News


Jamel Brinkley is awarded a 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship

04.12.2024Jamel Brinkley is awarded a 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship

Jamel Brinkley, Teacher of English from 2009-2013, has been awarded a 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship in fiction. The Guggenheim Fellowship was established in 1925 for individual writers, scholars, and artists who have demonstrated “exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts and exhibit great promise for their future endeavors.”

Jamel is the author of Witness: Stories, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. His book A Lucky Man: Stories was a finalist for the National Book Award, among others. Jamel is an assistant professor at the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa.

For a complete list of the 2024 Guggenheim Fellows, visit: https://www.gf.org/announcements/


Bruce Edelstein has work in art exhibition in Hudson, New Yo...

03.09.2024Bruce Edelstein has work in art exhibition in Hudson, New York

Bruce Edelstein, Teacher of Visual Arts from 2000-2022, has work in “Breakfast,” a group exhibition celebrating coffee, pastries, and companionship, at the Private Public Gallery in Hudson, New York. The exhibition is on view from Saturday, 16 March through Saturday, 6 April. A reception will take place on Saturday, 16 March, from 2:00-5:00pm. Private Public Gallery is located at 530 Columbia Street, Hudson, New York.

https://privatepublicgallery.net


Former Faculty Member Margery Mandell has died

01.22.2024Former Faculty Member Margery Mandell has died

Former faculty member Margery Mandell has passed away. A lifelong New Yorker, Margery worked at Trinity from 1997 to 2012, where she served variously as an instructor in the English Department, advisor to the Trinity Times, and Upper School Dean for Co-Curricular Learning. She also oversaw the School's internship program, directed the Upper School's Community Time programming, and administered Upper School foreign travel opportunities. Outside of Trinity, she worked as a freelance journalist, a nonfiction writer, an on-air journalist for Dutch television, and was the president of the Mandell Family Foundation, which has supported a variety of causes ranging from cancer research to civil rights.

A beloved and deeply respected member of the Trinity family, she is remembered by her colleagues for her wit, her love of literature and the English language, and her devotion to her students and her family. Her enthusiasm and energy served as an inspiration to her students.

Margery was predeceased by her daughter, Katherine Sugarman, and her husband of many years, Mark Sugarman. She is survived by her daughter, Alix, and son-in-law Ben; her son, Jacob, and daughter-in-law Mariela; and her grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held for Margery in the spring.


New books by Nicholas T. “Nick” Bruel ’83 published to...

12.19.2023New books by Nicholas T. “Nick” Bruel ’83 published today and next week!

Nicholas T. “Nick” Bruel ’83 publishes Bad Kitty Does Not Like Easter, the newest addition to his New York Times bestselling Bad Kitty series, today. Nick’s full-color graphic novel, Bad Kitty Makes a Movie, will be released on Tuesday, 26 December.

For more information on Bad Kitty Does Not Like Easter, please visit: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250363008/badkittydoesnotlikeeaster

For more information on Bad Kitty Makes a Movie, please visit:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250363015/badkittymakesamoviegraphicnovel


Colson Whitehead ’87 releases the 25th anniversary edition...

11.28.2023Colson Whitehead ’87 releases the 25th anniversary edition of his debut novel today!

Colson Whitehead ’87 publishes the 25th anniversary hardcover edition of his debut novel The Intuitionist today with Penguin Random House’s Everyman’s Library Contemporary Classics. The Intuitionist tells the story of Lila Mae Watson, an elevator inspector, who is at the center of a crisis when an elevator goes into freefall on her watch.

For more information, visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/734129/the-intuitionist-by-colson-whitehead-introduction-by-colin-grant/


Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has an artist talk at t...

09.10.2023Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has an artist talk at the National Portrait Gallery – Smithsonian Institution

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton will give an artist talk at the National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, 17 September, from 3:30-4:30pm. Thomas's portraits of the Lams, a Chinese family living in New York City, are featured in the exhibition Kinship. He will discuss the origins of this photography series and how it connects to his half-Chinese and half-American heritage.

This event is free and registration is recommended. For more information, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kinship-an-artist-talk-with-thomas-holton-tickets-700521026247?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Former Executive Assistant to the Headmaster Lee Zegar has d...

08.03.2023Former Executive Assistant to the Headmaster Lee Zegar has died

Lee Zegar, Executive Assistant to the Headmaster of Trinity School from 1987 to 1998, died on 9 June 2023 in New York City at the age of ninety-two.

A lifelong New York City resident, Lee grew up in Brooklyn and later moved to Queens. Before coming to Trinity, she worked for many years as the office manager for the shoe company I. Miller & Sons, located in the Empire State building. After moving to Manhattan, she began her Trinity career, serving as the Executive Assistant to the Headmaster from 1987 until her retirement in 1998.

Lee also volunteered at the Museum of Modern Art’s information desk and enjoyed fashion, the theater, and socializing. She is remembered by her friends for her bright, opinionated wit. In 2011, she decided to purchase a one-bedroom apartment in time for her 80th birthday. Her successful search was featured in the New York Times real estate section. "I expected to be married," she joked to the Times. "I was engaged at least three times, but I was the original runaway bride."


New book by Colson Whitehead ’87 is published today!

07.18.2023New book by Colson Whitehead ’87 is published today!

Colson Whitehead ’87 releases his new novel, Crook Manifesto, with Doubleday today. Crook Manifesto combines crime fiction and social history, bringing back protagonist Ray Carney from Harlem Shuffle in a darkly funny tale of New York City in the 1970s.

Colson is a number one New York Times bestselling author and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

For more information, visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608670/crook-manifesto-by-colson-whitehead/


Teacher of History Ann Johnson featured in story on WPRI.com

07.13.2023Teacher of History Ann Johnson featured in story on WPRI.com

Teacher of History Ann Johnson is featured in the story “Rhode Island Expected to Assume Ownership of Three Historic Lighthouses” on WPRI.com. Ann is president of the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association, which has been awarded stewardship of the historic Watch Hill Lighthouse in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Read the article at: https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/ri-expected-to-assume-ownership-of-3-historic-lighthouses/


“Alumni Focus” – Peter Frelinghuysen III &...

06.24.2023“Alumni Focus” – Peter Frelinghuysen III ’18

Watch profile of alumnus Peter Frelinghuysen III ’18 talking about Earth Brands, a plant-based sustainable product company he cofounded with Misha Medvedev: https://vimeo.com/trinityschoolnyc/peterfrelinghuysen

"Alumni Focus" is a video series that features Trinity alumni and their lives and work.


Congratulations to Teacher of Visual Arts Laurie Sweet, the ...

06.15.2023Congratulations to Teacher of Visual Arts Laurie Sweet, the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Award Winner!

Teacher of Visual Arts Laurie Sweet is the winner of the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Award. Ms. Sweet started at Trinity in 1981 and during her time at the School has taught in all three divisions. Colleagues praise her for being “a master teacher, gifted at finding that part of each student that can create, a skill that often results in her students being surprised by the artist they did not know existed” and “a wonderful colleague and an inspiration to all who strive to bring their love for their disciplines into the lives of young people.”

 

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to legendary teachers Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplified the history and traditions of the School, and demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004. President of the TAAA Board Tony Yung ’96 presented Ms. Sweet with the prize.

 

Since its inception, thirty-six teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize plaque in the Great Hall. Laurie Sweet’s name will now be added to this distinguished list.

 

 


“Alumni Focus” – Déa Julien ’08

05.11.2023“Alumni Focus” – Déa Julien ’08

Watch profile of alumna Déa Julien ’08 as she finished the run of "The Kite Runner" on Broadway in the autumn of 2022: https://vimeo.com/trinityschoolnyc/deajulien

"Alumni Focus" is a video series that features Trinity alumni and their lives and work.


New book by Steven Fraccaro ’70 is published!

04.24.2023New book by Steven Fraccaro ’70 is published!

Steven Fraccaro ’70 has published Skeleton Keys, a book of what he terms “hybrid prose.” Included are pieces that might be regarded as short narratives, miniature essays, and prose poems of visual phenomena, thinking, writing, modes of apprehending the world, what we consider in the predawn hours, and what we forget in harsh daylight. Written in a language that partakes of the character of poetry and prose, the work is insistent, subliminal, insidious, and intentional.

Steven is the author of two novels, Dark Angels and Gainsborough’s Revenge, and a book of essays, The Recalcitrant Scrivener. As the editor of Renegade Magazine, 1978-1980, he published writing by Walter Abish, Ron Silliman, Kathy Acker, and Constance DeJong, among others. He has also written the text for NY Pier 34, a book of photographs by Javier Domingo documenting the clandestine 1980s art project that was ultimately demolished.

Skeleton Keys is published by Chax Press. For more information, visit: https://www.spdbooks.org/Products/9781946104397/skeleton-keys.aspx

https://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Keys-Steven-Fraccaro/dp/1946104396/


Cum Laude Society Distinguished Speaker – Eileen Myles

04.24.2023Cum Laude Society Distinguished Speaker – Eileen Myles

We are honored to have poet Eileen Myles as this year’s distinguished speaker in the Cum Laude Society Talks series of lectures. All of the Trinity community is invited to this event on Monday, 1 May at 6:30pm in the Hawley Chapel.


Colson Whitehead ’87 is awarded a National Humanities Meda...

04.12.2023Colson Whitehead ’87 is awarded a National Humanities Medal

Colson Whitehead ’87 was awarded a 2021 National Humanities Medal at a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, 21 March. National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals are the federal government’s highest honors for contributions to the arts and humanities. The 2021 ceremony was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Colson is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his books of historical fiction “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys.”

For more information, visit: https://www.neh.gov/news/2021-national-humanities-medals

https://www.neh.gov/award/colson-whitehead


Introducing the “Alumni Focus” series – So...

04.11.2023Introducing the “Alumni Focus” series – Sophie Barbasch ’03

Meet alumna Sophie Barbasch ’03 in this profile of her photography of Brazil that was exhibited at Penumbra Foundation in New York City.

"Alumni Focus" is a video series that features Trinity alumni and their lives and work.

Watch Sophie’s video profile at: https://vimeo.com/trinityschoolnyc/sophiebarbasch


New book by Diana Murray ’90 is published!

03.21.2023New book by Diana Murray ’90 is published!

Diana Murray ’90 has published Someday, Maybe, a new picture book that imagines and explores children’s dreams of their futures with exciting careers, discoveries, and innovations.

Diana is the author of over twenty children’s books, including the bestselling Unicorn Day series and Junior Library Guild Selections City Shapes and Goodnight, Veggies. Her poems have appeared in Highlights, High Five, and Spider.

For more information, visit: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250782755/somedaymaybe


In celebration of Pi Day, we honor the memory of Dr. Thomas ...

03.14.2023In celebration of Pi Day, we honor the memory of Dr. Thomas H. Wolff ’71

In celebration of Pi Day, we honor the memory of alumnus Dr. Thomas H. Wolff ’71 (1954-2000), a leading analyst and professor of mathematics at the California Institute of Technology, who proved several important theorems in the study of mathematical functions. Regarded as a top expert in his field, he made groundbreaking discoveries in harmonic and complex analysis, potential theory, and differential equations. A recipient of the Salem Prize and the Bôcher Memorial Prize, Dr. Wolff received his AB from Harvard College and PhD in mathematics from University of California, Berkeley.

Read more about Dr. Wolff at: https://www.ams.org/notices/200105/fea-wolff.pdf


Teacher of Performing Arts Shannon Caldwell performed at Car...

02.28.2023Teacher of Performing Arts Shannon Caldwell performed at Carnegie Hall

Teacher of Performing Arts Shannon Caldwell performed with Grammy Award-winning vocalist Ledisi in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall on 23 February. Ledisi’s solo show entitled “Ledisi Sings Nina” honors the legendary musician, Nina Simone.


Interim Head of the History Department Marya Schock, PhD is ...

02.17.2023Interim Head of the History Department Marya Schock, PhD is featured in “Gothamist”

Interim Head of the History Department Marya Schock, PhD has been featured in “Gothamist” for her work teaching Inside Criminal Justice, a joint initiative of The Manhattan D.A. Academy, the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the Center for Justice at Columbia University. It is a semester-long seminar comprised of individuals incarcerated at Queensboro Correctional Facility, Edgecombe Correctional Facility, and prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Read the article at: https://gothamist.com/news/a-class-that-brings-manhattan-prosecutors-together-with-incarcerated-men


Trinity’s Green Team harvests lettuce and donations are de...

01.18.2023Trinity’s Green Team harvests lettuce and donations are delivered to the community

This week Trinity's Upper School public service group the Green Team harvested over thirty heads of romaine lettuce from the hydroponic tower gardens on campus. The Middle School Service Council bagged the individual heads of lettuce, General Manager of Flik Dining Services Paul Kulig kindly stored the bags overnight, and Upper School students and parent volunteers delivered the individually bagged lettuce with Trinity's weekly food donations to the DeHostos Community Center. "Fresh produce like this is such a luxury, so we are especially grateful to the Upper School Student Senate and the Office of Operations and Auxiliary Services for making this possible!" said Director of Public Service Kim Vinnakota ’98. The Green Team petitioned the Upper School Student Senate and the Office of Operations and Auxiliary Services to purchase the hydroponic tower gardens during the 2021-2022 academic year and installed them in the alcove off the Long Hall near the Dining Room and Berlind Garden. Since then, the Green Team has been responsible for planting and caring for the tower gardens. There was a setback in the autumn when the students discovered that some grow lights were broken. Fortunately, they figured out how to fix them and resolved the issue. The Green Team is Trinity's largest public service group with four leaders who helm four separate committees. This is their first harvest and the next harvest is expected in three to four weeks.


Exclusive book talk with historian Annette Gordon-Reed (P’...

11.08.2022Exclusive book talk with historian Annette Gordon-Reed (P’08, P’11), co-hosted by Trinity School and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Trinity School and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History will co-host an exclusive book talk with Professor Annette Gordon-Reed (P’08, P’11) on Wednesday, 9 November, at 5:00pm in the Hawley Chapel, as she discusses her book "On Juneteenth." Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Gordon-Reed’s "On Juneteenth" provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships African Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.

Annette Gordon-Reed is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University and a professor of history in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She has published seven books and won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in history, the George Washington Prize, and the National Book Award for nonfiction. Professor Gordon-Reed is a trustee of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.


New book by Nicholas T. “Nick” Bruel ’83 is pu...

11.08.2022New book by Nicholas T. “Nick” Bruel ’83 is published today!

Nicholas T. "Nick" Bruel ’83 publishes Bad Kitty Does Not Like Valentine's Day today. The naughty feline of the Bad Kitty series is back in this holiday adventure about receiving and giving a Valentine.

Nick is the author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Bad Kitty series, including the 2012 and 2013 Children's Book Council (CBC) Children's Book Choice Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President. Nick has also written and illustrated popular picture books, including Who Is Melvin Bubble?, Bob and Otto, and A Wonderful Year.

For more information, visit: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250749956/badkittydoesnotlikevalentinesday


New book by Aleksandra Crapanzano ’88 is published!

11.07.2022New book by Aleksandra Crapanzano ’88 is published!

Aleksandra Crapanzano ’88 has published "Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes," a practical and simple cookbook filled with over 100 rigorously tested recipes and charming illustrations in which she shares the secrets of cakes Parisians bake at home.

Aleksandra is a James Beard-winning writer and dessert columnist for the "Wall Street Journal." She is the author of "The London Cookbook" and "Eat. Cook. LA.," and her work has been widely anthologized, most notably in "Best American Food Writing." She has been a frequent contributor to "Bon Appetit," "Food & Wine," "Food52," "Saveur," "Town & Country," "Elle," "The Daily Beast," "Departures," "Travel + Leisure," and the "New York Times Magazine."

For more information, visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Gateau/Aleksandra-Crapanzano/9781982169732


New book by Emma K. Walton Hamilton ’80 is published!

11.07.2022New book by Emma K. Walton Hamilton ’80 is published!

Emma K. Walton Hamilton ’80 and her mother, Julie Andrews, have published "The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi," a picture book that introduces readers to the remarkable story of Guido d’Arezzo’s development of musical notation.

Emma is a bestselling and award-winning author, editor, stage, television and podcast writer/producer, performer, and arts educator. Together with her mother, Julie Andrews, she has co-authored over thirty books for children and adults, nine of which have been on the "New York Times" bestseller list. She was a two-time Emmy Award nominee for her role as executive producer and writer for "Julie’s Greenroom," a children’s television program about the performing arts created for Netflix, starring Julie Andrews and co-produced by the Jim Henson Company. Currently, she and her mother co-host and co-produce "Julie’s Library," a story-time podcast for family audiences produced by American Public Media. A faculty member of Stony Brook University’s MFA in Creative Writing and Literature, Emma teaches all forms of children’s book writing and serves as director of their Children’s Literature Fellows Program and annual Children’s Literature Conference, as well as executive director of the Young Artists and Writers Project (YAWP), an interdisciplinary writing program for middle and high school students.

For more information about the book, please visit: https://www.lbyr.com/titles/julie-andrews/the-first-notes/9780316265904/


Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has exhibition at the N...

10.28.2022Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has photographs in the exhibition "Kinship" at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian. "Kinship" presents portraits by eight contemporary artists whose work explores the notion of "kinship" and the closeness that bonds us. The exhibition is on view from Friday, 28 October 2022 through Sunday, 7 January 2024.

For more information, visit: https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/portraiture-now-kinship


Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs with the I...

10.25.2022Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs with the Illinois Jacquet Centennial Orchestra at Lincoln Center

Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs with the Illinois Jacquet Centennial Orchestra at its debut at Dizzy's Jazz Club at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, 1 November, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. A giant among Swing era saxophonists, Illinois Jacquet's stunning career began with his memorable solo on Lionel Hampton's hit "Flying Home" in 1942 and extended into the twenty-first century with his own world-renowned big band. This performance at Lincoln Center "Flying Home: Illinois Jacquet at 100 - Featuring the Illinois Jacquet Centennial Orchestra" is one of many performances around the country commemorating his centennial year, and Jay Brandford will be one of many saxophonists joining the fun.

For more information, visit: https://2022.jazz.org/illinois-jacquet


Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton gives an artist talk in...

10.25.2022Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton gives an artist talk in Chinatown

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton presents images from "The Lams of Ludlow Street," his long term photography project which has documented the life of a single Chinese American family living in Manhattan's Chinatown for over twenty years. The artist talk will take place on Tuesday, 1 November, from 6:00-8:00pm, at Yu and Me Books, a bookshop located at 44 Mulberry Street in the heart of Chinatown, focusing on Asian American issues as well as the immigrant story.

For more information, visit: https://www.yuandmebooks.com/events/the-lams-of-ludlow-street


Teacher of Performing Arts Paul Brandenburg performs with th...

11.08.2022Teacher of Performing Arts Paul Brandenburg performs with the Hot Sardines at Birdland Jazz Club

Teacher of Performing Arts Paul Brandenburg performs on trumpet with The Hot Sardines, a Billboard charting jazz group, at Birdland Jazz Club on Tuesday, 15 November through Saturday, 19 November, with two sets each night.

For more information, visit: https://birdlandjazz.com/event/the-hot-sardines/


Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs as a music...

10.24.2022Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs as a musician in “The Music Man” on Broadway

Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford is performing as a reed player in Broadway's current revival of Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man," starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster at the Winter Garden. The final performance is 1 January 2023.

For more information, visit: https://musicmanonbroadway.com/


Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs with the R...

10.21.2022Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs with the Ron Carter Big Band at Birdland Jazz Club

Teacher of Performing Arts Jay Brandford performs with the Ron Carter Big Band at Birdland Jazz Club through Saturday, 22 October. Ron Carter, one of the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz, has a month-long residency at Birdland featuring a different ensemble each week. Jay Brandford plays baritone saxophone with the band.

For more information, visit: https://birdlandjazz.com/event/ron-carter-big-band-10/


Sophie Barbasch ’03 has a solo exhibition of photographs a...

10.14.2022Sophie Barbasch ’03 has a solo exhibition of photographs at the Penumbra Foundation

Sophie Barbasch ’03 has a solo exhibition of photographs titled "Obras" at the Penumbra Foundation. As a Fulbright Scholar, Sophie lived in Fortaleza, Brazil, for one year and photographed the Transnordestina, a railroad under construction in the Northeast that ties the desert to the sea. A publication under the same title, "Obras," is available at the gallery. The Penumbra Foundation is located at 36 East 30th Street, New York, NY. "Obras" is currently on view until Monday, 7 November.

For more information, visit: https://www.penumbrafoundation.org/project-gallery-current


Teacher of Visual Arts Gregg Emery is featured in “Par...

10.07.2022Teacher of Visual Arts Gregg Emery is featured in “Park” magazine

Teacher of Visual Arts Gregg Emery is featured in the article "A Meditative Approach to Painting Amidst the Chaos of the Pandemic" in the fall issue of "Park" magazine.

Read the article at: https://issuu.com/park_magazine/docs/park_digital_fall2022/88


Teacher of Performing Arts Reuben Blundell receives the 2022...

10.02.2022Teacher of Performing Arts Reuben Blundell receives the 2022 American Prize for Orchestral Performance

Teacher of Performing Arts Reuben Blundell received first place in the 2022 American Prize for Orchestral Performance for the album "American Discoveries." The world premiere recording features three works by female twentieth-century American composers and is performed by the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr. Blundell. The album has received positive reviews from "Gramophone" magazine, among others, and is being played on classical radio stations across the country.

The three composers are Patricia Alden Beach (1902-1970) of Massachusetts and New York, Alexandra Pierce (1934-2021) of Washington D.C. and California, and Linda Robbins Coleman of Iowa. Dr. Blundell researched their music at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Erwin Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, and the album was released on New Focus Recordings.

For more information about Dr. Blundell's award, visit: http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2022/09/national-winners-orchestras-2022.html

For more information about the album, visit: https://newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/american-discoveries


Teacher of Visual Arts Gregg Emery has a mid-career retrospe...

09.14.2022Teacher of Visual Arts Gregg Emery has a mid-career retrospective

Teacher of Visual Arts Gregg Emery has an exhibition, "Caldera, A Mid-Career Retrospective," at the D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The opening reception is Thursday, 15 September, from 7:00-9:00pm. The title draws its name from the caldera of Santorini, Greece, a natural landmark and symbol of the circle of life, reflecting the cyclical nature of Emery's work. The show closes on Saturday, 12 November.

Opening reception: Thursday, 15 September, 7:00-9:00pm
Location: D. Colabella Fine Art Gallery, 446 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut
Closes: Saturday, 12 November

For more information, visit: https://www.dcolabellafineart.com/


Former Faculty Member and Administrator Jim Iredell has died

06.22.2022Former Faculty Member and Administrator Jim Iredell has died

Former faculty member and administrator Jim Iredell died on 12 June 2022 from complications of Parkinson's Disease. Mr. Iredell was born in Akron, Ohio and received his BA and MA from Case Western Reserve University.  He began his teaching career at University School in Cleveland and, after moving to New York, taught at Trinity from 1980-1992, serving also as Upper Middle School Principal. In 1996, Iredell joined his wife, Cornelia, who herself taught at Trinity from 1981-1986, as codirector of Independent School Placement, a teacher recruitment firm in New York City. A lover of trains, opera, and organ music, Iredell served on the Vestry at Church of the Holy Trinity and was a member of the Blue Hill Troupe. In addition to Cornelia, he is survived by his brother, Robert Iredell IV; and his stepson, Alexander Bauer, Trinity class of '92, Alex's wife, Colleen McCarthy, and their three sons. A memorial gathering is being  planned for the autumn.


Congratulations to Teacher of Performing Arts and Physical E...

06.09.2022Congratulations to Teacher of Performing Arts and Physical Education and Fitness Thomas Bolster, the 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award Winner!

Teacher of Performing Arts and Physical Education and Fitness Thomas Bolster is the 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award Winner. The award was presented by Trinity School Trustee and Chair of the Nominating Committee Nicole George-Middleton ’93.

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, thirty-five teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. The 2022 award was given to Thomas Bolster.

Mr. Bolster started as a teacher of Physical Education and Fitness in 2006. He joined the Performing Arts Department in 2014 and has served as the Upper School class dean for the classes of 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023. He was the interim assistant Upper School principal in 2016-2017. He has been the head coach for Girls Varsity Soccer, Middle School Boys Basketball, Boys Junior Varsity Lacrosse, and Boys Grade Nine Basketball. Colleagues describe Mr. Bolster as someone who has “so many talents and yet is humble—a wonderful combination for our students to see modeled every day.” He keeps a pace that “would exhaust most people but seems to thrive, even to be vitalized by, the infinite variety of commitments.” Another writes that he is “so beloved by everyone at Trinity and so many students feel the impact he has on their experience at our school.”

Amid the Covid-related disruptions of the past few years, Mr. Bolster has raised his hand and eagerly taken on every role imaginable. We are fortunate to have Thomas Bolster as a member of the Trinity community.


Lower School Learning Specialist Monique Duncan featured on ...

04.23.2022Lower School Learning Specialist Monique Duncan featured on Trinity’s podcast, “podmissum”

This episode of Trinity’s podcast, "podmissum," features Lower School Learning Specialist Monique Duncan who has been at Trinity since 2017. Monique is dedicated to influencing youth positively through education and advocacy. She writes and illustrates multicultural children's stories that inspire, amuse, and foster a love of reading, while reflecting images and experiences with which children of diverse cultures can identify. She aims to help cultivate their understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world around them. Monique is passionate about representation in children’s literature and wants Black children to feel affirmed when reading her stories. Her most recent book is When Mama Braids My Hair, which describes a young girl's experience of having her hair braided and the bond it creates with her mother. In 2019, When Mama Braids My Hair was nominated for an Ezra Jack Keats Award. It was also selected for the Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices 2019 best-of-the-year list, and it was featured on the PBS series, Let's Learn.

Listen on Trinity's Web site: http://podcasts.trinityschoolnyc.org/faculty-author-monique-duncan

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/cy/podcast/faculty-author-monique-duncan/id721830443?i=1000558272294


Brian T. “Kiv” Kivlan, Teacher of Physical Educa...

04.20.2022Brian T. “Kiv” Kivlan, Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness at Trinity School from 1971-2013 has died

Brian T. "Kiv" Kivlan, Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness at Trinity School from 1971-2013, died in Jacksonville, Florida, on 9 April 2022. He was seventy-four years old.

Born in Riverdale in the Bronx, Kivlan graduated from Bishop Dubois High School and earned his BS and MS from Manhattan College. He was the first male in New York state to run a mile in under 4:00 minutes. Nationally ranked in the mile and the 1500, Kivlan was an All-American athlete and a semifinalist in the United States Olympic Trials in 1968.

In addition to being a medaled athlete and extraordinary runner, he was an inspiring, dedicated, and talented teacher and coach during his forty-two years at Trinity.

"Brian Kivlan achieved many milestones in his long tenure at Trinity, one of which was starting the girls' soccer program," Teacher of Performing Arts and Physical Education and Fitness Thomas Bolster writes. "I owe Brian a debt of gratitude for showing me such kindness in my early days at Trinity and for believing in the vast potential of the girls' soccer program."

"When I started at Trinity in 2001, Kiv was my mentor and colleague," Assistant to the Chaplains and Director of Public Service Kara Paske Siegel said. "Kiv did have a tough exterior [...] yet he was kind with a big heart and generous spirit.”

"When I think of Kivlan the first thing that comes to mind was how generous he was with his coaching knowledge. Not only was he generous with us at Trinity but across our league," Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Brian McKee said. "He inspired all of us to be better coaches. Also, Kivlan inspired, motivated, and saw the talent in so many students long before they even knew they had it! He will be greatly missed."

Kivlan is survived by his daughter, Kerri, son-in-law, Patrick, granddaughter, Ava Rose, and brothers, Eugene and Andrew. Gifts in Kivlan’s name may be made to the Coach James McHugh Scholarship Fund at Kivlan’s alma mater, Manhattan College.


New book by Phoebe Zerwick ’78 is published!

04.05.2022New book by Phoebe Zerwick ’78 is published!

Phoebe Zerwick ’78 has published her debut book, Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt, with Atlantic Monthly Press. A deeply reported account of injustice, exoneration, and the lifelong impact of incarceration, Beyond Innocence tells the saga of Hunt's remarkable life that illuminates the realities of the American justice system.

Phoebe is an award-winning investigative journalist, narrative writer, and college professor. Her writing has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, National Geographic, The Nation, the Winston-Salem Journal, and Glamour, among other publications. Her work has been recognized by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, Columbia University, and the North Carolina Press Association and featured in the HBO documentary The Trials of Darryl Hunt. She is the director of the journalism program at Wake Forest University.

For more information, visit: https://groveatlantic.com/book/beyond-innocence/


Former Teacher of Classics Charles Thomas Bundy II has died

05.21.2022Former Teacher of Classics Charles Thomas Bundy II has died

Charles Thomas “Mike” Bundy II, who taught classics at the Trinity School from 1958–1974, died in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on 15 February 2022. He was ninety-two years old.

Born in Eau Claire on 17 July 1929, he was the only child of Egbert Bird Bundy and Ruth Johnson Bundy. He graduated at the head of his class from Shattuck School in Faribault, Minnesota, and earned his BA from Kenyon College. As a Fulbright scholarship recipient, he spent a year in Paris and in Grenoble, France at the Université de Grenoble. After serving in the US Army in Germany for two years, he enrolled at Columbia University, where he received his MA.

During his tenure at Trinity, Mr. Bundy served as Director of Admissions, Teacher of Latin and Greek, and faculty advisor of the Trinity Times. Beloved by Trinity students, Mr. Bundy is remembered as a dynamic teacher, esteemed advisor, and remarkable individual.

"He really did have a significant impact on a lot of us. This is reinforced by the fact that many of us maintained a relationship with him from our time at Trinity up until the time he died," said Jeff Krolik ’74.

"He was a wonderful and giving human being who cared about students and tried to help them develop in any way possible. He shared his love of knowledge and this resonated with everyone," said Edmund Moore ’74.

"He was an enthusiastic teacher of Latin, a natty dresser with a sharp wit. He taught us the lost art of scanning the meter of Latin verse, a skill that only a lover of languages might wish to acquire. Most importantly, the study of Latin [with Mr. Bundy] provided me with a profound understanding of our English language that I still carry with me today," writes Donald K. Riker ’63.

