Kids commemorate 9/11 with positive message

Kids at a Colorado Springs school commemorated the 9/11 attacks with an emphasis on the future.

It was Hero Day at Odyssey Elementary. It’s a day in which the kids honor today’s heroes – military men and women, police, firefighters, first responders and other heroes in their lives.

“We call it hero day, because there were lots of heroes that day that died, and saved other people’s lives,” student Brennan Tapia said.

The kids weren’t born on the tragic day in 2001, but they’re well aware of what happened. The school principal said while they don’t shy away from teaching the past, they focus on the future and the heroes in the kids’ lives.

“It just really means a lot,” student Aurora Pia said.

The kids honored the heroes in a special ceremony, in which they sang and danced for them. Afterward, there was a parade. Kids lined up along a hallway, and the heroes walked through, high-fiving the kids and receiving thank you cards.

“To get recognized for something that we do every day and that we don’t think is that big of a deal anymore, is really kind of neat,” flight paramedic Matthew Bergland said.