Today is the 24th anniversary of 9/11

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I remember the day just like it was yesterday. One thing that people who remember it always say is that it was the most beautiful day (in terms of weather) and it truly was. Of course the events of that morning were NOT beautiful. It was like my 2nd week as a teacher and I had no idea how to deal with it with the students so I basically just didn't say anything about it to them. I'll never forget turning on the TV during my lunch and seeing that the Twin Towers had fallen. They had been there all of my life. They call 9/11 "Patriot Day"--I don't know if that is a district or state thing. We are doing a spirit week at school and today students were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue. (few did) There also was a student who got on the PA system during the morning, announcing at specific times the events that had happened (at XX:XXam Flight 93 crashed into a field in Schenksville, PA) and asked for a brief moment of silence. I don't understand why they do this. Obviously it couldn't be done in the years right after the event because students remembered it and some of ours lost parents and family members in the attacks. But now 24 years later it means almost nothing to the students. They weren't alive. They don't know anyone who was killed. It would be like announcing the minute when Lincoln or JFK was shot. I'm not going to lie--I teared up at each announcement but the students were unfazed. Kind of related--I had a student tell me something about the Charlie Kirk shooting this afternoon. She said she saw it "on some Al Queda site". I was like "WHAT?!?!?!?!" She told me she would pull it up on her Chromebook. I asked her "was it Al Jazeera?" Sure enough when she found it it was Al Jazeera. She said "So what is Al Queda?" I had to tell her that it was a terrorist organization and the one responsible for 9/11. I rest my case. They don't know or particularly care about 9/11.