"Latin was never going to be easy, but he surely made it fun, bringing the Aeneid and other texts alive in a wholly original way. His classes were miracles of improvisation and mischief, filled with little strategies to keep us on our toes," writes Andrew C.J. Bergman ’66.

"I remember Mr. Bundy as both an excellent Latin teacher and as an excellent advisor to the Trinity Times, of which I was editor. His lyric poetry class was so good that I went on to do three years of ancient Greek at Princeton so that I could read Catullus' [Latin] translations in the original!" writes William "Bill" H. Janeway ’61.

"Although I had Mr. Bundy as a Latin instructor, my main contact with him was through my participation in the Trinity Times,” writes Steven Fraccaro ’70. “He directed its production with enthusiasm and wit."

Krolik and Fraccaro have vivid and joyous memories of accompanying Mr. Bundy to Cocce Press on Barrow Street in Greenwich Village where they witnessed the printing of the newspaper and "journalism magic." "For all of us at the Trinity Times, he had a profound impact. We spent a lot of hours with him. The Trinity Times was our central extracurricular activity, and he was the central figure. He was very hands on. It was a truly educational experience," Krolik said.

"He was a very genuine individual and very supportive,” Moore said. “He made you feel like you were important. Although he was an authority figure, you didn't think of him as such. He was very down to earth and humorous and serious when needed. He was very giving and caring of everybody's needs.”

Moore recalls Mr. Bundy's open door policy, where students could speak to him individually or congregate as a group in his office: "He was always there for people. He was a unique person in that respect, whether in a classroom, a group setting, or with personal situations. His office was a safe haven for me to talk or to laugh or to joke. I know he did this with scores of students and whatever trials and tribulations they were going through. He was so much more than a teacher.”

"We—the boys who doted on him—knew nothing of his erudition, which he wore as lightly as summer seersucker. It was rather his generosity of spirit and wonderful playfulness that drew us in […] Mr. Bundy was a source of ebullience, approval, and delight. Small wonder so many of us gravitated towards his office as if it were a hearth," Bergman writes.

"Trinity was our family and the central reason was that it had a faculty that was fully committed to us. Faculty members had an outsized influence on the students. Mr. Bundy was not alone in having that influence, but he was at the top of the list," Krolik said.

After Trinity, Mr. Bundy served as head of the Classics Department at The Chapin School for sixteen years. While at Chapin, Mr. Bundy held annual dinners for former Trinity students and faculty at his home on East End Avenue. Moore noted that the “dinners in his apartment were elegant. He was a gourmet cook.”

Mr. Bundy retired from Chapin in 1994 and returned to Eau Claire to live in his family home. After Moore helped him move his belongings from New York and settle in Wisconsin, Mr. Bundy continued to maintain robust relationships with Trinity alumni. Mr. Bundy held birthday celebrations and annual cocktail parties in Eau Claire and Minneapolis attended by Trinity alumni.

The Annual Bundy Luncheon in New York, organized by Moore, lasted nearly twenty years. Moore fondly recalls, “[A]ll of these guys from different classes would come back to be with [Bundy]. Everyone picked up where they left off as if they were in the classroom thirty or forty years ago. And he would create nicknames for everyone at the table. The relationships were really strong."

"New York City was Mr. Bundy's "home away from home." Fraccaro writes, "I ran into Mr. Bundy at the Metropolitan Opera. He came to New York every year for several weeks, usually in February, to attend as much in the way of opera, ballet, and theater as he could fit in, as well as maintain a full schedule of dinners with friends. He was an ardent supporter of both the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Ballet.”

"In later years, the cards and letters would arrive from him in that beautiful handwriting that always gave me such a lift: news from London, the English countryside, or other garden spots he explored in his far flung travels—reports of the concerts, the opera, and the theater he so loved," writes Bergman.

"He made such a difference in our lives at Trinity and beyond. I think it's pretty rare that a teacher has such a profound impact on people in and out of the classroom. He touched a lot of lives," Moore said.

 


Head of Computer Science Justin Gohde featured on Trinity...

02.26.2022Head of Computer Science Justin Gohde featured on Trinity’s podcast, “podmissum”

This episode of Trinity’s podcast, "podmissum," features Head of Computer Science Justin Gohde, who has been teaching math and computer science for more than twenty years. He oversees Trinity’s computer science curriculum and programs, including a design lab makerspace with a wide collection of rapid prototyping tools for supporting computer science, robotics, and other STEAM-focused projects. His book is Programming with OpenSCAD: A Beginner's Guide to Coding 3D-Printable Objects, a learn-to-code book that introduces core computational thinking concepts through the design of 3D-printable objects.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faculty-author-justin-gohde/id721830443?i=1000544352742


Teacher of Visual Arts Myriam Abdelaziz featured on Trinity&...

02.26.2022Teacher of Visual Arts Myriam Abdelaziz featured on Trinity’s podcast, “podmissum”

This episode of Trinity’s podcast, "podmissum," features Teacher of Visual Arts Myriam Abdelaziz. Myriam was born in Egypt, grew up in Switzerland, and has lived in France. A graduate of the International Center of Photography, in 2009 and 2011 she was named by the Magenta Foundation as one of twenty-five emerging photographers in the United States. She is a winner of the Lens Culture Emerging Talent prize, American Photography #24, La Bourse du Talent, and PhotoEspaña and was nominated for the Pictet Prize in 2016 and 2017. Her photographs have been published in American Photography, Fortune Magazine, Newsweek, Time Magazine, Smithsonian, Le Monde, Liberation, Courrier International, Marie-Claire, Eyemazing, and the British Journal of Photography, among others. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, including at the Arab Photography Biennale at the Arab Institute of Paris. It is also included in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Agence Française de Développement, and the Southeast Museum of Photography. Her book is We the People, an interactive conceptual photography project celebrating the diversity of American identity.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/cy/podcast/faculty-author-myriam-abdelaziz/id721830443?i=1000541370609


Alumni profile – Edward M. Cimilluca ’56

02.20.2022Alumni profile – Edward M. Cimilluca ’56

In 1953, Edward M. Cimilluca ’56 received a full scholarship to attend Trinity School's Upper School for three years. Ed says, "If you asked me to point out important parts of my life, going to Trinity School would be one of the most impactful. It was a great education and an all-around wonderful experience."

Ed was born and raised in New York City. He grew up in Inwood and attended public school through the ninth grade. Ed does not recall hearing about Trinity before he applied. His mother learned that two boys who attended their church, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, had recently received scholarships to go to Trinity. Ed's uncle, the headmaster of Brunswick School in Greenwich, also encouraged Ed and his mother to look into Trinity. Shortly afterwards, Ed's mother contacted Headmaster Matthew E. Dann, an interview took place, and they inquired about a scholarship; one was available, so he applied for it. Ed says, "I can't believe how lucky I was. My mother was the real hero."

The transition from public school to Trinity was surprising for Ed. He says, "It was night and day. First off, you had to wear a blazer and a tie. And you had to go to chapel every day." Classes were held on Saturdays, too. However, he immediately appreciated the small class sizes. Ed's class of 1956 included thirty-six students.

Each school day began with chapel, which Ed says eventually, "became second nature." After chapel, students would go to their homeroom. One of his homeroom teachers was Paul Bolduc, who also acted as an advisor. Ed says that similar to many of his teachers, Monsieur Bolduc was approachable, always present, and available, during school and after classes. One of Ed's English teachers was Clarence Bruner-Smith, who Ed refers to as a "legend." And Dudley Maxim ’32, who Ed calls "another legend," was his coach on the basketball team.

During Ed's three years at Trinity, he was active in athletics—baseball, basketball, and, during his last two years, soccer. Playing sports allowed Ed to get to know fellow students Douglas T. Tansill ’56 and William P. Scully ’57, who helped ease his transition to Trinity. The three have remained friends over the years.

In Ed's senior year at Trinity, he applied to Brown University, Middlebury College, and Trinity College, and was accepted into all three. Prior to selecting which he would attend, he visited Trinity College for a tour and Edward Babington ’53 arranged various social activities for Ed. He has vivid memories of Ed’s and the other students' kindness and support which gave him "a good feeling for the school." Ed's Upper School classmates Tansill and Scully also attended Trinity College, and all are currently active with their alma maters, Trinity School and Trinity College. Ed says, "I feel very proud that we all went to the same schools." Ed received his BA in history, with a minor in religion.

In 1960, Ed was accepted into Naval Officer Candidate School. He says, "I really wanted to see the world." Ed was in the US Navy for three years and four months. He experienced first-hand the Cuban Missile Crisis; he was the communications officer on a destroyer in the Caribbean, ensuring the equipment was always working as they tracked missiles leaving Cuba.

Ed had tremendous responsibilities as a twenty-two-year-old. He says, "I had fifty people reporting to me. I was under a lot of pressure." Overall, however, Ed has fond memories of the Navy. He says, "I’m not sure I would have gone to business school had I not gone into the Navy and had time to think about what I wanted to do."

Shortly after leaving the Navy, Ed went to Columbia Business School, where he received his MBA. "I went right through in eighteen months, three semesters in a row, including the summer." Columbia was also where he first remembers seeing a female, for the first time since grade school, as a classmate. He says, "At Trinity School there were no girls; at Trinity College there were no girls; in the US Navy, there were no girls." Ed says, he is now a strong supporter of coed schools. His children and grandchildren all attended coed schools.

Ed's first job was with General Foods in White Plains. He says, "Being a product manager in a marketing company was something a lot of people wanted to do, and I was really fortunate to get one of those jobs." During his six-year tenure at General Foods, Ed married his wife, Carol.

Ed's appreciation of the small communities and classes at Trinity School and Trinity College still resonated with him; he realized he wanted to work for a smaller company, so he moved to the brokerage firm Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette. Ed says, "They essentially invented institutional research, and I became their food and beverage analyst; they thought it would be a good idea to have somebody who had actually been in the industry."

After ten years at Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette, Ed accepted a position at Lehman Brothers, where he became a managing director. His interest and expertise in financial analysis continued and, after fifteen years at Lehman, he moved to J. & W. Seligman & Co., as a director of research for two years and then to ING Furman Selz for fourteen years where he managed investment accounts. During this time, Ed and Carol raised their two children, a son and a daughter, in Summit, New Jersey.

At sixty-seven years old, with almost forty years of experience on and around Wall Street, Ed retired. He and Carol moved to New York City, where they lived on East End Avenue. Ed says, "We got to know New York once again. It's a great place to retire if you can." He had worked in New York for many years, but during retirement is when he and Carol could enjoy the city without job responsibilities. After ten years of living in the city, they now live full-time in Rhode Island, where they have long had a summer home in Matunuck, a small village near Narragansett.

Ed will be eighty-three in March. He reflects on specific points in his life now with immense gratitude and affection, especially his three years in the Upper School at Trinity. Ed says his Trinity experience was "life-changing" and a "seminal event in his life." He cherishes his education and the friendships he made at the school. He also attributes his philanthropic leadership and community service work to his time at Trinity. Ed has served as a trustee on numerous boards, including the South County Hospital Board and the South Kingstown Land Trust in Rhode Island.

More recently, Ed and Carol have established a family scholarship at Trinity. He says, "It’s based on giving someone an opportunity, which I was very lucky to get. I got three free years of a wonderful education. I’d like to give something back. That’s the simplest way for me to explain it."


New book by Thatcher Wine ’90 is published today!

12.07.2021New book by Thatcher Wine ’90 is published today!

Thatcher Wine ’90 publishes his new book, The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better, today. Based on Thatcher's personal experience as a parent, entrepreneur, and cancer survivor and his research in neuroscience, productivity, and mindfulness, the book features practical tips and daily exercises to help everyone strengthen their "monotasking muscles," so they can lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives. "The Twelve Monotasks" is released by Little, Brown Spark. Thatcher is the founder and CEO of Juniper Books.

For more information, visit:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/thatcher-wine/the-twelve-monotasks/9780316705547/


Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Teresa Edwards fea...

10.25.2021Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Teresa Edwards featured on Trinity’s podcast, “podmissum”

This episode of Trinity's podcast, "podmissum," features Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Teresa Edwards. Teresa is a five-time Olympian and a four-time Olympic gold medalist—in 1984 she became the youngest basketball player to win a gold medal and in 2000 the oldest to win gold—a two-time All-American basketball player, and the University of Georgia retired her jersey number; Teresa is one of only three players to receive that honor. She scored 1,982 points playing for the Cairo High School Syrupmakers and in 1982 was named Georgia High School Player of the Year. She is the author of "Black Gold," in which she shares the story of her Olympic successes and challenge and how she helped lead the USA women’s basketball squad to gold at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Profoundly influenced by the many strong women in her family and life, Teresa is a leader, a coach, and an inspiration.

Listen on Trinity’s website: http://podcasts.trinityschoolnyc.org/faculty-author-teresa-edwards

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/faculty-author-teresa-edwards/id721830443?i=1000539102960


History Department Chair Deirdre Williamson cohosted the NYS...

11.05.2021History Department Chair Deirdre Williamson cohosted the NYSAIS community conversation “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America”

On 4 November, History Department Chair Deirdre Williamson cohosted the NYSAIS event "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America," featuring Clint Smith, journalist, poet, and author of the New York Times bestselling book How the Word is Passed.

In the epilogue to How the Word Is Passed, Smith writes, "The history of slavery is the history of the United States. It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it. It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it. This history is in our soil, it is in our policies, and it must, too, be in our memories."

Williamson and cohost Russell Combs, history teacher at Nichols School, engaged in a community conversation with Dr. Smith about the legacies we must share and teach in the classroom in order to provide an inclusive study of our country’s history.


Former Head Soccer Coach Harrison Williams Joins Binghamton,...

09.23.2021Former Head Soccer Coach Harrison Williams Joins Binghamton, N.Y. Soccer Program
Former Head Soccer Coach Harrison Williams (1986-2018) has joined the Binghamton, N.Y. men's soccer program as a coach: https://bubearcats.com/news/2021/9/15/mens-soccer-mens-soccer-adds-harrison-williams-to-coaching-staff.aspx

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has his photography ser...

09.07.2021Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has his photography series, “The Lams of Ludlow Street,” featured in the “Guardian”!

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton's series, "The Lams of Ludlow Street," was featured in the Guardian this summer. Thomas has photographed the Lam family in New York's Chinatown for over eighteen years, and the work has been presented in numerous exhibitions.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/jul/15/five-in-the-bed-chinese-family-new-york-lams-ludlow-street-thomas-holton-in-pictures


Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Teresa Edwards rel...

09.04.2021Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Teresa Edwards releases new audio book, “Black Gold”!

Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Teresa Edwards is the author and narrator of Black Gold, a new audiobook released by Audible. Teresa has won more Olympic medals than any other basketball player in history, and she is the youngest woman as well as oldest woman to win a gold medal in basketball. Black Gold is Teresa's personal story of loss, victory, and leadership.

For more information, visit: https://www.audible.com/pd/Black-Gold-Audiobook/B097C77DS4


Head of Computer Science Justin Gohde publishes “Progr...

09.03.2021Head of Computer Science Justin Gohde publishes “Programming with OpenSCAD: A Beginner’s Guide to Coding 3D-Printable Objects”!

Head of Computer Science Justin Gohde is coauthor of Programming with OpenSCAD: A Beginner's Guide to Coding 3D-Printable Objects with Marius Kintel, the lead author and maintainer of the OpenSCAD programming language. Published by NoStarch Press and distributed by Penguin Random House, the book introduces core computational thinking concepts through the design of 3D-printable objects.

For more information, visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/597925/programming-with-openscad-by-justin-gohde-and-marius-kintel/9781593279547/


Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery will be participating in the...

07.23.2021Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery will be participating in the 10th annual New York Poetry Festival this weekend!

Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery will be working on a collaborative painting, sketching, and giving tours of his artist residency studio at the 10th annual New York Poetry Festival this Saturday, 24 July and Sunday, 25 July, from 11:00am to 6:00pm. The New York Poetry Festival unites the New York poetry community with the public through art and literary events. It is held on festival grounds at Colonels Row on Governors Island.

For more information, visit https://www.newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com/


Former Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Margaret Sc...

07.15.2021Former Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness Margaret Schuette edited a new memoir written by her mother!

New memoir, Journey Between Two Worlds, edited by Margaret Schuette, Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness from 1990 to 2015, and written by her mother, Karola M. Schuette, is released today. Published by Koehler Books, it is an autobiographical account of growing up in Germany during the Great Depression, Adolf Hitler's dictatorship, World War II, and attaining freedom with a new life in the United States.

For more information, visit: https://journeybetweentwoworlds.com/


Congratulations to Learning Specialist Eileen Bosco, the 202...

06.10.2021Congratulations to Learning Specialist Eileen Bosco, the 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award Winner!

Learning Specialist Eileen Bosco is the 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award Winner. The award was presented by President of the Trinity School Alumni and Alumnae Association Janna Levine Raskopf '03.

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, thirty-four teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. The 2021 award was given to Eileen Bosco.

Ms. Bosco started at Trinity as a learning specialist in the Middle School in 1995. She served as a Middle School class dean from 2008-2017. A past recipient of both the Lower School and Middle School Faculty Enrichment Award, Ms. Bosco's colleagues describe her as "THE mainstay of the Middle School’s Learning Service Program. She is a terrific model for greener members of the program. Her presence is a tremendous benefit for students with whom she works, but bears fruit in terms of the example she sets for her colleagues.” "She inspires a great deal of confidence because of her depth of knowledge and her ability to anticipate her students’ needs." "Her positive approach to her students and her quiet and unassuming manner helps students and parents remain confident and optimize their efforts by allowing them to focus on their studies.”


Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has an exhibition of ph...

06.05.2021Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton has an exhibition of photographs, “The Lams of Ludlow Street,” at Home Gallery in Chinatown!

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton had a public exhibition, "The Lams of Ludlow Street," at Home Gallery in New York City's Chinatown from 8 April through 1 June. Thomas's ongoing project, "The Lams of Ludlow Street," chronicles the Lam family's lives in Chinatown over the course of almost twenty years and is an important work about the Chinese American experience. For this exhibition, a single image was on display in the gallery window, changing every two weeks.

https://brooklynrail.org/2021/05/artseen/Thomas-Holton-The-Lams-of-Ludlow-Street

https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/photography/thomas-holton-the-lams-of-ludlow-street


In Memoriam: Robert J. Stewart

05.20.2021In Memoriam: Robert J. Stewart

Robert “Bob” J. Stewart, who taught at Trinity School from 1978 to 2014, died on Sunday, May 9, in Burlington, New Jersey, at the age of 77.

Born in 1944 to parents Jack and Helen, Bob was the eldest of seven children. He began his teaching career at Boston College High School, where he worked for a year before moving to Jamaica to work as a Jesuit missionary. In Jamaica, he taught history at St. George’s College, Campion College, and the University of the West Indies, where he completed his PhD in Caribbean history. In 1978, he returned to the United States to work at Trinity School, where he spent the next thirty-six years teaching English, history, and geography in the Middle and Upper Schools. In 1992, he published Religion and Society in Post-Emancipation Jamaica, a highly regarded monograph discussing the role of religion in the formation of Jamaican society after emancipation. He retired from Trinity in 2014.

A beloved and integral member of the Trinity family, Bob is remembered for both his rigorous scholarly approach and his warm, caring teaching (as well as the cookies he provided every Wednesday for his homeroom). He served as form master (the precursor of Trinity’s class deans), class dean, and elective teacher of debate, mapmaking, and study skills. He was as active outside Trinity as he was within the community: A poet, scholar, traveler, and avid gardener, he loved The Lord of the Rings as much as he loved history and always had jazz or reggae playing in the background. His youngest son, Marcus, describes him as "a human Google before Google existed." He was known for his habit of turning interesting strangers into lifelong friends, his green thumb, and his passion for giving young people the critical tools and knowledge to thrive in a changing world.

Bob is survived by his wife, Jill; his eldest son, Paul; his daughter-in-law, Nadia; his son Marcus and fiancée, Ashley; his grandchildren, Jared, Siree, Sanea, and Caden; and his siblings, Eileen, Mary, Sharon, Margaret, John, and Dennis.


Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery has a painting featured in T...

05.12.2021Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery has a painting featured in Times Square!

Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery had paintings featured in the Cube Art Fair in which the work of forty visual artists was displayed on over one hundred kiosks, newsstands, bus stops, and billboards throughout New York City. The centerpiece of the event was the 12,000 square foot billboard on West 47th Street and Seventh Avenue that had rotating images of artwork, including one of Gregg's paintings. The Cube Art Fair, led by Belgian art dealer Gregoire Vogelsang, who proclaimed it as the "world's largest public art fair," took place Wednesday, 5 May through Sunday, 9 May.


Suellyn Preston Scull has died

04.16.2021Suellyn Preston Scull has died

Suellyn Preston Scull, twenty-eighth head of Trinity School, died on Wednesday, 14 April 2021 at the age of seventy-six after battling cancer for the past five years.

In 1980, John Hanly, then-principal of the Upper School, and Robin Lester, then-headmaster of Trinity, hired an Australian chemistry teacher named Suellyn Preston. Suellyn quickly fell in love with Trinity and it soon became clear that the feeling was mutual. Over the course of her first career at Trinity, Suellyn taught science, was a form master—class dean in our current usage—and assistant principal. In 1986, she became principal of the Upper School, a position she held until 1997. She was known to be firm, fair, and exacting. She was also known to be a truly caring and empathetic presence in school with a great sense of fun. Her students loved her and her colleagues respected and admired her. Many of her former students are now parents at Trinity. While at Trinity in those years, Suellyn met, and married, Ted Scull, himself a former Trinity teacher.

In 2003, head of school Hank Moses invited Suellyn back to Trinity for a year to serve as interim associate head of school. Suellyn fell in love with Trinity all over again and with her new position which gave her the opportunity to see and to serve Trinity in new ways. One year in the job wasn’t enough and she applied for the job on a permanent basis. We will all always be grateful that Hank and the search committee had the good sense to hire Suellyn from among the many candidates they saw in the spring of 2004.

Over the course of five years, Suellyn oversaw curriculum integration across the three divisions, coordinated the curriculum mapping project, led the professional development program, directed our Tiger Kloof project, began work on internal 300th anniversary projects, and provided Hank, the senior staff, trustee committees, and the faculty with clear, direct, and wise counsel.

Suellyn became Trinity’s twenty-eighth—and first woman—head of school in 2007 and ably led the School through a challenging period of transition. At the School’s 300th Anniversary celebration at Carnegie Hall, then-board president Andy Brownstein said of her, “I have watched from the vantage point of the presidency of the board how hard, thoughtfully, and effectively she works. I’ve enjoyed her sharp wit and been, like so many here, the beneficiary of her advice and counsel. With affection, I sometimes refer to Suellyn as “The Boss,” and she deserves that respect. Her wisdom, grace, humor, extraordinary understanding of the school, and her deep love of children and of all things Trinity have characterized her leadership.”  As a tribute to her extraordinary leadership and in honor of the school’s tercentennial, a group of Suellyn’s former students established The Suellyn Preston Scull Endowment for Professional Development, a fund which now totals over $1 million and provides support for ongoing faculty education and development programs.

Suellyn remained at Trinity as special assistant to John Allman during his first year as head of school in 2009-2010.  Since her retirement, she has served on several boards, including the Bronx Charter School for Children and The Allen-Stevenson School, and on the Vestry of Trinity Church Wall Street. She and Ted traveled extensively and Suellyn took up and mastered bridge, her weekly game a sacrosanct event. Her love for and interest in all things Trinity never waned and her relationships with her former students and colleagues remained strong and deep. In 2016, Suellyn received The Lawrence T. Cole Award which is presented from time to time by the Trinity Alumni and Alumnae Association to an individual whose character and achievement reflect the highest traditions of Trinity School—which Suellyn did to her very core.

Suellyn is survived by her husband, Ted Scull, her sister, Bronwyn Barton, her niece, Sophie Klatt, and nephew, Mark Klatt.  At her request, gifts in her memory may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center or to the The Bronx Charter School for Children, 388 Willis Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454.  Due to COVID regulations, the family will hold a private service in the coming days and, as soon as conditions permit, Trinity School will host a memorial event so that Suellyn’s many colleagues, friends, and former students may gather to remember her and to celebrate her life.

Suellyn Preston Scull, interim head of school.


Upper School Orchestra Awarded Gold at Virtual Festival!

03.05.2021Upper School Orchestra Awarded Gold at Virtual Festival!
Upper School Orchestra performances of pieces by Florence Price, Soon Hee Newbold and Gottfried Stölzel were adjudicated in a national performance festival hosted by WorldStrides and the orchestra achieved a gold ranking for its class. Students recorded their performances at home while playing along with a guide track of Dr. Blundell conducting and playing, which he combined into performances. As part of the award the orchestra will work, virtually, with a guest clinician and Boston University professor Dr. Karin Hendricks, in May.

Sonia Antionette Bhoorasingh, Trinity’s Facilities Coo...

01.20.2021Sonia Antionette Bhoorasingh, Trinity’s Facilities Coordinator and Rental Manager, has died

Sonia Antoinette Bhoorasingh (14 August 1965–22 December 2020) passed away peacefully at home in Brooklyn, New York, surrounded by her mother, aunt, and cousin, who provided loving care during Sonia’s cancer treatment over the last year.

Sonia was a beloved member of the Trinity family since 1987. Most recently, she served as Trinity’s facilities coordinator and rentals manager. She also previously worked as a facilities assistant. Sonia will be dearly missed by her colleagues and by the extended Trinity community.

A celebration of her life was held on 7 January 2021 at Evergreen Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.


Mathematics Department Head Chance Nalley will serve as the ...

01.21.2021Mathematics Department Head Chance Nalley will serve as the Alumni Representative of New York for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

Mathematics Department Head Chance Nalley has been asked to serve as the Alumni Representative of New York for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Mr. Nalley received the Presidential Award in 2015 and is the recipient of numerous other awards for leadership and teaching.


09.13.2020

Ramón Javier has been named Trinity’s Director of Equity and Inclusion in the newly titled Office of Equity and Inclusion. This change highlights Trinity’s focus on creating a space where all students can thrive and everyone feels included regardless of any aspect of their identity. The principles of equity and inclusion allow all Trinity students the opportunity to maximize the gift that is a Trinity education. Trinity is grateful to Ramón, Alaina Alvarez, and their wonderful team of coordinators for their support as the Trinity community devotes its full attention to these ideals.

 


Marcus De Costa, Director of Development, has died

08.10.2020Marcus De Costa, Director of Development, has died

Former Teacher of English Jamel Brinkley has a story feature...

07.15.2020Former Teacher of English Jamel Brinkley has a story featured in “Ploughshares” magazine.

Jamel Brinkley, Upper School Teacher of English from 2009-2013, has a story, "Comfort," featured online in the summer 2020 issue of Ploughshares, an award-winning journal of new writing. He is the author of the acclaimed short story collection A Lucky Man, the recipient of numerous honors including the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award in Fiction, and a finalist for the 2019 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction.


Former Teacher of History Meredith Kato runs the Athens Mara...

11.26.2019Former Teacher of History Meredith Kato runs the Athens Marathon

Teacher of Spanish Diana Chery has her play, “Fragment...

05.27.2019Teacher of Spanish Diana Chery has her play, “Fragmentos de luz,” published in an anthology!

Sillas en la frontera: Mujer, teatro y migraciones (Chairs on the Border: Women, Theater and Migrations) is an anthology of twenty women playwrights from around the world. Editor Concha Fernández Toro from the University of Almería, Spain, has compiled a series of plays that deal with issues of immigration, particularly the roles of women in this era of multilayered identities. Teacher of Spanish Diana Chery is part of this anthology with her play, Fragmentos de Luz. This play was written for this collection.

From the editor: "This piece [Fragmentos de luz] wisely condenses a consistent back and forth of the protagonist in a very modern city that represents, in its speed and in its fracture, a narrative space that builds up an epic story, and takes the main character from the urban war-zone to the love for her daughters to a dimension of intimacy and magic..."

https://www.diegomarin.net/ual/es/migracion-inmigracion-y-emigracion/934-sillas-en-la-frontera-9788417261405.html


In Memoriam: Lorraine Rosen Williamson

08.24.2018In Memoriam: Lorraine Rosen Williamson

Lorraine Rosen Williamson, Teacher of Grade Three at Trinity School from 1984 to 1999, passed away on 19 March 2018 in her Manhattan home. She was ninety-one years old.

Lorraine was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1926. The oldest daughter of Benjamin Rosen, of Mogilev, Russia, and Ruth Salpeter, of Chicago, she attended the University of Illinois and completed her bachelor’s degree at Roosevelt University. After earning her master’s degree in education at New York University, she began a lifelong career as an educator. She taught students ranging from first-graders to master’s candidates, was the principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, and taught third grade at Trinity School until her retirement in 1999. She was deeply beloved by her students and their families.

Lorraine continued to volunteer as a reading specialist after retiring, tutoring children of all ages and adults with cognitive impairments; she also volunteered as a docent at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan. She was an avid reader, storyteller, and theater-goer, and was devoted to her students, her daughter, and her grandchildren.

In 1950, she married Melvin R. Williamson, a writer, documentarian, and artist from the South Side of Chicago who was one of the first black students to attend a white high school in 1937 and later became an art director at Viking Press in New York. Although Lorraine’s Ashkenazi Jewish parents opposed the marriage, Lorraine and Melvin spent forty-five happy years together until Melvin passed away in 1995. The Williamsons moved to the Upper West Side in the 1950s—Lorraine had to find and lease the apartment alone, since no landlord would rent to an interracial couple—and spent the rest of their lives in the same apartment. After sixteen years of marriage, they had one daughter, Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, a former professional ballet dancer and clinical social worker who now works as a writer and psychotherapist.

Lorraine is survived by her daughter; her son-in-law, Jonathan Rosenberg; her grandchildren, Zoe Rosenberg and Theo Rosenberg; and her younger sister, Betty Soren.


Christine Nealy, Lower School Teacher of Science, is inducte...

04.07.2019Christine Nealy, Lower School Teacher of Science, is inducted into the Explorers Club!

