In honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, students in Mrs. Miller’s Social Studies class are making paper cranes on September 11th as a powerful symbol of hope and healing. Their lesson connects to the enduring story of Sadako Sasaki, who was just two years old and living one mile from ground zero when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. Though Sadako survived the initial blast, she was diagnosed with radiation-induced leukemia a decade later in 1955. While staying in an American Red Cross hospital, she began folding intricate paper cranes in hopes of fulfilling the legend that completing 1,000 cranes would grant a wish. She folded over 1,300 cranes before passing away at age 12 on October 25, 1955. Today, her legacy bridges historic tragedies: in 2007, the Sasaki family donated one of her original cranes to the families of 9/11 victims, where it is now on display at the 9/11 Tribute Museum in New York City.