘Go!’ he said. ‘I’ll be fine! Just tell my family that I love them!’

“We didn’t want to leave him, but the building started shaking, so we bolted down the steps! We got out just in time! The building started to crumble just as we got out! My husband found an unlocked car and we all jumped in! Then there was smoke. We didn’t get out of the car for another hour.

“When we did get out of the car, we went to the closest hospital and got checked to make sure that we were all okay. And ever since then we’ve been trying to find you.”

I couldn’t see why my dad had risked his life just to save theirs!

“Waah!” Linda’s baby began to cry. Linda took the baby out of the carrier, and when I looked into Kathleen’s eyes I knew the reason why my dad risked his life to save them! Then I had a feeling that I cannot explain. By then everyone was crying.

Linda and Kathleen stayed for supper. After they left I asked my mom, “When are we going to tell Mary what really happened?”

“When she’s twelve,” she said

“Why not now?”

“She needs to be old enough to keep a secret,” she explained.

“Why does it have to be a secret now?” I asked.

“So that no one will try to hurt us to try and make us tell any F.B.I. secrets,” she answered

“But we don’t know any F.B.I. secrets,” I whined.

“Yes, but other people don’t know that. Until Mary is twelve, all she must know is that her father was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Right?”

“Right!” I agreed.

The next Tuesday was my dad’s funeral. Linda, Kathleen, and Linda’s husband, Jake were there.

That night in bed, I thought, “Some people knew my dad as a janitor. To others he was an F.B.I. agent. But to me, he was a hero!”

Riley's Diary-By Kaitlin

RILEY’S DIARY

By: Kaitlin

December 18, 2001

Dear Diary,

Hi. My name is Riley. I live in an apartment in Philadelphia. I found you in a box of old junk. Yesterday when my sister and I got home from school my parents told us that we are moving to New York City. The new apartment lets you have dogs so my dad got my sister and I both our own chocolate lab puppy.

Riley

December 19, 2001

Dear Diary,

Since the apartment that we live in now doesn’t allow dogs the puppies are staying at my aunts house in New York. My friends arranged a surprise going away party for me. But, they told my sister and she told me. My friends were so mad. My sister never could keep a secret. The good thing about moving to New York is that we lived there till I was nine. I can’t wait to see my friends. I have to go. My mom says I have to help her pack the kitchen.

Riley

Later that day

Dear Diary,

When I got home from the party my sister was done packing her room and had started on mine. She’s so excited about moving back she has already planned a party. Even I’m invited to her party. The moving van is here to take the furniture to the new apartment. The new apartment is a lot bigger than the one we are living in right now.

Riley

December 20, 2001

Dear Diary,

We are at our new apartment. It is a lot bigger than our old one. It has four bedrooms and a studio. It has a big kitchen and living room. But, the dining room is small. My bedroom is the smallest. It has white carpet and blue walls. It overlooks where the twin towers used to be. All the bedrooms are unloaded and we have started on the kitchen.

Riley

December 21, 2001

Dear Diary,

I just found out that I start school three days after Christmas. All my friends are in my class. My teacher’s name is Mrs. Cracks. The good thing about the school I’m going to is that it has a really big gym. The bad thing about it is that we have to wear uniforms. They are blue green and red plaid skirts. The shirts and sweaters are also blue. The boy’s slacks are khaki.

Riley

December 22, 2001

Dear Diary,

I haven’t been writing to you in a while because my dad was in a really bad car accident. He has to stay in the hospital for a week or so. Then he can come home. He totaled his car. The reason he crashed was because there was a piece of rubble on the road. The lady that he crashed into died at the hospital. Her name was Carol Durm. We found out that she had three kids and an elderly mom to take care of. Her husband was devastated.

Riley

December 23, 2001

Dear Diary,

I can’t wait ‘til tomorrow. My grandparents are here to help my mom get ready for the holidays. My grampa just sits on the couch and watches TV. My dad broke his leg, two fingers on his left hand, and he also had a rib scrape a very small hole in his lung. We are having the Carol family over for Christmas Eve dinner. They are really nice people. Her kids are 3, 5, and 13. They are really active. They all are in gymnastics downtown.

Riley

December 26, 2001

Dear Diary,

I got a stereo and a laptop for Christmas. The laptop is a purple i-mac. We went to the hospital to see my dad. He is still pretty bad, but he gets to come home in two days. My sister painted her room bright tangerine orange. Everything else in her room is white except the carpet. It has orange spots all over it. Tomorrow I have to go shopping for all the supplies for school. We have to get books for all the subjects, pencils, notepads, and pens. The principal at the school is very strict. His name Mr. Hunniez. You have to be in class before the bell rings. No later, or you’ll get detention.

Riley

December 28, 2001

Dear Diary,

Today was my first day of school. We had a fire drill, tornado drill, and a bomb drill and I got lost in the school. Mr. Hunniez gave me detention, because I wasn’t with my class. I don’t like him. I have homework in every subject. My friends came over to help me with my homework. My sister tried to cook dinner and burnt it to a crisp, so we all went out to Pizza Hut for dinner.

Riley

December 29, 2001

Dear Diary,

My class and I went to the bank today to see all of the machinery. We all got a piggy bank, a pad of paper, and a pen. Today my aunt brought the puppies over. They have grown so much since we got them. I named mine Molly. She chews on everything. I had to get a new comforter because she chewed it to pieces. She sleeps in a kennel in my bedroom.

Riley

January 3, 2002

Dear Diary,

I am on the last page of you. My dad came home and he said he was feeling a lot better. My puppy still chews on everything. Yesterday she chewed up my sister’s shoes. Two days ago a reporter came to our apartment to take pictures of the twin towers wreckage. My schoolwork is going well so far. Mr. Hunniez retired and we got a new principal. Her name is Ms. Charms. She is really nice. My mom said we are going to re-carpet and repaint the whole apartment (especially my sister’s room)

Riley

My Dog Marshall

My Dog Marshall

The Power

The Power

Journey's of Seproth

The Journeys of Seproth

The Beast

The Beast

Princess-By: Kaleigh

Princess-by Kaleigh

My New Dirt Bike

My New Dirt Bike

Lydia's Story

Lydia's Story

Krista's Cat

Krista's Cat

D1/D2 Horse Rally

The D1 D2 Horse Rally

Hockey-By: Zack

Hockey-By: Zack

Hockey-By Clay

Hockey Clay

1965 Mustang

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Baseball-By Billy B

base ball

All About Football

All About Football

13 Tips-by Tessa

13 Tips On How

The Move

The New Move

Worst Day of My Life

The Worst Day of My Life