Lower School Teacher of Science Christine Nealy was accepted as a member with Fellow status in the Explorers Club, the preeminent multidisciplinary society for scientists, researchers, and explorers, founded in 1904 and headquartered in New York City. Fellow status is a particular honor, which the Explorers Club describes as "reserved for those who have distinguished themselves by directly contributing to scientific knowledge in the field of geographical exploration or allied sciences.”

She writes, “As you can imagine, I am deeply honored and humbled to be accepted into this organization. Furthermore, I am deeply grateful for the support provided to me by Trinity’s Science Department and Lower School in order to make this possible.

In addition to the extensive fieldwork that I have performed scuba diving in the Dominican Republic replanting coral reefs, much of my dossier for admission was based on work that I have done through association with Trinity: site coordinating for Cornell University and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the horseshoe crab tagging and releasing initiative; curriculum that I have written and presentations that I have made for the National Parks Service in Jamaica Bay; and four trips, taken both stateside and abroad, to work with scientists in marine mammal and avian conservation—two such trips being funded by Branch Elliman Grants.

Thank you all for the encouragement, the platform, and the support throughout the years.

I am grateful and indebted to Trinity’s culture, which inspires its community to push the limits, both self-imposed and those set by prevailing convention.”


Monique Duncan, Lower School Learning Specialist, publishes ...

08.13.2018Monique Duncan, Lower School Learning Specialist, publishes a new book, “When Mama Braids My Hair”

Monique Duncan, Lower School Learning Specialist, is an author and illustrator and the founder of Sweet Pea Books, Inc., through which she publishes multicultural children’s books. Her newest book, When Mama Braids My Hair, had its official launch on 23 June 2018 at the I, Too Arts Collective at The Langston Hughes House. The Sweet Pea Books Web site describes When Mama Braids My Hair as “[capturing] a young girl’s experience of having her hair braided and the bond it creates with her mother. The tradition of African hair braiding transcends time and location, as it transforms little Nikki into an Egyptian queen, a Nigerian goddess, a Zulu warrior and a Maasai woman. While young girls throughout the African Diaspora can relate to getting their hair braided, they will enjoy going on an adventure with the main character, and learn how this ancient ritual is a large part of their present experience.”

Monique Duncan is the author of eight multicultural children’s books and the recipient of a 2012 Honorable Mention from the New York Book Festival for D is for Dragon Fruit.


Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton will have his photograp...

10.26.2018Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton will have his photography featured in a new exhibition at The Museum of the City of New York!

Teacher of Visual Arts Thomas Holton will have his photography featured in Interior Lives: Contemporary Photographs of Chinese New Yorkers’, an exhibition opening at The Museum of the City of New York on 26 October 2018, and on view through 24 March 2019. The exhibition will feature works from The Lams of Ludlow Street, Holton’s fifteen-year documentary photography project chronicling the lives of the Lams, a family of five living in New York City's Chinatown.

https://www.mcny.org/exhibition/interior-lives


Teacher of Performing Arts and Conductor Reuben Blundell is ...

10.20.2018Teacher of Performing Arts and Conductor Reuben Blundell is the recipient of two nominations for the first round of the 61st GRAMMY Awards!

Howard “Howie” Warren, Teacher of Science in the Lower S...

10.20.2018Howard “Howie” Warren, Teacher of Science in the Lower School from 1989 to 2013, wins the Bronze Medal for softball in the Huntsman World Senior Games!

Teacher of Visual Arts Bruce Edelstein exhibits his work in ...

09.19.2018Teacher of Visual Arts Bruce Edelstein exhibits his work in a solo show, “Oaxaca,” at BigTown Gallery in Rochester, Vermont

In Oaxaca, which opened on 29 August and will be on view through 13 October, Teacher of Visual Arts Bruce Edelstein, exhibits sculptures and watercolors completed during and inspired by his trips to Oaxaca, Mexico between 2005 and 2007. In his artist statement for the show, he writes: “I was moved by the strong integration and vitality between the arts and society and the resilient cultural traditions within a contemporary context. The political atmosphere in Oaxaca through those years was torrid and vital, with teachers occupying the city center - the response to this climate by artists was evocative and bold. I was moved by the art, the passion, and the candid messages incorporated in the iconic images painted on the walls of the city. I felt compelled to quote the fugitive images to create a permanent document which could be shared with people from Oaxaca and the world beyond. I wanted to capture the unique dimension of an historical moment using traditional techniques from the region. For this reason, I chose to use weaving to produce some of the work.

“In Oaxaca, I observed how the ubiquitous use of clay, from simple practical forms to traditional and contemporary artworks, resonates with the memory of its place of origin. My direction however, has been to use ceramics as a material for building open structures, rather than as the traditional vessel. With recent work, I conceive of my sculpture as islands, with articulated spaces enmeshed and folded through the body. This represents the boundaries we engineer for our comfort and survival. As in Oaxaca we are experiencing an assault on our own social values in the US. Perhaps these artworks will help to provide a space to imagine and reaffirm what truly matters.”

https://www.bigtowngallery.com/exhibitions/oaxaca


Teacher of History Ann Johnson interviewed in the “Wes...

08.30.2018Teacher of History Ann Johnson interviewed in the “Westerly Sun”

This summer, Teacher of History Ann Johnson was interviewed in the Westerly Sun, a newspaper based in Westerly, Rhode Island, for its column “In the Easy Chair,” a series of wide-ranging interviews with influential members of their community. Johnson, who is the president of Rhode Island’s Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association, spoke about her work maintaining this historic lighthouse, including overseeing its restoration after superstorm Sandy; and about a myriad of her interests and influences, including the educators who sparked her interest in history.


Teacher of English Saul Isaacson publishes interview with No...

08.21.2018Teacher of English Saul Isaacson publishes interview with Noam Chomsky in “Foreign Policy Journal”

Teacher of English Saul Isaacson has conducted and published several interviews with prominent linguist Noam Chomsky. His most recent interview, which he conducted while visiting Chomsky’s office at the University of Arizona on 7 August 2018, was published in Foreign Policy Journal on 17 August 2018. In the interview, titled "Noam Chomsky: Hopes and Anxieties in the Age of Trump," Isaacson and Chomsky address anti-Semitism and anti-Iranian sentiment in America; corruption in Venezuela and Nicaragua; Daniel Ellsberg’s book The Doomsday Machine; the dangers of our current administration’s pugnaciousness and unpredictability; and other pressing political topics and concerns.


Colson Whitehead ’87 is named New York State Author

08.19.2018Colson Whitehead ’87 is named New York State Author

On 15 August, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that Colson Whitehead ’87 is the 12th New York State Author and will be the recipient of the New York State Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction Writers. His inauguration will take place on Friday, 28 September at 7:30pm, at the University at Albany, and will be free and open to the public.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-new-state-author-and-state-poet-awardees


Jason Golfinos ’13 leads his team to a triumphant win in t...

08.19.2018Jason Golfinos ’13 leads his team to a triumphant win in the British Student Quiz Championships University Challenge

Jason Golfinos ’13, a masters student in Darwin College at Cambridge University, and the captain of Darwin College’s first team to enter the University Challenge, was a shining star when the team competed and won against SOAS, University of London, on 13 August. He set a record by buzzing for thirteen starters and answered every question in the bonus round.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6058579/Fans-wild-University-Challenge-contestant-Jason-Golfinos.html


Teacher of Grade Two Julie Kourkoulis Wins Distinguished Tea...

06.15.2018Teacher of Grade Two Julie Kourkoulis Wins Distinguished Teaching Prize

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, thirty-one teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. The 2018 award was given to Julie Kourkoulis. Julie started at Trinity as an assistant kindergarten teacher in 1992, before becoming a head teacher in 1994. Since then she has taught Kindergarten and Grades Two and Four. During her time at Trinity, Julie has served as Lower School director of multicultural affairs (2001-2002), Lower School multicultural coordinator (2004-2008), and Lower School curriculum coordinator (2012-present). Julie was the first Lower School teacher who utilized Understanding by Design curricular pedagogy and introduced it to the Lower School administration. She is recipient of a 1998 Faculty Summer Development Project Grant, a 2009 Summer Curricular and Pedagogical Fellowship, and a 2015 Lower School-Middle School Faculty Enrichment Award. “A respected colleague who is always ready to lend a helping hand,” “a professional of the highest quality,” and “a great role model for students,” colleagues also describe Julie as someone with “unquestionable integrity” and who “often goes beyond what is expected.” Lower School Principal Rosemary Milliman says: “Julie is a lifelong learner who continues to challenge herself as an educator. There are a few individuals who have been as motivated as Julie has been to challenge herself by teaching new grades. She truly understands the Lower School students that she teaches and the arch of their learning Kindergarten through Grade Four. Parents often comment on her deep understanding of the more nuanced aspects of their children’s personalities and learning profiles.”

President of the Trinity School Alumni Association James S. Panero ’94 said the following, in presenting the award to Julie, “'Voice' has been the theme of Chapel this year. This year’s winner is therefore a special one. Through a remarkable ability to convey the joys of speaking, the joys of writing, and the joys of revision, this lifelong Trinity teacher leads students to recognize that everyone, at every age, has a wondrous story to tell. Even, and especially, our second graders."

Distinguished Teaching Prize Winner Julie Kourkoulis with Trinity School Alumni Association President James S. Panero ’94.


Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery’s paintings exhibited at C...

06.12.2018Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery’s paintings exhibited at CUBE Art Fair!

A selection of Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery’s most recent paintings are included in CUBE Art Fair. CUBE Art Fair, now in its third edition, is presented by the Vogelsang Gallery, owned and curated by Gregoire Vogelsang of Belgium, and exhibits contemporary painting, photography, and sculpture. The exhibition is being held in the gallery on the ground floor of the renowned Zaha Hadid building in Chelsea, the last building designed by celebrated Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, adjacent to the High Line Nine gallery spaces. The exhibition opened on 7 June and will be on display through 30 June.

CUBE Art Fair
Zaha Hadid Building
519 W. 27th Street
New York, NY 10001
7 June-30 June, 2018
Wednesday-Saturday, 12pm-6pm


Former Teacher of Visual Arts Marisol Limon Martinez release...

05.31.2018Former Teacher of Visual Arts Marisol Limon Martinez releases a new album.

Congratulations to Matthew E. Malone ’14, winner of a ...

03.02.2018Congratulations to Matthew E. Malone ’14, winner of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship!

Matthew E. Malone '14, a linguistics and mathematics double major in the class of 2018 at Columbia College, is the recipient of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship established in 2000 by a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Cambridge University to furnish students from outside the United Kingdom with the opportunity to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge. He is one of 36 recipients from the United States. He will pursue an MPhil in theoretical and applied linguistics at Cambridge. He plans to continue the research and work he has been doing for his senior thesis at Columbia on endangered Bantu languages. This past summer, he traveled to Kribi, Cameroon to begin this work by recording the phonology, morphology, and syntax of the highly-endangered language Bapuku by working one-on-one with Bapuku speakers. Ultimately he hopes to pursue a PhD in linguistics and to become a linguistics professor and researcher.


New book by award-winning journalist Catherine Price ’...

01.28.2018New book by award-winning journalist Catherine Price ’97 forthcoming in February!

Catherine Price '97, an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The Best American Science Writing and in The New York Times and numerous other publications, is the author of a new book, How To Break Up With Your Phone. In How To Break Up With Your Phone, Catherine Price investigates and reveals why using smartphones and apps feel addictive; how our phones siphon our time and chip away at our capabilities for attentiveness and focus; and what we can do to take back control. Full of strategies, tips, and actionable changes, How To Break Up With Your Phone is a necessary beacon and an essential guide to mindful and deliberate smartphone use. Ten Speed Press will release How To Break Up With Your Phone on 13 February 2018.


Alexandra “Alex” Fribourg ’00 has first no...

01.28.2018Alexandra “Alex” Fribourg ’00 has first novel published!

Alexandra "Alex" Fribourg '00, writing as A.F. Brady, published her first novel, The Blind, with Park Row Books, an imprint of HarperCollins/Harlequin, on 26 September 2017. The Blind is a psychological suspense novel about an eminent psychologist at a Manhattan psychiatric institution whose troubled new patient makes her become more aware and more afraid of the darkness in her own life and mind. Kirkus calls it “satisfying [and] darkly funny” and BookPage calls it “twisting [and] fast-paced.” The author’s background as a psychotherapist and New York State licensed mental health counselor informs this gripping book.


Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery exhibits paintings at Van De...

01.11.2018Head of Visual Arts Gregg Emery exhibits paintings at Van Der Plas Gallery

Gregg Emery’s recent paintings are part of a new show at Van Der Plas Gallery on the Lower East Side, entitled All Art + A New Beginning. In the press release for the show, gallery founder Adriaan Van Der Plas says of Gregg Emery’s work, “If you went to Governor’s Island last fall, you probably ran into the telegenic Gregg Vance Emery and his giant dragged-paint circles, which he shows elsewhere (all over the world, in fact). These could be instant mandalas, or evocations of the movement of time, and translate readily from canvas to pavement to fabric.” The opening reception for All Art + A New Beginning is on Wednesday, 10 January from 6-8pm. The gallery is located at 156 Orchard Street. The show will be up through 14 January.


Trinity Dining Services is Helping with Reducing Food Waste ...

11.28.2017Trinity Dining Services is Helping with Reducing Food Waste by Partnering with Imperfectly Delicious Produce

One of many positive outgrowths of gratitude is mindfulness about making good use of what we have, and it is in this spirit that Trinity Dining Services is proud to announce its work with Imperfectly Delicious Produce, or IDP. Launched by Compass Group in May of 2014, IDP works with produce growers and distributors to reduce food waste. Many Grade A fruits and vegetables are deemed unfit for retail because they don’t meet strict standards for shape, size, and appearance. They are perfectly usable, edible and tasty, but they are imperfect-looking: they are “imperfectly delicious.” Some of this imperfect produce gets left behind in fields while the prettier produce is harvested; some of it is harvested but then deemed to be cosmetically unacceptable for Grade A produce standards; and some of the bounty that IDP spares from being thrown away or wasted consists of parts of vegetables that are somewhat strange-looking or difficult to determine how to use. IDP works with various food and dining services across sixteen states (with five additional states in the process of beginning to work with them) and now Trinity Dining Services has joined them. Dining Services Director James Cowan says they have been cooking with and serving IDP produce such as “IDP second cut greens, pickled watermelon rinds, IDP tomatoes, and even utilizing the broccoli stems on our salad bar.” A delicious way to make a difference!

https://www.compass-usa.com/imperfectly-delicious-produce-our-chefs-love-it/


The Fall Athletics Season Brought Trinity Much to Celebrate!

11.18.2017The Fall Athletics Season Brought Trinity Much to Celebrate!

In cross-country, the Tigers made Trinity history, sweeping the Ivy Preparatory League meet by winning both the Boys’ and Girls’ Championship Titles for the first time! The Trinity Boys’ Varsity Cross Country team won their second consecutive Ivy Championship, beating Collegiate School 48-71. (Low score wins in Cross Country.) The Trinity Girls’ Varsity Cross Country team won the Ivy Championship with a thrilling finish: one of our runners finished 0.3 seconds ahead of a runner from Poly Prep Country Day School, earning Trinity the win by one point, 49-50. The boys’ and girls’ Junior Varsity teams both won their races, too! This bodes well for the future!

Boys’ Cross Country did Trinity proud at the New York State Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association (NYSAISAA) Championships, too, with their second consecutive win in the New York State Independent School Championship! This first-place finish earned them the opportunity to compete in the New York State Federation Championship meet on Saturday 18 November. The Trinity girls had a proud showing at the NYSAISAA Championship meet, too, finishing third.

The Boys’ Varsity Soccer team also made history this season, winning their first-ever NYSAISAA Championship! They entered the tournament as the #2 seed, started off strong with a 2-0 victory over Poly Prep Country Day School, then faced off against rival The Dalton School in the semifinals and earned a hard-fought 2-1 win. Lastly, they vanquished undefeated Riverdale Country School with a 2-1 win, and the overjoyed fans stormed the rainy field at Manhattanville.

The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team’s season was also filled with excitement. They earned the #6 seed in the NYSAISAA tournament, opened the tournament by beating Dwight School 7-0, then faced off against #3 seed The Packer Collegiate Institute and brought back a 1-0 Golden Goal win in the final overtime period. In the semis, they faced off against #2 seed The Dalton School and fought hard and honorably in a tight game, ultimately losing in overtime.

In Tennis, the Varsity Girls’ Team placed 3rd in the Ivy Preparatory League, and earned a bid in the Mayor’s Cup, in which they vanquished their rival Riverdale Country School, to whom they had previously lost, with a 3-1 victory in the semifinals, which bolstered them to the Mayor’s Cup Championship, where they lost a close match to Beacon High School in the finals.

Four Trinity tennis players earned bids to play in the NYSAISAA Tournament. Trinity’s #1 line Leila Epstein and #2 line Emma Eisenberg entered the championship in the singles’ bracket as the #3 and #7 seeds, and in the doubles bracket, Trinity’s #1 line of Kaya Alagappan and Gina Markov earned the #1 seed and won the NYSAISAA Championship! This qualified them for the New York State Federation Championship, where they lost in the finals but finished as the second best doubles team in New York state.

Varsity Volleyball earned the #6 seed in the NYSAISAA Tournament, where they emerged victorious from their match with Avenues and then lost in the quarterfinals to #3 seed Ethical Culture Fieldston School.

Congratulations to all!


Pat Krieger Inducted into the Rice University Athletic Hall ...

11.02.2017Pat Krieger Inducted into the Rice University Athletic Hall of Fame

Pat Krieger, Trinity’s Athletic Director, was inducted into the Rice University Athletic Hall of Fame last month, an honor that the Trinity Upper School community celebrated with Coach Krieger in Community Time on 17 October. Coach Krieger’s accomplishments as a student-athlete while at Rice University were myriad and continue to define Rice’s women’s basketball program. Coach Krieger was the first-ever recipient of a women’s basketball scholarship at Rice. She is one of the very top scorers in Rice women’s basketball history, ranked second overall with 1,851 points. She was the leader in scoring in 1979-80 and in 1980-81, with 16.8 points per game. She holds Rice’s record for the most field goals made in a single season—231, in 1979-80. She became Rice’s first A.I.W.A. All-American (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) in 1982. She was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (College Sports Information Directors of America) in 1981 and 1982. Her overall points scored during the 1979-80 season—555—ranks second in school history. Her career scoring average of 16.5 points per game ranks third in school history. She is ranked seventh on Rice’s all-time rebounding list, with 740 total boards.


In Memoriam: Frank C. Leana

10.12.2017In Memoriam: Frank C. Leana

Frank C. Leana died on 2 October 2017, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of seventy-three. Frank taught English and served as the Director of College Counseling at Trinity School from 1973-1985. He was a well-known, respected, and admired figure in the landscape of educational counseling, receiving the John Muir Award from the National Association of College Admission Counselors for “a significant contribution in the field of education.” He served as Director of the Manhattan office of Howard Greene & Associates for fifteen years, and in 2000 he opened his own educational counseling practice, where he guided hundreds of students and their families through their decision-making process in boarding schools, colleges and universities, and graduate programs. He authored three books on the topic of educational counseling: Getting Into College, The Best Private High Schools and How to Get In, and Pathfinder An Action Plan: Making the Most of High School. He was a guest on various television talk shows, and New York Magazine named him “one of the city’s prominent college counselors.” Frank graduated from Hamilton College, and received his MA from Indiana University and his PhD in American literature from the University of Rochester. He loved art, music, photography, and beautiful language. When he retired, he relocated to Minnesota to be near his family, and he loved his log home on Deer Lake. He is survived by his wife, Lenesa; his stepson, S. Zachary White; his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth White; and two adored grandchildren, Joseph and Eleanor.


Ann Wright Strohmeier is Awarded a Grant for Her Book

10.11.2017Ann Wright Strohmeier is Awarded a Grant for Her Book

Former Lower School faculty member Ann Wright Strohmeier was awarded a 2017 Work-In-Progress Grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in the category of Chapter Books/Early Fiction for "The Casebook of Marvelous Madison," a collection of the favorite cases of mouse detective Marvy Madison, detailing his encounters investigating rogue nuts, missing eggs, and a farmyard beauty pageant. The Grants give writers who are working on manuscripts and book projects and not currently under contract opportunities to present their work to acquiring editors hand-selected by SCBWI.

https://www.scbwi.org/scbwi-announces-2017-work-in-progress-and-don-freeman-winners/


Ellen O’Malley Wins Distinguished Teaching Prize

06.01.2017Ellen O’Malley Wins Distinguished Teaching Prize

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, thirty teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. The 2017 award was given to Ellen O’Malley. Ellen started at Trinity as a teacher of history in the Middle School in 2003. During her time at the School, she’s served as class dean for Grade Five from 2004 to present, and head coach of Girls Varsity Lacrosse from 2008-2009 and 2010-2014.

“A model teacher,” one who “cares deeply about the needs of others and consistently demonstrates that through her daily interactions,” colleagues also describe Ellen as “a positive and supportive colleague whose patient guidance is a constant.” “Ellen’s command of the subject matter is impressive. She is a precise and accurate historian! Her work with the students, parents, and colleagues as dean is quite wonderful.  She is a positive and supportive colleague.” Ellen is parent to Johnny O’Malley, Trinity class of 2023.

Alumni Association representative Karen Ryan ’86 presents the award to Teacher of History Ellen O'Malley.


Alumni News— Jacob “Jake” Bernstein `87 and Colson Whi...

04.13.2017Alumni News— Jacob “Jake” Bernstein `87 and Colson Whitehead `87 awarded Pulitzer Prizes!

Two members of the class of 1987 have been awarded 2017 Pulitzer Prizes.

Jacob “Jake” Bernstein `87 received the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He is one of a consortium of 300 journalists who worked on the story of the Panama Papers, which the prize citation describes as “[exposing] the hidden infrastructure and global scale of offshore tax havens.” His forthcoming book, Secrecy World, will delve further into this story, as will a documentary film that he is executive producing.

Colson Whitehead `87 received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel, The Underground Railroad, which the prize citation describes as “a smart melding of realism and allegory that combines the violence of slavery and the drama of escape in a myth that speaks to contemporary America.”


Teacher of Science J. Mark Schober Wins 2017 Paul W. Zitzewi...

04.03.2017Teacher of Science J. Mark Schober Wins 2017 Paul W. Zitzewitz Excellence in K-12 Teaching Award.

J. Mark Schober is the winner of the 2017 Paul W. Zitzewitz Excellence in K-12 Teaching Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers. He teaches physics, engineering; and astronomy and advises several student groups.

He is a founding member and past chairman of STEMteachersNYC, a grassroots teachers’ professional development group, a former president of the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) and a former Web master for the St. Louis Area Physics Teachers (SLAPT) and, in his capacity as a leader of this organization, has administered numerous science workshops for teachers all over the country. He has previously been awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (2007) and the Gene Fuchs Award from the St. Louis Area Physics Teachers (2009.) He received his BA from Concordia College in physics, mathematics, and theater arts, and his MAT from Miami University of Ohio.

Schober said, “I am humbled and honored to be recognized by AAPT with the Paul Zitzewitz Award. I am thankful for every interaction with my teachers, colleagues, and students whose patience, insight, hard work, good humor, and willingness to try things has enabled us all to grow, learn, and have fun in the process.”

Click here for more about the award.


Boys Varsity Indoor Track – Ivy Preparatory School Lea...

02.17.2017Boys Varsity Indoor Track – Ivy Preparatory School League Champions!

Congratulations to Boys Varsity Indoor Track for winning the Ivy Preparatory School League Championship for the first time in Trinity's history!

Go Tigers!


Emily Warren Schwartz ’11 Wins Grammy!

02.13.2017Emily Warren Schwartz ’11 Wins Grammy!

On Sunday, 12 February "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers, won the Grammy award for Best Dance Recording. Emily Warren Schwartz ’11, who performs as Emily Warren, is a member of the group and is one of three writers credited for the song. "Don't Let Me Down," was the group's first top five single on US "Billboard" Hot 100, peaking at number three on the chart.On Sunday, 12 February "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers, won the Grammy award for Best Dance Recording. Emily Warren Schwartz ’11, who performs as Emily Warren, is a member of the group and is one of three writers credited for the song. "Don't Let Me Down," was the group's first top five single on US "Billboard" Hot 100, peaking at number three on the chart.


Girls Varsity Swimming Takes Ivy Preparatory School League C...

02.08.2017Girls Varsity Swimming Takes Ivy Preparatory School League Championship!

Congratulations to Girls Varsity Swimming for winning the Ivy Preparatory School League Championship!


Anastasia Tonello was today’s Upper School Community Time ...

02.07.2017Anastasia Tonello was today’s Upper School Community Time speaker

Anastasia Tonello is the managing partner of Laura Devine Attorneys LLC in New York, and a partner of Laura Devine Solicitors in London. The Laura Devine practice focuses on immigration law; Anastasia Tonello is global head of the U.S. immigration team.


Lower School Educational Technology Coordinator Rob Keith le...

02.03.2017Lower School Educational Technology Coordinator Rob Keith leads workshop at EduCon

Lower School Educational Technology Coordinator Rob Keith led a workshop at EduCon 2.9, an academic innovation conference held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 28 January. The workshop, which he co-led with the Associate Academic Dean for Technology and Curriculum at Collegiate School, Melanie Hutchinson, was titled The Edtech Teacher: Ambiguous and Obsolete? The workshop was designed for attendees to reflect upon the role of the educational technologist, discuss how technologists may better support schools and teachers, and speculate where that position may be headed in the future. Rob and Melanie facilitated the conversation by leading sessions in brainstorming, time-lining, and S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, based on research and evidence-based observations.

http://2017.educon.org/conversations?lot=Conversations%3ASession_3

 


Upper School News—Trinity Tibe was today’s Upper School ...

01.30.2017Upper School News—Trinity Tibe was today’s Upper School Community Time speaker.

Trinity Tibe is a poet, artist, and a cofounder of Say Yes Electric Collective, a Brooklyn-based artists’ community that creates space for diverse artists and for artistic collaboration. She received her MFA in poetry from The New School and is the winner of "Crosswinds Poetry Journal’s" 2015 annual contest.

http://trinitytibe.com/

 

 

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Deirdre A. Williamson is History Department Head

04.25.2012Deirdre A. Williamson is History Department Head

Deirdre has agreed to serve as the next head of the history department. From Head of School, John Allman: "As a member of our history department for the past nine years, [Deirdre] has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues with her skilled teaching, her continuing growth as a serious student of history, her wit and intelligence in professional conversation, and her steadfast care for every student and teacher with whom she works. Having served as an exemplary class dean for the past four year, she promises to bring to her new leadership role the same meticulous attention to detail and the same unwavering commitment to student welfare that have characterized her work as class dean. In the search process, all who interviewed her were impressed by her desire to explore ways to introduce significant study of non-Western histories into both required and elective course offerings, her eagerness to rethink the structure and aims of foundational coursework in grades eight and nine, and her commitment to serve as an active participant in sustained curricular and pedagogical conversations from grades four through twelve to ensure appropriate coherence and consistency in all our history classrooms."


Harrison Williams is Set Designer of The Complete Works of W...

03.07.2011Harrison Williams is Set Designer of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged

Harrison Williams is the set designer of a play, an evening of comedy called The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, presented by the Heavenly Rest Players. The performances run Thursday through Saturday 24-26 March and Thursday through Saturday, 31 March and 1-2 of April. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m. at the Church of the Heavenly Rest at 2 East 90th Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.smarttix.com for $20.00. All profits go to the Church outreach programs. No children under the age of twelve, please.
Trinity's Ann Strohmeier and her husband Bill, the producer, are both acting in the play.


Harrison Williams is Set Designer of a Play

03.15.2012Harrison Williams is Set Designer of a Play

Harrison Williams is the set designer of a play, Polish Joke by David Ives, presented by the Heavenly Rest Players. The performances run Thursday through Saturday 22-24 March and Thursday through Saturday, 29-31 March. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m. in Darlington Hall at the Church of the Heavenly Rest at 2 East 90th Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.smarttix.com for $20.00. All profits go to the Church outreach programs. No children, please; adult humor in both language and content.
Trinity's Michael Gilbert and Ann Strohmeier are both acting in the play.


Harrison Williams Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.17.2014Harrison Williams Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Harrison Williams was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Harrison, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Harrison Williams Earns Director of Coaching Diploma

04.29.2015Harrison Williams Earns Director of Coaching Diploma

Over spring break Mr. Williams earned his director of coaching diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). This enables him to run a club soccer program and complements the premiere license diploma that he earned from the NSCAA a few years ago.


Daniel Weller is a New Teacher of Science

09.01.2012Daniel Weller is a New Teacher of Science

Daniel comes to us from across the river where he has been teaching science and health at Montclair Kimberley Academy for the last eight years. He recently completed his MA in Teaching degree at Montclair State University and was inducted into the national academic honorary society, Alpha Epsilon Lambda, for his achievement and leadership. In 2010, Daniel completed a life dream to become an eclipse chaser, as the recipient of a PAMKA Faculty Trust Grant to study total solar eclipses in Tahiti, French Polynesia. In the future, he plans to complete two more dreams by taking a weightless flight and by traveling to the Arctic Circle to see the aurora borealis, or “northern lights.”

Daniel has coached football, wrestling, shot put, javelin, and discus for years, and continues to train in grappling to this day. He is an avid reader in his spare time, especially in the genres of historical fiction and fantasy. His other interests include martial arts, movies, weight lifting, and cooking.


Daniel Weller has a New Baby

06.19.2014Daniel Weller has a New Baby

Daniel and his wife, Marissa, welcomed Luke Richard Weller to the family on 12 June 2014. He weighed seven pounds and fourteen ounces, and measured twenty inches long. Everyone is healthy and doing fine. Congratulations to the family!


Matthew Weisbroat has a Music Performance

01.04.2010Matthew Weisbroat has a Music Performance

Matthew performed at Shrine World Music Venue in New York City on 24 September at an evening of original “Rock ’n Roots” music. The event was a fund-raiser for the public radio program “Initiative Radio with Angela McKenzie”.


Laurie Webber is Chairperson for Greenwich Village Little Le...

