On Saturday September 8th, PJSTA members attended the unveiling ceremony for the latest addition to the Diamond in the Pines 9/11 Learning Site. The PJSTA was the first Long Island organization to donate money to buy an engraved brick when the project was just beginning its fundraising efforts in 2011. The memorial was organized largely through the hard work of Rocky Point High School teacher Rich Acritelli.  He has led the effort to create this memorial to honor the many lives lost on 9/11, to honor the rescue
worker efforts in the days that followed, and to honor the veterans of the War on Terror.

In the program for the Unveiling Ceremony, the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association was thanked for our support of this project. “It was one of the main goals to try to get as many educational labor organizations involved with the creation of this memorial. From the beginning efforts in February, 2011, Mrs. Beth Dimino, the President of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, provided much needed assistance in promoting this 9/11 Learning Site to the many unions across Suffolk County. Thank
you for your constant help, support and energy towards this memorial”.

The memorial, located at the park in Coram, first opened in September 2011. It includes a statue of an eagle and plaques listing the names of the residents of Brookhaven and Riverhead towns who died in the terrorist attacks. The PJSTA brick is included in landscape path surrounding the memorial. At the unveiling ceremony on September 8th, six rescue dogs and their handlers were present for the unveiling of a bronze statue of a rescue dog. The statue honors their recovery efforts at the World Trade Center
site. Many moving accounts of the efforts of the canine rescue units were shared, and the ceremony reminded us all of the courage, hard work and teamwork that makes this country so great.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.