Schools
PHOTOS: Hollis Students Share 9/11 Lunch With Police and Firefighters
Braintree public safety personnel joined students at Hollis Elementary for the school's annual Sept. 11 lunch.
Every year since Sept. 11, 2001, has hosted a lunch to honor Braintree's firefighters and more recently its police officers as well. So on Tuesday, following , public safety officials joined students in all grades at Hollis for lunch and conversation.
The tradition, which extends beyond the lunch to other events such as a Thanksgiving Feast, began after Sept. 11 when the school developed a connection with a New York City firehouse.
One of Hollis's teachers had a cousin who was a firefighter in New York, and when a group of Braintree firefighters covered a firehouse for the locals to attend a funeral for Sept. 11, it happened to be the same house, Principal Timothy MacDonald said.
Find out what's happening in Braintreewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
One of the New York firefighters later sent a tape to the school, urging students and staff to support their public safety personnel, and the rest is history.
"It's nice that we're invited," said Lt. Robert Pistorino, who has twin fourth graders at Hollis. "It's nice that we're thought of."
Find out what's happening in Braintreewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
