Caribou Technology Center Criminal Justice Students Host 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, students in the Caribou Technology Center's Criminal Justice program collaborated with the Caribou Fire Department to hold a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Caribou Community School.

The event began with an opening ceremony held outside by a tapestry of ladder trucks, American flags, and antique fire trucks. Among the crowd of community members and school district staff were first responders in full dress uniform, federal agents wearing ballistic vests, and students dressed in turnout gear. Special guests included Caribou Community School teacher Rodney Deschaine, who conducted the opening blessing; Civil Air Patrol for the Presentation of Colors, AJ Mierzwa, who sang the national anthem; Chief Brian Lajoie of the Caribou Fire Department, who made opening remarks; Boy Scout Troop 184, who did the flag-folding presentation; and community member Tammy Soucy, who played taps.

After the ceremony, the crowd moved inside the school, where the sound of recorded air traffic control transmissions played in the hallways, decorated with pictures from that horrifying day. The main staircase, covered in glowing lights, represented the climb that 9/11 first responders had to make to get to the top of the World Trade Center towers. On Wednesday, each Caribou participant clung to tags with the names of fallen heroes, as they began their trek up and down the staircase for the equivalent of 110 flights.

"Emotions were bittersweet, as we witnessed children, first responders, students, teachers, parents, and community members pay their tribute by climbing this staircase," said Caribou Technology Center's Criminal Justice program instructor Amanda Baker.

Criminal Justice students knew climbers would need help counting, so they created a system. At the base of the stairs was a table with a pool of rocks. Every time a climber completed five flights of stairs, they would take a rock. Once they earned 11 rocks, they knew their climb was complete.

Those who attended the ceremony recognized this event would not have been possible without the many hours of work the Caribou Technology Center's Criminal Justice students dedicated to this class project.

"As their teacher, I'm so incredibly proud of their focus on details and the pride they demonstrated in the end product," said Baker. "They were professional as individuals and worked together as a team to make sure everything went as planned. I look forward to watching them thrive this school year."

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