Cold and rainy weather usually sets a solemn mood… the perfect climate for the juniors’ trip to the 9/11 memorial on January 17th in Manhattan.

“The bottom of the pools are the original bases of the Twin Towers that stood here,” said Mr. Nisonoff.

The architect, Michael Arad collaborated with landscape architect Peter Walker. According to http://www.911memorial.org/, their design was selected from a global design competition that included more than 5,200 entries from 63 nations.

The memorial, while beautifully crafted, represents the deaths of not only the people who lost their lives in the buildings, but the others who went in to rescue them. The names of all the people whose lives were taken are engraved in the panels encircling the pools.

“I thought the memorial was really nice, I thought having everyone’s names around the square of where the Twin Towers was a really good idea,” said junior Samantha Matos.

Visitors of the memorial can not only see the pools, but they have a good view of the rebuilding of the Twin Towers.

“It’s sad to walk around the pools and see all the names… it’s hard to believe so many people died,” said junior Stephanie Troumouhis. “But at the same time, it’s hopeful. You can see all these people working to rebuild the Towers, showing their love for their country and the people who lost their lives at 9/11.”