04.19.2010Laurie Webber is Chairperson for Greenwich Village Little League Opening Day

Laurie writes, "On 10 April 2010, I was Chairperson for the Greenwich Village Little League Opening Day. This is my third year coordinating the event. My husband George Usher is the President of the G.V.L.L. The article in The Villager refers to me as Laurie Usher-but that's me." Laurie's son, James Usher, is a Trinity 8th grader and plays in the G.V.L.L. Junior Division.

Read the article here:
https://www.thevillager.com/villager_363/guitaristchannels.html


Jessica Wasilewski is a New Upper School Mathematics Teacher

09.09.2013Jessica Wasilewski is a New Upper School Mathematics Teacher

Jessica moved to the New York from Idaho where she worked as the director of residential life at the Community School in Sun Valley. Prior to that, Jessica taught math and economics at independent high schools in Massachusetts and Maine. Jessica coaches women who compete in World Masters Cross-Country Skiing races. She has won several local sprint and international distance triathlons and has completed multiple marathon and half-marathons. She enjoys cooking, traveling, running with her dog, and reading.


Yvonne Wang is a New Assistant Teacher in Kindergarten

08.30.2011Yvonne Wang is a New Assistant Teacher in Kindergarten

Yvonne Wang is joining us from PS 59, Beekman Hill International School, where she worked as a first grade assistant teacher. This summer, Yvonne finished her graduate school program and earned a master’s degree in childhood education from Hunter College. She spent this summer teaching rising fifth graders at the GO Project, an educational program that serves low-income New York City public school children. Yvonne has always had an interest in learning about people: what makes them tick, what drives them, and what they can do. After she was convinced that she would not find a job with her sociology major, Yvonne studied communications and media studies instead. She worked in marketing for a while, fascinated with the power and influence that the media has on society, our self-image, and our psyche (propaganda at its finest and sneakiest?). But this wasn't enough. In the end, what makes Yvonne most happy is working with children. She is still studying people, but now just... little people!


Yvonne Wang is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Yvonne Wang is Leaving Trinity

Yvonne Wang left Trinity at the end of the school year to teach at Brilla College Prep, a new public charter school in the Bronx. We thank her for her service at Trinity and wish her well in her new position.


Yvonne Wang Returns to Trinity

08.29.2014Yvonne Wang Returns to Trinity

After a brief hiatus from Trinity to serve as a founding teacher and curriculum specialist at Brilla College Prep Charter School, Yvonne returns as a head Kindergarten teacher. She also serves as the Kindergarten curriculum coordinator and is a member of Trinity's Kindergarten admissions committee. While at Brilla Yvonne developed the school-wide social studies and science curriculum which aims at challenging students to think critically about the world while embracing it through a multiple lens approach. Yvonne has worked with children her entire life; she is passionate in learning about their cognitive development, and she deeply values being an integral part of their daily learning and growing process.

With an undergraduate degree from New York University in communication and media studies, Yvonne spent some time working in marketing and brand development. Making a quick career shift, Yvonne earned a masters in childhood education from Hunter College while starting her teaching career. Other than being passionate about education, Yvonne also enjoys wandering the city on her bicycle, going rock climbing, watching movies and documentaries, enjoying lazy days, and reading. She is always exploring and seeking new adventures—both at home and abroad.


Sandra Wang is the New Assistant Principal in the Lower Scho...

03.13.2012Sandra Wang is the New Assistant Principal in the Lower School

Sandra Wang has agreed to serve as our next assistant principal in the Lower School starting in September. Sandy comes to Trinity from Trevor Day School where she has served as the lower school assistant principal for the past six years. Her administrative appointment at Trevor grew out of her participation in the Klingenstein Fellow Program at Teachers College, Columbia University where she is currently completing her EdD in educational leadership. Sandy enjoyed six successful years of teaching at Dalton prior to her entry to administration.


Janine T. Voris Cuervo is a new Teacher of Mathematics

09.01.2012Janine T. Voris Cuervo is a new Teacher of Mathematics

Janine joins the Trinity community after teaching sixth grade at Elkton Middle School in Maryland for the past four years. While teaching at Elkton, she created challenging and engaging lessons for her diverse group of students through the incorporation of technology and the collaboration of student ideas.

Janine grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and attended Alexis I. duPont High School. She played the trumpet in the marching band, traveling all over the world, and was also president of the band her senior year. While attending the University of Delaware for her undergraduate degree, Janine majored in elementary education with a concentration in middle school mathematics. She studied abroad in Mérida, Mexico, and also participated on the University of Delaware Club Tennis Team. Janine also completed her Master of Instruction at the University of Delaware. Inspired to teach by her eighth grade social studies teacher, Janine believes that along with academics, teaching is also about healthy encouragement and mentorship. In her free time, Janine enjoys traveling, playing the piano, and playing tennis. She also has a passion for art, music, and nature.


Sara L. Viggiano is a New Learning Specialist in Grades Six ...

08.30.2011Sara L. Viggiano is a New Learning Specialist in Grades Six through Nine

Since 2008, Sara Viggiano has been working at the Winston Preparatory School as a focus teacher, working one-on-one with students diagnosed with a variety of learning disabilities. During the summers of 2009 and 2011, she worked at the Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service as a reading and writing teacher for third through six grades where she was exposed to various remediation techniques. Sara is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the reading specialist program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She expects to graduate in May 2012. In her free time, Sara enjoys reading, exploring New York City, and learning how to play tennis.


Sara L. Viggiano is Married

06.24.2014Sara L. Viggiano is Married

Congratulations to Sara L. Viggiano and her new husband, James Gildea. They were married on Saturday, 21 June 2014. Sara is a learning specialist at Trinity in Grades Six through Nine. James is a practice manager for sports medicine at the Center for Musculoskeletal Care at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. Their wedding was listed in the "Weddings & Celebrations" section of the New York Times in print and at https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/fashion/weddings/sara-viggiano-james-gildea.html.


Marcy Verdi is a New Admissions Interviewer

09.08.2010Marcy Verdi is a New Admissions Interviewer

Marcy is the parent of a Grade Ten student as well as a Trinity alum. She will join the Lower School Admissions Office team as an interviewer during the 2010 admissions season. Ms. Verdi interviews prospective students at Tufts University during their admissions season. In addition, she volunteers on their parents committee that is responsible for annual fund giving.

Marcy loves spending summers in East Hampton with her family playing tennis, walking on the beach, gardening, and preparing the family barbecues. She loves to read and is a member of a book club.


Mala Van Sertima is a New Administrative Assistant in the Bu...

09.07.2010Mala Van Sertima is a New Administrative Assistant in the Business Office

Mala arrived in New York from Guyana in 1989 and began an eleven year career at Columbia University as an administrative assistant to six professors and several research associates at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute. She went on to work at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn where she worked as a business office financial associate.

Mala recently returned from Florida where she worked at Central Florida Preparatory School as an assistant teacher and school secretary. She and her three sons are happy to be back in New York City.


Alana Urda is the New Assistant to After School Director

09.27.2011Alana Urda is the New Assistant to After School Director

Alana teaches dance in Trinity's After School program. She also teaches at Bridge for Dance and is the dance director and choreographer for the West Side Y’s Kids Company. Alana has administrative experience as the artistic director and co-founder of Amalgamate Dance Company. With Amalgamate, she has produced renowned dance events and educational workshops for youth, adults, and seniors in and around New York City. As a professional modern dancer, she has choreographed and performed for a range of established and commissioned Off-Broadway, dance company, and international projects. Alana is happily married to Nicholas Urda and loves to cook! She is thrilled to be joining the staff at Trinity this year.


Elizabeth Twitchell is a New Upper School English Teacher

09.09.2013Elizabeth Twitchell is a New Upper School English Teacher

Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Elizabeth went to boarding school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and then went on to major in English at Stanford University. After a few real-world jobs—one of which involved answering telephones for someone named “Disco”—Liz returned to academia, and received her MA in art history and PhD in English and American literature from Yale University. After holding faculty positions at Bard College, Connecticut College, and New York University, Liz is thrilled to make the move to independent school teaching, and doubly thrilled to make that move at Trinity. Liz lives with her husband, daughter, and dog in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and would like everyone to know that she once rode her bicycle up Mont Ventoux and that it was really hard and that she hopes never to do it again.


Gabrielle Tieng has a New Baby

03.15.2012Gabrielle Tieng has a New Baby

Gabrielle and her husband, Jimmy, are the proud parents of Jonathan Michael Tieng, born Wednesday, 14 March at 6:38 p.m., weighing in at seven pounds one ounce. Mom and baby are exhausted from nearly forty hours of labor, but both are happy and healthy. Congratulations to the family!


John Taylor Performed in Musical Production

02.01.2010John Taylor Performed in Musical Production

John performed in the Blue Hill Troupe’s production of Brigadoon at the Theater at St. Clement’s in November 2009. Trinity faculty member Matthew W. Rupcich was musical director. The profits from this performance are for an after school music/arts program for the Mott Haven Academy, a charter school that is being run by The New York Foundling.


John Taylor is Performing in “Little Shop of Horrors&#...

10.25.2010John Taylor is Performing in “Little Shop of Horrors”

John is performing in Blue Hill Troupe’s production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Theater at St. Clement’s as a puppeteer. The show will run from November 12-20, 2010. The profits from this performance go toward the Carter Burdern Center for the Aging, which, since 1971, has assisted people age sixty and older to remain in their homes living safely and with dignity. Proceeds will support the continuation and expansion of Cultural Connections, a unique program that provides a means for seniors to take part in the cultural life of this city through tickets that are provided at no or reduced cost. Visit www.bht.org for details.


Laurie R. Sweet has a First Grandchild

09.20.2011Laurie R. Sweet has a First Grandchild

Laurie has become a grandmother! Her daughter, Annalee '03, and son-in-law, Bryan Berge, are the proud parents of Nora Beatrice Berge. Nora was born on Friday, 16 September 2011 at 4:13 a.m., weighing eight pounds and four ounces. Congratulations to the family!


Laurie R. Sweet Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Laurie R. Sweet Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Laurie was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Laurie, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Echo Y. Sun is a New Teacher of Mandarin in the Upper School

08.30.2011Echo Y. Sun is a New Teacher of Mandarin in the Upper School

Echo Sun is relocating from Rhode Island, where she has been teaching Mandarin at Barrington High School. She obtained her MA from New York University. She has tutored at New York University and has prepared interpreters at the United Nations for their final examination. She is a warm-hearted and devoted person. When she was in Shanghai, Echo worked as a volunteer at the Shanghai International Film Festival and Shanghai Television Festival, and the Special Olympics World Games as liaison officer for the Slovakian team. She really likes the Chinese language and culture, and she is looking forward to spreading them to more students here.


Kristin Stroupe is a New Teacher of Physical Education and F...

09.01.2012Kristin Stroupe is a New Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness

Kristin comes to us from The School at Columbia University where she was a wellness and physical education teacher and coach. Kristin was the head cross country coach, head track and field coach, and an assistant basketball coach. She earned a BA in elementary education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and a MA in physical education from Teachers College, Columbia University. As an undergraduate, Kristin was a NCAA Division-I scholarship athlete on UNC’s cross country and track teams. Prior to teaching and coaching, she worked several years in corporate wellness in New York City. Kristin continues to enjoy running, spinning, traveling, UNC sports, and plays competitive ultimate frisbee.


Jessica Smagler is a New Middle School Mathematics Teacher

09.09.2013Jessica Smagler is a New Middle School Mathematics Teacher

For the past two years, Jessica has been teaching math at the Hommocks Middle School in Westchester County, New York. Prior to that, she taught for two years in the Great Neck School District at the Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School and at John L. Miller Great Neck North High School. She worked as an intern and teaching assistant for two years at several schools in Pennsylvania while working towards her bachelor’s and master’s at Lehigh University. Jessica can read, write, and speak Spanish. She enjoys singing and dancing and she was married over the summer. She is looking forward to being a part of the Trinity community, and she thanks everyone for such a warm welcome.


Chance Sims is the New Assistant Principal in the Upper Scho...

03.13.2012Chance Sims is the New Assistant Principal in the Upper School

Chance Sims will assume the duties of assistant principal in the Upper School beginning in September. Chance is coming to Trinity from Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., where he currently serves as chair of their history department. Before working at Georgetown Day School, Chance taught at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. Chance holds a BS in sociology from Willamette University, an MA in sociology from DePaul University, and an MA in women’s studies from the University of Washington, where he is presently a doctoral candidate in women’s studies. Over the course of his career, Chance has designed and taught courses in world, European, and US history; modern Africa; urban studies; global studies; gender studies; and equity, justice and race.
We are excited to welcome Chance to Trinity along with his wife, Anne, and their son, Isamu, who will enter Grade Two in our Lower School.


Deana Semenza is a New Teacher of Science in the Middle Scho...

08.30.2011Deana Semenza is a New Teacher of Science in the Middle School

Deana Semenza has worked most recently as a high school science teacher at Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn where she taught living environment and forensics. Deana is a graduate and proud Husky from the University of Connecticut where she received both her undergraduate degree and master’s degree. In 2009, she had an internship in interdisciplinary project-based learning for ninth grade at Windham High School, and had the privilege to work as a student advisor with Dr. Jason Irizarry during his research and writing of his book, The Latinization of U.S. Schools: Successful Teaching and Learning in Shifting Cultural Contexts, which is due to be published October 2011. She has participated in biotechnology research at the University of Connecticut and has won several honors and awards.

Deana loves to travel, most recently across Europe from Spain to Turkey, and in the past has lived and studied in Florence, Italy. In the summer she looks forward to returning to her family home in Saratoga, New York, and visiting the beach in New Jersey. She is a New York Giants fan and enjoys going to games. She spends her free time baking at home, volunteering with New York Cares, running, being outdoors, and reading.


J. Mark Schober is New Head of Science Department in the Upp...

08.30.2011J. Mark Schober is New Head of Science Department in the Upper School

J. Mark Schober has taught physics, astronomy, meteorology, and occasionally chemistry over the past fifteen years. He comes to us from an independent school in St. Louis and, most recently, from Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, & Engineering in Harlem. Since 1998, he has been involved with the Modeling Instruction Program as a workshop leader, curriculum editor, practitioner, and consultant, and now is president of the American Modeling Teacher’s Association. Mark served as webmaster and workshop leader for the St. Louis Area Physics Teachers and has worked with New York teachers to form a similar professional development community, Physics Teachers of NYC. He has sung with a variety of choral, church, and jazz groups, has led student trips to the Grand Canyon, Ozarks, Minnesota, and Everglades, and has successfully used power tools to finish a basement, build furniture, and make lab equipment. Mark and his wife, Smith, live in Manhattan with a dog and two cats, thousands of books, and an extensive collection of model trains.


Ed Schmidt Performs “My Last Play”

11.01.2010Ed Schmidt Performs “My Last Play”

"I would like to invite you to my next (and last) play. It's called My Last Play, and I will perform it in my book-lined Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, apartment for twelve people a night. After thirty-two years of playwriting, at the age of forty-eight, I am walking away from the theater and, in the process, giving away all of my 2000+ theater books. One book at a time. At the end of the evening, each audience member will leave with any book from the shelves. Twelve books each night, until the shelves are empty.

"Performances begin November 11, 2010. Tickets are $20 through December 11, $25 after that. Tickets will go fast. (I know that's what everybody says, but trust me on this one.) To book tickets, or for more information about My Last Play, visit www.mylastplay.net. To read more about my less-than-stellar career, click here."


Ed Schmidt Receives “New York Times” Coverage of...

12.10.2010Ed Schmidt Receives “New York Times” Coverage of “My Last Play”

Congratulations to Ed Schmidt, whose current theatrical production, My Last Play, received coverage on the front page of "The Arts" section of the New York Times on Friday, 10 December 2010. The online edition of the article may be found here: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/theater/10schmidt.html?_r=1&ref=theater


Ed Schmidt Review in the “New Yorker”

03.09.2011Ed Schmidt Review in the “New Yorker”

Ed Schmidt's current theatrical production, My Last Play, was reviewed by Hilton Als of the The New Yorker in the 14 March 2011 issue. The article is in the "Critic's Notebook" section of the magazine, titled "Giving it Away."


Ed Schmidt has Final Performances of “My Last PlayR...

09.26.2011Ed Schmidt has Final Performances of “My Last Play”

There are only five performances left of Ed Schmidt's "My Last Play." Tickets are available from Wednesday, 28 September to 3 October 2011 (no Sunday performance). For tickets and more information, visit http://powerhousearena.com/newsletters/110928/index.html


Ed Schmidt has More Coverage in the “New York Times...

10.11.2011Ed Schmidt has More Coverage in the “New York Times”

The New York Times wrote about "My Last Play" yet again, this time for the ArtsBeat blog. Ed's play wrapped with a final performance on 3 October 2011, and the article recaps the play's run and what plans are next in store for Ed. Read the article at http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/my-last-play-is-one-for-the-books/.


Ed Schmidt has Play at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre

12.14.2011Ed Schmidt has Play at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre

Ed is pleased to announce one of his plays, Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting, is being produced by Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre, which won the 2011 Regional Theater Tony Award. Performances begin 4 January 2012. More information can be found at http://lookingglasstheatre.org/content//box_office/mr_rickey_calls_a_meeting.


Matthew William Rupcich is Musical Director in Production

02.01.2010Matthew William Rupcich is Musical Director in Production

Matthew was musical director in the Blue Hill Troupe’s production of Brigadoon at the Theater at St. Clement’s in November 2009. Trinity faculty member John Taylor performed in the production. The profits from this performance are for an after school music/arts program for the Mott Haven Academy, a charter school that is being run by The New York Foundling.


Matthew William Rupcich has Music News

12.06.2010Matthew William Rupcich has Music News

Matthew Rupcich is keeping busy with many musical activities. He is the music director of the The Christmas Revels: A Celebration of the Winter Solstice (www.nyrevels.org) at El Teatro at El Museo del Barrio from 10-12 December 2010. He is conducting the Hunter College Choir performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest on 10 December 2010 at the Hunter College Assembly Hall – North Building. More information can be found at https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/music/pressroom/events/college-choir. He is also guest conductor of the Messiah Sing Along on 15 December 2010 at Turtle Bay Music School (www.TMBS.org).

Another exciting piece of news: Matt has been selected as the guest conductor for SavoyNet’s production of The Mikado at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England summer 2011.


Cecilia Rudzitis is a Temporary Lower School Math Specialist

04.04.2013Cecilia Rudzitis is a Temporary Lower School Math Specialist

Cecilia Rudzitis is the new temporary Lower School math specialist filling-in for Ana Maria Estela, who is on maternity leave. She will be with us until the end of the academic year. Cecilia graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College with a BA in mathematics and a minor in economics. Previously, she was a kindergarten teacher and Singapore Math lead teacher at the Geneva School of Manhattan. Prior to working in education, she worked in the finance industry as vice-president at the Apogee Finance Group and as assistant vice-president at the Irving Trust Company.


Pierangelo Rossi is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

08.30.2011Pierangelo Rossi is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

Pierangelo Rossi is migrating from Minneapolis, Minnesota where he has been working at Project SUCCESS as a program facilitator, helping middle and high school students make informed decisions about their futures. In addition to classroom facilitation, he was involved in musical productions, college tours, and even led summer canoe adventures in the Minnesotan Boundary Waters. In college, he was involved with the Latino organization, Adelante!, and was the co-founder and editor of Babel, an international affairs-focused magazine created by Macalester College students from around the world. Pierangelo is originally from Peru and has a rich history of working with students inside and outside the classroom. He strongly believes in the power of youth to change the world in positive and inspiring ways. He is fluent in English and Spanish and proficient in French and Portuguese. He is excited to apply his experience working with youth in a more formal environment at Trinity, while enrolling part-time at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development for his MA in elementary education. He loves to watch and play soccer, as well as walk on stilts.


Steven C. Rochen Performs at Third Street Music School Settl...

04.19.2010Steven C. Rochen Performs at Third Street Music School Settlement

Steven performed as a soloist in a concerto for violin and oboe with an orchestra at the Third Street Music School Settlement in the East Village on 18 March 2010. The performance was for their 31st Annual BachFest, a concert celebrating Bach’s birthday.


Steven C. Rochen Attends White House Concert

05.17.2010Steven C. Rochen Attends White House Concert

Steve was invited to attend a reception and concert at the White House last November. The concert, an evening of classical music, was presented in the East Room and included performers Sharon Isbin, Joshua Bell, Alisa Weilerstein, and Awadagin Pratt.


Steven C. Rochen Composes Violin Music for Pi Day

03.15.2011Steven C. Rochen Composes Violin Music for Pi Day

A few years ago, Steven composed "A Piece of Pi" for violin for Trinity's Pi Day celebration to honor the School's math teachers. Since then, he has had requests for the music from all around the world and the YouTube video he posted now has over 20,000 views. Steven writes, "Two weeks ago, I was brought down to Baltimore, Maryland, to appear while a doctoral candidate performed the piece during a recital of contemporary composers. That was a real high point for my composing career, having a piece of music performed at a conservatory and being asked to stand to receive applause at the end of the piece!" To listen to the piece and read more about the project, visit https://www.violinist.com/blog/czechsteve/20113/12149/


Steven C. Rochen has Musical News

01.17.2012Steven C. Rochen has Musical News

Steven writes, "'A Piece of Pi', my composition for solo violin based on the irrational number π (pi) is now being published by Ovation Press. It has been performed in serious recitals, math symposia, and in schools! I was excited last year to be flown down to Baltimore to be present at a concert of music by contemporary composers featured in a recital at Peabody Conservatory and I am happy that people perform the music. "On 2 February, I will be conducting the ISO Carnegie Hill Orchestra during a concert at Carnegie Hall celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the InterSchool Orchestras." (Visit https://www.isorch.org/ for more information.)


Steven C. Rochen Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.17.2014Steven C. Rochen Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Steven C. Rochen was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Steve, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Ileana Rios is a New Teacher of Science in the Upper School

08.30.2011Ileana Rios is a New Teacher of Science in the Upper School

Ileana Rios has joined Trinity to teach biology to our Upper School students. She has a diverse academic background in biology and education, including research that spans the field of diagnostic cytology, cellular senescence, and HIV vaccine development, as well as teaching at the elementary, secondary, and undergraduate levels. Previously, she worked for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as both manager and educator for the Harlem DNA Lab where she taught biotechnology and genetics to over 3,000 New York City high school students.


Matthew Reininger is a New Technology Integrationist in the ...

09.09.2013Matthew Reininger is a New Technology Integrationist in the Upper School

Originally from Miami, Matt comes to New York via Boca Raton, Florida, where he has been teaching and coordinating technology integration at the Pine Crest School. While at Pine Crest, he worked as an educational technologist, digital citizenship classroom teacher, and a percussion and digital music production instructor. While attending graduate school at Teachers College, Columbia University, he worked as an International Baccalaureate (IB) consultant to Brooklyn Prospect Charter School, successfully planning the strategy and primary implementation of their IB Middle Years Program. Prior to that, Matt taught civics, American government, and psychology in the middle and upper schools at the American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida. He was co-founder of the start-up, MiamiMusicGuide.com, and has been a professional musician for over ten years. He is a coffee and tea enthusiast, often refers to the wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes, and enjoys cooking and debating current events with his fiancé, Munira. As a result of his recent move to the North East, Matt is looking forward to taking up hiking.


Sheila Rankowitz is Leaving Trinity

02.22.2010Sheila Rankowitz is Leaving Trinity

Sheila has decided to leave Trinity at the end of the school year in order to pursue other interests.


Sheila Rankowitz is a New Art Teacher in the Middle School

09.18.2013Sheila Rankowitz is a New Art Teacher in the Middle School

Sheila returns to the Middle School faculty in a new capacity this year. Since 2002, she has been a member of the Middle School math team. Even after "retiring" in 2010, she could not stay away and returned twice to do two maternity leaves. During the last three years, while she took a break from being full-time at Trinity, Sheila taught studio art to first through eighth graders at a school in Paterson, New Jersey. An avid lover and creator of art since her childhood, she relishes the opportunity to bring her passion and creative energy to Middle school art classes. She looks forward to getting her hands dirty in the art room and exposing her classes to new artists and artworks. She will also join the Middle School musical team once again to create the costumes for the fourteenth time in her career.


Luis Elias Ruizis a New Teacher of Spanish

09.01.2012Luis Elias Ruizis a New Teacher of Spanish

Luis was born in Spain but his work experience is truly global. He has taught in Wales, France, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines and the United States. He recently worked at Instituto Cervantes in New York and he has been using and researching new technologies in teaching languages. He likes sports, especially running and he is also in a book club once a month. At the moment he is also studying for a certificate in art collecting at New York University.


Li-An Previn has a New Baby

02.22.2010Li-An Previn has a New Baby

Li-An gave birth to Roan Van Caffrey at 2:18 p.m. on 10 February 2010. Roan weighed in at seven pounds and one ounce and was twenty inches long.


Li-An Previn Sends Baby Photos

04.12.2010Li-An Previn Sends Baby Photos

Li-An sent us photos of her son, Roan. “He is now around nine pounds eight ounces and has grown one and a quarter inches. He’s doing well and we all are settling into life together as a family.”


Li-An Previn has Baby Update

08.23.2010Li-An Previn has Baby Update

Roan is now six months old, eighteen pounds and ten ounces, twenty-seven inches long, and is trying to get into absolutely everything!


Anna Pierrehumbert is a New Teacher of Mathematics

09.01.2012Anna Pierrehumbert is a New Teacher of Mathematics

Anna is relocating from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she taught math at the Community Charter School of Cambridge and in the Boston public school system. Prior to becoming a teacher, Anna worked in the academic publishing industry, including in the editorial department at Princeton University Press and as a freelance book translator for the American Mathematical Society. Anna enjoys traveling and has lived in Stockholm, Paris, and Moscow. Outside of the classroom, you might also find her dancing, backpacking, or exploring her new favorite city.


Anna Pierrehumbert has a New Baby

03.03.2014Anna Pierrehumbert has a New Baby

Anna and her husband, Peter, are delighted to welcome their son, David Barber Speh, to the family. He was born at 6:13 p.m. on 20 February 2014, weighing eight pounds, five ounces and measuring twenty-one inches. Anna writes, "We are all doing well and settling in at home." Congratulations to the family!


Joan N. Petrokofsky is a New Admissions Coordinator

11.11.2010Joan N. Petrokofsky is a New Admissions Coordinator

Ms. Joan Petrokofsky has joined the Trinity community as an admissions coordinator, assisting Jan Burton in admissions for Middle and Upper Schools. Joan brings to us extensive professional experience within schools, camps, and other social support programs. If you have the chance, you might ask her about her work as a National Park Ranger.


Jasmine V. Pai is a New Technical Theater Teacher

08.30.2011Jasmine V. Pai is a New Technical Theater Teacher

Jasmine Pai has been working as a freelance designer in the New York Metro area for several years. She has extensive experience in educational institutions, mentoring students on both a high school and collegiate level. She has a great deal of knowledge in technical theater from an educational to professional level. Jasmine has worked primarily as a scenic designer as well as a costume designer. She recently had designs featured in this summer’s Planet Connections Theatre Festivity and the New York International Fringe Festival. She is a resident designer for 4th Wall Theatre and Mile Square Theatre. In her spare time, Jasmine enjoys knitting and skiing and snowboarding in the winter.


Ana Ortigosa is a New Teacher of Spanish in the Upper School

08.30.2011Ana Ortigosa is a New Teacher of Spanish in the Upper School

Ana Ortigosa holds a PhD in linguistics and an MA in teaching Spanish as a second language. Ana has taught at both the high school and college levels in New York and Spain. She has published and presented numerous papers in international journals and at conferences. Ana has participated in several research projects and has been a visiting scholar in the United States, Holland, Australia and Brazil. She is fluent in Spanish and English and can read and write some French. Ana loves traveling around the world, discovering and interacting with new cultures, and in her free time she enjoys dancing to Latin rhythms. Coming from Spain, Ana has a passion for culinary arts and one of her favorite activities is trying out different restaurants in New York City.


Ana Ortigosa has a New Baby Daughter

06.20.2013Ana Ortigosa has a New Baby Daughter

Early Saturday morning, 8 June 2013, modern language teacher Ana Ortigosa gave birth to Sofía Riemann. The proud mom reports, “She was very punctual coming only thirty-seven minutes after her due date on 8 June at 12:37 a.m. (with the new moon!), and she weighed in at eight pounds four ounces. Both my husband and I are really happy and also super exhausted already—welcome to parenthood!”


John O’Neill Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012John O’Neill Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

John was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, John, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Heather Nielsen is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Two

01.07.2013Heather Nielsen is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Two

Heather Nielsen, who came to Trinity in 2011 as an after-school supervisor and puppet teacher, will serve as our new assistant teacher in Grade Two. She is taking the place of Elisa Dragu, who is departing to prepare for the arrival of her baby. Heather has worked as a teaching artist and arts administrator at such places as Urban Stages, the Creative Arts Team Youth Theatre, Project SAFE, Story Pirates, and New Victory Theatre. She also co-created the Newtown Creek Puppet Parade and Pageant in Greenpoint, working with fifty kindergarten through fifth grade youths to explore the creek's pristine past, polluted present, and hoped-for future using puppetry, theatre, and movement. Heather loves the outdoors and and has worked as an environmental educator and conservation crew leader in Minnesota and Vermont. She likes to make things, whether it is food from her community garden, puppets from recyclables, or new mittens from a old sweater! She is delighted that, by the end of the year, she will have defended her thesis and completed her MA in applied theatre at the CUNY School of Professional Studies.


Robert Newton is a New Upper School Mathematics Teacher

09.09.2013Robert Newton is a New Upper School Mathematics Teacher

A native of upstate New York, Robert did his undergraduate work at State University of New York at Potsdam in mathematics and economics before attending the University of Florida where he graduated with his PhD in mathematics in 2013. His mathematical interests fall under algebraic topology, including problems in homotopy theory and persistent homology. His non-mathematical interests include travel, reading, and fishing.


Alexis Mulvihill is a New Teacher of English in the Upper Sc...

