Students from William S. Hart High School placed nearly 3,000 flags in front of their campus Wednesday to remember the lives lost during the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

On Wednesday morning, students placed 2,977 flags in front of Hart High School, one for each person that was killed 18 years ago when 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets on the east coast of the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

“It’s just crazy seeing this many flags, with each representing a life,” said Parker Jones, who serves as one of the leaders for the Young Americans for Freedom club at Hart High. “It just puts it in perspective for how many people died.”

Young Americans for Freedom is a national organization, and a local chapter for the organization only recently formed at Hart High School in 2018. This year marks the second time the club has organized the flag placing.

“The students just realized that a lot of kids weren’t even born when 9/11 happened, and so to them, it doesn’t really mean anything,” said Hana Krusey, a teacher who serves as the advisor for the club.

Club President Sarah Melvin said that the students continue to do this each year to show their classmates, and the country, how important they believe it is to be united as one people.

“It reminds us that stuff like that is more important than little disputes inside the country,” Melvin said.

See Related: Hart High School Students Remember 9/11 With Almost 3,000 Flags

While many of her current students were not even born yet on the day of the attacks, Krusey remembers 9/11 quite well.

“It makes me want to cry every year,” Krusey said. “I was saying good morning to people and no one was saying anything back. I didn’t actually find out what happened until I got into my classroom, when the students asked me, ‘Ms. Krusey, what’s happening?’ and I had no answer for them.”

Krusey, who immigrated to the United States from the Czech Republic, also remembers how the national tragedy brought the country together, which is something she hopes her students can be a part of.

“Our country really came together after that, just being patriotic and loving our country,” Krusey said. “I just want them to be proud of their country. We’re not perfect, but it is an amazing country.”

Several students present Wednesday morning echoed that sentiment, using the day to both honor the lives lost 18 years ago and bring those alive today together.

“It’s about putting our differences aside and being Americans before anything else, and just honoring those who lost their lives,” Jones said.

Hart High School is one of the only schools in the Santa Clarita Valley to have a Young Americans for Freedom club, and Melvin hopes that events like these will help encourage schools to start their own chapters.

“This shows the rest of the country that Hart High School will never forget,” Melvin said.

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