Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno Launches Statewide Education Program to Provide Comprehensive 9/11 Curriculum for NJ Students

Trenton, NJ – Ensuring that the memories and historical significance of September 11, 2001 are preserved and shared with younger generations of New Jerseyans, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today visited Keyport High School to launch the New Jersey State Museum’s Remember 9.11: Reflections and Memories from New Jersey Collaborative Learning Program. The program provides content from the museum’s Remember 9.11 exhibition, including video stories, lesson plans and teacher training workshops to impart to New Jersey students a greater understanding of the impact the attacks on 9/11 had and continue to have on America and our state.

“This program presents the events of September 11th through the compelling stories of people who witnessed and experienced the attacks,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “We hope their deeply moving stories will inspire middle and high school students to make a positive impact in their communities and provide a touching, personal connection for these students about the significance of the events of 9/11 and how they changed America.”

Teachers have access to four individual lesson plans: Life Before 9/11; Relief, Volunteerism and Good Citizenship; Collapse of the World Trade Center Twin Towers: Causes and Lessons Learned; and Recovery Work After 9/11. The program’s video collection includes stories told by Virginia Bauer, who lost her husband in the attack on the World Trade Center; Sam Johnson, a volunteer relief worker who helped feed thousands of recovery workers; Donald Lokuta, a New Jersey photographer who photographed people at Ground Zero; and Anthony Gardner, the State Museum Director, whose brother died in the World Trade Center collapse. Another video focuses on tests performed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on steel from the World Trade Center.

“This important program will ensure that the legacy of 9/11 is known not only to this generation, but to future generations,” continued Lt. Governor Guadagno. “Students participating in the classroom program will learn from first-hand accounts of loss, survival, volunteerism, remembrance and renewal.”

The program satisfies the Common Core State Standards adopted by the New Jersey State Board of Education and the New Jersey Department of Education. Schools interested in learning more about the Remember 9.11 Collaborative Learning Program may contact the museum’s education department at 609-984-2586 for more information and to request a copy. 

The museum’s Remember 9.11 exhibit is the first comprehensive exhibition to tell the story of this historic and tragic event from New Jersey’s unique perspective. The exhibit runs until July 28, 2013 and the public may visit Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. Support for the museum’s 9/11 exhibition and education programs is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group, PNC and AT&T. The program is also available on the museum’s website, www.statemuseum.nj.gov.

Additional curriculum, released last year, was created through the combined efforts of the Holocaust Commission, the Families of September 11 group and the Liberty Science Center. Volunteer educators researched the topic and crafted K-12 curriculum under the guidance of the Holocaust Commission and sixty-two New Jersey teachers representing urban, suburban and rural districts throughout the state taught the pilot lessons in their classrooms during the 2009-10 academic year. In total, there are 100 lessons. Fifty are now available on the Holocaust Commission website and in print form at http://www.state.nj.us/education/holocaust/news_topics_issues/911.html.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of September 11th, Governor Chris Christie last year dedicated the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park to the 746 New Jerseyans that died in the attacks.