9/11 Flagpole, New Memorial Dedicated In Westhampton Beach

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Students and the community paid solemn tribute recently to lives lost on 9/11 — and remembered a beloved art teacher.

Westhampton Beach Middle School students and residents gathered on May 25 to rededicate the school’s flagpole and a new 9/11 memorial.

The memorial, which sits at the base of the school’s flagpole, was designed by Westhampton Beach High School eighth-grader Gianna Gattuso with the assistance of area artist Clare Bennett and middle school art teacher Lise Frielinghaus, who passed away earlier this year, the district said.

The glass mosaic memorial honors those who were killed or injured by 9/11 through images that bridge Westhampton Beach to the World Trade Center, and it features the words, “Land of the free, home of the brave.” It replaces a former memorial that had weathered, the district said.

During the ceremony, students Owen Travers and Selena Pereyra spoke about the memorial’s importance, and Tessa McCombe performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on violin.

Photo courtesy of the Westhampton Beach School District.