9/11 Memorial Sculpture Project

The 9/11 memorial sculpture project was a unique opportunity for teachers and students within 4 different departments at SGI to work together on a major sculpture installation.  I was approached by Mr. Rob Valenti about an initiative by the Families of the 9/11 organization in New York.  Their goal was to make artifacts from the world trade centers available to non-profit organizations for the purpose of creating memorials.  We decided to introduce the idea to the art students and encourage them to design a sculpture that would integrate the steel from the WTC.  The student response was great and after a final adjudication over more than 65 entries, the design of my student, Dakoda Ball, was selected.  He designed the meaningful monument, depicting the twin towers, the Pentagon, the Shanksville, Pa. field, and the unity and patriotism that was a result of the tragedy. 

Over the next year, all the departments worked diligently to execute the request for the steel.  The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey granted S-GI a steel beam salvaged from the World Trade Center and stored at JFK Airport since the tragedy.  It was then trucked from New York City to Springville in June and was greeted by crowds of flag-waving elementary students and a considerable number of area first responders and residents. 

Over the summer, the Technology, Art department, and buildings and ground crew continued the construction and site preparations while students were on summer break.  The whole sculpture was assembled based on scale models and schematic drawings.  

After 2 years of hard work and planning, a formal unveiling ceremony of the Springville-Griffith Institute Central School District 9/11 memorial sculpture took place on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011 from 10 to 11 a.m. in the front courtyard at the high school.  Hundreds of people, including area first responders and political figures like Representative Brian Higgins attended the ceremony. 

Being a part of this process was an incredible, humbling experience.  Stories and photographs about the project were published in the Buffalo News, Springville Journal, and the NYSUT publication.