Lynbrook Woman Honored for Her 9/11 Curriculum

With her seventh-grade students too young to vividly remember the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Lynbrook resident Michelle Mastrande found the perfect way to educate and inform them — creating a 9/11 curriculum titled "A Unit On September 11th" at Great Neck North Middle School, where she is a teacher.

For her work with her 9/11 curriculum, Mastrande was recently honored with the Teacher Award at the Ground Zero Tribute Center and Museum. The seventh-grade teacher said she was taken aback by the praise. “It was a humbling and emotional experience receiving the award," she said. "There were people there whose loved ones had died. It was an emotional and inspiring experience."

Beyond impressed with Mastrande’s willingness to educate students about the tragedies of 9/11 was Great Neck North Middle School Principal Denise Nolan.

“She is a wonderful teacher who puts her heart into everything she does," Nolan said. "The curriculum that she presented along with the other teachers opened the seventh graders' eyes to 9/11. This gave them a better understanding of what happened because when 9/11 happened, the students were too young to completely understand it.”

Along with science teacher Hedda Blitz, English teacher Marissa Dove and math teacher Frank LoPiccolo, 130 seventh-grade students were taught about the horrific tragedies of 9/11 during an eight-week course at the school, which started this past September and ended in October.

Explaining that the students were feeling no real connection to 9/11 — they were very young when the attacks occurred —Mastrande felt compelled to change that. “9/11 was one of the most important events in the past 100 years, and 9/11 meant no more to the students than the signing of the Constitution,” said Mastrande.

The 9/11 curriculum focused on the attacks, which included showing the students film footage, speaking to first responders and visiting Ground Zero.

“We read books and discussed the health issues that affected the rescue workers," Mastrande said. "The students were shown the History Channel’s 102 Minutes That Changed America. The documentary shows what the real people experienced during those tragedies, there were no actors. I also had my friend Vito Friscia, featured in the film Vito After, do a question-and-answer session with the kids. It gave them the opportunity to talk to someone who went through 9/11."

Experiencing Ground Zero up close and personal left many students deeply touched by what they saw. “They were very emotional at Ground Zero. They overlooked the site," she said. "You can tell them that 3,000 people died, but to go to the place where it happened is real, to see it up close is very moving.”

Mastrande’s husband, a New York City police officer, spent six months working at Ground Zero.

Discussing death and the enormity of 9/11 caused many students to address harsh issues, Mastrande explained. “9/11 brings up the issue of hate. 9/11 was the murder of 3,000 people," she said. "It’s a difficult topic to talk about. A lot of the kids cried and were understandably emotional."

With the curriculum receiving praise from teachers and parents, the school plans to offer the course next September.

One thing is for certain, the students at Great Neck North Middle School will never forget the impact of 9/11 — they are already creating a memorial garden in the school courtyard.