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History Students Benefit from Speakers, Field Trip
Two editors from National Public Radio shared their memories of the 9/11 attacks and their observations of the aftermath with students in David Brandt’s class, “The U.S. After 9/11 and the ‘War on Terror’” last week.
The speakers were Kevin Beesley, senior editor for Europe at NPR and father to Sam Beesley '19, and Larry Kaplow, senior editor for the Middle East at NPR.
“For you all who are growing up now, this is how the world has always been,” Kaplow said. “For us, a lot of that changed on 9/11.”
Beesley, who was the news director at WNYC in New York on September 11, 2001, said he recalled the “shock and surprise” Americans felt after the attacks and but also being blown away by the “immense feeling of solidarity” expressed by nations around the world.
Dominic Doyle ’17, said he enjoyed learning about the 9/11 attacks from the perspective of a journalist who was there.
“As opposed to all the people running away from the attack, he ran into it,” Doyle said.
Kaplow said after the attacks, the United States found itself evaluating its role in the world—would it continue to spread democracy or withdraw and take care of its own? The assessment was much more complicated than that, Kaplow said, as were the challenges of fighting the ensuing Iraq War and deciding how involved the U.S. should be in Syrian civil war.
Beesley and Kaplow also shared their thoughts on ISIS and the Syria refugee crisis. Students were prompted to share their thoughts on 9/11 and discuss what they believe causes terrorism.
Samantha Winter ’17 said she appreciates the emphasis on learning about terrorism from different perspectives.
“The whole class provided a perspective that’s different than what a textbook or a worksheet may give you,” Winter said. “The added value of oral history is often overlooked when studying history. It’s very interesting to hear a first-hand perspective.”
This week, the class attended a showing of of Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The musical, which is headed to Broadway in 2017, “explores the lasting connection forged between a group of travelers whose planes were diverted to a small Newfoundland town by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In a heartbeat, 38 planes with 6,579 passengers were stranded in a remote town in Newfoundland. The locals opened their hearts and homes, hosting this international community of strangers–spurring unexpected camaraderie in extraordinary circumstances.”
Like many of her classmates, senior Isabelle Jeppsen loved the show.
“I thought it was interesting how they stressed that an act of kindness can have a lasting impact on another’s life,” she stated. “We typically view 9/11 as a catastrophic event, rightfully so, but the musical provides one with a whole new perspective on the day and how people from different backgrounds were able to help one another while making deep and positive connections.”
Later this trimester, students will hear from Judy Phillipson, a former CIA terrorist profiler and Hamilton Peterson, whose parents were killed on Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pa. on 9/11.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.