08.30.2011Alexis Mulvihill is a New Teacher of English in the Upper School

Alexis Mulvihill grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts in a family filled with teachers; went to boarding school at St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts, where she was deeply influenced by a group of first-class teachers; earned English degrees from The University of Chicago and Stanford University; and then became a teacher herself as soon as humanly possible. She has taught English at the American International School in Mallorca, Spain; North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Illinois; and The College Preparatory School in Oakland, California. Alexis now lives on the Upper West Side with her family, which includes a husband, two sons, a new bunny, and a dog who refuses to believe she’s not human. With her not-so-abundant free time, Alexis plays the piano and also any sport that involves a racquet. She is flat-out delighted to find herself at Trinity.


Alexis Mulvihill is New English Department Head

04.08.2013Alexis Mulvihill is New English Department Head

Alexis Mulvihill has accepted the position of head of the English Department. Head of School John Allman writes, "Two years ago, when Alexis came to Trinity, she brought to us invaluable experience from two very strong independent schools and quickly established herself as an outstanding teacher as well as respected colleague whose sensible, sensitive role in pedagogical and curricular discussions within the department has proven to be especially helpful. Enjoying unequivocal support from her department colleagues as well as from other department heads and administrators, Alexis promises to advance conversations with the department about appropriate diversity in course readings, about enhanced coordination in our teaching of writing."


Daniel Morrison is a New Learning Specialist in the Middle a...

09.09.2013Daniel Morrison is a New Learning Specialist in the Middle and Upper School

After graduating from Colby College in 2003 with a BA in biology, Dan discovered his passion for education while teaching high school biology and chemistry at Landmark School near Boston, Massachusetts. During his four years at Landmark, Dan taught classroom science and one-on-one early literacy tutorials, earned an MS in education from Simmons College, and became licensed as a teacher for students with moderate disabilities. In 2008 Dan moved to The Gateway Schools of New York as their founding middle school science teacher. He worked with a team of teachers to implement the science curriculum he designed for grades five through eight at Gateway. In 2011 he guided the students’ component of a partnership initiative called STEMinds for the Future, which brought New York City middle school students with learning differences together to share their solutions for self-identified, real world problems. Dan’s travels have taken him to Africa, Central and South America, and throughout Europe.


Timothy Morehouse has a New Baby

03.15.2010Timothy Morehouse has a New Baby

Elijah Penn Mansfield Morehouse, son of Timothy Morehouse and his wife Kara, was born on 10 March 2010 at 10:00 p.m. Elijah weighed in at eight pounds three ounces.


Timothy Morehouse has a Baby Update

05.03.2010Timothy Morehouse has a Baby Update

"We are all well," says Tim. "Here’s a pic of Eli trying out his best punch so far, the left cross."


Sharon Mook is a New Assistant Teacher in Kindergarten

09.09.2013Sharon Mook is a New Assistant Teacher in Kindergarten

Sharon is attending Queens College and working towards her master’s in early childhood education. While working towards her master’s degree she has been an assistant teacher in various schools in addition to being a Sunday school teacher at the Trust in God Baptist Church. Outside of teaching, she enjoys seasonal sports including skiing and swimming, trying new restaurants, and traveling as often as possible. Sharon is thrilled to be joining the Trinity faculty this fall.


Lawrence J. Momo is Published in the New York Times

12.18.2012Lawrence J. Momo is Published in the New York Times

Larry's article, "On the Joys of Not Getting What You Want," about dealing with college applications getting rejected, was published in The Choice blog in the "Education" section of the New York Times. Read it at http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/on-the-joys-of-not-getting-what-you-want/.


Rosemary Milliman Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.17.2014Rosemary Milliman Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Rosemary C. Milliman was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Rosemary, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Marilyn Messer is a New Executive Assistant to the Head of S...

09.20.2012Marilyn Messer is a New Executive Assistant to the Head of School

Marilyn has worked in international education for more than three decades including at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and New York University School of Law. She most recently served as the executive assistant to the United Nations’ special adviser on the prevention of genocide. Marilyn is a native New Yorker and enjoys reading, running, and racquetball. She is delighted to join the staff at the Trinity School.


Loretta McNamee has a New Position

06.09.2010Loretta McNamee has a New Position

Loretta has agreed to assume the responsibilities of Director of Human Resources at Trinity School. She will continue her previous duties as Payroll and Benefits Manager, but in addition, will oversee the recruitment and hiring of administrative staff, assist supervisors in the development of job descriptions and the completion of performance evaluations, and consult with administrators and employees to resolve personnel issues.


Loretta McNamee Participates in the 2011 Nautica New York Ci...

06.13.2011Loretta McNamee Participates in the 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon

Loretta, along with Jennifer Levine and Lisa Bianchi, will be swimming, cycling, and running in the 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon on Sunday, 7 August. Be sure to go out and cheer them on!


Andrew McCarron is Awarded a PhD in Psychology

05.03.2010Andrew McCarron is Awarded a PhD in Psychology

After five years, Andrew just finished all he needed to do to be awarded a PhD in psychology from the Graduate Center, City University of New York.


Andrew McCarron has a Book of Poems Published

07.05.2011Andrew McCarron has a Book of Poems Published

Andrew's first collection of poems, Mysterium, was recently published by Edgewise Press. More information can be found at www.edgewisepress.org.


Andrew McCarron is Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Departmen...

04.08.2013Andrew McCarron is Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Department Head

Andrew McCarron has accepted the position of head of the Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Department. Head of School John Allman writes, "During his eleven-year tenure at Trinity, Dr. McCarron has proven to be an extraordinary teacher of English as well as religion, philosophy and ethics and is particularly interested in fostering opportunities for interdisciplinary learning in our curriculum. Having worked alongside Chaplain Tim Morehouse for over a decade, Andrew is also interested in exploring with Tim the ways in which academic coursework in religion, philosophy and ethics might, on occasion, work in concert with our chapel programming."


Mario Maullon is a New Middle and Upper School Mathematics T...

09.09.2013Mario Maullon is a New Middle and Upper School Mathematics Teacher

Mario has always been drawn to numbers, and his love of mathematics led him to a career in the financial services industry. However, his passion for education and his aspiration to positively impact young people was stronger. He left the corporate world and earned a master of arts in teaching with a specialization in secondary mathematics, as well as teaching licenses for New Jersey and New York. After teaching math and computer science for four years at a public school in New Jersey, Mario is thrilled to be joining the Trinity community. In his free time, Mario likes to exercise, play and watch sports, and complete crossword puzzles with his wife, Katie.


Alexandra Martinez has a New Baby

01.04.2010Alexandra Martinez has a New Baby

Alexandra and her husband Gerardo welcomed son Gerard Alexander Martinez on 29 April 2009.


Kathryn Makatche is a New Technology Integrationist in the L...

09.09.2013Kathryn Makatche is a New Technology Integrationist in the Lower School

Katie relocated from Pennsylvania to New York City when she married in 2012. She most recently has been working for Dreyfus, an investment company, as an executive administrative assistant. Previously, she was at Warrior Run Middle School where Katie served as the school librarian, technology integrator, and gifted education teacher. Since 2010, Katie has volunteered at the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association where she served as the chair of the electronic communications committee. Additionally, she has presented various workshops at state conferences and co-authored an article entitled "Building a Culture of Reading" which was published in the December 2011 issue of School Library Monthly.

Katie has recently discovered that she loves to dance. In the past two years she has learned how to dance salsa, bachata, merengue, and rueda de casino. She has also taken lessons in flamenco and contra dancing. Katie loves to cook, and is currently searching for a great recipe for strawberry ice cream.


Patricia Mahony is the New Lower School Librarian

09.09.2013Patricia Mahony is the New Lower School Librarian

Patricia earned her Master of Library and Information Science degree, as a school library media specialist, in 2006. As a graduate student at Rutgers, she was a research assistant for the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL). She has served as a school librarian for over ten years, beginning at All Saints Episcopal Day School in Hoboken, New Jersey, where she was also a language arts teacher. She comes to us from The Child School/Legacy High School in New York City where she established the library, developing a collection and creating services for the school community. She is passionate about literature and information resources for young people and finds great joy in the perspective and humor they bring as they discover the world, make connections, and share ideas and experiences. Patricia has lived on Pacific islands, in Africa, and in Europe. She has traveled to Australia, Asia, and South America, knows Spanish, and speaks French fluently. In addition to being an avid reader, she enjoys photography, museums, planning trips, and spending time with her daughter and son. She is delighted to be joining the Trinity School community.


Alex Macdonald has a New Baby

05.29.2012Alex Macdonald has a New Baby

Congratulations to Alex and his wife, Arana, who gave birth to Owen Macdonald on Friday, 25 May 2012 at 8:01 p.m.


Rebecca Maas is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Four

09.01.2012Rebecca Maas is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Four

Rebecca just recently received her MEd from Hunter College. While attending school she gained experience by assisting and student teaching for the New York City Department of Education, most recently working as an assistant teacher at PS 77 Lower Lab School. She has also taught theatre and music to middle school students at JHS 166 Roberto Clemente School and with the Children’s Aid Society’s Summer Quest program.

Rebecca spends her weekends as the lead singer of an 80’s tribute band, performing in venues throughout Manhattan and along the East Coast. She is passionate about volunteering, having worked with the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Costa Rica, Habitat for Humanity in Kentucky, and Camp Hope, for children grieving the loss of a family member. Also an avid traveler, Rebecca backpacked through Thailand and New Zealand, and spent a year and a half working as a nanny and tutor in Australia. It was the time she spent with children abroad that led her to choose a career in education.


Jennifer Levine Participates in the 2011 Nautica New York Ci...

06.13.2011Jennifer Levine Participates in the 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon

Jennifer, along with Loretta McNamee and Lisa Bianchi, will be swimming, cycling, and running in the 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon on Sunday, 7 August. Be sure to go out and cheer them on!


Kyung-Eun “Caroline” Lee is a New Assistant Teac...

08.30.2011Kyung-Eun “Caroline” Lee is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade One

Kyung-Eun "Caroline" Lee earned her second master’s degree in elementary education from Teachers College this past May. Her most recent teaching experiences consist of student teaching in New York City and working at the Hollingworth Science Camp. Caroline is a native of Korea, and identifies herself as a third culture kid (TCK) because she spent her childhood and adolescence in seven different countries: Indonesia and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago being two of her favorite countries. She moved to New York two years ago and is amazed to find endless things to do. Caroline easily loses track of time when she’s sketching at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, browsing in bookstores, and taking walks, especially at sunset. She also loves to travel and to explore new restaurants and cafes because it’s such a great feeling to be experiencing and discovering new things. Above all, she is thrilled to be a part of the Trinity community, and is looking forward to meeting new teachers and students.


Sarah J. Lazar is the New Website Administrator

01.12.2010Sarah J. Lazar is the New Website Administrator

Sarah is the new Website administrator. Sarah received a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of Maryland and taught history in high school for seven years. Sarah is responsible for the on-going maintenance and redesign of TigerWeb, and for educating parents, teachers, and staff on use of the site.


Sarah J. Lazar is Teaching Classes

08.23.2010Sarah J. Lazar is Teaching Classes

Starting this year, Sarah will be teaching computer to Grades Five and Six.


Marilyn Lawrence is a Temporary Upper School History Teacher

09.09.2013Marilyn Lawrence is a Temporary Upper School History Teacher

Marilyn will join Trinity’s faculty through the end of December as a maternity-leave replacement. She has taught at Barnard College, City University of New York, and New York University, where her awards include the Outstanding Teaching Award and the President’s Service Award. She is the editor of two books of literary historical scholarship, and of a journal issue on teaching the Middle Ages in grades K-12, as well as the author of numerous pedagogical and scholarly journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews. As a freelance arts critic, she has contributed to the Village Voice, Dance Magazine, and other publications, and serves on the advisory council of the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University. At NYU she directs two pedagogical Web sites, funded by outside grants, aimed at using performance in teaching medieval culture to students from middle school through college. She speaks fluent French and German, some Spanish, and reads Latin and Old French.

A strong believer in the power of the arts and humanities to change the lives of children, Marilyn works with youths as a volunteer at the National Dance Institute in Harlem. This summer, on Fire Island, she ran workshops for preteens and teens on physical comedy and on modern dance history. Marilyn is the first female in the history of her Fire Island community to become a chief of the volunteer fire company. As a chief of seventy-four firefighters, Marilyn recruits and trains teens to become firefighters; she was thrilled this summer to have helped twenty-one new recruits graduate from the Suffolk County Fire Academy.


Karen Laufer is a New School Nurse

09.20.2012Karen Laufer is a New School Nurse

Prior to coming to Trinity, Karen spent much of her career at Mount Sinai Hospital in a series of academic and clinical positions in pediatrics. She was involved with the Adolescent Health Center and for many years worked as an education specialist in pediatrics. She won the Departmental Award for Clinical Excellence by the Mount Sinai Hospital Board of Trustees in 2003. Karen loves to travel with a specific interest in gastronomical adventures.


Robert Keith is Taking Songwriting Class with Ray Davies of ...

05.28.2013Robert Keith is Taking Songwriting Class with Ray Davies of The Kinks

Rob Keith, computer specialist in the Lower School, applied for, and was accepted into, a songwriting class with Ray Davies of The Kinks and poet and playwright, Marion Wells, in the United Kingdom at Dartington International Summer School. He is among sixteen students selected to take the class this August. He is also headed to Brazil for a few weeks in June on a separate music related escapade.

Read more about the class with Ray Davies at https://www.m-magazine.co.uk/makeithappen/summer-school-with-ray-davies/.


Robyn Jaffe is the New Health Curriculum Coordinator in the ...

09.09.2013Robyn Jaffe is the New Health Curriculum Coordinator in the Lower and Middle School

Robyn is a passionate and creative health educator and has recently been teaching at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, New York. While there she has attended workshops as a presenter providing innovative teaching strategies for the health classroom. She has taught curriculum development for achieving New York State standards in health education and she recently became a certified health education specialist.

Robyn enjoys running and recently completed her first half marathon. She learned just how difficult the sport of tennis can be while taking lessons throughout the year. She enjoys reading, trying new restaurants (and sushi, which she tasted for the first time at age twenty-six), and appreciates time spent with family and friends. She is looking forward to a new and exciting professional experience at Trinity.


Saul Isaacson Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.17.2014Saul Isaacson Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Saul Isaacson was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Saul, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Saul Isaacson Publishes Interview with Noam Chomsky

10.31.2016Saul Isaacson Publishes Interview with Noam Chomsky

Teacher of English Saul Isaacson has a new installment in his series of interviews with American linguist Noam Chomsky, available here:
https://www.truth-out.org/news/item/38133-noam-chomsky-on-syria-a-grim-set-of-alternatives#14779255844691&action=collapse_widget&id=


Regan Hunte has a New Position

10.24.2011Regan Hunte has a New Position

Regan is now working in the Technology Department as the new help desk technician.


Thomas Holton has a New Baby

02.01.2010Thomas Holton has a New Baby

Thomas became the proud father of Hunter Johnstone Holton on 28 December 2009. Hunter weighed in at eight pounds and five ounces.


Thomas Holton is Selected for Photography Project to be feat...

01.04.2011Thomas Holton is Selected for Photography Project to be featured in Exhibition

Thomas was selected in August 2009 by the Aperture Foundation and the City of New York to document a year in the life of a healthy eating initiative called Green Cart. Green Carts are mobile food carts that offer fresh fruits and vegetables in certain New York City neighborhoods. Their goal is to foster better eating habits and reduce obesity and obesity related diseases. More information can be found at
https://www.aperture.org/greencart
The exhibition will run at the Museum of the City of New York featuring the photographs of Thomas and other artists. Details about the exhibition are forthcoming.


Thomas Holton is in Photography Exhibition at the Museum of ...

02.23.2011Thomas Holton is in Photography Exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York

Thomas was selected in August 2009 by the Aperture Foundation and the City of New York to document a year in the life of a healthy eating initiative called Green Cart. More information about the project can be found at https://www.aperture.org/greencart.

The exhibition, Moveable Feast: Fresh Produce and the NYC Green Cart Program at the Museum of the City of New York, features the photographs of Thomas and other artists. It will run from 22 March to 11 July 2011. For details, visit https://www.mcny.org/exhibitions/future/Moveable-Feast.html.


Thomas Holton Featured in the “New York Times”

02.01.2012Thomas Holton Featured in the “New York Times”

Thomas was featured in an article on the New York Times Lens blog about his current photography project, "The Lams of Ludlow Street: 5 Years Later." From 2002-2005, Thomas extensively photographed a family in Chinatown and started to photograph them again in 2010. Read the article and see photographs at http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/five-years-later-a-new-reality/.


Stanley Hill has a New Baby Daughter

02.08.2010Stanley Hill has a New Baby Daughter

Stanley and his wife, Aja, welcomed their daughter, Qadirah Kashani Muhammad Hill, to the world on 30 October 2009.


Stanley Hill has a New Baby Son

03.18.2013Stanley Hill has a New Baby Son

Stanley and his wife, Aja, are proud to announce that their son, Qwess (Quest) T'aj Khalid Hill, was born on 15 March 2013 at at 5:51 p.m. Congratulations to the family!


Maurice Hicks is a New Assistant Teacher in Lower School Sci...

09.09.2013Maurice Hicks is a New Assistant Teacher in Lower School Science

Maurice has previously worked in real estate and financial services. He spent three years working at Future Stars Summer Camps and he has a keen interest in photography and the arts. As a native New Yorker, he is an enthusiastic member of the Museum of Natural History and as a student at Iona College he played as a guard for the men's basketball team. Maurice has been passionate for many years about working with and training dogs. He is very excited about the year to come and hopes for the best.


Rachel Halper has a New Baby

02.01.2010Rachel Halper has a New Baby

Rachel and her husband Jacob welcomed their son Noah Abraham Halper to the world on 6 October 2009. Noah weighed five pounds and six ounces.


Tamara Gwara is a New Upper School Science Teacher

09.09.2013Tamara Gwara is a New Upper School Science Teacher

Tammy is relocating from Mesa, Arizona, where for seven years she has been teaching chemistry (honors and Advanced Placement) at Desert Ridge High School. Prior to that, she spent five years in Aztec, New Mexico, teaching middle school science. She also has experience as a student council class advisor and basketball coach. Tammy served as an independent consultant in modeling instruction, leading workshops for other chemistry teachers. She is also a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teacher, and has spent time during the last three years working with candidates as they complete their portfolios. Tammy's favorite pastime is singing, and she is very much looking forward to finding a choir to join in New York City. She would also love any suggestions for places where she might be able to watch some of her favorite West Coast sports teams.


Vandana Gupta Returns to Trinity

01.04.2010Vandana Gupta Returns to Trinity

Vandana has returned from her year abroad in France in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program.


Edward Griffin has a New Position

01.04.2010Edward Griffin has a New Position

Edward is the new alumni relations manager. He was previously the director of the After-School program.


Edward Griffin is a Newlywed

02.08.2010Edward Griffin is a Newlywed

Edward married Denise Bruxelles on Saturday, 3 October 2009, at the Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.


Brad Greenman is a New Teacher of Physical Education and Fit...

09.09.2013Brad Greenman is a New Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness

Brad comes to us from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where for the past two years he served as an assistant baseball coach. Prior to coaching at Drew he worked at Gill St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, New Jersey where he was a physical education teacher and the assistant athletic director. During his time at Gill St. Bernard’s School he was named the Star Ledger Somerset County Baseball Coach of the Year and led his team to its first conference championship and a school record for wins. During his playing days he scored over 1,000 points on the basketball court at Drew and was the first player in Newark Academy history with 1,000 points in basketball and 100 hits in baseball for their career. Brad spends his summer on the Jersey Shore where his family has owned a home for fifteen years.


Justin D. Gohde is a New Teacher of Computer Science in the ...

08.30.2011Justin D. Gohde is a New Teacher of Computer Science in the Upper School

Justin Gohde is a dedicated teacher and creative technologist who knew he wanted to be in education since he was just a little boy. He’s comfortable teaching both computer science (C++, HTML, Java, Javascript, Scratch) and mathematics. He’s also well versed in Excel, web design software, and several visual design programs. Justin maintains a strong passion for the arts, having taught classes for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, participated in dozens of group and solo art shows, and completed several albums with his band. He has a profound respect for hidden patterns and enjoys being fluent in several descriptive languages.


Fabienne Gérard has Cycling Accomplishment

06.07.2011Fabienne Gérard has Cycling Accomplishment

Fabienne, a very successful cyclist outside of Trinity, recently placed twenty-eighth in the Liberty Classic, the most prestigious one day race in the United States which took place in Philadelphia on 5 June 2011.


Fabienne Gérard is Interviewed About Racing

12.01.2011Fabienne Gérard is Interviewed About Racing

Fabienne, a 2011 Century Road Club Associaton (CRCA) Women's Champion, was interviewed about how she began bicycle racing, her achievements, and her aspirations. Read the interview at
https://www.crca.net/2011/09/interview-with-fabienne-gerard-of-the-fuoriclassediscover-chiropractic-cat-1-racer-and-2011-crca-womens-champion/.


Fabienne Gérard is New Modern Languages Department Head

04.08.2013Fabienne Gérard is New Modern Languages Department Head

Head of School John Allman writes, "This fall, when our outstanding Modern Languages Department Head Laura Gordon expressed interest in returning to full-time teaching at Trinity in 2013-14, the School initiated an extensive search process. At the culmination of this process, our own beloved class dean and exceptional French teacher Fabienne Gérard emerged at the top candidate to lead our Modern Language Department as it develops transformational language-immersion travel opportunities, creates a language lab to enhance proficiency in oral communication, and determines how to introduce modern language instruction earlier in our Lower School. A media- and tech-savvy global citizen who has lived, studied, and taught successfully in three countries and two continents, Dr. Gerard brings to our leadership position a compelling array of experiences and capabilities as well as an unwavering commitment to educational excellence and student well-being."


Yosefa Forma is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Two

08.30.2011Yosefa Forma is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Two

Yosefa Forma is no stranger to Trinity. She has been a member of the After School program since 2005 and has been the assistant director of the program since 2009. Yosefa taught as a substitute teacher at various public schools. She also worked for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s Education and Community Outreach program where she conducted workshops and residencies focusing on Shakespeare’s major plays and sonnets to students in grades four through twelve. This past summer, Yosefa traveled to Sarajevo where she facilitated educational theater workshops at an international conference entitled “Art, Media and Social Justice,” sponsored by the United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She worked with students and youth groups from around the Balkans on using drama to create dialogue and reconciliation.


Mary Ferrante is a New Upper School Science Teacher

09.09.2013Mary Ferrante is a New Upper School Science Teacher

Since 2002, Mary has been teaching upper school science in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District in Bellmore, New York, with a focus on biology and psychology. During her tenure, she developed a genetics curriculum, and taught anatomy and physiology as well as an introductory course in research. Mary has been teaching Advanced Placement courses for nine years. She has been published in Computers and Composition and The American Journal of Cardiology. She has also played an active role in her school and community as a student government advisor, organizing many school-wide and community events. Mary is a lifelong learner who has continued her education through the completion of two master’s degrees, as well as subsequent course work. Her recent studies have included a class on Google applications, an Advanced Placement biology workshop and a chemistry modeling workshop. She is excited to share her experiences with the students at Trinity School.


Martin “Tim” Ferguson is a New Upper School Musi...

09.09.2013Martin “Tim” Ferguson is a New Upper School Music Teacher

Tim has been a professional jazz bassist, composer, and educator for over thirty-five years. He has performed extensively in the United States and in Europe and has made numerous recordings, both with his own groups and with others. He may be familiar to members of the Trinity community due to his frequent presence in the pit for Trinity musicals and cabarets for many years. He has taught music to a variety of ages and levels at a number of educational institutions and as a private instructor. He is the author of two books on how to play the electric and double bass and has worked as a bow repair technician and on-site luthier at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Tim speaks fluent Italian and his wife, Gloria, is a highly respected translator and interpreter in English and Italian. His step-daughter, Sera, is a theoretical physicist and part of an international physics research team headed by Stephen Hawking. Tim is looking forward to being part of the faculty and working with the students at Trinity.


Caren Fall is Married

01.06.2010Caren Fall is Married

Caren McWatt was married in the spring to Mafatime Fall on 9 April 2009.


Ana Maria Estela is On Maternity Leave

04.04.2013Ana Maria Estela is On Maternity Leave

Ana Maria is on maternity leave for the remainder of the 2012-2013 academic year. Cecilia Rudzitis is the new temporary Lower School math specialist filling-in for her.
Cecilia graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College with a BA in mathematics and a minor in economics. Previously, she was a kindergarten teacher and Singapore Math lead teacher at the Geneva School of Manhattan. Prior to working in education, she worked in the finance industry as vice-president at the Apogee Finance Group and as assistant vice-president at the Irving Trust Company.


Gregg Emery is New Head of the Visual Arts Department

06.03.2014Gregg Emery is New Head of the Visual Arts Department

John Allman has announced the appointment of the new head of the visual arts department, Gregg Emery. As John wrote, "He brings to Trinity all the qualities we seek in a department head: he has served successfully as visual arts department head at a K-12 coeducational independent school, where he has proven to be a skilled leader, effective communicator, and passionate advocate for the visual arts; he is a talented, versatile (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramic, digital photography, and art history) visual arts teacher who has both experience and interest in teaching within multiple divisions; he is a practicing artist who understands the joys, strengths, and challenges of balancing his work as an artist and his work as a teacher; he is a 'consummate school person' active in the life of his school beyond the visual arts studio, as a class dean, as a coach, and as a diversity advocate. "In describing Gregg’s energy, enthusiasm, and sense of purpose, one of Gregg’s references provided the following account of Gregg’s leadership at Dwight-Englewood: 'He begins with a devotion to the whole child and a desire for students to have meaningful experiences in the arts. His classroom is an inspiring and comfortable space where students feel empowered to take risks. His classes combine art education, art appreciation, and art creation, and in the end are often works of art themselves. He also can be found bringing art to other courses, as he collaborates easily and willingly with teachers in other departments. Gregg is always thinking of new ways to bring the arts to students and the school. He has worked with the head of school to bring sculptures to campus; he has organized alumni shows and invited alumni back to work with students; he has grown the visibility of the visual arts and has enhanced the stature of the arts at our school.' "During his day with us, those who met Gregg enjoyed his warmth, his sense of humor, his energy, and his approachability. At the end of his day with us, Gregg reported to me that he thoroughly enjoyed the people he had met here and would be eager to work with the members of the department to support their work, to hear their ideas about how the department can improve, and to advocate passionately and creatively for the essential place of the arts in the life of Trinity School.

"I am profoundly grateful for Harrison Williams’ superb service to the School over the past year as interim department head. He has not felt 'interim' at all; he has led the department with commendable care and skill. Trinity School is wonderfully fortunate to have been able to choose between two such strong educators."


Bruce Edelstein Artwork is Featured in Book

02.16.2011Bruce Edelstein Artwork is Featured in Book

Bruce's artwork is featured in the newly released book L.A. Rising, SoCal Artists Before 1980 by Lyn Kienholz, published by the California/International Arts Foundation.


Bruce Edelstein and Thomas Holton at Hillwood Art Museum

09.08.2011Bruce Edelstein and Thomas Holton at Hillwood Art Museum

Two of Trinity's visual arts teachers, Bruce Edelstein and Thomas Holton, are having their work shown at Hillwood Art Museum at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University in Brookville, New York. Interim Visual Arts Department Head Peter Moriarty has published introductory notes about the work, which will appear with reproductions from the exhibit. The opening reception is Thursday, 15 September 2011 from 5-8 p.m. and the artists will be speaking at the museum on Tuesday, 25 October 2011 at 7 p.m. The museum is located at 720 Northern Blvd. and is open Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. except on Thursdays when it is open until 8 p.m. Saturdays the museum is open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. For additional information visit: www.liu.edu/museum
or call 516.299.4073.


Bruce Edelstein Writes Article in NY Arts Magazine

10.04.2012Bruce Edelstein Writes Article in NY Arts Magazine

Bruce has written an article about his sculpture that is now available on the NY Arts Magazine Web site. The article will also be printed in the winter issue of the magazine. Read it online at https://www.nyartsmagazine.com/global-projects/663-b/8277-bruce-edelstein.html.


Bruce Edelstein Featured in NY Arts Magazine

03.04.2013Bruce Edelstein Featured in NY Arts Magazine

Bruce Edelstein's sculpture work was featured on the NY Arts Magazine Web site with a full article appearing in the spring 2013 print issue of the magazine. Check out https://www.nyartsmagazine.com/b/bruce-edelstein.


Heidi M. Dumas Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Heidi M. Dumas Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Heidi was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Heidi, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Regina M. Dorian Receives Wallach Administrator Travel Grant

05.03.2010Regina M. Dorian Receives Wallach Administrator Travel Grant

Regina has been awarded the Wallach Administrator Travel Grant. With this grant, Regina will embark on a Scandinavian adventure to visit the Arctic and see the top of the world. She plans to enjoy the natural and cultural wonders of the region, and is optimistic that she will be able to see everything since the sun will be up all the time.


Regina M. Dorian is Math Department Head

06.03.2014Regina M. Dorian is Math Department Head

Head of School John Allman has announced the appointment of Regina Dorian as the new math department chair. As he wrote, "I am delighted to report that Regina Dorian has accepted my invitation to serve as permanent math department chair, effective immediately. In her work as interim department chair over two and a half of the last three years, she has worked tirelessly, selflessly, and professionally on behalf of the department. Working closely with the department, she has overseen the hiring of ten of the department’s fourteen members, bringing to Trinity exceptionally strong math teachers who continue to foster the collegiality and collaboration that distinguishes the department. In our Middle School, she has worked with Middle School faculty and Middle School principal Chris Schoberl to guide adjustments that have strengthened our program. And, in our Upper School, she has served as a steadfast advocate for the department and, in recent weeks, has organized impressive work by the department to develop dual curricular paths to serve the varied educational needs of Upper School math students. "Over the course of the spring, as I have learned of the department’s steady progress to develop these dual paths, it became increasingly clear to me that, at this moment in the life of our math department, no department head candidate from beyond Trinity – not even Euclid himself – could serve the department or school better than Regina Dorian. Having taught in both middle and upper divisions at a variety of grade levels during her twenty-nine years within our math department, no one has a broader or deeper understanding of our program or our school, and, as interim, she has demonstrated her interest in being an active presence in math classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade Twelve. The School is extraordinarily fortunate that, at this stage in her career, she is eager to serve as department head and to fill her days with matters mathematical."


