Solemn Crowd Gathers at North Farmington Sculpture

As 8:46 a.m. approached, silence settled over the crowd gathered for today's 9/11 memorial at .

Muted conversations among students, parents, faculty and community members standing and sitting around the school's new outdoor classroom faded, after a brief welcome by principal Joe Greene.

As the bells of chimed three times, many in the crowd of more than 60 people bowed their heads, remembering the lives lost as planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and into a field in Somerset County, PA.

Farmington Hills fire chief Corey Bartsch, a North Farmington alum, laid a wreath in front of a statue incorporating a piece of the World Trade Center, which stands as a focal point in the new classroom. North art teacher Scott Brazeau said the design – symbolizing the smoke and fire that engulfed the twin towers before they collapsed – is a "collective concept" incorporating designs sketched by students.

It took nearly two years to complete the project, which required navigating a sea of paperwork and approvals in New York and through the Farmington School Board.

Adding to the delay, he said, "The piece (of the World Trade Center) actually got lost. The packaging label fell off. (Front office secretary) Heather Trapchak tracked it down."

Once the steel finally arrived, it was put on display in the cafeteria for several months, so students could touch it and get a better feel for their ideas.

Former principal Rick Jones, who attended the Sunday morning ceremony, said when the piece arrived, "it was so emotional." He started the process of acquiring it after reading in 2009 that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was making the sections available. A committee was formed; the outdoor classroom idea came out of their discussions, Jones said.

The sculpture design represents ideas culled from 20 or 30 sketches that were part of a classroom assignment, but mainly from student Wanda Rassam, who graduated this past spring, Brazeau said. The final design combined his sketch with hers.

Students all dealt a little differently with the emotional side of the project, Brazeau added. Some were more solemn about it than others. All of them were about 8 years old when the attacks happened.

Blair Sucher, a senior this year, wasn't involved with the sculpture and admits she's not a really artistic person. But she was moved by the piece and the Sunday morning ceremony.

A second grader on Sept. 11, 2001, she remembers that while other students were being picked up by their parents, her mother was working and didn't come to get her. Later, her parents tried to explain what happened.

"I was really scared, and I didn't understand," she said. "I couldn't fathom that many people dying, and how something like that could happen in a place I thought was so safe."

Looking up at the sculpture, she sees more than just pieces of metal. "I kind of see our community coming together because of all the people who made this happen," she said.

Jones feels much the same way. He said for North Farmington faculty and students, "9/11 kind of happened on this campus. I'll never forget that day working with the kids and families. Our kids were so awesome ... This is something I hope the community will always treasure. It meant so much to all of us."