"9/11 KIDS."
TAKE A LOOK.
>> I REMEMBER WAKING UP EXTRA
EARLY TO GET TO SCHOOL.
I REMEMBER PULLING UP AND IT
FELT LIKE A MOVIE OR SOMETHING.
>> Reporter: ON SEPTEMBER 11th,
2001, DYNASTY BROWN AND HER
SECOND GRADE CLASSMATES AT
EMMETT E. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WERE
WAITING FOR A SPECIAL READER TO
JOIN THEIR CLASS.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> Reporter: PRESIDENT GEORGE W.
BUSH WAS VISITING THE SCHOOL TO
PROMOTE HIS NATIONWIDE EDUCATION
INITIATIVE.
IN THE MIDDLE OF READING TO A
CLASS, PRESIDENT BUSH WAS
ALERTED OF AN ATTACK ON THE
WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK.
>> SOMETHING’S BOTHERING HIM.
IT WAS KIND OF LIKE HE WAS IN
ANOTHER WORLD.
>> Reporter: SANDRA SAMUELS WAS
THE TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM
THAT DAY.
>> DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG OR
SAY SOMETHING WRONG?
>> Reporter: LESS THAN HALF AN
HOUR LATER, THE PRESIDENT BROKE
THE NEWS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE
AT THE SCHOOL.
>> TWO AIRPLANES HAVE CRASHED
INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN
AN APPARENT TERRORIST ATTACK ON
OUR COUNTRY.
TERRORISM AGAINST OUR NATION
WILL NOT STAND.
>> Reporter: 19 YEARS LATER,
DANIELS AND BROWN REFLECT ON
THEIR SHARED EXPERIENCE THAT
DAY.
>> THEY WERE CAREFREE, INNOCENT
CHILDREN.
WE WENT FROM HIGH EMOTIONS THAT
MORNING TO, WHOOSH.
LOW EMOTIONS.
>> I REMEMBER SHE WAS SITTING
BEHIND HER DESK EYES BLOOD SHOT
AND CRYING.
THAT WAS LIKE SEEING YOUR
PARENTS CRY FOR THE FIRST TIME.
YOU NEVER SEE THEM WEEP.
SO VERY EMOTIONAL.
>> JOINING US THIS MORNING IS
THE TEACHER OF THAT SECOND GRATD
CLASS SANDRA K. DANIELS.
FORMER STUDENT DYNASTY BROWN.
GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> MORNING.
>> MISS DANIELS, IT’S BEEN 19
YEARS SINCE THAT DAY.
YOU SAID YOU NOTICED SOMETHING
WAS WRONG WHEN YOU SAW THAT MAN
WHISPER INTO PRESIDENT BUSH’S
EAR.
HOW DID THE MOOD SHIFT FROM
THERE?
>> WELL, I KNEW SOMETHING WAS
WRONG, BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT
SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.
AND THE MOOD WENT FROM WE’RE
HAVING A GREAT TIME, HE’S
EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED WITH THE
CLASSROOM TO HIM LEAVING US
SPIRITUALLY, MENTALLY, AND
PHYSICALLY.
HE LEFT THE ROOM.
AND I KNEW I HAD TO CONTINUE
TEACHING BECAUSE I HAD MY 16
STUDENTS IN FRONT OF ME.
I HAD THE CLASSROOM FULL OF
CAMERAS.
AND THE PRESIDENT WAS THERE.
BUT HE LEFT ME AND I DIDN’T KNOW
WHY.
>> DYNASTY, YOU WERE ONE OF THE
16 STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM
THAT MORNING.
ONLY 7 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.
DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WAS
GOING ON IN THAT MOMENT?
DO YOU REMEMBER?
>> NOT EXACTLY, BUT KIND OF LIKE
SHE SAID.
THE ENERGY JUST SHIFTED IN THE
ROOM.
SO WE KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
KIDS ARE CURIOUS SO I KEEP
LOOKING UP BECAUSE HIS FACE IS
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW.
SO THE ENERGY DEFINITELY
SHIFTED, BUT WE DIDN’T KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON.
>> MISS DANIELS, THIS
DOCUMENTARY "9/11 KIDS," IT WAS
SHOT OVER A YEAR AND A HALF
PERIOD FROM 2018 TO LATE 2019.
FOLLOWING THE LIVES OF SOME OF
THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM
THAT DAY.
I KNOW THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
A TEACHER AND STUDENT IS A
SPECIAL ONE.
