GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Teens who weren’t yet alive during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks took the opportunity to imagine themselves in the shoes of first responders by climbing stairs at Green Bay West High School.
The school’s annual bleacher climb honors the first responders who lost their lives on 9/11.
Due to weather, Monday’s climb was moved indoors into the gym. Instead of climbing bleachers at the football stadium, students climbed stairs.
Firefighters, National Guard, school staff members and students started their morning out with a moment of silence, followed by the national anthem.
Students then climbed up steps, with the option to use the weighted backpacks or carry gear provided by the National Guard, to gain a better understanding of what the firefighters went through.
“Even though we weren’t born yet, it is still a part of our history. This is our home; we are one nation. Keeping this in our minds to remember the ones who tragically died that day, we shouldn’t be forgetting what happened,” says student Alisa Lee.
Although the students climbed 10 flights of stairs, rather than the 110 stories New York firefighters climbed, doing this activity allows them to understand.
“I feel we just need to know more about it, and every year that it comes up, we just get a five-minute talk, but in high school at West, we really do get the five-minute talk and then get the experience,” says student Suabnag Kong.
A few students chose to carry the 75-pound backpacks.
“I think it’s really cool that they give it a shot. All those firefighters were carrying lots of gear. Even though they only went up and down the flight a couple times, carrying that weight is a lot of work,” says Green Bay Metro Fire Department Lieutenant Shauna Walesh.
Physical education and health teacher Autumn Dickie tells FOX 11 this resonates with the students.
“It does when they bring in the ruck packs and their gear and they wear that — usually, we are outdoors and they can feel the heat and the heaviness.”
Teachers and students hope that first responders who were at the scene on 9/11 feel honored.
“Let them know we are not going to forget this,” says Lee.
“As a first responder, we come in and do a job. The first responders on that day was any other day — they probably saw this was going to be a bigger job than most of their average jobs, but they just went to work,” says Walesh.
Every physical education student participated.
This was the 12th year the school held the climb.
