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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/18487/full/18487/puzzle-helps-day-school-students-make-sense-of-9-11/ <br /><br /> <b>Puzzle helps day-school students make sense of 9/11</b> <br /> Friday, September 20, 2002 | by <p>LYDIA LEE </p> <br /><br /><p>From a distance, the 8-foot-tall jigsaw puzzle, vibrantly colored and patterned, looks like a piece of contemporary artwork. When you get right up to it, you see the individual paintings: An image of Earth with two giant towers and two planes flying at them from outer space; the words "Don't Forget 9-11," circled with dark flames; and the Pentagon, its maze-like rooftop carefully rendered.<br /><br /> The striking memorial, created by the Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School, was the centerpiece of a midday ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Sept. 11 at the middle school, now located in San Jose. During the half-hour event, students also read original poems and said a special Kaddish for the victims of the attack.<br /><br /> "We're doing something that people are doing all over the U.S.," said Nitza Agam, the head of the middle school. "We're coming together to feel part of a community—to celebrate, to remember, to grieve."<br /><br /> Each of the 86 students, along with 14 faculty, contributed pieces of the puzzle, which were cut from plywood and then glued together to form a permanent display. Students spent four hours thinking about concepts such as "unity," "tolerance," "Zichor" (remember), and "Refuah" (healing), and painting their puzzle pieces. Evident in the squares are a broad range of sentiments.<br /><br /> "Normal people were killed," says one piece. Another reads: "America's Jeans/America's TV/Patriotism Overused." Many of the pieces illustrate a sense of catastrophic violence; in one, a sea of bright red paint surrounds a picture of the burning towers and mugshots of the terrorists.<br /><br /> For students, the puzzle was a chance to express their feelings, as well as the source of artistic pride. "I think it's beautiful, and emphasizes working together," said seventh-grader Justin Goss—who then adamantly refused to point out his particular puzzle piece, because he "didn't have enough time to work on it."<br /><br /> The puzzle idea was the brainchild of Jason Epstein, who teaches technology, community service and physical education at the school. "I thought it would be a good way to bring people together," said Epstein, who is a native New Yorker. "We wanted to do something that would be more uplifting, not a second funeral."<br /><br /> According to the National Association of School Psychologists, it's important to emphasize the positive in commemorating such events. "Consider memorial activities that focus on the empowering effects of the experience, such as a stronger sense of community, increased civic activism, the desire to help others, [and] a greater appreciation for the rights and responsibilities of American freedom," reads its Web site.<br /><br /> For Epstein, the most surprising thing about the project was the range of emotions that the children expressed. "Some were still angry, and others were really done and wanted closure," he said. "No matter what age, everyone was impacted."<br /><br /> Natalie Feldman, 12, said she felt sad while she was creating her piece of the puzzle. Against a black background, she painted a heart surrounded by flames. "But at least we can remember them," she added. "I heard someone say that it was a horrible tragedy, but it also brought the country together."</p> <p> </p>

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