Government teacher Erin Lunenfeld was less than 15 miles away when two hijacked jets crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

“I went to college in Manhattan, and I was living with my parents on Staten Island,” Lunenfeld said. “My dad worked about two blocks away from the World Trade Center.”

Lunenfeld, a senior in college at the time, was late for her first class and rushing to get ready. She and her mother were at home, and her dad was at work. Of her two brothers, one was in high school, and the other was in the middle of military boot camp. She was about to leave when suddenly, she heard a loud explosion.

“It kind of sounded like a truck backfiring, but it was so loud that you could tell it came from far away,” Lunenfeld said. “My mom immediately knew something was wrong.”

Lunenfeld got a call from her neighbor, who promptly asked if her father worked in the World Trade Center and told her to turn on the TV. Lunenfeld, confused by the odd question, did as she asked and saw the North Tower burning uncontrollably. Moments later, Lunenfeld and her mother watched, horrified, as the second plane crashed into the South Tower.

“My mom was the first one to say it,” Lunenfeld said. “It’s a terror attack.”

As the day went on, Lunenfeld watched the events unfold live on TV.

The attack on the Pentagon.

The grounding of all airports in America.

The shutdown of Manhattan.

The plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

She was overjoyed when her father and her neighbor’s daughter returned safely, but she knew that others weren’t so lucky. The newlywed couple from across the street never made it back. Two officers she trained under during her NYPD internship were gone forever.

In the midst of this profound personal tragedy, Lunenfeld spoke of a moment of hope.

“Whenever I talk about September 11, I actually like to talk about September 12,” Lunenfeld said to an audience of upperclassmen at the annual 9/11 Remembrance Assembly.

Lunenfeld, along with fellow social studies teacher Michael Boomer, spoke of the unity that came in the aftermath of 9/11 as compared to the state of division the United States is currently experiencing.

“It didn’t matter which political party you were affiliated with,” Lunenfeld said. “The flags came out. Everyone was united in this thing together.”

Multiple teachers were at Ocean Lakes on that fateful day. One teacher was in middle school. A security guard was working in the courthouse. Everyone, no matter where they were, remembers every moment of that day.

“It matters,” said Boomer regarding the memorialization efforts.

They remember the legacy of the brave firefighters and police officers who continued to run into the buildings to rescue people even when the structures began to weaken. They remember the legacy of the brave men and women of United Flight 93 who took back the plane from the hijackers and crashed it into a field in Pennsylvania, far from its anticipated target near Washington D.C. They remember the inspiring story of the Man with the Red Bandana who sacrificed his life to save at least 12 other people. They remember the boat owners who answered the call to facilitate what would become the largest sea evacuation in history. This concept of leaving a legacy and understanding how you want people to remember you was the main theme of the assembly, especially in light of the presidential election season.

“We need to remember that as a country, as Americans, we are capable of being united,” Lunenfeld said. “That is a legacy, the unity of September 12, that we need to be working towards.”