Elementary school students create 2,799 memorial markers for 9/11 victims

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - As the U.S. approaches the 18th year following the 9/11 terror attacks, parents and teachers are exploring ways to teach the younger generation about the point in our nation's history.

Dr. Kristy Verdi, a civics teacher at Benjamin Franklin Boys Preparatory Academy, is leading the school in a project to commemorate each victim killed in the attacks. Students are researching flight manifests and labeling each flagged marker with a name, and applicable flight number. 

They're also learning as much as they can about specific victims and their stories.

Dr. Verdi said she tries to connect her students to the past events by linking it to something or someone in their present.

"I tell them about it from my perspective," she said " So, we do a little oral history lesson here, and they take notes while I tell them about my experience. They still make a connection with my feelings and then, of course, I try to find ways to connect it to things in their own lives." 

Roeshaun Riley, a seventh-grader, said it's inspiring to learn about the victims' stories.

"It lets us know about our U.S. history, and how we fit in the world," Riley added. 

On Wednesday, students will plant all 2,799 memorial markers in front of the school.