I was in the 8th grade and had just started biology class. An announcement came over the intercom instructing the teachers to lock their doors and wait for further instruction. Everyone quickly came up with possible explanations for the lock down. I was convinced they were searching the lockers with dogs for drugs. It had happened before, and seemed perfectly plausible. Not 10 minutes later another teacher came by, and filled us in on what had occurred in NYC. From that point on the day morphed into one of the oddest experiences I had at school up to that point in my life. Everyone seemed out of character. Teachers ignored blatant misbehavior, the “hard” students cried, the bullies fell silent, and everyone seemed to pull together. All classes were cancelled, and much of the day was spent in the gym talking, listening, and watching the coverage. After the school day ended, and we boarded the buses, a group of fighter jets flew over my small school in the middle of the Illinois corn fields. Everyone stared into the sky, and knew that the jets flying above were escorting Air Force One and the President. My perception of the world changed dramatically that day. Events outside of my life finally seemed real and caused me to take notice of the world around me.