Peter L. Donhauser is an Associate Editor of Encyclopedia of...

12.06.2010Peter L. Donhauser is an Associate Editor of Encyclopedia of New York City

Peter is an associate editor and contributor to the new Second Edition of the Encyclopedia of New York City (Kenneth T. Jackson, Editor-in-Chief), published by Yale University Press. Peter also contributed several entries to the First Edition.


Alexis Di Domenico is a New Teacher of Physical Education an...

09.09.2013Alexis Di Domenico is a New Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness

Alexis has spent the last two years coaching lacrosse and field hockey at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. In addition to coaching, she spent the last academic year at home with her newborn daughter while working as an independent fitness and nutrition coach. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years, three of which were spent working for the English Lacrosse Association where she headed up lacrosse programs in schools, as well as promoted the development of lacrosse throughout Scotland. Alexis still plays and coaches lacrosse within the New York City area and lives in Westchester County with her family.


Giuliana M. de Winter Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinit...

06.17.2014Giuliana M. de Winter Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Giuliana M. de Winter was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Giuliana, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Marcus A. De Costa has a New Position

01.04.2010Marcus A. De Costa has a New Position

Marcus is the new director of annual giving. He was previously the alumni relations manager.


Marcus A. De Costa and his Rugby Team Win Tournament

06.28.2010Marcus A. De Costa and his Rugby Team Win Tournament

Marcus's rugby team, the Gotham Knights won the Bingham Cup in June 2010. The Bingham Cup, officially the Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament, is a biannual international, non-professional, gay rugby union tournament first held in 2002. The most recent tournament was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. New York's Gotham Knights beat the two-time defending champion, the Sydney Convicts, 18-15 in the Cup final.


Alison Countermine is a New Lower School Mathematics Special...

08.30.2011Alison Countermine is a New Lower School Mathematics Specialist

Alison Countermine will be joining us from the Lawrence Woodmere Academy where she has been working as a math specialist and teacher for grades one through four on a part-time basis. She also worked as a math teacher at the Far Hills Country Day School for grades two through eight. Prior to entering the field of education, Alison worked for the United States Department of Homeland Security as an intelligence analyst. She is interested in sports and has coached softball, soccer and basketball. Alison also enjoys playing and teaching piano, as well as playing golf.


James Cifelli Receives The Greenberg Family-Alumni Associati...

06.14.2011James Cifelli Receives The Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award 2011

Jim Cifelli has been awarded the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award for 2011. The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim '32 and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award, was increased to $10,000 in 2004. Since its inception, twenty-four teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family – Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. We add a twenty-fifth to that list. With so many deserving teachers at Trinity, it is always a difficult decision for the Alumni Association. This year’s winner has taught at Trinity for fifteen years. A warm, caring teacher who inspires his students to reach new heights in what they can do both individually and as a group. It is truly a great honor to present this award to Jim Cifelli.


James Cifelli is New Director of Performing Arts

03.13.2012James Cifelli is New Director of Performing Arts

Jim Cifelli will lead as Trinity's director of performing arts, effective 1 September 2012. Jim, who has taught at Trinity for over sixteen years, will work with others in the School to imagine ways to integrate the arts even more effectively into our educational program. He is excited by the Strategic Plan’s call to develop partnerships with institutions in the city, and is eager to explore ways in which the School’s arts program can make best use of the extensive arts resources available to us through parents, alumni and others. We look forward to seeing what he can do for performing arts at Trinity.


Haley Channing is the New After-School Director

01.12.2010Haley Channing is the New After-School Director

Haley is the new After-School director. Haley has been teaching in the Trinity’s Kids Club program since 2008 where she organized activities for Lower School and Middle School students. Her personal interests include acting, swing dancing, running, theater, and yoga.


Barbara Carlsen is a New Lower School Music Teacher

09.09.2013Barbara Carlsen is a New Lower School Music Teacher

Barbara has been teaching orchestra and general music since 1983 within the New York City Board of Education, in the Hastings-on-Hudson Union Free School District, and at Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua. In 1979 Barbara began work at the Brooklyn College Conservatory Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts where she founded and directed the Suzuki Violin Program. She has performed with several orchestras in the New York City area. Barbara is currently a violinist in the St. Thomas Orchestra and the Handel Festival Orchestra, and is active as an avid player of chamber music. Barbara loves to go to the theatre and visit museums. Being physically active is a very important part of her life and includes yoga, qigong, dance, and distance walking.


Cynthia Calder is a New Middle School Classics Teacher

09.09.2013Cynthia Calder is a New Middle School Classics Teacher

Cindy comes to us from The Brearley School where she taught Latin to grades seven through nine. Prior to that she worked part-time at Saint Joseph High School in Brooklyn and is now a member of their board of directors. Cindy also founded a Latin and art history program for high school students which she runs in Florence, Italy, in the summer. From 1991 to 2008 Cindy established and operated a translation company specializing in financial, legal, and general documents. She ran in the New York City marathon three times, is a contemporary art enthusiast, lives in Brooklyn, and is the mother of four sons.


John Burns is a New Technology Support Specialist

03.15.2010John Burns is a New Technology Support Specialist

John is the newest addition to the Technology Office filling the position of technology support specialist. John comes to us from an IBM consulting group, where he has worked for several years.


John Burns is Getting Married

07.23.2012John Burns is Getting Married

John and his fiancé, Amanda Bulson, are getting married on Friday, 27 July 2012 at Cortlandt Colonial in Cortlandt Manor, New York. Their honeymoon in Puerto Rico will follow. Congratulations, John!


Jay Brandford is a New Lower School Music Teacher

09.09.2013Jay Brandford is a New Lower School Music Teacher

Jay has taught instrumental lessons and classes in area schools since moving to New York in 1991. He is also a teaching artist in performance ensembles that visit K-12 classrooms throughout the tri-state area. Besides teaching, Jay is a freelance jazz saxophonist who performs around town and around the world with many New York-based jazz bands. Jay and his family live in Westchester.


Paul Brandenburg is a New Lower School Music Teacher

09.09.2013Paul Brandenburg is a New Lower School Music Teacher

Paul was formerly a trumpet instructor for lower school students at the Friends Seminary. His extensive performance experience has led him on tours of the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe. One highlight was last year's Lincoln Center festival, when he performed in Here but I’m Gone: A 70th Birthday Tribute to Curtis Mayfield at Avery Fisher Hall. He has led and organized musical ensembles throughout the New York area in public performances and for private functions. Paul is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has worked on various commercials in background and principal acting roles. In his spare time, Paul enjoys rooting for the New York Mets.


Irene Bosker is a New School Nurse

09.20.2012Irene Bosker is a New School Nurse

Irena earned her nursing degree in the Netherlands, her country of origin. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University where she earned a MPH (Master in Public Health degree). Her public health and nursing work has brought her to Russia, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. She and her partner have twin boys who are six years old. They live in Brooklyn, but Irena doesn't mind the commute to Trinity as it gives her time to read.


Sarah Bonsignore is on Maternity Leave

11.10.2011Sarah Bonsignore is on Maternity Leave

Sarah will be on maternity leave from 28 November 2011 to 28 February 2012. Robert Wendt has been hired to substitute for her during this time. Robert received his BA from Columbia University in English and comparitive literature. He received his MA in music education from Hunter College. He currently works at Calhoun School accompanying the middle school chorus, leading warm-ups and sectionals, and integrates music theory, history, and vocal technique into choral rehearsals as needed, with a special focus on changing male voices. He is a lifelong piano student and enjoys traveling.


Sarah Bonsignore has a New Baby Boy

01.03.2012Sarah Bonsignore has a New Baby Boy

Sarah and her husband, Steven, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Aidan Keith Hemstalk, on 11 December 2011 at 4:13 p.m. He weighed in at six pounds and thirteen ounces. The family is doing well.


Sonia Bhoorasingh Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Sonia Bhoorasingh Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Sonia was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Sonia, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Dion Best is a New Aquatics Coordinator

01.12.2010Dion Best is a New Aquatics Coordinator

Dion is the new aquatics coordinator. He comes with over fifteen years of aquatics and management experience. He has coached various sports, such as football, softball, swimming, track and field, and triathlon. In his spare time, he played football with the Rockland County Bruins.


Teacher of History Michael Berkowitz is Featured on Marketpl...

07.25.2016Teacher of History Michael Berkowitz is Featured on Marketplace

Teacher of History Michael Berkowitz is quoted in a story by senior reporter Mitchell Hartman that takes a look at the history of middle-class American vacations: https://www.marketplace.org/2016/07/22/world/middle-class-american-vacation-history


Jodi H. Barnes is a New Lower School Administrative Secretar...

09.20.2012Jodi H. Barnes is a New Lower School Administrative Secretary

Jodi arrived in New York from Louisville, Kentucky where she worked at the Learning House as a course designer for college-level online education. She has developed curriculum and taught multi-level English classes in Southeast Asia. Jodi also taught Bible and church history courses at Anderson University in South Carolina. In her spare time she has worked as a volunteer Sunday school teacher, ladies’ Bible study leader, autism and special needs care assistant and media and technology team member. In her spare time, she loves to explore the city, jog, bake, read and volunteer at her church.


Uma Jagtiani Aviles is a New Technology Integrationist in th...

08.30.2011Uma Jagtiani Aviles is a New Technology Integrationist in the Upper School

Uma Jagtiani comes to us from Teach for America (TFA) where she has been working in the Office of Alumni Affairs as the director of TFANet, an internal site with classroom, career development, and networking resources. Prior to TFA, Uma worked at eChalk where she helped design and implement software for kindergarten through grade twelve schools to enhance the home-school connection. Uma obtained her MEd from Harvard Graduate School of Education in technology, innovation, and education. During her graduate studies, she researched the advantages of online social bookmarking for learning communities and implementation models for augmented reality games in middle school classrooms. Uma lives downtown and has been in Manhattan for almost ten years. She loves that the city always has new food and places to explore.


Uma Jagtiani Aviles is Getting Married

07.23.2012Uma Jagtiani Aviles is Getting Married

Uma and her fiancé, Roland Aviles, are getting married on Saturday, 11 August 2012 at the Chart House in Weehawken, New Jersey, overlooking New York City. After the wedding, they will be heading to France for their honeymoon. They will spend a few days in Paris and then have five nights in Southern France along the coast. Congratulations, Uma!


Uma Jagtiani Aviles has a New Baby

07.08.2013Uma Jagtiani Aviles has a New Baby

On Tuesday, 2 July 2013, Uma gave birth to a daughter, Leela Rose, weighing six pounds and nine ounces. Congratulations to the family!


Rachell Arteaga is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

09.09.2013Rachell Arteaga is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

Rachell recently worked as an associate teacher at the Chapin School and has been busy attending professional development conferences, which will help expand her work in the classroom. Her additional experiences as an educator include collaborating with teen girls for change in the media through advocacy, leading English language workshops for elementary school children in Colombia with the YMCA, and working with summer camps in the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Rachell is a native New Yorker who is fluent in Spanish. During her free time she enjoys traveling, roller coasters, and sampling crazy culinary concoctions.


Peter Aronoff is a New Teacher of Classics

09.01.2012Peter Aronoff is a New Teacher of Classics

Peter comes to us from the Marymount School of New York where he taught Latin, Greek and computer science for over twelve years. During his tenure he also served as a class advisor, Philosophy Club moderator and Amnesty International moderator. He was the student body committee chair of the NYSAIS self-evaluation. Peter was a member of the technology committee and he administered two of the school’s servers. He also developed a custom web application that students used to maintain online resumes. Peter is an avid Yankee fan and a cynical (though not ironic) Knicks fan. He enjoys reading, believes that all Westerns are good Westerns, hunts down spicy Chinese food on the weekends, and contributes to open-source software when he can.


J. Bradford Anderson Translates and Edits “Disenchante...

10.02.2015J. Bradford Anderson Translates and Edits “Disenchanted City”

J. Bradford Anderson invites us to explore Paris through his English translation of Disenchanted City, a collection of poems by contemporary French poet Chantal Bizzini. Anderson edited the volume with Marilyn Kallet, and translated the poems in collaboration with Kallet and Darren Jackson. Bizzini has a penchant for describing the multifaceted nature of the City of Lights, and through her poetry we learn about the many secrets of modern Paris...its beauty and its darkness.

To hear Disenchanted City come alive in English, join Anderson and Kallet for a reading at St. Mark’s Bookshop, 136 East 3d Street., at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 1 December.

For more information about the the book: https://www.blackwidowpress.com/


Myles B. Amend has been Elected as President

02.01.2010Myles B. Amend has been Elected as President

Myles has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Greater New York Chapter of the International Association of Fundraising Professionals.


Myles B. Amend is Now Associate Head of School for Advanceme...

07.19.2011Myles B. Amend is Now Associate Head of School for Advancement

On 1 July 2011, Myles Amend’s title changed from director of development and alumni relations to associate head of school for advancement. This change provides Myles with a title that better reflects the additional responsibilities he has assumed over the past two years as well as those responsibilities that he will assume in 2011-2012. Head of School John Allman wrote, "Since my arrival Myles has been the member of senior staff designated to serve as the school’s chief executive if, for some reason, I am unavailable. In addition, as cochair of the strategic planning process, Myles has assumed a significant leadership role well beyond the scope of development and alumni relations, and, in recent months, he has been extraordinarily involved in managing community and media relations as the school has dealt with a variety of issues." Congratulations and all best wishes to Myles.


Myles B. Amend and Marc A. Thomas Marry!

07.25.2011Myles B. Amend and Marc A. Thomas Marry!

All best wishes to Myles B. Amend, associate head for advancement, and his husband, Marc A. Thomas. They were married on 24 July 2011, the first day of marriage equality in New York State. Their daughter, Ashley, who enters Kindergarten this fall, was ring bearer. May the public recognition of their union contribute to many years of happiness and joy. Congratulations on being among the couples who participated in, and made possible, this historic day.


Monica Alvarez is a Newlywed

02.03.2010Monica Alvarez is a Newlywed

Monica married Carlos Sanchez on 30 November 2009.


Mayra Alvarez Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Mayra Alvarez Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Mayra was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Mayra, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Daniel Alford has a New Baby

02.01.2010Daniel Alford has a New Baby

Daniel and his wife Jocelyn Russell welcomed baby Nathaniel Walker Russell on 12 October 2009. He weighed in at six pounds eleven ounces.


Dana Albert is a New Teacher of Mathematics

09.01.2012Dana Albert is a New Teacher of Mathematics

Dana will teach math in the Upper School starting this fall. She has earned a MS in Secondary Education in mathematics from the University of Rochester. She also received her BS and BA in mathematics and economics, respectively, from the University of Rochester. During her time at Rochester, Dana worked as a teaching assistant for multivariable calculus and linear algebra with differential equations. She has taught at Apollo Middle School and Fairport High School. When she is away from school, Dana enjoys cooking, practicing yoga, and traveling. She is excited to join the Trinity community and share her passion for mathematics with her students.


Pablo Acosta Published in National Athletic Trainers’ ...

04.12.2011Pablo Acosta Published in National Athletic Trainers’ Association News Magazine (was “Published in National Athletic Trainers’ Association News Magazine”)

Pablo was published in NATA News, the magazine of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. His letter to the editor appeared in the April 2011 issue, where he wrote about the importance of early access to athletic training for young athletes.


Lee Zegar Featured in Real Estate Section of the “New ...

09.12.2011Lee Zegar Featured in Real Estate Section of the “New York Times”

Lee Zegar, who recently turned eighty, decided it was finally time to purchase a one bedroom apartment in New York City. She had been living in a studio on lower Park Avenue for forty-five years. An article about Lee and her hunt for the right apartment was published in the "Real Estate" section of the New York Times on 8 September 2011. It can be read at
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/realestate/the-now-or-never-apartment.html.


Bill Zavatsky has Poetry Readings

01.06.2010Bill Zavatsky has Poetry Readings

Bill read his poetry at various locations including the New York Public Library, Cornelia Street Café, and KGB Bar. He also participated in the PEN World Voices Festival 2009 in the panel Jazz: The Revolution of Beat at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn on 2 May. He and three other writers discussed jazz and how it relates to the written word, with musical accompaniment by Diane Moser and her trio.


Bill Zavatsky has a Poetry Reading

09.13.2010Bill Zavatsky has a Poetry Reading

Bill will be reading poetry and stories at Cornelia Street Café on 15 September 2010 in the season opener of ComposersCollaborative Inc's "subversive nightclub series" Serial Underground. The event commemorates the 30th anniversary of Bill Evans' passing. Bill Evans was a legendary American jazz pianist and composer.


Bill Zavatsky is Leaving Trinity

03.12.2011Bill Zavatsky is Leaving Trinity

Bill left Trinity in June 2011 after twenty-four years of service to the School. We thank him for all that he has contributed to our school community.


Bill Zavatsky Receives Dedication

06.14.2011Bill Zavatsky Receives Dedication

Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby read this heartfelt dedication to Bill during the final faculty and staff luncheon of the 2010-2011 academic year: "To say that Bill Zavatsky has panache would be an understatement. I have known few individuals with Z’s inimitable flair. Many of his students over his twenty-four year tenure at Trinity have certainly recognized how lucky they were to encounter Bill—a true connoisseur of life, and particularly poetry, music, and film—in their educational journey. How many students have the opportunity to learn to write poetry with a practicing and published poet, after all? Even this year at the senior retreat in a Quaker-style meeting in which the kids had the opportunity express their gratitude to teachers and peers—present and not present—who had a made an indelible impact on their years in the Upper School, Percy Allison gave a shout-out to Mr. Z. for inspiring his passion for poetry and for working with him so devotedly on his own verse.

"Bill’s contributions to the Upper School community and accomplishments as an artist are too numerable to name exhaustively, but I would be remiss if didn't acknowledge some of his milestones. Bill taught the first creative writing class in the history of the Trinity School. He taught the first film courses in the history of the School. He brought the Scholastic Writing Contest to Trinity and promoted it energetically. As a result, Trinity boasts many winners of gold and silver keys for writing, as well as two national winners for their writing portfolios. Bill also has involved Trinity in the Interschool Association’s Independent Voices project, an annual poetry anthology and reading at a Barnes and Noble store by New York City private school students. Bill has been able to bring many well-known writers to Trinity thanks to a fund donated to Trinity by a former student of his. For twenty-four years he helped to shape Columbus into a first-rate literary magazine. This year he delivered a lovely prose-poem speech—with the collaboration of the honorees—at the Cum Laude Induction Ceremony.

"Bill wants everyone to know that he feels 'very strongly about the deep friendships that he has made over the years [at Trinity] with many extraordinary students and colleagues, [that he deeply appreciates] the important work of our wonderful support staff, and [that he] will never forget what a gift it has been to teach and learn at Trinity for so many years. He hopes that you won’t forget him.' I think I am safe in saying to you, Bill, that you are unforgettable. Thank you for all you have meant to so many members of this community during your tenure here."


Meglena Zapreva is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Four

09.01.2012Meglena Zapreva is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Four

Meglena is an educator, museum educator, and visual artist. She began her academic career in her native Bulgaria, where she became fascinated with art and art history. Determined to study in the center of the contemporary art world, Meglena immigrated to New York and completed her BA at Hunter College, majoring in art history and studio art. While working at the Frick Collection, she discovered a passion for teaching young students and the effectiveness of integrated education. While completing a MS from Bank Street College of Education in childhood education and museum education, Meglena gained extensive teaching experience with elementary school students at institutions such as the Frick Collection, the Rubin Museum of Art, the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, and the High Line park.

In addition, she was awarded a diversity fellowship from the American Association of Museums in 2012 for her efforts to include diverse audiences in museum programs. She is also the founder of ArtPlant, a hands-on art-based after-school program, which teaches environmental science. Meglena’s passion for integrating art and nature has also led to her initiative to transform an abandoned botanical garden in her hometown into an ecological educational center. Meglena also volunteers at a printmaking studio and at the Bulgarian Sunday School. She continues to make prints and actively participates in the vibrant artistic life of New York City. She speaks Bulgarian and Russian, and has a reading knowledge of French.


Dr. Anne Youngling has a New Baby

01.05.2010Dr. Anne Youngling has a New Baby

Anne and Renée Seufert met while working together at Trinity in the athletics department. They were married on 14 February 2009 in Westport, Connecticut and are thrilled to announce the birth of their baby boy, Max Gustav Seufert-Youngling, on 3 June 2009. Renée is a school counselor at East Haven High School and Anne is a family practice physician at Guilford Family Practice.


Marsha Williams is Leaving Trinity

04.20.2011Marsha Williams is Leaving Trinity

After seven years at Trinity, Marsha will be pursuing new professional opportunities after the academic year closes. We are grateful for all that she has contributed to our school community and wish her well in her next endeavor.


Brad G. Williams Misses Trinity

02.15.2011Brad G. Williams Misses Trinity

Brad writes, "I have moved to Mississippi temporarily, but am looking ardently to return to teaching/translation/et al. in the New York area. With Vassar College, Trinity remains the best school I have ever known."


Elizabeth Wilcox is Leaving Trinity

01.18.2011Elizabeth Wilcox is Leaving Trinity

Elizabeth left Trinity School in June 2011 and relocated closer to Princeton, New Jersey, where her husband has started a new job. She will be teaching at Moorestown Friends School. We thank her for the years she has spent teaching at Trinity and wish her and her husband well in their new life at Princeton.


Robert Wendt is Substituting for Sarah Bonsignore

11.10.2011Robert Wendt is Substituting for Sarah Bonsignore

Robert Wendt has been hired to substitute for Sarah Bonsignore during her maternity leave, from 28 November 2011 to 28 February 2012. Robert received his BA from Columbia University in English and comparitive literature. He received his MA in music education from Hunter College. He currently works at Calhoun School accompanying the middle school chorus, leading warm-ups and sectionals, and integrates music theory, history, and vocal technique into choral rehearsals as needed, with a special focus on changing male voices. He is a lifelong piano student and enjoys traveling.


Howard Warren Lectures on Barren Island and Dead Horse Bay

06.01.2011Howard Warren Lectures on Barren Island and Dead Horse Bay

Howard is giving a lecture called "Learning from Barren Island and Dead Horse Bay" on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Exchange at 33 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. The lecture is part of the Freshkills Park Talks lecture series.

For over twenty years, Howard has been taking his students to Barren Island and Dead Horse Bay to study, and he has become one of the City's leading experts on the history and present condition of the area. He will be sharing some of his reflections on his studies with the students and how the site has been changing.
More information about the event can be found at
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2011/06/14/freshkills-park-talks-learning-from-barren-island-and-dead-horse-bay


Howard Warren is Featured in Smithsonian Documentary

12.20.2011Howard Warren is Featured in Smithsonian Documentary

Howard announced: "The documentary that I am featured in finally made its US debut. Trashopolis, a five episode documentary about how five cities dealt with their trash throughout history continues to air on the Smithsonian Network. It made its international debut last year opening in Canada and France on the International History Channel. I appear in the New York episode (episode one) where I speak about the impact of Robert Moses' decisions on the people of New York City and how some of their household belongings ended up in a Barren Island landfill. The segment was filmed at Dead Horse Bay and Barren Island. For those who do not receive the Smithsonian Channel, Trashopolis: New York can be Googled and downloaded off the web. Trinity gets a nice shout out. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!"

For a schedule of air times and more information, visit https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/sn/show.do?series=815.


Howard Warren Lectures at “Geeky Garbage”

02.13.2012Howard Warren Lectures at “Geeky Garbage”

Howard will be speaking at an upcoming gathering sponsored by Gelf magazine. "Geeky Garbage" is a "look at the most overlooked aspect of the overlooked--civilization's waste. We'll have on hand the New York City sanitation department's resident anthropologist and an expert on some of the city's earliest landfills to talk about what really happens when we throw something in the trash, and how it impacts everyone."
"Geeky Garbage" will be held Monday, 20 February 2012, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.) at the Gallery at La Poisson Rouge at 158 Bleecker Street in Manhattan. Attendees must be twenty-one or older.
For more information, visit https://www.gelfmagazine.com/gelflog/archives/february_20_geeky_garbage.php


Howard Warren is Interviewed by Gelf Magazine

02.22.2012Howard Warren is Interviewed by Gelf Magazine

Howard was interviewed by Gelf magazine in an article about Barren Island, a former landfill that was sealed in 1953 but is slowly reemerging. Read the interview at https://www.gelfmagazine.com/archives/message_in_a_bottle_beach.php.


Howard Warren is Quoted in Article about Dead Horse Bay

05.22.2012Howard Warren is Quoted in Article about Dead Horse Bay

Howard was quoted in an article, "Brooklyn's Dead Horse Bay Attracts Urban Explorers," online at DNAinfo.com on 9 May 2012. The article discusses how people collect and remove objects from the beach, though Howard, who takes his students there each October on a research field trip, believes the objects should be left on the beach. Read the article at https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120509/marine-park/brooklyns-dead-horse-bay-attracts-urban-explorers.


Howard Warren is Retiring

02.25.2013Howard Warren is Retiring

Howard is retiring at the end of the academic year after twenty-four years of service to Trinity School. Lower School Principal Rosemary C. Milliman writes, "No one deserves the pleasures and freedoms of retirement more than Howard and yet the news is bittersweet. The program Howard has built over the past two and a half decades is legend, and his place among the Lower School faculty is central to our program. Howard Warren was one of my very first hires when I was a new Lower School principal at Trinity back in the summer of 1989. I remember our interview to this day. Howard’s passion for marine biology and life stands out indelibly in my memory. He was a walking encyclopedia when it came to sea life and baseball. During his time at Trinity, he has secured the School’s access to Dead Horse Bay and Jamaica Bay for the archeology project he and Christine Nealy teach in Grade Four. No other school in the state can boast this access. He has traveled the world (India and Africa) to share his teaching philosophy and the passion of which I speak. The good news is that Howard has offered to return to Trinity at any juncture that we feel we need him!In the spring, we’ll formally celebrate his extraordinary work with us, but in the meantime, please join me in taking every opportunity to thank Howie for his contributions as a teacher and colleague."


Howard Warren is Featured in Emmy-Winning Documentary

09.26.2016Howard Warren is Featured in Emmy-Winning Documentary

“Dead Horse Bay: New York’s Hidden Treasure Trove of Trash” tells the story of the abandoned cove in the southwestern corner of Brooklyn. The video won the award for Outstanding Video Journalism at the Emmy Awards on 18 September. In the film, Howard Warren, a former Trinity science teacher, is interviewed about bringing his students to collect artifacts at Dead Horse Bay for almost thirty years.

It is available to be seen here: http://abcn.ws/1k4laeo


Jacqueline Ward is Moving to Indonesia

06.06.2012Jacqueline Ward is Moving to Indonesia

Jacqueline, who has been a school nurse at Trinity since 2005, will be venturing overseas to Indonesia in September to pursue a career in international public health. We thank her for her time wish us, and wish her the best in this exciting endeavor!


Theo Carmelo M. Tupaz is Leaving Trinity

02.17.2011Theo Carmelo M. Tupaz is Leaving Trinity

Theo left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to work closer to home. We thank him for his time spent teaching at Trinity School.


Morika Tsujimura is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Morika Tsujimura is Leaving Trinity

Morika is leaving Trinity to teach seventh grade math and science at Bank Street School for Children. We thank her for her time with us and wish her the best on her next endeavor!


Trysh Travis has a New Book

01.05.2010Trysh Travis has a New Book

Trysh had a new book come out in November 2009: The Language of the Heart: A Cultural History of the Recovery Movement from Alcoholics Anonymous to Oprah Winfrey.


Elvina Tong is Teaching in Guangzhou, China

10.13.2011Elvina Tong is Teaching in Guangzhou, China

Elvina teaches kindergarten at the American International School of Guangzhou in Guangzhou, China, hear Hong Kong.


Elvina Tong is Teaching in Beijing, China

07.08.2013Elvina Tong is Teaching in Beijing, China

Elvina is now working at the International School of Beijing in China as an educational technology facilitator supporting preschool through second grade.


Frederick Toborg has News on Hurricane Sandy and Trinity Reb...

07.25.2013Frederick Toborg has News on Hurricane Sandy and Trinity Rebuilds

Fred Toborg taught physical education at Trinity for thirty years before retiring in 2002. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Broad Channel, New York, and their lives were recently turned upside down when Hurricane Sandy struck.

Fred writes, "Just after our river cruise vacation from Moscow to St. Petersburg last October, Hurricane Sandy paid us a visit and swept through our living room, kitchen and library with four feet of water. Fortunately, we had heeded advice and evacuated and thus saved our automobile from inundation. We returned to find our belongings strewn all over our house: piano toppled, fridge on its back, deck torn from its footings and jutting up like the prow of a ship pointing towards the A train subway tracks that were in a tangle. We started to slowly make order out of the chaos. Our daughter, Lili, class of ’91, and her family descended on us from Vermont, and her husband, Clayton, began to rip out the sheetrock. I tried to stop him but that was before I learned about “mold” and what flood waters can do.

"Lili posted pictures of our mess on Facebook and, lo and behold, the Trinity community, upon seeing them, launched a great effort to help us. Tor Christensen '91 and Elle Can '91 created a PayPal fund to help with reconstruction. We were amazed at the generous response of so many friends in and out of Trinity, especially their messages of love and support. A group of volunteers from Trinity, led by Alumni Relations Manager Ed Griffin, descended on us and spent the day creating order out of the chaos we were still in. I knew I had been fortunate to have been at Trinity for thirty years, but I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of goodwill and aid. Then, Chip Brian '89, president of the Alumni Association, and his partner, Mike Daddio, visited us and offered to rebuild our house with their construction company, Design Development NYC. I was black and blue from pinching myself that all this could be happening. In December I gave the keys to our house to Chip’s company, took advantage of an offer from Bob and Sue Hipkins to use their house on North Captive Island in Florida, and headed south.

