At one point in time, September 11 was just a normal day. Then suddenly it was full of importance and history. What could it have been like to live through it as a young adult?

Some woke up in confusion.

“I remember waking up and my roommate had just come home, which didn’t normally happen, and she was flipping out, ” Physics and Chemistry teacher Nicole Nakasuji said. 

With such a large time difference from New York to Hawaii, Nakasuji had no clue as to why her roommate was acting so unusual. Until she turned on the news.    

Biology teacher Justin Kohara on the other hand, remembers thinking it was fake news since reliable news sources weren’t as easy to come by as they now are.  

Others were miles away from home.

Vanessa Schlegel, Moanalua’s French teacher and the class of 2024’s adviser, was only thirteen years old. She had recently moved to Tahiti as an exchange student and still struggled to understand French.

“I was in math class and I remember our teacher telling us all to rise, put our hand over our heart, and to just do that for one minute,” Schlegel said.

Schlegel recalls being confused and only figured out what happened later. As an American away from home, she felt unable to do anything and worried for the safety of the U.S. 

Everything slowed down, with class discussions focusing on the day’s events and many being let out of school early

Adam Kalma, an English teacher and the class of 2023’s adviser, was a junior in high school. That morning he had a student council meeting where he first learned about the incidents. Instead of going about their business, the council took turns praying. 

Later, a special assembly was held and the day’s schedule was shortened. Football practice was canceled, and Friday’s game ended up being rescheduled.

“I saw the adults in my life, people on TV, and even my classmates acting differently than I had ever seen before,” Kalma said.

Social studies teacher Margret Travers remembers the day vividly, “like it was yesterday.” Her social studies class spent the day watching the replays, it was all they talked about for the entire period. 

No matter their experiences the day remains permanently in their memories.