Ten years ago the students of Bob Jones Academy high school and middle school were just entering the early grades of kindergarten and elementary school. Most will say that they remember September 11 but not as clearly as their parents do. 
In order to keep the impact of this event clear in their minds, the secondary schools participated in two 9/11 programs at school on Friday.
First, grades 7–12 gathered in the Quadrangle Friday morning for a special school-wide flag raising.
For the first time in school history, the middle school students attended flag raising with the high school students. Led by the student body officers, the ceremony included the traditional raising of the flag, the pledge and the singing of the national anthem.
The Academy Band under the direction of Eric Woods provided patriotic music for the ceremony. In memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11, a special bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace was played by Mr. Preston Gravely.
The ceremony ended with a short challenge and closing prayer by Assistant Principal Todd Kappel, who just recently returned from serving in Iraq.
At 11 o’clock students in grades 9–12 gathered in the Academy Auditorium for a 9/11 chapel. Opening with a video clip showing a timeline of the events in 2001, the chapel continued with a short geography lesson on the location of the 9/11 events in connection with Bob Jones Academy.
Dr. Ryan Meers, chairman of the Division of Communication in Bob Jones University’s School of Fine Arts and Communication, presented a monologue of the testimony of fireman John Morabito, a first responder from FDNY 10.
Chapel closed with a video testimony produced by BJU cinema and video production major Peter Scheibner about his father, American Airlines pilot Stephen Scheibner—who was supposed to fly Flight 11 but was bumped by a more senior pilot. Scheibner’s testimony ends with the reminder that two people had died in his place—one being the AA Flight 11 pilot and the other his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Students joined in the singing of Come to the Cross followed by a short testimonial by Mr. Dan Nelson concluding the chapel program.
Sep
09
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