The start of a new school year at Grand & Warren conjures many thoughts, many memories, and many hopes. And for the past few decades, it has been natural for those thoughts to include one of the most challenging days in Prep’s—not to mention the nation’s, and the world’s—history. Tuesday, B-Day, September 11, 2001, was the second day of classes that year. On Monday, A-Day, September 11, 2023, our first homeroom Examen of the year began with a reflection on a day when the Prep community bore witness to unfathomable violence, and responded over the hours, days, and weeks that followed with compassion, hope, and dignity in the face of tragedy.
The reflection references the newly-dedicated sculpture in the lobby of the English Building, pictured above. It depicts the Petrine cross and the Keys to the Kingdom, two symbols of Saint Peter that appear in Prep’s seal. A Prep family donated this sculpture, crafted of steel from the original World Trade Center, to memorialize the lives lost in the attack and to commemorate the response of the Prep community.
As we reflect and remember, we also invite you to join us in prayer for the memory of all who lost their lives, including six members of the Prep family:
- Edward Keane, ’53
- Thomas Sullivan, ’80, P’12,’17
- John Crowe, ’62, P’91,’94
- Timothy Hughes
- Keith O’Connor, ’90
- Robert Parks, ’72