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09/09/2011 05:19 PM

Students visit 9/11 memorial

Today's high school students have grown up in a post-9/11 world. They were alive at the time of the attacks, but most were too young to fully grasp what was happening. Our Rachael Paradis met up with one high schooler who doesn't recall where he was that day, but says those events have still impacted his life.

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POTSDAM, N.Y. -- Ryan McDonald has only vague memories of the day 9/11 happened. That's because he was just six-years-old at the time.

"It's kind of weird. You know something bad has happened in the U.S., but you don't really know what happened exactly," McDonald said.

As the anniversary of the terrorists attacks approach, many colleges in New York have set up memorials, including SUNY Potsdam.

McDonald and the rest of his social studies class from Potsdam Central came to look and see the reality first hand.

"They don't really have a lot of the details or facts about it," said Joe Van Ells, Potsdam Central social studies teacher.

"Helps you learn what you haven't before. Not knowing all the detail specifically, it helps you figure out what actually happened," McDonald said.

The memorial at the college includes photos, a timeline and even a piece of one of the planes. While McDonald doesn't recall that day in the past, it has impacted what he plans to do with his future.

"I want to get into the medical field because I really enjoy helping people. After seeing what some of the most heroic people, what they do," McDonald said.

"Even thought it was ten years ago, it's still very relevant to today," Van Ells said.

And it's a day that will never be forgotten.

The memorial is set up in the Flagg Building at SUNY Potsdam and will be open to the public until the end of September.