Students with President Bush on 9/11 look back on day: 'You could see it on his face'

Former Sarasota, Florida, second grade student Krystal Davis remembers a wave of confusion washing over her and her classmates on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, after a suited man whispered into the ear of the president of the United States, who was seated just in front of the students.

Then-President George W. Bush was visiting Emma E. Booker Elementary School and had been listening intently to the children in Mrs. Sandra Daniels' second-grade class flexing their reading skills, when the look of admiration on his face suddenly gave way to an expression of concern.

Chief of Staff Andrew Card had just relayed to Bush that a second plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. "America is under attack," he later recalled whispering to the president.

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"You could see the shift with [the president] once he got the message, and then you could see it on his face," Davis said in an interview with ABC News commemorating 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. "And then the shift of him going back to his normal self and smiling like, 'I don't want to alarm the kids. '"

Teacher Daniels told Sarasota ABC affiliate WWSB in an interview published Tuesday that she "immediately knew something was wrong" at that moment.

"His entire demeanor changed," she recalled, referring to Bush.

Davis described the concern among the students as Bush was escorted out of the room, once the reading lesson concluded.

"And we're just like, 'OK, in the middle of reading, what happened? What did we do? Like, did we do something wrong? Did he not like us reading or whatever? '" Davis recalled.

Though unaware at the time, Davis and her classmates had a front-row seat to history.

Meanwhile, 10-year-old Stevenson Tose'-Rigell, son of principal Gwendolyn Tose'-Rigell, was in the school's library eagerly awaiting the president's arrival, where Bush was slated to deliver a speech on his signature education policy, the No Child Left Behind Act.

"I'd probably say it was a couple of hours at least we were out there on the podium waiting around. We didn't know what was going on at the time," he said.

He continued, "They were trying to entertain us a little bit and, you know, keep, everybody feeling kind of excited … but we're waiting around for hours, you know, it's like, 'Man, this is this a long time waiting around for someone. '"

Tose'-Rigell said Bush did eventually enter the room, but the 10-year-old quickly realized the speech Bush was delivering would not touch on education policy. Instead, Bush delivered an address to the nation, confirming reports of "an apparent terrorist attack on our country. "

"We're pretty much [thinking], 'Sounds like we're under attack,'" Tose'-Rigell recalled. "So yeah, it was definitely far off from the script. "

Back in Daniels' classroom, Davis said the children were moved into another room, where a teacher tried to explain what was going on.

Davis said it was at that moment the students watched the images of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers crashing down on a television.

Tose'-Rigell said he was not able to leave school right away, as his mother was the school's principal. Instead, he said he watched the devastation unfold on a small TV in the school's front office.

From Sarasota, Bush boarded Air Force One, departing Florida for military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska before arriving back in Washington, D.C., that night.

By day's end, nearly 3,000 people had died in terror attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City; the Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia; and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93.

A quarter century later, as the country continues to grapple with the ramifications of that day, so too do the alumni of Emma E. Booker Elementary who were at the school the day of the attacks.

In May, the school commemorated the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by welcoming a steel beam from the World Trade Center, brought by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which allows the public to "put their hand on that steel and feel the loss and sacrifice that was made that day. "

Stephen Siller Jr., whose father Stephen Siller was one of the 343 New York City Fire Department members killed on 9/11, said bringing the steel beam to Emma E. Booker Elementary was one of the most impactful visits he's made with the foundation's Steel Across America campaign, out of dozens of similar trips.

"Little kids ... understand that, you know, this is a sacred piece of history," he said. "...It once held up the Twin Towers, it once held floors and walls, and now it holds the gravity of that day. "

In a statement to ABC News, Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor reflected on the impact 9/11 had on the district.

"For Sarasota County Schools, the legacy of Sept. 11 carries a uniquely personal connection," the statement read in part.

It added, "On this 25th anniversary, we honor those who were lost, remember those who answered the call, and express our gratitude to all who continue to serve our communities and our country. "

Speaking with ABC News, the former students of Emma E. Booker Elementary reflected on their intersection with history, recognizing the grave impact on those directly affected by the tragedy while also considering the mark it left on their own lives.

"You realize, 'People really lost they live[s] yesterday,'" Davis said, recounting the days following 9/11. "And we were right in the midst of everything. [The president] was right here in Sarasota, Florida, [when it happened]."

Davis, who currently works in healthcare but said she aspires to be a police officer, said the events that day inspired her to pursue a career serving others.

"As a second grader, I couldn't really explain," Davis said, adding that she would later realize her experience left her "wanting to do more for my community, wanting to do more for myself and my kids. "

"That day is going to always be something I never forget," she added.

Tose'-Rigell said he also carries complex feelings surrounding his memory of that day, including sadness and a sense of pride.

His mother, the school's former principal, died in 2007 after a battle with cancer.

"I always knew my mom was a rock star, you know? In my mind, you know, she was my superhero," Tose'-Rigell said, describing seeing his mother on the world stage on Sept. 11, 2001, and the "national recognition" she received.

He added that seeing her in archival footage from that day brought back memories of her each year on the anniversary of 9/11.

"It feels like she comes back," he said. "You know, like, once a year, [she] reincarnates right onscreen again. "