On Tuesday, students at Mars Area School District students planted exactly 2,977 American flags along Route 228 in front of Mars Area High School.

The number represents each of the people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. These people were killed when al-Qaida hijackers crashed planes into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in southwest Pennsylvania on that day.

The students of the Pine-Richland/Mars Area U.S. Air Force JROTC do this annually as part of the “9/11: Never Forget Project.”

Students at Butler Area High School will be learning about the 23rd anniversary of that day on Wednesday with a specialized lesson.

In recent years, that lesson has looked different. The conversation with students on Wednesday will be a historical account of the event.

In the years immediately following 9/11, Butler teacher Dale Vanlaningham recalled sharing memories of the day with his students who had lived through the event.

But that’s shifted in the last decade. Now, he’s tasked with teaching a new generation the importance of the date.

A report by The Associated Press leading up to Wednesday’s anniversary noted that when 9/11 victims’ relatives continue to gather year after year, the phrase “I never got to meet you” stands out among the words uttered by victims’ families.

This speaks to the importance of the task that educators at Mars Area, Butler Area, and other schools around Butler County and the nation face.

When the next generation can’t remember, those who do remember must teach them how to “never forget.”

— TL