New Trier Freshman Continues Winnetka's 9/11 Rememberance

The tradition to plant American flags on the Winnetka Village Green on September 11 to honor those who lost their lives in the tragic events of 14 years ago will live on.

Jackson Tucker, a freshman at New Trier High School, has taken over as student coordinator of the project. He recently had permission to plant the flags during the daytime hours of 9/11 granted by the Village Council.

“It’s a privilege to honor the victims who died,” said Tucker, who was 10 months old when terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and rural Pennsylvania changed the nation forever. “I feel it’s important to keep this tradition going because we should never forget the day this tragedy happened.”

The tradition of planting flags in Winnetka began in 2008 by then-North shore Country Day School student Genevieve Nelson, who passed it on to the children of former Winnetka Village President Jessica Tucker, first Taylor, then Elliott and now, Jackson.

“After my brother left for college, he told me to keep up the tradition, so I am,” Jackson added.

Even though Jackson and other current high school freshmen are not old enough to remember the events as they unfolded, the tragedy’s impact on them as Americans is no less.

“We all know that what happened was a terrible tragedy,” he said of his peers. “We understand the significance of it and know that we should be passing down what happened so no one will forget.

“9/11 will go down in history books, of course, but a couple paragraphs in a textbook cannot describe how personally important this is to so many people. While none of my generation remembers it actually happening, we all know it’s importance, and we all know the bravery and heroism of those affected.”