"When we returned from our jaunt in February, we found our house being reconstructed with new walls, floors, doors, and a back deck. We were able to replace appliances with funds from the PayPal account. We rented a room from a friend in Far Rockaway until we were able to move back into our house on 1 May. We now lived in the midst of the work as Chip’s people restored our kitchen and living room. It was wonderful to be home, even amidst the minor chaos of workers and their tools. Our son, Michael, class of ’94, and friend, Katrin, were able to visit in May. Mike lives and works in Munich, Germany. He quickly put his engineering talents to work installing electrical fixtures and aligning doors. We were able to spend a weekend in Vermont with Lili and family for a reunion. Today, nine months after Sandy, we are still tidying up the house and property. But we are home and very thankful to the Trinity community and Chip Brian and his associates at Design Development NYC. To all, I invite you to visit us at any time to see the wonders of the marsh and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge which adjoin our newly renovated home in Broad Channel."


Douglas W. Tobin Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Douglas W. Tobin Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Douglas was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Doug, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Barbara Tischler is New Associate Head for Academic Affairs

03.13.2012Barbara Tischler is New Associate Head for Academic Affairs

Barbara Tischler will serve as Trinity's associate head for academic affairs, effective 1 July 2012. She will be charged with ensuring the effectiveness of the two most significant processes in a school: the design and implementation of our K-12 academic curriculum; and the professional development, support and evaluation of our teachers. Holding undergraduate and graduate degrees in music as well as an MA and PhD in history from Columbia University, Barbara is a musician and scholar who has been a teacher for over three decades in higher as well as secondary education, teaching courses ranging from middle school geography to graduate-level American studies. In addition, she has also served as an administrator in higher and secondary education, working for the past fifteen years as a teacher and administrator at Horace Mann School, where she is currently director of curriculum and professional development.


Barbara Tischler is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Barbara Tischler is Leaving Trinity

Dr. Barbara Tischler left Trinity at the end of the school year. We thank her for her contributions to the School and wish her well in her future endeavors.


Caitlin Sweet has Improv Performance

04.19.2010Caitlin Sweet has Improv Performance

Caitlin is performing in an improv show on 23 April 2010 at 7:00 p.m. "My troupe is called The Hypotheticals. We do narrative long-form improvisational theater (making up stories based upon audience input) and we have a show on Friday evening at the PIT (Peoples Improv Theater) in Chelsea. It would be great to have some of you folks in the audience, so please come on down! Also in the troupe is my fiance (and new Trinity staff member) Jeremy Lamb." PIT is located at 154 W 29th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The cover is $5.00.


Caitlin Sweet ’01 is Leaving Trinity

03.07.2011Caitlin Sweet ’01 is Leaving Trinity

Caitlin left Trinity School at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year. She is now teaching in a bilingual classroom in a public school in order to finish her master’s degree in K-6 elementary education and bilingual education. She will then move to Austin, Texas to join her husband, Jeremy Lamb, in December or January. We wish Caitlin the best on her next journey!


Caitlin Sweet ’01 is Married

06.21.2011Caitlin Sweet ’01 is Married

Congratulations to Caitlin for her marriage to Jeremy Lamb on 18 June 2011! She will be in New York City this fall student teaching in a bilingual classroom in a public school in order to finish her master's degree in K-6 elementary education and bilingual education. She will then move to Austin to join her husband in December or January.


Donghong Sun is a New Upper School Science Teacher

09.09.2013Donghong Sun is a New Upper School Science Teacher

Donghong has been teaching chemistry for the past six years at Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey, where she has been part of the leading effort in implementing a modeling instruction approach in science education. Over the years, she has attended several modeling workshops in physics, chemistry, and biology, and co-lead modeling chemistry workshops, with the most recent one at Teachers College, Columbia University in summer 2013. Before starting her teaching career, Donghong worked as a senior scientist at Rohm and Haas Company after receiving her PhD in chemistry from Columbia University.

In her spare time, Donghong loves to play tennis and ski, and takes ballroom dance lessons as well. She also enjoys spending time with her daughter who is starting her freshman year in college.


Tom Sullivan is Head at Greenwich Academy

09.21.2010Tom Sullivan is Head at Greenwich Academy

Tom is now Head of Upper School at Greenwich Academy after teaching in the English department for the past three years.


Ann Strohmeier Performs in an Evening of Comedy

04.19.2010Ann Strohmeier Performs in an Evening of Comedy

Ann and her husband are in a play, an evening of comedy called All in the Timing by David Ives, presented by the Heavenly Rest Players. There are two performances: 24 April at 8:00 p.m. and 1 May at 8:00 p.m. at the Church of the Heavenly Rest at 2 East 90th Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.smarttix.com for $20.00. Also in the cast is Ryan Scott, a former Grade Two assistant.


Ann Strohmeier Honored by Trinity

03.07.2011Ann Strohmeier Honored by Trinity

Ann Strohmeier was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Ann, for all you have given to the School! We with you the best in your retirement.

Ann writes, "Thirty-two years ago (1982) my husband Bill and I, with our four-year old daughter Kristin in hand, first walked through the doors of Trinity. Kristin started Kindergarten that September, and I started teaching at Trinity in 1989 when our son, Stephen, was in second grade. Before that, I had taught for seven years at three different preschools, which brings my entire teaching career to date to thirty-two years as well. Twice thirty-two seems auspicious; a lovely, round number for a career that has been long and extremely rewarding, both professionally and personally.

"And now it is time to go on to other things. What those exactly are, I’m not quite sure, but surely the journey is just as important as the destination. It’s hard to leave a place that has been such a large part of my life, and I will always love teaching. But transitions are always the hardest part, and the future seems very exciting to me."


Ann Strohmeier is Acting in a Play

03.15.2012Ann Strohmeier is Acting in a Play

Ann is acting in a play, Polish Joke by David Ives, presented by the Heavenly Rest Players. The performances run Thursday through Saturday 22-24 March and Thursday through Saturday, 29-31 March. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m. in Darlington Hall at the Church of the Heavenly Rest at 2 East 90th Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.smarttix.com for $20.00. All profits go to the Church outreach programs. No children, please; adult humor in both language and content.
Trinity's Michael Gilbert and Ann's husband, Bill, are acting in the play. Trinity's Harrison Williams is set designer.


Ann Strohmeier Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity and R...

06.17.2014Ann Strohmeier Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity and Retirement

Ann Strohmeier was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Ann, for all you have given to the School! We with you the best in your retirement.

Ann writes, "Thirty-two years ago (1982) my husband Bill and I, with our four-year old daughter Kristin in hand, first walked through the doors of Trinity. Kristin started Kindergarten that September, and I started teaching at Trinity in 1989 when our son, Stephen, was in second grade. Before that, I had taught for seven years at three different preschools, which brings my entire teaching career to date to thirty-two years as well. Twice thirty-two seems auspicious; a lovely, round number for a career that has been long and extremely rewarding, both professionally and personally.

"And now it is time to go on to other things. What those exactly are, I’m not quite sure, but surely the journey is just as important as the destination. It’s hard to leave a place that has been such a large part of my life, and I will always love teaching. But transitions are always the hardest part, and the future seems very exciting to me."


Robert Stewart is Retiring

06.17.2014Robert Stewart is Retiring

After thirty-six years as a member of the Trinity faculty, Bob Stewart has decided that he will be retiring at the end of the current academic year. Bob began his teaching career in 1968 as a Jesuit at Boston College High School. After a year there he moved to Jamaica, where he taught history at St. George’s College, Campion College, and at the University of the West Indies, where he completed a doctoral program in Caribbean history. He published his research in his 1992 book on religion and emancipation in Jamaica. He left Jamaica in 1978 and began teaching at Trinity in the 1978-79 academic year. Bob is trading the joyful noise of middle schoolers for the quiet of the oaks that guard his home in New Jersey. He plans to tend his garden, catch up with his reading, and write another book. We thank him for his dedicated service to the School and wish him the best in his retirement.


Benjamin Stern is a New Technology Integrationist and Teache...

09.01.2012Benjamin Stern is a New Technology Integrationist and Teacher of Computer Science

Ben comes to us from The Emery/Weiner School in Houston, Texas where he has been working as a middle school technology integration specialist. Prior to that, as their eighth grade history teacher, he rewrote a textbook-free global studies and current events curriculum that deeply integrated technology. Emery/Weiner awarded him the Rav Preida Award for Teaching Excellence this past year for the success of this class. Having grown up in Philadelphia, Ben is an avid Philadelphia sports fan. He also likes to cook, does a lot of cycling, and is a big computer nerd.


Benjamin Stern is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Benjamin Stern is Leaving Trinity

Ben Stern is pursuing an opportunity with an educational technology company, TeachBoost, and is leaving Trinity at the end of the academic year. We thank him for his service to the School and wish him the best.


David Sox has Updates from England

11.23.2011David Sox has Updates from England

The Rev. David Sox, who was chaplain at Trinity from 1963 to 1970, sends in an update from England: "2011 and I am seventy-five! Was ordained fifty years ago and published my twelfth book. This one was a biography of Père Armand David (1826-1900), a priest and nature explorer who discovered the giant panda and seventy plants are named for him."


David Sox Taught Mitt Romney

06.28.2012David Sox Taught Mitt Romney

David sent us an interesting anecdote: "Before I came to Trinity in 1963 as chaplain, I was chaplain at Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. One of my students was Mitt Romney!"


David Sox has More Updates from England

07.16.2013David Sox has More Updates from England

The Rev. David Sox published his twelfth book in 2009, a biography of the naturalist, Père Armand David (1826-1900). "I do gallery talks at the Natural History Museum. I'm now seventy-seven years old (yipes!). I'm a dual citizen of the US and the UK."


Margaret Smith is a New Teacher of Religion, Philosophy, and...

09.01.2012Margaret Smith is a New Teacher of Religion, Philosophy, and Ethics

Margaret began her teaching career at the Lincoln Jewish Community School in Nebraska. When she relocated to New York, she worked for the East End Temple and Temple Israel of the City of New York. She most recently taught modern European history to undergraduates at Fordham University. Margaret also tutored at the Writing Center at Fordham. She is fluent in Spanish, proficient in French and Latin, and some Hebrew and Old English. Margaret and her new husband, as of 23 July 2012, have a wonderful little dog, Lola.


Margaret Smith has a New Baby

08.22.2013Margaret Smith has a New Baby

Margaret and her husband, Zach, welcomed their son, Ezekiel, into the world on 15 August 2013. He weighed in at six pounds and two ounces. Margaret writes, "He is sweet and beautiful, and Zach and I are totally in love with him." Congratulations to the family!


Nika Skvir-Maliakal Returns to the East Coast

02.08.2010Nika Skvir-Maliakal Returns to the East Coast

An update on Nika and Sanjiv Maliakal: “After leaving Trinity, we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area – Sanj was teaching sixth and eighth grade science at the San Francisco Day School and Nika returned to the Prospect Sierra School to teach eighth grade humanities. We got married, traveled a lot (Hawaii, Costa Rica, and India have been highlight trips), managed to do a lot of hiking and windsurfing, and then had two twin girls, Madeline and Katherine, in September 2007. This past summer, we moved back to the East Coast to be closer to family. Sanj is currently teaching sixth and eighth grade science at New Canaan Country School while Nika is at home with the girls. We’d love to hear from former students and/or colleagues. Our e-mail address, [email protected], is a good way to reach us. Hope this finds everyone well!”


Jonathan Sirois is a New Teacher of Spanish

09.01.2012Jonathan Sirois is a New Teacher of Spanish

Jonathan is leaving the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island to teach Spanish at Trinity School. He spent several months teaching English at English for Fun in Madrid, Spain. For eight years, Jonathan was the chef and kitchen manager at Adams House Home for the Aged in Fall River, Massachusetts. He is a passionate golfer and still chuckles each time he watches Caddy Shack, but also enjoys a good Marlon Brando or Jimmy Stewart movie.

Jonathan lived and studied in Spain as part of his BA and most of his MA, and was very fortunate to have lived with a renowned scholar and journalist, and hopes to bring his experiences abroad to his classroom. As a budding Hispanist, he presented a research paper at an academic conference and is looking forward to do more of the same.


Jonathan Sirois is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Jonathan Sirois is Leaving Trinity

Jonathan Sirois left Trinity at school year’s end to teach Spanish at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts. We thank him for his service to the School and wish him the best.


Jennifer Simon is Awarded Three Art Residency Grants

01.04.2010Jennifer Simon is Awarded Three Art Residency Grants

Jennifer won three residency grants for the summer: the Anderson Ranch Art Educator Institute in Colorado funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts Technical Assistant Grant in Tennessee, and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Technical Assistant Grant in Maine. In each residency she was provided with tuition, room and board, a studio space, and various art workshops and lectures.


Jennifer Simon is in Ceramic Exhibit at the Nippon Gallery

10.20.2011Jennifer Simon is in Ceramic Exhibit at the Nippon Gallery

Jennifer has been selected to show her ceramic work at the Nippon Gallery at the Nippon Club at 145 West 57th Street, between 6th and 7th avenues. The show is up from 19-22 October. Gallery hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Jennifer's work was selected for the 13th Annual Tokyo-New York Friendship Ceramic Competition where the gallery has chosen fifty American and fifty Japanese ceramic artists to compete for cash prizes. The grand prize is a round-trip ticket to Tokyo! The reception and award presentation is on 21 October from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Come check out the show!


James Silvia has a Life Update

01.05.2010James Silvia has a Life Update

James “left Richard Garten’s Trinity in 1973 [he had been teaching Grade Four there since 1966] and taught in Japan, Germany, and again with Mr. Garten at Gulf Stream School in Palm Beach County, Florida. In 2006, he ended forty years of service teaching geography at St. Bernard’s School. His wife, Judith Richardson, died in 2003 at Newport. James, a cancer survivor, now spends his time on the Upper West Side, in his garden in Dutchess County, or traveling (depending on the annuity and the kindness of friends). He is the author of the unpublished children’s storybook, Fred and Felicity, Fast Friends, and a guide for young adults, Manners: A Course of Study, and play, A Muse Bouche.”


Rene Silva has an Update from Florida

02.08.2010Rene Silva has an Update from Florida

Rene updates: “I retired from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1987 and moved to sunny Florida. I played tennis until age forced me to take reading and cross-word puzzles as hobbies. I have a wife with three children and the family is in good health. Enjoying life at eighty-nine and still remembering many of my good students at Trinity.”


Rene Silva has Another Life Update

11.28.2011Rene Silva has Another Life Update

Rene writes, "From Trinity, I went to teach at Farleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, New Jersey until 1987. I moved to Florida and spent my time playing tennis, reading, and servicing the community whenever called. I will be ninety-one this month (November), and my wife and children are all well. I have a great grandson (seven months old). We are all happy and remembering with pride my three years at Trinity."


Paul Sigismondi has Music News and a New Teaching Position a...

01.05.2010Paul Sigismondi has Music News and a New Teaching Position at The Collegiate School

Paul has been working on his music. He recorded an album, American Redstarts, at a studio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He also created a Web site for his music at www.paulsigismondi.com. He recently returned to New York and started teaching at The Collegiate School.


Kara Paske Siegel is Leaving Trinity

04.12.2010Kara Paske Siegel is Leaving Trinity

Kara has announced that she will be leaving Trinity at the end of the school year. She wishes to shift her energies to caring for her family, and in addition, she hopes to find opportunities to feed her passion of working with student athletes. She writes, “…Serving as an administrator has been a fulfilling learning experience. I have benefited tremendously from working closely with the talented and committed people in the Middle School and throughout Trinity's administration. In addition, I have enjoyed the opportunity to develop and implement new programs in the Middle School. I have been very fortunate and sincerely appreciate the many opportunities and experiences I have had so early in my career.”


Judy Shufro has an Art Exhibit

11.06.2013Judy Shufro has an Art Exhibit

Judy Shufro, who taught art at Trinity from 1970 to 1992, has an upcoming art exhibit in San Diego, California, at Bread & Cie, a bakery owned by a Trinity alumnus, Charles Kaufman '66. Judy writes, "How coincidental is that? I taught Art at Trinity for twenty-two years. I bought the School's first kiln, set up the shop/arts program, designed the Brass Pavilion art room for the elementary school, and was a Trinity Faculty Fellow. Hello to all my former students!"

The exhibit, titled "Dancers and Cows," will be on view from 3-31 December 2013 at Bread & Cie, located at 350 University Avenue in San Diego. View Judy's work at www.judithshufro.com.


Danielle Short Attends Graduate School

01.04.2010Danielle Short Attends Graduate School

Danielle left Trinity to pursue her MFA in film studies at the University of Utah, with a concentration in the filming of dance.


William E. Shipley Remembers Art Class

01.03.2012William E. Shipley Remembers Art Class

Bill Shipley sent us a couple of photos from his second year of teaching in 1982. "I believe the location is Judy Shufro's art room in the Upper School. We were building a box kite with strips of wood and painted mylar, and we flew the kite at the end of the year field trip with the Lower School at Bear Mountain. Trinity was then an all boys school in the Lower and Middle School. I wish I could remember what grade level this was, and I only recall first names for the boys."


William E. Shipley is a Docent at Tweed Museum of Art

04.25.2012William E. Shipley is a Docent at Tweed Museum of Art

Bill is now a docent at the Tweed Museum of Art at the University of Minnesota Duluth, his alma mater. An article about Bill and his interest in art was published by the UMD Alumni Association online at http://umdalumni.com/tweed-docent-bill-shipley-a-work-of-art/.


Joel Shapiro is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Joel Shapiro is Leaving Trinity

Joel Shapiro left Trinity at the end of the school year. During the end-of-year luncheon, Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby gave these remarks: "Joel, you are one-of-a-kind. Your signature passion for history and politics and your love for vigorous conversation with students and colleagues about both make you unforgettable. A man of conscience and conviction, you have inspired your colleagues and protégés to carry your light forward at Trinity and beyond. Thank you for your dedication to teaching history and for modeling civic engagement for two decades at Trinity."


Renée Seufert has a New Baby

01.05.2010Renée Seufert has a New Baby

Renée and Anne Youngling met while working together at Trinity in the athletics department. They were married on 14 February 2009 in Westport, Connecticut and are thrilled to announce the birth of their baby boy, Max Gustav Seufert-Youngling, on 3 June 2009. Renée is a school counselor at East Haven High School and Anne is a family practice physician at Guilford Family Practice.


Jennifer Semioli has a New Baby

02.08.2010Jennifer Semioli has a New Baby

Jennifer, her husband Mark, and daughter, Mia, welcomed Milo to the world on 7 January 2010 at 11:52 a.m.


Jennifer Semioli is Leaving Trinity

02.17.2011Jennifer Semioli is Leaving Trinity

Jen left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to relocate to Summit, New Jersey, where her husband is now working. We thank her for her service to Trinity School and wish her and her family well!


Ryan Scott Performs in An Evening of Comedy

04.19.2010Ryan Scott Performs in An Evening of Comedy

Ryan is in a play, an evening of comedy called All in the Timing by David Ives, presented by the Heavenly Rest Players. There are two performances: 24 April at 8:00 p.m. and 1 May at 8:00 p.m. at the Church of the Heavenly Rest at 2 East 90th Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.smarttix.com for $20.00. Also in the cast is current faculty member Ann Strohmeier.


Ian Schlesinger is the New Systems Support Engineer

09.20.2012Ian Schlesinger is the New Systems Support Engineer

Ian Schlesinger is currently the Mac systems support engineer at Trinity. He has been with the Trinity community for one year now and has brought a can-do attitude and personable customer service manner since first starting. Ian has over fifteen years of experience in the IT industry troubleshooting and supporting Mac and Windows based computing environments. Before joining Trinity, Ian was the technical lead of support at BMG Columbia House and a network analyst within the Ascent Media Corporation. He holds a BS in environmental sciences from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Some of his hobbies include hiking, cycling, and cross-country skiing.


Ian Schlesinger is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Ian Schlesinger is Leaving Trinity

Trinity's "Mac Guy," Ian Schlesinger, left Trinity in June to pursue a new opportunity within the corporate information technology world. We wish him well in his new endeavor and thank him for his dedicated work here over the past two years.


Emily P. Scharf has a Watercolor Exhibit

02.01.2010Emily P. Scharf has a Watercolor Exhibit

Emily and current faculty member Brigitte Bentele have their watercolor paintings included an exhibit entitled “Watercolors from the National Academy of Fine Arts” at the Yeager Community Room Gallery at the Bronxville Public Library from 2 February through 25 February 2010. The opening reception is Thursday 4 February from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For directions, please visit the Bronxville Public Library website at
www.villageofbronxville.com


Gabriela Saldana is a New Teacher of Grade Two

08.30.2011Gabriela Saldana is a New Teacher of Grade Two

Gabriela Saldana is no stranger to Trinity’s Lower School. She has been in Ms. Alvarez and Ms. Strohmeier’s classrooms as a first grade assistant teacher since 2009. She has prior experience in both the first and fourth grade levels at PS 234 and The School at Columbia University. Gabriela completed her graduate degree in museum education with a childhood certification for grades one through six from Bank Street College of Education. In previous summers, Gabriela worked as a counselor for Bank Street Summer Camp’s Spanish Immersion program. This year, she has dedicated her summer to continue to build on her professional growth. She attended workshops on project-based learning in the classroom through The School at Columbia’s Teach 21 institute and completed a week long writing seminar at the Teachers College world-renowned Reading and Writing Project. Her museum experiences include the Neuberger Museum of Art’s education department and in many capacities at Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center in the Bronx. Her extensive work in Wave Hill’s education, horticulture, and art departments has deeply influenced her interest in building connections between youth and nature.


Gabriela Saldana is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Gabriela Saldana is Leaving Trinity

Gabriella Saldana left Trinity at school year’s end to move with her fiancé to Singapore. She will be teaching first grade at Overseas Family School (OFS). We thank her for her exceptional service to the School and wish her the best in this exciting new endeavor.


Lisa Jo Sagolla has a New Book

11.22.2011Lisa Jo Sagolla has a New Book

Lisa Jo Sagolla, who taught dance at Trinity from 1989 to 1990, has authored a new book, Rock 'n' Roll Dances of the 1950s, published by Greenwood Press in October 2011. The book explores dance as a reflection and expression of cultural trends.


Susan E. Ruta is Leaving Trinity

05.17.2010Susan E. Ruta is Leaving Trinity

Susan is leaving Trinity at the end of the school year to work alongside her husband in the family business, to be closer to home, and to spend more time with her youngest son.


Elisabeth K. Ruedy Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Elisabeth K. Ruedy Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Elisabeth was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Elisabeth, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Elisabeth K. Ruedy is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Elisabeth K. Ruedy is Leaving Trinity

After twenty-six years of teaching mathematics at Trinity, Elisabeth Ruedy announced her retirement. We thank her for her extraordinary contributions to the School and our students and wish her well in this next chapter of her life.


Stanislav Roslyakov is a New Head Robotics Coach

09.09.2013Stanislav Roslyakov is a New Head Robotics Coach

Stanislav is a graduate civil engineering student at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University with a focus towards instrumentation design with technical skills in structural, soil, and materials engineering. He has extensive teaching experience ranging from real world engineering projects to FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge competitions. Stanislav tries to incorporate the concepts of invention and innovation into his lessons in order to instill the importance of research and engineering. He has competed as a team captain in National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Lunabotics Mining Competition which involved the construction of a large lunar excavating vehicle. His design won the Judges’ Innovation Award and the $10,000 Paul Soros Prize for Creative Engineering. Stan is fluent in C++, MATLAB, Xcode and LabVIEW programming languages. His favorite activity is allowing students to ask any question they want during the last few minutes of class, and he provides the answers on the spot or after some research.


Jerome Rosenzweig is Golfing in Florida

12.07.2010Jerome Rosenzweig is Golfing in Florida

Jerome was recently elected vice president of the South County Golf League, a league which includes eighteen golf and country clubs in the Southern Florida region.


Jerome Rosenzweig has an Update from Florida

11.28.2011Jerome Rosenzweig has an Update from Florida

Jerome writes, "As captain of the Aberdeen Golf and Country Club golf team in West Boynton Beach, Florida, I have led them to their second season in the playoffs of the South County Golf League. I've enjoyed nine years in retirement at the Aberdeen Golf and Country Club."


Patricia M. Robbins is Volunteering at PS 166

12.06.2010Patricia M. Robbins is Volunteering at PS 166

Patricia writes, “First, a thank you to Sue Hipkens for her help in advising me when I began volunteering in the library at PS 166, Trinity’s neighbor on W 89th Street. We are off to a good start now, and happily, the Director of Community Service, Michael Barbaro, is offering Upper School students the opportunity to do community service with us, helping to keep a public school library open in this time of budget cuts. Other volunteers are welcome. If you are interested, let me know at [email protected].”


Brenda Rivera is a New Upper School Administrative Assistant

09.07.2010Brenda Rivera is a New Upper School Administrative Assistant

Brenda began working at Trinity in May 2010 after spending a few years at Bellmarc Realty. She enjoys writing poetry and has won the Editor’s Excellence Award for 2007 and 2008 from poetry.com. One of her poems entitled “Regrets” was published in a book of poems titled Collected Whispers from The International Library of Poetry, 2008.


Carole Ries is Leaving Trinity

05.31.2011Carole Ries is Leaving Trinity

After seven years, Carole Ries decided to continue her work in education at the Solomon Schechter School in Westchester, just a few blocks from her new home. We thank Carole for all she has contributed to the school during her time with us.


Carole Ries has New Position at Schechter Westchester Lower ...

07.16.2013Carole Ries has New Position at Schechter Westchester Lower School

Carole was recently named math curriculum and instruction coordinator in the lower school at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester.


John A. Reynolds Retires to Maine

01.04.2010John A. Reynolds Retires to Maine

John retired after twenty-five years teaching mathematics and computer science at Trinity. He is enjoying retirement in Maine.


John A. Reynolds is Traveling and Enjoying Retirement

06.16.2011John A. Reynolds is Traveling and Enjoying Retirement

John writes, "I am still enjoying retirement in Maine. Last September, we sold our condo in Stamford and have become full-time maniacs. We have found Portland to be a real "foodie" city with some very good cultural events. In addition to taking our dogs to two nursing homes, Marsha and I have been volunteering at the Animal Welfare Society and the Saco Food Pantry. We've also managed to get in some travel. After Thanksgiving, we had a very pleasant cruise to the Caribbean. In February, we took a cruise out of Venice, Italy and went to the Eastern Mediterranean. Our itinerary included Egypt, but that was changed to two days in Israel. In May, we visited an old friend in Florida. He took us to a musical (Beehive - about the women rock singers of the 60s), and we saw Charlie Fornara, who was piano player, conductor and musical director. Charlie is doing a lot of work in musical theater in the Naples, Florida area. Now, we''re looking forward to a wonderful summer watching the Red Sox and our local Portland Sea Dogs."


Christine Reilly is Retiring

01.07.2013Christine Reilly is Retiring

At thirty-nine years of teaching here at Trinity School, Christine Reilly is retiring at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year. We thank her for her extraordinary service to the School and wish her the best on her retirement.


Joanne Handler Rau is Working in Florida

01.05.2010Joanne Handler Rau is Working in Florida

Joanne is working at the Society of the Four Arts library in Palm Beach, Florida, and enjoying it, but misses the interaction with the kids at Trinity.


Rachel E. Elkinson Ring has a New Baby

02.03.2010Rachel E. Elkinson Ring has a New Baby

Rachel gave birth to Persephone “Posey” Lilac Ring on 3 November 2009. Posey weighed six pounds three ounces.


Rachel E. Elkinson Ring is Leaving Trinity

03.03.2011Rachel E. Elkinson Ring is Leaving Trinity

Rachel left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year. She relocated with her family to New Jersey, where she will serve as a consultant, revive her work in jewelry design, and spend more time with her family. We thank her for her years spent at Trinity!


Charles Quirin is a New Technology Support Engineer

09.09.2013Charles Quirin is a New Technology Support Engineer

Charles joined the technology team this July and has spent the summer familiarizing himself with Trinity’s campus and its technology systems. He has supported technology in scholastic environments for most of his career, most recently at Collegiate School. Charles enjoys spending his free time traveling and eating new and interesting cuisine, most recently the fresh fish of Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. Along with dining at the many interesting restaurants New York City has to offer, he enjoys the variety of street food that can be found all over the city.


Julie Pugkhem has Position at a New School

01.04.2010Julie Pugkhem has Position at a New School

Julie now teaches studio at Horace Mann’s nursery division in Manhattan.


Kimberly Pozner is Substituting for Joanne McGowan

10.05.2011Kimberly Pozner is Substituting for Joanne McGowan

Joanne McGowan is on medical leave as she undergoes knee replacement surgery. During her absence, Kimberly Pozner will serve as one of our reading specialists. She has experience as a learning specialist at such schools as Claremont Preparatory, Stephen Gaynor and the Spence School, and has been working as a private tutor since 1996. As part of the Spence School Resource Center, Kimberly has conducted several parent presentations. She loves spending as much time as possible with her two sons; Sam, age nine, and Jack, age five, enjoying all that New York City has to offer. Kimberly loves to travel, go to the movies and is an avid reader. She particularly enjoys yoga.


Bruce Posner is Interim Director of Technology

09.27.2011Bruce Posner is Interim Director of Technology

Bruce Posner began working part-time at Trinity during the month of June when he began overseeing the updating of Trinity’s technological infrastructure. Bruce has over thirty years of experience in information technology consulting and general management. Since 2005, he has been running Bruce Posner Consulting, where he has been providing comprehensive services to clients including strategic technology planning, project and staff management, IT assessments, business process analysis and redesign, website assessment and design, and education in best practices and products. For ten years prior he worked as director of technology and as an assistant head of school at Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Bruce has two albums available of music by British Isle composers. He is associate editor of the Journal of Urban Technology. Bruce lives in Riverdale with his wife, Sandy, and his son and step-daughter, Nathaniel and Laura. He is very pleased to be joining the Trinity team.


Denise Valentine Philpotts Returns to Full-Time Teaching

04.12.2011Denise Valentine Philpotts Returns to Full-Time Teaching

Denise is relinquishing her position as science department head at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year so that she can return to full-time teaching here at Trinity. Establishing our partnership with the Harlem DNA Lab, working tirelessly to foster greater cohesion in her sprawling K-12 science department, advocating passionately for a three-year science graduation requirement to validate the school's commitment to excellence in science education, Denise has accomplished much in such a short time, and we are grateful for her willingness to serve the school in this leadership role since 2009.