MY MOM WAS A TEACHER FOR ALMOST
30 YEARS.
SO HOW ARE THE OTHER STUDENTS IN
YOUR CLASSROOM FROM THAT DAY
DOING?
HOW HAVE THEIR LIVES CHANGED?
>> THE OTHER STUDENTS IN MY
CLASSROOM ARE DOING WELL.
THEY ALL WENT ON THEIR DIFFERENT
PATHS AND DIFFERENT JOURNEYS.
I AM IN CONSTANT TACT WITH THEM
ALL THE TIME.
AND EVEN IF TIME AND YEARS HAVE
SEPARATED OR WE HAVEN’T SEEN
EACH OTHER FOR A MOMENT, THE
MOMENT WE DO CONNECT IT WAS LIKE
WE NEVER LOST A BEAT.
THERE’S NO TIME DIFFERENCE IN
US.
SOME HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME
ENTREPRENEURS.
DYNASTY IS.
SOME ARE NOW IN THE ARMED
FORCES.
SOME HAVE THEIR OWN BUSINESSES.
SOME ARE ENGINEERS.
AND I COULD GO ON AND ON.
AND THEN THERE ARE SOME THAT HAD
HICCUPS ON THE ROAD, BUT THAT’S
LIFE.
AND WE RECOVER FROM HICCUPS.
AND I ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET UP
AND MOVE FORWARD.
>> DYNASTY, SHE JUST MENTIONED
YOU’RE NOW 26 AND A SUCCESSFUL
ENTREPRENEUR.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK BACK TO
THAT DAY AND HOW HAS IT IMPACTED
YOUR LIFE?
>> I NEVER FORGET IT.
SO HONESTLY, I’M ALWAYS THINK
BACK TO THAT TIME, BACK TO THAT
DAY.
AND FEELING THIS IMPORTANCE THAT
I WAS A PART OF HISTORY.
SO I’M ALWAYS SO GRATEFUL, SO
APPRECIATIVE THAT I HAD THAT
MOMENT THAT MRS. DANIELS ALLOWED
ME, CHOSE ME TO BE IN THAT ROOM.
SO I’M ALWAYS JUST SO GRATEFUL
FOR THAT.
AND HONESTLY, IT TAUGHT ME IN
LIFE TO JUST ALWAYS STRIVE FOR
GREATNESS.
IT WAS MY FIRST KIND OF SERIOUS
EXAMPLE THAT IF YOU DO GOOD,
YOU’LL BE REWARDED AND BE PUT IN
CERTAIN SITUATIONS.
>> MRS. DANIELS, YOU’RE STILL
TEACHING.
YOU NOW TEACH SIXTH, SEVENTH,
AND EIGHTH GRADERS AT BOOKER
MIDDLE SCHOOL.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FILM, I
UNDERSTAND A SCHOLARSHIP FUND
HAS BEEN SET UP.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> BEFORE YOU LEAVE US THIS
MORNING, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
THAT SCHOLARSHIP?
>> I’D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO.
WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A GWENDOLYN
RIGEL SCHOLARSHIP THAT HONORS
OUR PRESIDENT AT THE SCHOOL WHO
HAS NOW PASSED ON.
IT HELPS THE STUDENTS CONTINUE
THEIR FURTHER EDUCATION.
THERE ARE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT CAN
BE MADE TO BOOKER HIGH SCHOOL
WITH GWENDOLYN RIGEL’S NAME
ATTACHED TO IT.
AND SHE’S THE ONE -- SHE IS THE
REASON PRESIDENT BUSH CAME TO
OUR SCHOOL.
SHE TOLD US THIS.
SHE SAID, I’M GOING TO TAKE YOU
ALL TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND WE LOOKED AT HER AND SAID,
SURE.
YEAH RIGHT.
AND NOT ONLY THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN,
WHAT HAPPENED WAS SHE BROUGHT
THE WHITE HOUSE TO US.
AND WE ARE APPRECIATIVE TO HER
FOR THAT.
>> LIVES FOREVER CHANGED THAT
DAY FOR SURE.
THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR
TALKING WITH US THIS MORNING.
SUCH A PLEASURE.
AGAIN, THE FILM IS CALLED "9/11
KIDS."
AND I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW IF YOU
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT
SCHOLARSHIP FUND, YOU CAN HEAD
OVER TO OUR WEBSITE AT
THIRDHOURTODAY.COM.
>> WOW.
>> MISS DANIELS.
DON’T CALL TEACHERS BY THEIR