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Brooklyn Students Turn Out To Plant Daffodils Honoring 9/11 Victims

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A crowd turned out Saturday to plant daffodils outside a Brooklyn school in memory of those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Students, parents and faculty members planted more than 3,000 daffodils outside William McKinley I.S. 259, at 7301 Fort Hamilton Pkwy. in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who attended the event, said children came in early every day to prepare the daffodils for planting.

"The students – who volunteer, not required volunteer – they come it at 7 in the morning on school days to help prepare, and now to plant today, in honor, and in memory, of those that we tragically lost on 9/11," Markowitz said, :and so these kids really deserve, really, all of our accolades."

Markowitz said it is a tremendous idea for the children to learn about what happened during 9/11 and its significance to the world.

"It's just a tremendous idea for the children to learn about what happened during 9/11, its significance to the world, and how much we should reaffirm that we're blessed to live in America, and to enjoy freedom and democracy, and to work to maintain freedom and democracy here in our country and around the world," he said. "That's the lesson that these kids are learning, and they're the best of the young people we've got in this city – that's for sure."

The Daffodil Project was founded in 2001 as a living memorial not long after the attacks. Nearly 5 million free bulbs have been planted citywide by 40,000 schoolchildren, parks and gardening groups, civic organizations, corporate volunteers, and other New Yorkers.

Have you participated in a daffodil-planting effort? Tell us about it.

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