Nearly 400 bright-eyed students from Taylor Hicks Elementary School congregated in Prescott for a solemn event to pay tribute to the courage of local first responders on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. True to form, the ceremony was an outdoor affair where Yavapai County Sheriff's Office (YCSO), Prescott Police Department, and the Prescott Fire Department were front and center—symbols of the bravery commemorated on this date. In an address to the students, gathered in the shadow of a massive American flag draped from a fire engine ladder, Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Clark Tenney emphasized the historical weight of the day, remarking that 9-11 "commemorates something really sad that happened in America, but our country came out stronger because of it," in a statement provided to YCSO's news release.
Among the uniformed guests honoring the memory of the fallen were YCSO Deputies Scott Blakley and Eric Hardy, who received the children's expressions of gratitude in the form of fist bumps and high fives. Each child, proceeding in a single-file line, had a chance to acknowledge the heroes of today with gestures of respect and the presentation of hand-drawn pictures—little tokens embodying the day's spirit. Meanwhile, Kevin Hilton, the Principal of Taylor Hicks, imparted a message of unity and resilience to the students, telling them that 9-11 "showed us bravery, kindness, and coming together as a community. It demonstrated that we can be strong and help one another and care for one another," as reported in YCSO's post.
The commemoration included traditional elements such as the singing of the National Anthem and the solemn strains of TAPS, culminating in a moment of silence that stitched together the threads of past and present, honor and memory, as the school and community remembered those who lost their lives 23 years ago.
