TAYLOR HICKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS HONOR 1st RESPONDERS ON 9-11

Published on September 11, 2024

Nearly 400 students at Taylor Hicks Elementary School in Prescott turned out for a special 9-11 outdoor ceremony to honor local first responders, including YCSO, Prescott PD and the Prescott Fire Department.  

Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Clark Tenney told the children gathered near several first responder vehicles that 9-11 "commemorates something really sad that happened in America, but our country came out stronger because of it." Tenney also told the students he is grateful for the partnership between law enforcement and the local schools, and he told the kids, "These men and women get up every morning with one goal - to protect us."

Taylor Hicks Principal Kevin Hilton told the students that 9-11 "showed us bravery, kindness, and coming together as a community. It demonstrated that we can be strong and help one another and care for one another."

A huge American flag was displayed high atop the ladder of a Prescott Fire Department engine, and the ceremony included the singing of the National Anthem and the playing of TAPS, followed by a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks 23 years ago. 

At the end of the ceremony, all of the students were allowed, by class and in a single-file line, to greet all of the first responders, including YCSO Deputies Scott Blakley and Eric Hardy, with fist bumps and high fives. Some of the students, as they passed by, were able to personally present the law enforcement and fire personnel with pictures they had drawn to honor their special guests.