Community invited to ceremony honoring those lost, including Mitchell graduate Kathryn Yancey LaBorie

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Mitchell High School community remains committed to honoring the lives lost and ensuring that their stories are remembered by future generations.

Mitchell High School will hold its annual 9/11 Memorial Commemoration at 9:45 a.m. Friday, September 11, at the school’s flagpole, 1205 Potter Drive, Colorado Springs.

The ceremony holds particular significance for Mitchell High School. Kathryn Yancey LaBorie, a 1975 Mitchell graduate and the lead flight attendant aboard United Airlines Flight 175, was among those killed when the hijacked plane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

In 2023, the Kathryn Yancey Memorial Scholarship was established in her honor. Her photograph also hangs on Mitchell’s Wall of Inspiration, where students can learn about her life, courage and connection to their school.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Maj. Gen. David A. Piffarerio, a 1990 Mitchell High School graduate. Maj. Gen. Piffarerio serves as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Commissioned in 1994 as an honor graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Maj. Gen. Piffarerio has served in numerous operational, test and command assignments involving the F-15E, F-22 and F-16. He has flown combat missions in support of operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. He was the first U.S. Air Force pilot to reach 1,000 flight hours in the F-22 Raptor and has logged more than 3,500 hours in fighter aircraft. In his civilian career, he is a Boeing 777 pilot with a major U.S. airline.

Mitchell High School invites students, families, alumni and members of the community to attend as the school remembers Kathryn and all those whose lives were lost or forever changed on September 11, 2001.

The ceremony is open to the public.

Community invited to ceremony honoring those lost, including Mitchell graduate Kathryn Yancey LaBorie

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Mitchell High School community remains committed to honoring the lives lost and ensuring that their stories are remembered by future generations.

Mitchell High School will hold its annual 9/11 Memorial Commemoration at 9:45 a.m. Friday, September 11, at the school’s flagpole, 1205 Potter Drive, Colorado Springs.

The ceremony holds particular significance for Mitchell High School. Kathryn Yancey LaBorie, a 1975 Mitchell graduate and the lead flight attendant aboard United Airlines Flight 175, was among those killed when the hijacked plane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

In 2023, the Kathryn Yancey Memorial Scholarship was established in her honor. Her photograph also hangs on Mitchell’s Wall of Inspiration, where students can learn about her life, courage and connection to their school.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Maj. Gen. David A. Piffarerio, a 1990 Mitchell High School graduate. Maj. Gen. Piffarerio serves as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Commissioned in 1994 as an honor graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Maj. Gen. Piffarerio has served in numerous operational, test and command assignments involving the F-15E, F-22 and F-16. He has flown combat missions in support of operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. He was the first U.S. Air Force pilot to reach 1,000 flight hours in the F-22 Raptor and has logged more than 3,500 hours in fighter aircraft. In his civilian career, he is a Boeing 777 pilot with a major U.S. airline.

Mitchell High School invites students, families, alumni and members of the community to attend as the school remembers Kathryn and all those whose lives were lost or forever changed on September 11, 2001.

The ceremony is open to the public.

UCCS will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the renovation of a space for the new Air Force ROTC Detachment 105A. 

The ribbon-cutting will take place tomorrow, Thursday, August 27 at 3 p.m. in the Osbourne building on the UCCS campus. VIPs in attendance will include: 

    The Honorable Dianne Primavera, Lieutenant Governor, Colorado 

    The Honorable Tony Exum, Colorado State Senator 

    The Honorable Jarvis Caldwell, Colorado State Representative 

    The Honorable Amy Paschal, Colorado State Representative 

    From The Colorado Board Of Regents, MR. Ken Montera, MR. Frank Mcnulty, And MR. Ray Scott. 

    From Headquarters Air Force Rotc, Colonel Gabe Fleming And MR. Brian Smith 

    Colonel Sandy Coble, Commander, Air Force Rotc Northwest Region 

    From The University Of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet, Interim Provost, Dr. Kevin Laudner, Interim Vice Chancellor For Enrollment Management And Student Affairs, Dr. Jon Caudill, And Dean Of The College Of Education, Dr. Joe Wehrman

Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet, Detachment 105 Commander – Colonel Rebecca Lange and Cadet Wing Commander – Cadet Joshua Boswell will be available for interview.