Remembering 9/11: An Educational Pageant

On this September 11, another year further removed from the events of 2001, many Americans have seemingly lost focus on the significance of what happened. As the attacks move toward history's horizon, like the Civil War and Thanksgiving before them, Gawker offers an educational resource to help America's schoolteachers explain and preserve the meaning of the day. This pageant may be staged with 20 to 25 children, depending on class size. For younger grades, the teacher may serve as the Narrator.

CAST:

a Narrator

four Terrorists

World Trade Center Tower 1

World Trade Center Tower 2

the Pentagon

Firefighters

People of New York City

Airplane Passengers

the Mayor

the President

the Freedom Tower

ACT ONE: NEW YORK CITY

Narrator: It was a nice, pretty day, but bad men were doing bad things.

Terrorists (holding planes): We have planes. We want to hurt people. We hate freedom.

Tower 1 and Tower 2 (in unison): Do not hit us. We do not want people to be hurt.

(Terrorists hit Towers with planes.)

Tower 1 and Tower 2: Oh, no.

ACT TWO: WASHINGTON, D.C.

Narrator: The bad men were everywhere. They wanted to hurt America.

Terrorist (holding plane): Now I will hit the Pentagon.

(Terrorist hits the Pentagon with plane)

Pentagon: This is bad. Now there is a fire.

Firefighters: Here we come. We will put out the fire.

ACT THREE: NEW YORK CITY

Narrator: Brave rescuers went to the Towers to save people.

Firefighters (in unison): We are here to rescue you.

Person 1: Thank you.

Person 2: I was scared, but now I am safe.

Person 1 and Person 2 (in unison): Be careful, firefighters.

Tower 2: I cannot stand up any more. (Tower 2 falls down. Some Firefighters fall down.)

Tower 1: I cannot stand up any more, either. (Tower 1 falls down. More Firefighters fall down.)

Person 1 and Person 2 (in unison): Oh, no.

ACT FOUR: PENNSYLVANIA

Narrator: The President had to go away, to make sure nobody hurt him. But regular people were ready to stop the bad men.

Terrorist (holding airplane): I will go hit Washington, D.C. I will hurt people there.

Passenger 1: No, he will not.

Passenger 2: No more hurting people today.

Passenger 3: We will get hurt, but we will stop him, here in Pennsylvania.

Passengers (in unison): Let's roll! (Passengers tackle Terrorist; all fall down with airplane.)

ACT FIVE: NEW YORK CITY

(Enter the Mayor, followed by People.)

Narrator: People were scared and confused, but they were brave.

Mayor: I am the Mayor. Follow me. (People follow the Mayor across the stage.)

(Lights flicker)

Mayor: Oh, no. Follow me this way. (People follow the Mayor back across the stage, the opposite way.)

ACT SIX: NEW YORK CITY, LATER

(The Towers lie on the ground. The President stands by, with more Firefighters and People.)

Narrator: The bad men had hurt a lot of people. They had broken the Towers. But America was not afraid anymore. The President spoke to everyone.

President: America is not afraid. We will stop bad men. We will fight back until there are no bad men anywhere. We will never forget this bad day.

People and Firefighters: America will fight back. We will never forget this bad day. (People and Firefighters cheer.)

Narrator: And no one ever forgot the bad day, or the brave firefighters. And everyone remembered how much they loved freedom.

People: We will build a new Tower.

(The Freedom Tower enters.)

Freedom Tower: Here I am. I am the Freedom Tower. (Freedom Tower holds up American flag.)

(All sing "God Bless America.")

(Curtain.)

[image by Jim Cooke]