9/11: Faculty Reflections

‘I did feel lost; the world I once knew was forever changed’

Maureen Kelly Chesky ’02 at her Commencement with father, Don, left, and mother, Jane, right.

Maureen Kelly Chesky ’02 today, as Associate Director of College Counseling.

My senior year had just started as I sat in Mr. D’Avanzo’s physics class on a bright, crisp September morning. Although I cannot recall exactly what was on my mind at that time, I can imagine that some of the only uncertainties in my life likely involved the college application process and trying to understand what Mr. D. was teaching. I was probably even initially grateful for the interruption when Mr. Easler, then Dean of Students, unexpectedly knocked on our classroom door to deliver Mr. D. a note.

However, as Mr. D. read from the note, he told our class that a plane had just hit one of the World Trade Center towers and that class was dismissed. Many of us walked down the hill to the Spa, confused about what was going on. In shock and disbelief, faculty, sta and students gathered around the campus center TVs and watched the events of that September 11 morning unfold.

Our school’s global community not only tried to understand what was going on in the world, but from the steps of Rich Hall, classmates and teachers desperately tried to connect with loved ones, some who were traveling on planes, some who lived and worked in New York City. One of the feelings I remember most from that day is feeling truly uncertain for one of the first times in my life. Thankfully, I did not su er the direct loss that many did that day, but I did feel lost; the world I once knew was forever changed in ways that I would not yet even understand.

Despite the uncertainty and the tremendous loss that many experienced that day, WMA remained a constant, unwavering community that helped its students navigate and understand the drastically changing world around us. Under normal circumstances, high school and senior year, in particular, is a time of great uncertainty, but when events like those of September 11, 2001, take place, the world is an even more confusing place to be trying to find your place in. Now as a college counselor, I think about this especially as the COVID-19 pandemic upends the world we know and changes the senior year experience for our current students. Despite the uncertainty, I know that WMA continues to be that community of students, faculty and sta coming together to support one another.

Remembering 9/11: Faculty Reflections

For so many people, memories of September 11 still evoke so much—Where were you? How did you find out? How were you feeling? What were you thinking? What was next? Current WMA faculty and sta members share their reactions to that day as 2021 marks the 20th anniversary.

“I was in my classroom teaching a physics class when Brian Easler walked into the room and said that a plane had been flown into one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. He asked us to leave class and head to the meeting place where we regularly met with our advisee group. I dismissed the class and started walking down to our house on Mountain Road. I remember thinking during that walk of a small propeller plane hitting the tower and wondering what was going on. Then I got home, worked to connect with my advisees and we turned on the TV. Once it sunk in what we were witnessing and my day student advisees had a chance to contact their family, I let them know that I wanted to find out how our son, Paul, was doing and wanted to collect our son, Andy, from Wilbraham Middle School. I found Paul with a group of students under Stuart Whitcomb’s care and drove to get Andy home from the town’s middle school.”

— CHARLIED’AVANZO, CURRENT SCIENCEFACULTY “I was sitting in the Deans O ce when I heard a strange call on the Police/Fire scanner—something about a major incident in New York City. I went to the Campus Center where a handful of students were watching the live footage of the North Tower burning. As I was standing there in disbelief, we saw the second plane hit the South Tower. A student (Phil Chesky, I believe) looked at me and asked, ‘Mr. Easler, how could an accident like this happen?’ I remember saying something like, ‘This is not an accident,’ and we all watched in silence for a while longer as the reality set in. I remember addressing the school at an emergency school meeting, and seeing the fear, sadness and uncertainty that was so obvious in the faces of the students and faculty, and I remember sitting in the dining hall later that day and talking with Mr. (John) Boozang about how our world had just drastically changed.”

— BRIAN EASLER, CURRENT HEAD “I was bringing Emma ’17 to her first day of preschool that morning. She OF SCHOOL AND FORMER DEAN was about to turn 3, and I was very pregnant with our younger daughter, OF STUDENTS Charlotte. I did not hear about the attacks until my ride home. When I walked into the house, I sat on a stool in front of our TV horrified by the scenes unfolding in front of me. I panicked as to whether or not I should go back and get Emma, to ‘keep her safe.’ Nothing seemed safe. I spoke to my mother and (husband) Erik on the phone; they told me to leave her in school. Of course, she was fine, but the terrifying scenes played over in front of me causing me to hold her a little tighter when I picked her up later that day.” — ANNEKINDBLOM, CURRENT ESL CHAIR “I was in my o ce working and Brian Easler came in without knocking and said, ‘Have you heard?’ I immediately knew something was terribly wrong, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see on TV. Easler said, ‘Come with me to the TV in the Spa.’ On the way down the stairs, he briefed me. I can’t remember his exact words, but something like, ‘The Twin Towers have been hit, it’s bad. It’s all over the news.’ Entering the Spa, I saw students glued to the TV, in dismay and shock. I don’t recall how long I was staring at the TV, but I remember Easler tapping me and saying something like, ‘Come on, we have to plan to get the community together and check in with the kids.’ I remember feeling nervous, rattled and having all sorts of adrenaline as I followed Brian’s lead to do whatever I could to help students cope with a tragic event unfolding before our eyes.”

