Media Contact:
Tim Boivin
media@massfund.org
978-793-4515

Free Mass 9/11 Fund lesson resources help high school teachers educate today’s students who weren’t yet born on that tragic day

BOSTON, MA, AUGUST 27, 2024 – As the 2024-25 school year is set to begin, The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund is partnering with high school educators statewide to provide complementary learning guides and other digital resources on the impact the 9/11 attacks had on families and communities across the Commonwealth.

“Our goal is to help teachers to educate today’s students – none of whom were alive when the attacks occurred – about the sacrifices made by victims from Massachusetts on 9/11,” said Pat Bavis, a member of the 9/11 Fund’s Families Advisory Committee. Pat lost his younger brother Mark on United Flight 175 in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Frequently overlooked in lesson plans related to the attacks is that 206 victims on that horrible day were from Massachusetts. The Mass 9/11 Fund aims to increase awareness of this lost history across the state through these critical teaching resources.

The learning guides enable teachers to pause between the five 2-minute sections for classroom discussions, Q&A and homework assignments. It also includes profiles of victims from Massachusetts who died in the attacks.
“The pain for our families never goes away, but with these premier digital teaching resources, educators can now bring history to life for the 300,000 high school students in Massachusetts so they can better understand the tragic events that unfolded on that fateful day,” said Bavis.

In addition to the lesson plans, complementary video resources are available for free download from The Mass 9/11 Fund. These resources enable public, private and charter school social studies teachers to seamlessly integrate video modules into their existing curriculum at no cost. They can be downloaded from the Mass 9/11 Fund website under the Education section at:

https://massfund.org/education/education-training-resources/

The Mass 9/11 Fund also works with its Families Advisory Committee to schedule classroom presentations in person. Family members have spoken both around the 9/11 anniversary and
throughout the school year in several districts. To schedule a guest family speaker from The Mass 9/11 Fund, educators may email their request to info@massfund.org or call 617-482-2911.

“As the 9/11 commemoration nears, I encourage all social studies educators at Massachusetts’ 316 public school districts, as well as teachers at private and charter schools, to integrate these resources into their existing lesson plans,” said Bavis. “It is critically important that we pass on the painful lessons to future generations of the day that we lost my brother and 205 other people from Massachusetts. as well as the lessons we continue to carry with us today – 23 years later.”

The 9/11 commemoration this year will be on Wednesday, September 11th, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Family and friends of those lost on 9/11 will gather to pay tribute during day-long ceremonies at Ashburton Park, the Massachusetts State House, and the Garden of Remembrance this year on Wednesday, September 11th. The live feed will be available at:
https://massfund.org/annual-commemoration-2024/

ABOUT THE MASSACHUSETTS 9/11 FUND
The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, established in December 2001, has a two-fold mission: to provide assistance to families impacted by the attacks, and to educate the public about the events and the impact on those families and all communities across Massachusetts. Anniversary Commemoration events, the Garden of Remembrance in the Boston Public Garden, and educator resources are all supported by the Fund to ensure the events of September 11, 2001, and those lost on that day, are not forgotten.