It is difficult to believe that ten years has passed since the horror of 9/11. Each and every American citizen felt helpless on that day. Loved ones were lost without apparent meaning or reason. Our dazed moments turned to the understanding that we had to do something in honor of those that were gone. Albertus Magnus High School, in Bardonia, NY lost five of their alumni members on that sad day, and they have decided to dedicate a new scoreboard in memory of those that had fallen. Five of the Albertus Magnus High School Falcons have been given a place of honor: Brian Novotny, Kevin Reilly, Michael McHugh, Michael Roberts and Sean Fegan.
The idea of a new scoreboard became apparent when one of the sports attendees, Tom Downes, realized that they had no concept of the baseball score when watching his grandson play during the game at Albertus Magnus. Meeting with The Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Marty Moran, they decided to begin the process of raising money and sent a personal invitation to the families of the alumni that were lost on September 11th. Working with a variety of groups, Moran became the main force behind getting the new scoreboards.
The high tech scoreboards are more advanced and offer a variety of abilities. The convenience of remote control combined with multiple functionalities give the school the ability to have a scoreboard for the teams, but also to be used for announcements. Each of the families became personally involved in the tribute.
The school created a “Memorial Garden” with a bench dedicated to each one of the fallen alumni. The centerpiece of the garden is a cross made out of two of the steel cross beams taken from the World Trade Center South Tower. This was the tower that firefighters Kevin Reilly and Michael Roberts, ran to as part of the responders. It is ironic and just, that these two beams fell in the form of a cross. No one adjusted or placed it that way, it is the way they fell.
Both the school and the five families of the fallen have combined the generosities through a scholarship program. They continue to remember those that we lost by selecting five boys and five girls for the awards.
This Sept. 11, 2011 was a day that of sharing for the school and the families. The students needed to know who these people were and what they contributed to the school history and to our country. Memories and stories were shared, so they will not be forgotten. Each of the fallen was involved with the school and many were part of the sports programs.
As a nation, we will always mourn the passing of the ones we loved that day. The members of Albertus Magnus School, the staff and the families of those that were lost have created an incredible way to honor their alumni and family members. Students will use the scoreboard and each year, will view the names, never forgetting…always remembering.