CHICOPEE, Mass. - Joshua Clark teaches social studies at Chicopee Comprehensive High School and every year around this time he makes sure he incorporates the history of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks into his lesson plan.

"I grew up in Chicopee. I was in third grade at Bowie school when it happened," Clark said. "I remember it like it was yesterday. We were right next to the base, so it is something that we wouldn't want the students to lose sight of."

Even though Clark's students were born years after the terrorist attacks, it's something many can understand personally and locally, especially being so close to Westover Air Reserve Base.

"So many of our students' families have been involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whose parents may have deployed out there, but also understanding none of our students were alive when it happened," Clark said. "So trying to keep it as factual and objective, but also include stories from people who are actually from Chicopee and went over and served our country as much as we possibly can."

Clark uses current events in his teaching, too, and with everything happening recently in Afghanistan, it ties into the history of 9/11.

"9/11 happened 20 years ago and we have been in Iraq and Afghanistan for the 20 years for the most part," Clark said. "And so it's important to tie those two events together as 9/11 is the beginning and the most recent pull out is hopefully the end of that."