Hauppauge board votes to make Gary Sinise Foundation 9/11 museum trip an annual event for seniors

The Hauppauge Union Free School District Board of Education voted to make the Gary Sinise Foundation–sponsored trip to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum an annual opportunity for high school seniors.

District administrator Doctor Murphy moved the measure and the board voted in favor; the chair announced the vote as 6-0 in the meeting and then stated the tally would be recorded as 7-0 by counting an absent member’s presumed vote.

The motion followed a presentation by Kelly Barry, the district’s director of social studies and world languages, who described a September 18 trip that took more than 120 seniors to the museum. Barry said the Gary Sinise Foundation covered transportation, museum admission and meals for students and chaperones and provided apparel for participants and board members. She told the board the foundation’s program pairs a guided tour of the memorial and museum with a panel discussion; the district’s panel included a retired FBI agent and retired U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Daniel “Doc” Jacobs, a Purple Heart recipient who spoke about service and resilience.

“The foundation really covered everything, which [we’re] so appreciative of,” student speaker Isabella said of the experience. Nicole Florio, another student who wrote about the trip for a journalism assignment, said the visit highlighted different perspectives on 9/11, from the survivor tree to the names on the memorial pools. “The whole memorial experience really emphasized different points of view,” she told the board. Student speaker Calvin said the firsthand accounts from the panelists “were a breath of fresh air” compared with classroom instruction.

Barry told the board the trip was offered to all seniors; she estimated total trip costs (transportation, meals and guided tours) at “around $30,000” but said she did not have an exact figure. She said the district worked with athletics staff on scheduling to reduce conflicts for student-athletes and that the group left before 7 a.m. and did not return until about 6:30 p.m.

During discussion, board members praised the trip’s educational value and asked Barry to make the program a recurring line in future budgets. Doctor Murphy said he would meet with the foundation to pursue continued participation and moved to make the trip an annual offering, asking that it be scheduled as close as possible to Sept. 11 each year to preserve the date’s context. The board voted in favor.

The board also heard brief updates and student reflections during the same agenda item. Several board members and staff thanked Barry and staff member Ms. Burkhart for organizing the trip and recommended exploring fundraising options to support expanded participation.

The board’s action directs administration to pursue making the 9/11 museum visit a recurring item in the district budget and to coordinate with the Gary Sinise Foundation on scheduling and district participation in future years.