It's essential that children understand Sept. 11

This year's Patriot Day in South Elgin moved me to tears.

I've been covering it for the past three years now. This year, I thought it was interesting that officials took the 500 children in attendance back to the horror of that fateful day, starting with when the first American Airlines flight hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

Village Administrator Larry Jones also spoke of the government's response and the memorial services held at all four sites that the terrorists attacked -- something that was very emotional for me.

Everyone has a story about where they were on Sept. 11, 2001.

I was at my parents' home in Chicago that Tuesday morning, getting up to go to work. I learned about the attacks while chatting online with a friend of mine in London.

I immediately panicked because I had a brother living in New York City and an aunt who works for the State Department in Washington, D.C.

I didn't go to work that day. I stayed at home, waiting to hear from them, and luckily, they were OK.

The twin towers in particular had a special meaning for me because I went to college in New Jersey, in a town 40 minutes from New York City. On that train ride, you always saw the towers and when you did, you knew you were just moments away from the city.

I'd been to the World Trade Center before to shop at stores there. And I also had been in New York two weeks before the terrorist attacks.

On a trip that brought me through New York City three weeks ago, the airplane was making its final descent into Newark Liberty International Airport.

If you sit on the left side of the plane of that flight, you can see the entire New York City skyline.

As I gazed out the window, I saw the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Life Building and, off in the distance, the Statue of Liberty.

No towers.

It brought back the horror and shock of what happened six years ago. The way people died -- some of them jumping to their deaths -- made me break down, right on the airplane. Anyone who knows me realizes it takes a lot to make me cry.

The kids at the South Elgin program -- in grades four, five and six, were probably too young to remember much of what happened six years ago.

In previous years, officials didn't talk much about it, but I'm delighted South Elgin officials changed their tune this year.

"I just thought a timeline of some very fast-paced hours and things that were happening so rapidly, I thought it would just be a good topic to talk to them about," said Jones, whose sixth-grade daughter celebrated her birthday on Sept. 11.

So many times, as Fire Chief Joe Cluchey said, adults try to shield children from the bad things that happen.

But I think these children are old enough and mature enough -- they were very well-behaved during the program -- to get a grasp of what happened.

Here's hoping village officials do it again next year.

Their turn: The First Community Bank in Elgin has repeatedly offered up its space for public school art students to display their wares.

This time though, it's all about the private school kids.

A special exhibit opens for them from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at the bank, 50 Tyler Creek Plaza. This marks the fourth show the bank has held for area students.

If you can't make it that night, don't worry. The exhibit will remain at the bank through Nov. 7.

Nine schools are involved in the exhibit, including Elgin Academy, Westminster Christian, Good Shepherd Lutheran School and St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic School.

Each school will display 25 pieces of work, from kindergarten through the final year of high school.

Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday during the exhibition's run.