BRENTWOOD, Pa.; September 11, 2026 – Katy Phillips joined the Brentwood Borough School District as a secondary Math teacher in 2007. Today, just as she has for the past 19 years, Phillips gave Brentwood’s 6th grade students her personal first-hand account of the attack on New York City on September 11, 2001.
Phillips spoke to the students about what she witnessed that day and the resiliency of New York on September 11 and in the days, weeks and years afterward.
Phillips was a recent Business graduate of the University of North Carolina in 2001. Growing up in Pittsburgh, her dream had always been to live in New York City. She was hired by Merrill Lynch and moved to New York on Sept. 1, 2001.
On Sept. 5, Phillips celebrated her 22nd birthday and the following day was her first with Merrill Lynch as a member of a wealth management team. Her office was on the 40th floor of Two World Financial Center, approximately 100 yards from the World Trade Center twin towers.
September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday, her fourth day of working at Merrill Lynch.
“I was excited that morning because it was going to be my first sales meeting,” Phillips told the students. “The meeting ended around 8:30 a.m. and the phones starting ringing. Our clients were calling in, just like they do every day. It felt like a normal day.”
That soon changed. At 8:46 a.m. today, all Brentwood schools observed a moment of silence, to commemorate when the first plane hit the North Tower.
“After the first plane hit, I called my mom and my dad and left messages that I was OK,” Phillips said. “Then I called my older brother, who was working at Mt. Lebanon High School and left a message that I was OK.”
But, when the second plane hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m., the situation escalated for Phillips and thousands of people working in New York’s financial district. Building security asked everyone to evacuate the building and Phillips and her co-workers began the slow walk down the stairs from the 40th floor.
“There was no panic,” she relayed to the students. “People were calm,” but obviously concerned about what was unfolding near their building and as they would soon learn, in Washington, D.C. and near Shanksville, Pa.
Phillips also shared with the students the meaning of a quote that she cherishes: “Be who you were on September 12th-many people's best version of themselves -truly the best of humanity as people came together to mourn, but also move forward.”
The 6th grade students had numerous insightful questions for Phillips after her presentation.
Phillips remained with Merrill Lynch until Spring 2004. While working there, she was accepted into the New York Teaching Fellows program, starting in June 2004. She taught at PS 328x in the South Bronx for one year and then moved back to Pittsburgh She was as a student teacher in the Lynne Golvash’s Brentwood Middle School classroom and met Casey Phillips, who taught 6th grade, and would later become her husband.
In addition to the presentation by Phillips to the 6th graders, other Brentwood students participated in September 11 lessons or activities, including the high school AP and Honors U.S. History classes, taught by Aleesha Karmazin.
The Brentwood HS Spartan Marching Band participated in Brentwood Borough’s remembrance ceremony this morning. This evening, the district will hold a “Salute to Service” event at 6:30 p.m. in Brentwood Stadium prior to the Spartans’ football game vs. Northgate.