By John L. Micek
masslive.com
BOSTON — Nearly a quarter-century after a day that many will never forget, the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund added a new program to its annual State House remembrance this week for high school students — and even some teachers — who were not alive when the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took place.
The theme of this year’s events is “Living Legacies: The Education of 9/11,” the 9/11 Fund said as it pointed out that, regardless of when they were born, many students and some teachers are not aware that more than 200 people with ties to Massachusetts died in the attacks, or that two of the planes originated out of Boston’s Logan Airport.
Fourteen states require schools to teach the subject of 9/11, but Massachusetts is not one of them, the group said.
“Without a formal education plan for 9/11 included as part of the required school curriculum across the Commonwealth, the Mass 9/11 Fund focuses on providing critical education resources to teachers as well as experiences like the roundtable discussion and in-school presentations by family members,” the organization said. “The Mass 9/11 Fund’s goal is to ensure today’s students, as well as future generations, continue to learn about the impact of one of the most transformative days in our nation’s history and its links to Massachusetts.”
On Thursday, Gov. Maura Healey took steps to change that, announcing that she’d told the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and its Board of Elementary and Secondary Education " to work together to ensure that it is fully incorporated into school curriculum frameworks.”
“All students should be taught about 9/11 and its aftermath, which is a tragic and important piece of both our state and our nation’s history,” Healey said, adding that she was “grateful to the families of 9/11 victims who have advocated for this and are making sure that we never forget this horrific tragedy, the incredible displays of heroism on that day, or the thousands of lives that were lost.”
Students from high schools in Boston, Milton, Needham and Rockland took part in roundtable discussions with two people who lost a family member in the attacks and former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh. Students will hear from Bob Sweeney, the brother-in-law of Madeline “Amy” Sweeney, and from Pat Bavis, the brother of Mark Bavis.
Madeline “Amy” Sweeney was an American Airlines flight attendant from Acton who was killed aboard American Airlines Flight 11, the first airplane hijacked by terrorists and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Sweeney contacted the airline’s ground services crew to inform them about the hijackers in the flight’s final minutes. The state’s award for civilian bravery is named for her, and was presented Thursday morning in the House Chamber.
Mark Bavis was born in Roslindale and played hockey at Boston University and for the Providence Bruins before starting a career as a scout for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. He was killed aboard United Airlines Flight 175, which struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Hockey connects the three men leading the roundtables: Walsh is now head of the NHL Players Association, Bob Sweeney played for the Boston Bruins, and Mark Bavis had played at Boston University before becoming an NHL scout.
The day’s events began at 8:30 a.m. on the State House steps as 9/11 victims’ family members, Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and First Lady Joanna Lydgate took part in a reading of the names of the Bay State victims of the attacks.
Bavis, Sweeney and Walsh were slated to speak at the Sweeney Award ceremony in the House Chamber at 9:30 a.m., and Wu was set to lay a wreath at the 9/11 Garden of Remembrance in the Boston Public Garden at 1 p.m. The annual Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the State House’s Ashburton Park .
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit masslive.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
