News 12 at This Morning / Monday, Sept. 12, 2011

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Principals across area schools will give students a reminder on Monday to take a moment and reflect on the terrorists attacks that took place 10 years ago. It's a history lesson students were alive for and remember vividly.

As a group of seniors at Cross Creek place American flags around their school, they reflect on where they were 10 years ago.

Thomas Shaw, a senior at Cross Creek, said, "It was just a regular day. You know, second grade you are coloring learning your ABC's."

Keona Jones said, "I was 7 years old down the street at Goshen in the second grade."

"I was 7 years old. I remember sitting in Ms. Dorcey's second grade class. She was crying so she turned on the TV. We saw what was going on," said Jordan Johnson, another student at Cross Creek.

Now it's a part of their living history.

"It just amazes me to this day that I was living and I saw it when it happened," Shaw said.

It's an event that many teachers have close ties to as well.

"For me, there were officers killed in the Pentagon that I knew," said Johnathan Shaw, an instructor at Cross Creek.

Mr. Shaw found some of his students also knew people that were in danger.

"Knew someone up in New York. I just remember a lot of people being scared and concerned," Johnson said.

"When I teach history I try to explain how these historical events impacted their life today. Well, here is one where I don't really have to go into much detail," explained Mr. Shaw.

That's because most students watched the surprise attacks unfold on television. This week in class they are replaying some of those clips.

Steven Lee, a senior at Cross Creek, said, "When I looked at the video I thought how can people do this to other people?"

"We do have lessons on 9/11. My classes have helped me understand and how it's affected the U.S. I mean we went into war and all kinds of security things," Johnson said.

Even in the middle of a busy high school day, the principal is stopping students and teachers to take away important lessons from that fateful day.

"Those were big acts of running back into a burning building but those things we can do moment by moment to serve others by," said Dr. Jason Moore, principal of Cross Creek.

The images from that day are now motivating these seniors to unite by wearing red white and blue and give back.

"Just looking at it -- school spirit, U.S. spirit," Shaw said.

Cross Creek says they are also have a goal to collect 911 pounds of food to give back to the community to commemorate that day.