Some of my fondest memories in elementary school were formed during recess. My best ones, though, were always made at “Michael’s Web,” from climbing up and down it, to simply sitting atop the 12-foot-tall structure at the Sharon Heights playground.
The web was built in memory of Michael Rothberg, a Sharon High School alumnus, who perished 24 years ago in the 9/11 attacks. Michael had been among the many employees at the Cantor Fitzgerald investment bank that lost their lives on the 104th floor of the North Tower, a few floors above where the first plane had hit.
Michael was known for his kind heart and generosity, qualities that inspire the elementary school children who climb his eponymous playground structure. The many stories from his younger sister Rhonda Dizney and his mother Iris Rothberg allude to just that.
One example of his generosity, they explained, was that upon his family-friend’s cancer diagnosis, Michael began donating to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund. Additionally, Micheal later began contributing to many other charities such as the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and Mutual Funds against Cancer.
According to Rhonda and Iris, who recently visited Sharon High to discuss their loss on 9/11, Michael was not only selfless, but also a great friend to all. Rhonda recalled that on the day of Michael’s passing, When she arrived at his empty house, she listened to dozens of answering machine messages. Many people that his family had never even heard of were calling, wondering where he was, and asking if he had made it. To Rhonda’s surprise, the messages not only came from his close friends and co-workers, but were left from people all over the world.
Moreover, Michael’s influence on the people around him reached beyond the many voicemails. After his death, Michael’s classmates decided to continue his legacy of giving back by starting a scholarship in his name at Sharon High School.
Over the years, his family, friends and the Sharon community have dedicated many memorials to honor Michael, including “Michael’s Web,” which sits on the Heights Elementary School playground. Since the web, along with a plaque depicting his story, was dedicated in 2008, the structure has brought Heights students plenty of fun times. More importantly, the memorial brought much-needed attention to the 9/11 attacks for children who weren’t even born at the time.
As a former Heights Elementary student myself, Michael’s Web was where I grew up: from a little first grader mustering up the courage to climb to the top and impress the second graders; to a fifth grader catching up on the latest elementary school drama with my friends. Sitting at the top of Michael’s Web, I felt like I could see everything – the school with its students, the surrounding landscape behind Ward’s Berry Farm, and the skies beyond. Right now, that is not possible.
The web still stands, though it is broken, and yellow caution tape surrounds the structure to block students from climbing it. The web has been closed off since COVID times, and teachers at Heights fear that it has been forgotten.
When Curtis St. Onge assumed the role of Director Of Facilities at Sharon Public Schools, though, he took action. After the broken section of the web had been brought to his attention, St. Onge was able to bring in a contractor, who plans to fix it. “It will hopefully be able to be used again by the end of the month,” he shared in an email this week.
As a senior starting my last year of school in Sharon, I am glad that we continually recognize the importance in honoring Michael Rothberg’s legacy, and I am excited that Heights students will soon have the chance to make the memories that my class and I cherished everyday at Michael’s Web.
