School Spotlight: Providence Academy
Providence Academy, a Roman Catholic school in Plymouth, has something you don’t typically see at a place of learning.
A museum-quality antiquities gallery is located on the upper level, right across from the chapel. Artifacts from Rome, Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamian civilizations make up the exhibit. An early hieroglyphic piece is prominently posted on a wall.
“This is the rarest Egyptian piece in the collection because it is so ancient,” said Providence Headmaster Todd Flanders. “That’s about 5,000 years old.”
Flanders says Providence Academy installed the gallery when it opened 18 years ago. Over the years, the school added more items to the collection. The sarcophagus is a big draw.
Gallery an Opportunity for Learning
Ninth-grader Ella Flynn attended Providence Academy since she was 4 years old. She says students consider the gallery a special place.
“It always struck me as really cool because even in some of the museums I’ve been to, they talked about mummies and sarcophagi. But now we have one,” Flynn said.
Students use the gallery for a variety of subjects, such as art, religion and history.
A curator of antiquities from the Cleveland Museum of Art made sure the pieces are properly displayed. Special temperature controls are in place to protect the items from moisture and sunlight.
No tuition dollars paid for the gallery. Instead, private donations paid for all the artifacts.
“These have all been acquired through specialized antiquities brokers, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, people who are highly reputable,” said Flanders.
Providence Academy
