As retired fifth grade teacher Estella Cleveland walks down the third floor of Leckie Elementary School in Southwest D.C., all the memories start to flood back to the day her life changed.
“I think about the airplanes. I hear the sounds,” she told News4. “[…] And I thought about those people on that plane that went into the Pentagon and lost their lives senselessly.”
A few of those losses on the plane were personal to Cleveland. Fellow teacher and longtime friend Hilda Taylor and Cleveland’s student Bernard Brown were aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
“We were good buddies. […] Ms. Taylor always had these funny sayings,” Cleveland said. “[…] Bernard was a lovable kid and playful, and he cared, and he was more of a protector, too.”
Remembrances of the two, along with parents who perished, are evident around the school to ensure the next generation understands the connection of the school to that tragic day.
“It represents peace and love, and I have my memorial set up in my living room, and I wanted to share these pictures of them, and I’ll never forget them,” Cleveland said. “And I don’t want the world to forget them or any of the victims of 9/11.”
In 2003, Leckie Elementary School dedicated a memorial garden to Bernard and Taylor — just some of the people connected to the school that passed on 9/11.
“Teachers that worked closely with Ms. Taylor and knew Bernard and taught Bernard, I think it’s a tough time, for me personally, it’s kind of emotional as well because like I said that was one of my most impactful teachers,” said instructional teacher coach Tonia Padgett.
Taylor was Padgett’s sixth grade teacher. The lessons she learned from the classroom are still with her today.
“Keep things organized, make sure you present yourself well — I mean some teachers even to this day won’t touch on hygiene and stuff like that, but she was all about being a well-rounded person,” Padgett said.
Now nearly 25 years since tragedy struck, many a part of the Leckie family want to ensure Taylor and Bernard’s legacies are celebrated.
“It was very important for us to keep the relationship going,” Cleveland said. “Because we are a loving family, the Leckie family.”
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/v4Znu1p
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