Other MMS instrumentalists earned a rating of First on their solos: ... , Nick Koberstein, ...

COMMUNITIES REFLECT: CITIES HOLD EVENTS TO REMEMBER SEPT. 11 ATTACKS

BY KEN SEEBER, THE SOUTHERN, [Thu Sep 11 2003]

MURPHYSBORO -- Many of the students who gathered in front of St. Andrew School in Murphysboro Thursday seemed like they were too young to remember much about the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.

But the kindergarten through eighth-graders stood quietly in prayer, solemnly honoring the memory of the 3,021 lives lost two years ago. The children shielded their eyes from the bright sun as they lifted their faces skyward to watch the raising of a new American flag, donated to the school by Leo and Mickey Korando.

"We're raising the flag only to half-staff, because we want to remember what happened two years ago," Principal Susan Sheffer told her students. "We want to remember all those who perished in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington."

Boy Scouts Nathaniel Huffman, Matthew Ahlfield, Bryce Schumacher and Sean O'Neill, who are all students at St. Andrew, briskly raised the new flag to the top of the staff, then slowly lowered to the halfway mark as the "Star Spangled Banner" was played by Nick Koberstein on trumpet and Kailey Walker on clarinet.

Thursday's ceremony was organized by social studies teacher Joanne Bleyer and her eighth-grade class. Her students were in class on Sept. 11, 2001, and have vivid memories about that morning.

"I remember Mrs. (Elizabeth) Stein crying and she had the TV on. It was really blurry, because we weren't getting any reception," said Koberstein, 13, the son of Jan and Mike Koberstein of Murphysboro. "I didn't know at first what she meant by the Twin Towers. It took me awhile to figure out what was happening."

Emily Hahn, 13, said she worried about a family member when she heard about the attacks.

"I was crying my eyes out, because my aunt lives in Chicago and worked by the Sears Tower," said Hahn, the daughter of Pat and Bob Hahn of Murphysboro. "They said that might be a building that might be hit, so I was really upset."

Hahn said the class had a science test later that day and none of the students did well on it. In fact, Bleyer said it wasn't just the students who had trouble concentrating on Sept. 11.

"My son was in the Saudi Arabia that day, in the Air Force," she said. "None of us were doing well that day."

Bleyer added that although it's important for people to remember the terrorist attacks, she tries not to let her students dwell on the tragedy too much.

"Last year we spent some time talking about it," Bleyer said. "It's a day you want to remember -- you don't want to forget it -- but it's also time to let things start returning to normal."

ken.seeber@thesouthern.com 618-529-5454 x15078