Ada Dolch
- Survivor, Family Member
- ASL
Lower Manhattan high school principal who spearheaded student evacuation while fearing for her sister, employed by Cantor Fitzgerald on the North Tower's 105th floor.
2023 Digital Learning Experience Video - Ada Dolch (ASL)
- Chapters
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This story was filmed as part of our 9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience, which introduces students to first-person accounts of the 9/11 attacks. To participate in our next Digital Learning Experience, visit this page.
Teaching Guides
Find tailored questions below for teaching this story.
As you listen to Ada’s story, consider the following questions
- What did Ada do when she arrived at school that morning? What made her realize something was wrong?
- How did the students and teachers get home that day? How did their actions demonstrate cooperation?
- How did people show care and support for Ada and her students after 9/11? How can you show support and care to people in your own community in times of crisis?
As you listen to Ada’s story, consider the following questions:
- Describe Ada’s morning—what did she do when she arrived at school? What made her decide that it was time to evacuate the building?
- Describe her journey from the World Trade Center to Brooklyn. What steps did Ada take to ensure that her students and teachers made it home safely?
- What do you think Ada means when she says it was important for her students after the attacks to realize that they were now part of a history that had to be told? Why is it important to continue telling the story of 9/11?
As you listen to Ada’s story, consider the following questions:
- Describe Ada’s morning when she arrived at her school building. What information was she able to gather about what occurred at the World Trade Center?
- What ultimately made her decide that it was time to evacuate the building? How did she and the other teachers coordinate their movements?
- What steps did Ada take to ensure that everyone made it home safely?
- What do you think Ada means when she says it was important for her students after the attacks to realize that they were now part of a history that had to be told? Why is it important to continue telling the story of 9/11?
Additional Resources
To view the walkie-talkie Ada used on 9/11, visit Inside the Collection. You can also learn about her sister, Wendy Alice Rosario Wakeford, who was killed on 9/11, by visiting the Memorial Guide. To hear more first-person accounts from those directly impacted by 9/11, return to the DLE Archive.