Changed by 9/11: Matthew Soldano, Student

Sea Cliff resident Matthew Soldano, who was 11 years old on Sept. 11, 2001, can vividly recollect the day, including when he discovered the news: during Science class.

“You could see the anxiety on my teacher’s face when she found out, but she wasn’t letting any of the kids know,” he said.

However, administrators at his middle school did not keep the young students in the dark for long: “About 15 minutes later, the principal was calling the teams (classes) down to the cafeteria, and each was given the news. It was pretty wild, being so young at the time.”

His mother, a school psychologist at Shelter Rock Elementary, dealt with many children of families who lost loved ones.

“My family and I made close friends with a mother and three sons that lost their father,” he said. “My mom sort of took those kids under her wing in school, and we would always hang out, go to the beach with them, Mets games.”

Soldano plans to attend a 9/11 memorial service, which will be held during Common Hour at his college, C.W. Post, Long Island University.