Coinciding with the publication of the spring 2011 edition of Trinity Per Saecula is the release of two new documentaries about the arts programs at Trinity. One documents the work of Grade One students in Bruce Edelstein’s woodshop and the other follows the Middle School Orchestra, under the direction of Steve Rochen, as it prepared for a concert that was held this winter. As with the Native American Festival documentary that was released in 2010, both pieces highlight the student experience in the arts.

While I am often in classrooms, gymnasia, and performance spaces for various photo shoots, interviews, and articles, I tend to be in those locations one or two times to capture what I need. By the time I’m in the classroom for those projects I have already met with the teacher to talk about the lesson, so that I have a general understanding of what is going to happen and why. In some cases I have already identified and met with the students whose voices will be part of the article. For a calendar shoot, for example, I perhaps spend ninety minutes total, including the preparation and the actual photo shoot. For annual report articles I might spend two or three hours total. Articles for Trinity Per Saecula require a wider array of commitments, but let’s say that the actual gathering of material might take anywhere from six to twenty hours to ...

The upcoming edition of Trinity Per Saecula is scheduled to be in your mailboxes, and available as an e-book on this Web site, by the end of April and there are a number of very wonderful sections in it that I wanted to let you preview in advance. The focus of the magazine is on the two big projects of this year…the NYSAIS self-study and the strategic planning process. The departments of the magazine reflect upon this focus in unique and exciting ways.

The “Classroom Comment” department is where students have the opportunity to write their thoughts about the theme of the magazine. In this edition it is a graduating senior who writes her recommendations for how Trinity could best prepare students for life in the 21st century. I always look forward to what the students write for the magazine as they alone can let us know what their experience is at the School. The feature article, not surprisingly, focuses on the NYSAIS self-study and the strategic planning process. In it you will find interviews with John Allman, head of school; Tory Kiam, president of the board of trustees; Emily Mandelstam, board member and cochair of the strategic planning process; Myles Amend, director of development and alumni relations and cochair of the strategic planning process; and Mark Lauria, executive director of NYSAIS. The feature provides an overview of both processes and gives a detailed view of their complexity and importance. The featured aluma in this edition is a wonderful woman, Taneika Taylor ...