Hijacked plane on September 11th killed dozens, including 8 passengers who were headed to an Oxnard middle school

OXNARD, Calif.—Wednesday morning Frank Middle School honored the nearly 3,000 victims of the September 11th terror attacks.
  
Teachers at the Oxnard school, like so many others, remember exactly where they were that morning.
 
“ I remember driving to school and hearing on the radio that the second plane had hit and just everybody on the freeway looking around in cars, stopping and starting to everybody was in shock and just crying,” said Superintendent Ana DeGenna.
 
All of the passengers on American Airlines flight 77 were killed after it was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon.
 
Eight of those passengers— including 3 teachers, 3 students, and two staff members of the National Geographic Society were headed to Oxnard to meet with students at Frank Middle School for a Channel Islands marine research project.
 
The three 6th grade students were only 11 years old. 
 
“ That connection and horrific events led us to build the memorial quad here that not only to the students that are listed on the sign behind us there, but also to the sacrifice and service of our first responders, both those who died in 911 and even the ones that we honor today and that work in Oxnard,” said 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher Mark Urwick.

What was once experienced in real time by students and faculty is now taught as a part of the social studies curriculum. 
 
“Our students need to learn and develop an understanding of events that impact our lives. And while this didn't happen in their lifetime necessarily, I, I imagine that every one of their parents has a vivid memory of where they were that day,” said Director of Enrichment and Special Programs Ginger Shea.

Teachers say out of tragedy has come a sense of unity and strength. 
 
“We all came together. We still remember. We still bring flowers. We still keep this going 23 years later,” said Urwick.