Mineola High School learners, teachers and staff joined together on Sept. 11 in honor of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, sharing a moment to help those less fortunate and paying tribute to lives lost during the terror attacks of 2001.

Led by members of the school’s Student Service Center, the group packed 700 lunch bags that were donated to Faith Mission, a soup kitchen that serves the local community.

“On a day marked by loss, you are choosing service. On a day when many struggled with fear, you are spreading hope. And that is a powerful way to keep the memory alive,” said principal Rory Parnell.

Immediately following the service activity, everyone gathered in the Reggie Carter Commons for a ceremony where they were reminded of the importance of honoring the victims with service and kindness and living by the motto “We Honor, We Help, We Heal.” The ceremony included a poetry reading and the story of the Survivor Tree, a Callery pear tree, that was discovered buried in rubble at Ground Zero and was rehabilitated and returned to the Memorial in 2010 as a living reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth.

In 2011, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Mineola planted a Survivor Tree at the high school that is growing strong and serves as a spot of solitude and contemplation.

At the conclusion of the annual ceremony, students, faculty and staff take turns watering the tree to contrast the fire that caused immense destruction and tragedy and to symbolize water as a primary element of rebirth and renewal.