20th anniversary of 9/11, ceremonies held across South Florida

Davie, Florida – Western High School in Davie held a large service to remember the fallen heroes and victims of Sept. 11.

“Sept. 11, 2001, lives were changed, victims were mourned and heroes were created,” said Western High School Principal Jimmy Arrojo.

Remembering the countless number of lives lost, It’s a somber ceremony.

“Tower One was struck at 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11, 92 people lost,” said Arrojo, referring to the lives on the plane. “Tower Two was struck at 9:02 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175, 65 people were lost.”

Now, 20 years later, Western High School held true to its annual tradition near a replica of the Twin Towers built by students following the attacks.

“This memorial features representations of the Twin Towers that is placed inside an outer wall shaped like the Pentagon and the flagpole actually rests in a relief, an outline of the state of Pennsylvania in the center, representing the three areas that day,” said Arrojo.

Across South Florida, other ceremonies also took place.

Victims and heroes were honored at an event at Miami Dade College in Northwest Miami-Dade.

At St. Kevin Catholic School in Southwest Miami-Dade, a service was put on by eighth-graders, students who weren’t even born when 9/11 occurred but still wanted to do their part and honor those from the tragic day.

“I think it’s really important that we celebrate it, the fact that it happened, and we remember those people that sacrificed their lives for us,” said student Daniel Forero.

In honor of the victims ahead of the anniversary, Islamic faith leaders also held ceremonies and prayed.

“One element that has a lasting impact is that it served for us to realize that we need to get out,” Islamic Foundation of South Florida spokesperson Sheryar Wahid said. “We need to be more aware. We need to be more involved in the greater community.”