— ERIK KINDBLOM, CURRENT DEAN OF ACADEMICS & INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS

“I had just finished teaching my first history class that morning and had gone back to Wallace Blake, where we lived at the time. I turned the TV on in order to videotape news clips for my Contemporary World Issues class later that morning. Obviously, I was shocked as I watched the events unfolding. I then went to my next class, explained to them what I knew to be happening and began showing the video clips to my students. We were then all called down by Head of School Dick Malley to meet as a school in front of Rich Hall. I do not remember much of what was said as we were all pretty much in shock. The events of that day and what happened on our campus are permanently etched in my mind. It is hard to believe so many years have passed since that awful day.” “I was golfing with friends at Westover Golf Course on the morning of 9/11. The course is located on Westover Air Force Base and we had played there many times without seeing much going on. On 9/11, the base was abuzz with activity—vehicles darting back and forth, and planes buzzing the sky. After nine holes, we watched the tragic news unfold from inside the clubhouse. After over an hour inside, we resumed our round, but it was quite di erent from that point on. We all knew that this was very bad and the world had just changed.”

— BILL PASSY, CURRENT DIRECTOR OF SECURITY

— DON NICHOLSON ’79, CURRENT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AND FORMER HISTORY FACULTY

“I was walking into the Campus Center to check my mail. People in the Spa were watching it on the big screen and I asked what was going on. I immediately called my mom because one of our family friends worked in the towers. I was in shock and scared. The event was so surreal. It was hard to comprehend what was going on.” “I had been teaching at WMA for all of two weeks when Mr. Easler walked in my classroom door and handed me a slip of paper. I do not recall the note too clearly, but his expression and demeanor that day not only set the tone for our walk down to the dining hall, but continued to set the tone for the coming “I was working with Lucie Ziemba. Lucie was in the o ce and I was in weeks. Calm, thoughtful, direct and with Rich Hall. I was walking down the Deans Hall when Lynn, Mr. Easler’s a clear sense of purpose, to me he may as assistant at the time, came out of her o ce and said a plane just crashed well have written, ‘Take care of these kids into one of the towers. I went to the Spa where there was a TV and and take care of yourself, and we will be fine.’ watched as the plane flew into the tower. It was controlled chaos after What more can we do in these moments? that. I remember that I met with Brian Easler, Head Dick Malley and It was a lesson in facing adversity and in WMA consulting psychologist Dr. Joe Costanzo in the Head’s O ce. We leadership I will never forget.” came up with a plan to bring everyone to the dining room to share this — STUART WHITCOMB, CURRENT DIRECTOR OF devastating news. By the time we met in the dining room the second THE MIDDLESCHOOL tower had been hit. Remember, 20 years ago people did not have cell phones so this was news to almost everyone there. The plan was that if day students wanted to go home, their parents could come to pick them up but very few students went home. Dr. Costanzo was available to meet with students. Two students stand out in my mind. One student had an uncle who worked in the Pentagon and the other student’s mother worked in one of the buildings next to the towers. It was so stressful because there was no communication coming out of those areas. Thank goodness, both were fine but it was very scary waiting for any news.” Moments after the first attack was on national TV, Rose (Power) came back to the health o ce. I was advised of initial plans for the campus of WMA. I said a prayer for our country and the frightened and lost human beings. — ROSEPOWER, CURRENT HEALTH SERVICES STAFF The Health O ce took on many tasks during that time: answering phone calls coming from our worried WMA families, and reassuring students that the WMA health o ce sta was available. The nurses wanted to do what we do every day: reassure, comfort and validate concerns that can be driving a person’s fears.” — LUCIEZIEMBA, CURRENT HEALTH SERVICES STAFF

— ERIKA WHIPPLE, CURRENT ATHLETIC TRAINER &

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS