Kate Deemer, History Teacher

History teacher Kate Deemer could not believe the news of the attack when she first heard it.

“I thought it was a joke, and then it wasn’t a joke,” Deemer said.

She was covering a study hall when she first heard about the attacks. She was only 22 years old and said she just followed the directions of her administrators. 

“They told us not to talk to the kids about it, so we pretended like it wasn’t happening,” she said. “But the kids kept leaving all day,” as some parents came up to the school to pick up their children.

It was a confusing time for a young new teacher. Looking back, better measures could have been taken regarding teachers telling students about what was happening, she said.

“I was just dazed and confused,” Deemer said

The overwhelming events left her fearful for her family, and she worried about how she would get home. Over the following weeks, students were quiet and on edge, and everyone was fearful of more attacks.