A Patchogue-Medford physical education teacher is motivating students across the district to break a sweat for a powerful cause: honoring the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
“It was 110 stories of the Twin Towers that the firemen went up and down, so we decided to do 1,100 steps on the bleachers to kind of bring awareness to what the firemen climbed at that time,” Oregon Middle School gym teacher Trish Shea told The Post.
“We have stations set up for 343 jumping jacks, and that will be for the FDNY service members that were lost. Then we are going to do 37 situps, and those will be for the Port Authority police officers who were lost, and then, finally, 23 pushups for the 23 NYPD officers who were lost.”
The 9/11 workout challenge is being tailored by grade level. Elementary school students will take part with modified totals, while middle school and high school students are completing the full challenge over three days, from Thursday through Monday.
For Shea, the lesson goes far beyond fitness. “I hope that my delivery really resonates with them. These firemen were dressed in full gear. It’s going to be hot tomorrow simply standing in the gym,” she said.
“These guys were in burning buildings, so we’re hoping that flips a switch and students really give it their all.”
Like many families on Long Island and across New York, Shea has a deeply personal connection to Sept. 11. Her brother was serving as an NYPD officer at the time of the attacks, her father is a retired officer, and her husband — who served in the Marines in 2001 — is now with the Suffolk County Police Department.
Her family’s record of service extends even further: four of Shea’s brothers-in-law also served in either the Marines or the Navy.
The school district was all in when she pitched the workout.
“Twenty-five years have passed in the blink of an eye. It’s incredible,” Shea said. “As a district, we wanted to kind of honor everybody who was part of 9/11 and their service, and those who were lost.”
