Providence Academy Honors 25th Anniversary of 9/11

Providence Academy in Plymouth marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with a campus-wide tribute honoring the 2,977 lives lost in the 2001 terrorist attacks and recognizing the ongoing service of local first responders.

The remembrance featured a silent procession of vehicles from 19 Hennepin County first responder departments. The vehicles drove past 2,977 American flags placed along the school’s drive and main entrance—one for each life lost. Providence Academy students and staff lined the pathway to observe the display.

Following the procession, the school hosted a ceremony on its front steps featuring local leaders, first responders and school officials. Minnesota Department of Public Safety Assistant Commissioner T. John Cunningham, who responded to Ground Zero as a Connecticut firefighter in 2001, reflected on the unity that followed the attacks.

“After the attacks, America was hurting. We were grieving, but we were also united,” Cunningham said during the ceremony. “Didn’t matter where you came from, what job you had, or what made you different than the person standing next to you. We stood together. We supported one another. We mourned together, and we found strength on how we move forward, together and united. The spirit of unity may be one of the most important lessons September 11 still has to teach us today.”

T. John Cunningham, a 9/11 first responder, addresses a crowd of students, first responders and government officials during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Providence Academy in Plymouth.

Plymouth Mayor Jeff Wosje also spoke to attendees, emphasizing the enduring importance of national memory.

“Twenty-five years ago, our country was faced with an unimaginable tragedy,” Mayor Wosje said. “All of us who watched that tragedy from afar, it felt surreal. It was unclear what we could even do. However, we were asked to do one thing: not to forget.”

The ceremony also included remarks from Providence Academy Headmaster Dr. Todd Flanders, a prayer led by Father Connor McGinnis, and performances by the Minnesota Pipes and Drums and the Providence Academy Band.

Representatives from Hennepin County, the Maple Grove City Council, the Plymouth City Council, local public safety agencies, and Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth were also in attendance.

A Campus Tradition

Providence Academy first opened its doors in September 2001, just one week before the 9/11 attacks. The tragedy became intertwined with the school’s identity.

Years later, the student organization Lions for Life began the annual tradition of planting 2,977 flags along the entrance drive.

In 2015, local first responders asked to drive through campus to view the display, leading Dr. Flanders and school leaders to organize the first formal procession, an event that has since become an annual staple for Providence Academy.

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Providence Academy

Maple Grove | Plymouth