Laura K. Peyton is a New Admissions Receptionist

09.27.2011Laura K. Peyton is a New Admissions Receptionist

As a child growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Laura Peyton attended several private schools. Raised by classical musicians, she studied violin for ten years and learned to speak French fluently during her nine years at École Bilingue (now called the International School of Boston), a bilingual school then located in Arlington, Massachusetts. Laura learned her love of visual arts at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. After graduating from Boston University in 2002 with a BA in sociology, she moved to New York City and helped start a small jewelry design company based in Brooklyn. Laura attended the School of Visual Arts as a graduate student from 2008-2010 where she received an MFA in illustration and had several exhibitions of her work.


Dr. Frances (Cary) Perry Moves to London

01.04.2010Dr. Frances (Cary) Perry Moves to London

Frances and her husband Martin relocated to London where she has found a position teaching biology at Epsom College. They traveled to Botswana during the summer of 2009.


Geoffrey Peppiatt is Retiring

01.07.2013Geoffrey Peppiatt is Retiring

Geoff Peppiatt has announced his retirement: “I will be retiring at the end of the current academic year after thirty-one years of the most enjoyable and stimulating teaching experiences one could possibly imagine. I still derive undiminished pleasure from being in a class with a group of students—in particular, sophomores—who are so engaging and endearing. The other side of the coin is that June and I have so many interests and things to do that we will be very busy and need time to fit it all in.”

We thank Geoff for his three decades of service to Trinity School and wish him the best on his retirement.


Tyler Paul ’04 is a New Assistant Teacher in Kindergar...

09.09.2013Tyler Paul ’04 is a New Assistant Teacher in Kindergarten

While earning his master’s degree in childhood education, Tyler served as an assistant teacher at Trevor Day School in first and second grade, where he also coached soccer and track and field. Tyler is no stranger to Trinity as he attended school here from Kindergarten through Grade Three and worked as a group counselor at the Trinity Day Camp. Tyler is a self-proclaimed “movie dork,” and enjoys nothing more than talking about movies with other film buffs. Tyler also loves to exercise, and spent much of the summer in gyms and yoga studios across the city.


Lee Palmer is Leaving Trinity

02.01.2010Lee Palmer is Leaving Trinity

Lee is leaving Trinity at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year to move to Washington, D.C. where she has accepted the position of head of upper school at Sidwell Friends School. She will be rejoining her husband, who moved there during the summer to work for the Environmental Protection Agency. The text of her announcement follows:
Dear Upper School Faculty,

It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of this extraordinary community for the past five and half years, and the news I am sharing with you is accompanied by bittersweet feelings. I have accepted the position of Upper School Principal at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. for the next school year. The prospect of rejoining my husband and many long-time friends, the opportunity to serve another wonderful school, and the chance for a new adventure are all extremely exciting, and I’m looking to the future with great anticipation. However, I will no longer have the benefit of daily interactions with dear friends and colleagues, students, and parents who have made my experience at Trinity so rewarding and so thrilling.
I will do everything in my power to make the transition to a new principal go as smoothly as possible. I am deeply grateful for all that Trinity has given me, and will miss everyone. Thank you for your support, for your kindness, and for all that I have learned from you.
With much love,
Lee


Walter Ostapiak is Retiring

01.10.2011Walter Ostapiak is Retiring

After enjoying his thirty-seventh year of teaching at Trinity School, Walter decided to retire at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year. He is grateful for the many rewarding years he has taught at Trinity, and he will miss the students, fellow teachers, administrators, and staff.


Walter Ostapiak Recieves Dedication

06.14.2011Walter Ostapiak Recieves Dedication

John Allman, head of Trinity School, read the following dedication out loud during the final faculty and staff luncheon of the 2010-2011 academic year: "The year was 1974. Richard Nixon had just become the first President to resign from office. The cost of a gallon of gas was fifty-five cents, and the cost of a year in Trinity’s Kindergarten was $1350. And, after working for five years as a college professor, Walter Ostapiak came to Trinity to teach math in what was then called our Upper Middle division. A few years later, Walter added to his responsibilities the task of serving as the Eighth Grade Form Master, a precursor of our class deans today, and eventually Walter’s teaching responsibilities moved from Middle to Upper School. As his history at Trinity suggests, Walter quickly became known as a teacher who demonstrated a 'total commitment to Trinity' and who 'could be counted on to carry out any extra assignment.' One of his numerous department heads repeatedly described him as a 'mainstay of the department' known for his 'deep concern for students.' Another of his colleagues saw in Walter the essence and embodiment of faculty excellence at Trinity School—'he sets high standards for his students and always does everything he can to help them reach those standards.' As any of his students or colleagues will quickly report when asked about what they appreciate about Mr. O, Walter was also blessed with a distinctive sense of humor that he used to enliven his work with us. A man of mirth, he is also a man of quiet, yet fervent faith, and, in Walter, I suspect that the two are related, for I think he, like Karl Barth, understands in a profound way that 'laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.' Walter, for thirty-seven years, you have graced us with your humor, your dedication to Trinity, your care for others—students and colleagues—and your total commitment to teaching. We are so grateful for your time with us. Please join me in thanking Mr. O for his thirty-seven years of distinctive service to Trinity School."

Upon his retirement, Walter donated two books to the Trinity School library: Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain and The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics by C.S. Lewis.

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc is the story of the fifteenth-century martyred teenage patron saint of France. Twain said of this work: "I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others need no preparation and got none." Twain considered this book—his last finished novel—to be his most significant.

C. S. Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. The Chronicles of Narnia was for decades the world's bestselling fantasy series for children. Although it was eventually superseded by Harry Potter, the series still holds a firm place in children's literature and the culture at large. The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics contains his seven most popular works.


Kelly O’Shea is a New Upper School Science Teacher

09.09.2013Kelly O’Shea is a New Upper School Science Teacher

Kelly grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is relocating to New York City from Middletown, Delaware, where she has been teaching physics for six years at St. Andrew’s School. Her goal is to make physics accessible to all students. Kelly writes the blog, Physics! Blog!, and is active in the online physics teaching community. She enjoys playing the flute and learning and playing other instruments.


Kelly O’Shea is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Kelly O’Shea is Leaving Trinity

Kelly O’Shea left Trinity at year’s end and will be teaching at Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School in the fall.We wish her well as she pursues this new professional opportunity.


Tristina Oppliger is Teaching in Spain

03.15.2010Tristina Oppliger is Teaching in Spain

Tristina is currently teaching English as a foreign language in a high school in Castellón, Spain.


Tristina Oppliger has Updates from Austin, Texas

02.22.2012Tristina Oppliger has Updates from Austin, Texas

Tristina, former special events assistant, is obtaining her teacher certification at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, she is working as special events assistant for JDRF (Austin Chapter) and is currently managing a silent and live auction in order to fund research to cure Type 1 diabetes.


Patricia A. Niles is Retiring

06.17.2014Patricia A. Niles is Retiring

After thirty-three years of dedicated service to Trinity School, Patty Niles retired at school year’s end. She wanted all to know that she feels very fortunate to have worked with such memorable colleagues and students, and she looks forward to spending her post-Trinity years with family in Henryville, Pennsylvania, and St. Augustine, Florida. We thank her for her wonderful service to the School and wish her the best in her retirement.


Jyotsana Negi is a New Learning Specialist in the Upper Scho...

09.09.2013Jyotsana Negi is a New Learning Specialist in the Upper School

This past year Jyoti was a learning specialist at the Packer Collegiate Institute as a leave replacement. She has been in education for thirteen years and has had the opportunity to teach in Honduras as well as at three New York City charter schools where she served as academic interventionist, and an English as a Second Language and literacy teacher. Jyoti’s interests include Spanish, international travel, and the book club she founded here in the city five years ago that still meets each month. She is very much looking forward to supporting the Upper School students at Trinity in reaching their goals of academic success.


Hannah Trooboff McCollum has a New Baby Girl

08.09.2011Hannah Trooboff McCollum has a New Baby Girl

New Baby Girl


Hannah Trooboff McCollum is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Hannah Trooboff McCollum is Leaving Trinity

After four years at Trinity, Hannah McCollum decided to leave at year’s end in order to spend time with her family and explore new professional opportunities. We thank her for her service to the School.


Kathryn Mulvihill is Awarded a Masters Degree

05.03.2010Kathryn Mulvihill is Awarded a Masters Degree

Recently, after fours years of intensive study, Kate was awarded a masters degree in classics from Columbia University.


Kathryn Mulvihill is Awarded a Scholarship and Engaged

12.06.2010Kathryn Mulvihill is Awarded a Scholarship and Engaged

In spring 2010, Kate was awarded the Rea Silvia Borza Scholarship of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece where she studied during the past summer. In August, she recorded “Shir Ha-Shirim,” a piece for an unaccompanied female vocal quintet for avant-garde composer John Zorn. She premiered the piece in New York in 2007 and has since toured with it in Paris and Milan. She also performed Zorn’s “Frammenti Del Sappho” at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in November 2010.

Most importantly, Kate is engaged to her college classmate Karl Muchantef, and they will be married at the Yale Club on 8 January 2010.


Kathryn Mulvihill is Leaving Trinity

12.20.2010Kathryn Mulvihill is Leaving Trinity

Kate left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to accompany her husband-to-be as he begins a medical fellowship in Philadelphia.


Kathryn Mulvihill Receives Dedication

06.20.2011Kathryn Mulvihill Receives Dedication

Chris Schoberl, head of the Middle School, read the following dedication out loud during the final faculty and staff luncheon of the 2010-2011 academic year:

"Kate has been at Trinity for six years. This was her first teaching job. She and her husband are moving to Philadelphia for Carl’s one-year fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, so she is using it as a window to explore some long-standing interests. She will be working on two psychology research projects: one at the University of Pennsylvania that looks at worry in the brain and one at Swarthmore that targets early adolescent girls in schools.

"In addition, she will be taking psychology classes, and maybe some education classes, to follow up on an interest in psychology that has grown over her years at Trinity. She will continue to sing professionally in New York, (she has a premiere in December!) and hopes to build up some new contacts in Philadelphia. She also hopes to get back on the Schuylkill River, where I rowed in high school, and participate in some regattas.

Says Kate, 'I am heartbroken at leaving my students and colleagues at the best job I can imagine. Anyone who has made the 7th grade trip to the musical, Wicked, will recognize the lyric that sums it up for me: 'Because I knew you, I’ve been changed for good.''

"When speaking of Kate, her colleagues have said: 'I wish I could have had the opportunity to sit in on her classes.' She is filled with wisdom and kindness, not simply for her subject matter and her approach to children, but for her colleagues as well. She is thoughtful, smart, friendly, and instantly accessible to anyone needing her ear. Kate never lets anything ruffle her feathers. She is balanced, and strong, yet sensitive and a good listener. Whenever I need an extra shoulder or an extra ear, Kate is there for me, and my only hope is that I have somehow been a source of comfort and respite for her as much as she has been for me. Kate is a full on member of the community, a professional in every sense of the word, she always has the best interests of the students in mind, and a great heart to share with each of them."


Peter Moriarty has a Photography Lecture

02.01.2010Peter Moriarty has a Photography Lecture

Peter gave a lecture on photographer Danny Lyon at the Hillwood Art Museum at Long Island University on 22 October 2009. The museum exhibited Lyon’s series “The Bikeriders,” 1960s photographs of the infamous Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.


Peter Moriarty has a Photography Lecture on Italian Photogra...

02.22.2010Peter Moriarty has a Photography Lecture on Italian Photographer

Peter was asked to define a critical context for looking at the current show, Bluebird, by the Italian photographer, Frank Dituri, which is at Long Island University’s Hillwood Art Museum.


Peter Moriarty Photographs New Work of Glass Houses

12.06.2010Peter Moriarty Photographs New Work of Glass Houses

Peter, with the help of a Trinity School Parent Association grant, spent six weeks, from 3 July 2010 to 16 August 2010, photographing significant British and European glass houses. These photographs are added to his American portfolio of orangeries. Peter filled twenty-eight rolls of film at such places as Kew Gardens and Chiswick House in London; Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England; the National Botanic Garden of Belgium; Strasbourg, France; the Jardin botanique de Nancy, France; and the greenhouse in the Paris Museum of Natural History.

He is currently editing the work and looking for a suitable venue to exhibit the photographs.


Peter Moriarty Publishes Introductory Notes About Work by Br...

09.08.2011Peter Moriarty Publishes Introductory Notes About Work by Bruce Edelstein and Thomas Holton

Peter Moriarty published introductory notes about work by fellow Visual Arts Department teachers Bruce Edelstein and Thomas Holton that is showing at Hillwood Art Museum at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University from 12 September - 5 November 2011.


Peter Moriarty has work in the Permanent Collection of the W...

10.18.2011Peter Moriarty has work in the Permanent Collection of the Worcester Art Museum

Peter has had one of his photographs added to the permanent collection of the Worcester Art Museum. Since he started teaching at Trinity in 2002, the Princeton Art Museum, Wesleyan University, and the Yale University Art Gallery have acquired photographs from his Warm Roomseries. He has appreciated all the institutional support that has helped in this effort.


Patricia A. Mennitt is Leaving Trinity

02.17.2011Patricia A. Mennitt is Leaving Trinity

Patricia left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to spend more time with her family. We thank her for her time spent teaching at Trinity School.


Patricia A. Mennitt Receives Dedication

06.14.2011Patricia A. Mennitt Receives Dedication

"Patricia Mennitt has been a godsend to Trinity’s biology program," says Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby, "Picking up classes we needed covered and doing so with wonderful professionalism and care. Her students have found her to be a devoted and caring teacher and her colleagues have appreciated her generosity and collaborative spirit in their work together. Patricia decided earlier this year that she needed to take a hiatus from teaching to prioritize her young family. We wish her the very best and thank her for her good work her over the past two years."


Patricia Mead is Retiring

12.20.2010Patricia Mead is Retiring

Pat retired at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year and relinquished her seat on New Jersey Transit. Among other things, she plans to travel with her husband, who retired the previous year.


Patricia Mead Receives Dedication

06.14.2011Patricia Mead Receives Dedication

John Allman, head of Trinity School, read the following dedication out loud during the final faculty and staff luncheon of the 2010-2011 academic year: "From the day Pat Mead joined our Middle School’s Learning Center as a learning specialist eight years ago, she has been an extraordinarily skilled and patient educator as well as wonderful colleague, always willing to help out anyone in need, in whatever way she could. Her colleagues describe her as 'stellar,' 'wonderful,' 'exceptional,' 'always advocating for children first,' and 'a model of collegiality.' One grateful parent described Pat this way: 'Pat has been nothing short of a life saver.' And in trying to express one of the secrets of Pat’s phenomenal success with all kinds of students, one of you said this about Pat: 'Pat brings a sense of joy to her work, a joy that is infectious and that helps students to connect to her.' Pat, we will miss you, and, as you travel and volunteer in your years after Trinity, we hope and trust that your days will be filled with the same joy with which you filled our lives here. Please join me in thanking Ms. Mead for her extraordinary service to Trinity School for the past eight years."

Upon her retirement, Pat donated this book to the Trinity School library: Morocco: Designs from Casablanca to Marrakesh by Lisl Dennis and Landt Dennis.

The book captures the wonderful experiences Pat had while living in Morocco during the Peace Corps many moons ago. Pat hopes it will inspire its readers to explore this wonderful country.


Geraldine McNally is a New Upper School Learning Specialist

09.01.2012Geraldine McNally is a New Upper School Learning Specialist

Gerry is an experienced independent school learning and literacy specialist and a dedicated advocate for students with learning differences. She comes to us from the Blue School and The Storm King School where she also taught English literature. Gerry is affiliated with the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. She has particular interest in helping students find their authentic voices in writing. Gerry enjoys reading and writing poetry and spending time with her family, which includes her husband, three sons, and one dog.


Geraldine McNally is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Geraldine McNally is Leaving Trinity

Gerry McNally left us at year’s end to devote her energies to private practice in Orange County, New York. While she will miss her colleagues and students here, she also reports that she will not miss the commute! We thank her for her service to Trinity and wish her the best.


Erin McMenamin is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

08.30.2011Erin McMenamin is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

Nine years ago, Erin McMenamin moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. During this time, she has had the opportunity to perform in several Off-Broadway and regional theatres including several summers at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. She taught acting to young students for many years, most recently working with Child’s Play NY in Brooklyn. She is pursuing a master’s degree from Bank Street College of Education. Originally from Philadelphia, Erin currently lives in Astoria, Queens with her husband, James. She is thrilled to be a new member of the Trinity School community. Go Phillies!


Erin McMenamin has a New Baby

04.03.2014Erin McMenamin has a New Baby

Erin and James welcomed a baby to the world on 15 March 2014. Erin writes, "Greetings from the nursery! Joseph Edward McMenamin wasted absolutely no time of spring break to arrive. I must have been in early labor without knowing it at dismissal on Friday, because he graced us with his presence early Saturday morning! Weighing in at a tiny five pounds, thirteen ounces, Joseph was three weeks early and nearly born on the Queensboro Bridge! It was a wild and fast delivery. James and I are absolutely in love and grateful that everyone is very healthy and happy."

Congratulations to the family!


Kaori Y. McManus is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Kaori Y. McManus is Leaving Trinity

Kaori is leaving Trinity to teach closer to her home at Rye Country Day School. We thank her for her time with us at Trinity, and wish her the best!


Joanne McGowan Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.22.2011Joanne McGowan Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Joanne was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Joanne, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Joanne McGowan is on Medical Leave

10.05.2011Joanne McGowan is on Medical Leave

Joanne is on medical leave as she undergoes knee replacement surgery. During her absence, Kimberly Pozner will serve as one of our reading specialists. She has experience as a learning specialist at such schools as Claremont Preparatory, Stephen Gaynor and the Spence School, and has been working as a private tutor since 1996.


Gene McGarry has a Life Update

12.06.2010Gene McGarry has a Life Update

Gene writes, “I spend a good deal of my time birding and photographing the birds I find. I am involved in a Haiku Kai group as well. It seems a natural fit with my love of being outdoors.”


Maxine McClintock Publishes New Book

09.10.2013Maxine McClintock Publishes New Book

Maxine, who taught history at Trinity School from 1990 to 2006, recently published a book, Letters of Recommendation. She writes, "The idea for Letters germinated about seven years ago. I wanted to write to my students about the issues their schooling didn't address, specifically the difference between success and fulfillment, getting schooled and achieving an education, entitlement and privilege, study and learning. I also wanted to recommend that the responsibility for recognizing and acting upon those differences rests with each person."

Letters of Recommendation features correspondence between a student and teacher. From the back of the book: "Emilia, a girl who seemingly has it all, asks an admired teacher, Doc, for a letter of recommendation supporting early admission to a top college. Emilia withdraws the request, beginning to doubt what she's doing, and why, and what she really wants in life. Doc senses her unease. Letters result, back and forth through the school year, with subtle attention to the girl's emerging sense of self and the teacher's presence, both humane and professional. The year ends, the exchange stops; life's externals appear settled for now, with the larger questions deepened, but still open, as they always are."

Maxine continues, "Letters is a quiet book that depicts what goes on as a good education takes place. It affirms a student's self-reliance in the face of felt uncertainties. It also affirms a teacher's trust that her presence as a full, human person has value and meaning in carrying on the work of education. The letters create a pedagogical dialogue."

Letters of Recommendation is currently available at https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Recommendation-Maxine-McClintock/dp/193782800X.


Marisol Martinez has Two Art Exhibitions

02.04.2011Marisol Martinez has Two Art Exhibitions

Due to the snowy weather, the reception of Marisol's and her sister's show has been rescheduled for Wednesday, 9 February 2011 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. "New Works on Paper by Two Sisters" is at the Spence Gallery at the Spence School on 22 East 91st Street, 7th floor. The exhibition is on view from 26 January - 3 March 2011 and the gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The show also features the work of her sister, Sylvia Martinez.

Marisol is also in another group show titled "Re-Turn: Barnard Alumnae Exhibition" at the Louis McCagg Gallery at Barnard College. The reception is Thursday, 10 February 2011 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Louis McCagg Gallery is located on the fourth floor of The Diana Center in the Barnard College campus, and the exhibition is on view from 7 - 25 February 2011.


Marisol Martinez has a Reading at the High Line

05.03.2011Marisol Martinez has a Reading at the High Line

As part of the Seventh Annual PEN World Voices of International Literature event and with Ugly Duckling Presse,
Marisol read poems from her unfinished illustrated novel at the High Line in Chelsea on 1 May with poets Jen Bervin, Julian T. Brolaski, and Eugene Ostashevsky.

Last year, Ugly Duckling Presse published a second printing of Marisol's book After you, dearest language.


Marisol Martinez has Video Exhibited at National Academy Mus...

05.15.2015Marisol Martinez has Video Exhibited at National Academy Museum

Opening on 15 May 2015 at National Academy Museum and School in the show, Creative Mischief, is a video by Visual Arts Department Faculty Member Marisol Limon Martinez titled, "You Are Red Just Like Me."

The show runs until 24 May 2015.

https://www.nationalacademy.org/creative-mischief-2015-2/


Marisol Martinez has Third Book Published

06.02.2015Marisol Martinez has Third Book Published

Marisol Limon Martinez’s third book, "Via Dissimulata," uses the book as a frame and a portal: phrases and images echo, cycle, and stutter as the book-length poem accrues meanings both archetypal and personal.

Classics Faculty Member Bill Pagonis provided the Latin translations for the book.

The New York City book release reading and performance will take place on Tuesday, 9 June at 6:30 p.m. at Pete's Candy Store, 709 Lorimer Street, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

To order a copy of the book: www.octopusbooks.net

For more information about Ms. Martinez: http://mlimonmartinezart.com


Zev Markenson is New Director of Technology

03.13.2012Zev Markenson is New Director of Technology

Zev Markenson is Trinity's new director of technology. Zev possesses both the technical savvy as well as management skills needed to support the changing technological needs of our school. He is passionate about working closely and collaboratively with others to solve problems and explore options that will best serve individual as well as institutional needs.

Zev will be working closely with our interim director of technology, Bruce Posner, to ensure that his transition is smooth and that the School’s technology is operating effectively as we begin the 2012-2013 academic year.


Margery Mandell is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Margery Mandell is Leaving Trinity

As a result of the School's decision to restructure responsibilities in the Upper School administration, Margery Mandell will be leaving Trinity after fifteen years of exemplary work, most recently administering the School's internship program, directing the Upper School's Community Time programming, and overseeing Upper School foreign travel opportunities. We wish her well on her future endeavors.


Rob Mancabelli is New Director of Technology

09.27.2010Rob Mancabelli is New Director of Technology

Rob Mancabelli is passionately committed to transforming teaching and learning through the use of technology. “In the Internet era we can learn from anyone, anywhere, at any time—an incredible game changer for the field of education. Now students have the power not only to work with the teacher in their classroom, but with ‘teachers’ from across the globe. The question for schools like Trinity is, ‘How can we build on the incredible education that we already provide by having students and teachers construct personal learning networks of people, resources, and information from around the world?’”

Rob developed his philosophy and approach while working in two schools over the past fifteen years. Most recently, as director of information systems for Hunterdon Central, his programs were nationally recognized for using technology to improve teaching and learning. At Central, every day many students in language classes spoke with native student speakers around the world. English classes blogged with Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and award-winning novelists. Students studied science by bringing scientists into their classrooms. Student engagement in those classes was remarkable, and graduates received not only top notch skills for college, but also a lasting global network of teachers and colleagues.

An active speaker within the field of educational technology, Rob has presented at venues such as Princeton University, Columbia University, the National Education Computing Conference, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Leadership Conference. He serves on the National K-12 Advisory Council for Dell Computer, and he was part of a statewide task force assigned to redesign the high school experience for all students in the state of New Jersey. He has his national certification in project management, and he is working on his MBA from the MIT Sloan Executive Education program.

Rob is looking forward to working with Trinity School and discussing these ideas with an interested community. “I hear a different message at Trinity than at other schools. They understand that we are living in a very different world and that education is going to need to incorporate new tools into teaching and learning. The opportunities here are incredibly exciting, and I look forward to engaging with teachers, students, and parents in a conversation about how to use technology in ways that improves learning for everyone.”


Rob Mancabelli is Leaving Trinity

04.04.2011Rob Mancabelli is Leaving Trinity

Rob and his wife, Gayle Allen, associate head, are leaving Trinity in June 2011. They are moving to Boston, Massachusetts to enjoy opportunities with MIT Sloan School of Management (both are in the MBA program) and the broader field of education.


Jane Mallison is Retiring

02.14.2012Jane Mallison is Retiring

Jane is retiring at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year after over four decades at Trinity. She writes:
"When Mick Jagger and I started our respective careers back in the ‘60s, I assumed our professional paths would run parallel for some time but that Mick would retire before I did. After all, moving around under bright lights like a rooster on acid (Richard Belzer’s phrase) is more taxing than dealing with a room full of seventh graders, if only by a little. Imagine my surprise then that I’ve decided to retire in June while Mick and the lads are still going full tilt.
"I came to Trinity in the fall of 1970 when the students were all male as were nearly all the teachers above fifth grade. We were three females that year (me in English, Chris Heyworth in history, Andrea Agrell in French), three women not allowed to use either of the restrooms in the faculty lounge. But I loved the teaching, loved the students--and that love has persisted for forty-two years. (Since I’ve taught between 2,000 and 2,500 students here, it’s remarkable that I can cite only three who were unalloyed non-pleasures.)

"And while we’re doing the math, I’ll note that I’ve served under seven heads of school, eight Upper School principals, and eight Middle School principals; I’ve learned something valuable from working with each of them. I’ll leave Trinity with bittersweet feelings but with deep gratitude for a career I love. There’s a rumor that there’s life beyond the professional arena, and, it’s okay, Mick, I’ll be waiting for you. Meanwhile, I look forward to a fine second semester."

We would like to thank Jane for her extraordinary contributions to the School.


Sanjiv Maliakal Returns to the East Coast

02.08.2010Sanjiv Maliakal Returns to the East Coast

An update on Sanjiv and Nika Skvir-Maliakal: “After leaving Trinity, we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area – Sanj was teaching sixth and eighth grade science at the San Francisco Day School and Nika returned to the Prospect Sierra School to teach eighth grade humanities. We got married, traveled a lot (Hawaii, Costa Rica, and India have been highlight trips), managed to do a lot of hiking and windsurfing, and then had two twin girls, Madeline and Katherine, in September 2007. This past summer, we moved back to the East Coast to be closer to family. Sanj is currently teaching sixth and eighth grade science at New Canaan Country School while Nika is at home with the girls. We’d love to hear from former students and/or colleagues. Our e-mail address, [email protected], is a good way to reach us. Hope this finds everyone well!”


William E. Major is Retiring

02.13.2012William E. Major is Retiring

Bill is retiring at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year after thirty-one years as a skilled teacher, "form master," assistant principal, principal, and department head. We thank him for his many contributions to the School and wish him the best in his retirement.


Heather Jane Lynn is Special Events Manager During Li-An Pre...

02.22.2010Heather Jane Lynn is Special Events Manager During Li-An Previn’s Maternity Leave

Heather is managing the spring benefit during Li-An Previn’s maternity leave. She holds a BA in vocal performance from Vanderbilt University and her MA in arts administration from Indiana University. Most recently, Heather was special events assistant at Carnegie Hall and held positions in marketing, development, and event planning for several organizations prior to that. She is an accomplished cabaret singer who performs locally every month.


Heather Jane Lynn has a New Job

08.23.2010Heather Jane Lynn has a New Job

Heather is now Special Events Coordinator at the New York City Ballet.


Li-Dai Lu is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Li-Dai Lu is Leaving Trinity

Li-Dai, who has taught math in the Upper School since 2006, will be leaving Trinity to teach math and Chinese literature at Avenues: The World School. We thank him for his time with us, and wish him the best on his next journey as a educator.


Jason A. Lombard has New Businesses

01.04.2010Jason A. Lombard has New Businesses

Jason left Trinity to start two new businesses. He is part-owner of Unleash: Brooklyn, New York’s largest holistic animal care center for dogs and cats located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Jay is also the founder of Dog Habitat Inc., a not-for-profit rescue shelter that will rehabilitate and find homes for neglected and abandoned dogs.


Jason A. Lombard has a New Tea Company in Maine

12.11.2013Jason A. Lombard has a New Tea Company in Maine

Jay Lombard moved to Portland, Maine, in January 2013 and launched Finest Kind Tea. Read the story behind the product in an article published in the Bangor Daily News at http://bangordailynews.com/2013/12/10/living/tea-for-one-maine-entrepreneur-offering-a-healthy-alternative-to-soda/. He is also a finalist in The Next Big Food Thing, run by Fresh Direct. Good luck, Jay!


Diane Linder Berman has a New Book Published

12.06.2010Diane Linder Berman has a New Book Published

Diane writes, "I wrote and published a book about my experiences seeking a quality education for my son who has special needs. My search led us to a Long Island district committed to inclusion." The book, Beyond Words, Reflections On Our Journey to Inclusion, was published by White hat press in 2010. It can be found at Amazon.com.


Steven H. Lewis has an Art Exhibit

01.04.2010Steven H. Lewis has an Art Exhibit

Stephen collaborated with artist Beth Haber on a commissioned work that was on display at Riverwinds Gallery, 172 Main Street, Beacon, New York. Around twenty artists were invited to create works for display in store windows on Main Street in Beacon, a thriving arts scene and home to Dia: Beacon. The work was on display until 12 September and consisted of site-specific installations of mixed media including watercolor renderings, twine, copper screening, and live digital animation. The work was in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the Hudson River. The texts from the pieces were taken from the journals of Robert Juet, who accompanied Hudson on the exploration.


Sarah Levy has a New Baby

04.21.2014Sarah Levy has a New Baby

Sarah writes, "I'm excited to share the news that my husband and I welcomed into the world a beautiful baby boy, Elijah Hopper Kalista, on 10 April 2014 at 1:21 a.m. He weighed in at eight pounds, seven ounces, and measured twenty-and-a-half inches. All three of us are doing well and are greatly enjoying each others' company!" Congratulations to the family!


Colin Levitt has a New Baby Boy

07.25.2011Colin Levitt has a New Baby Boy

Congratulations to Colin and his wife, Sue, who gave birth to a boy, Kirin, on 4 July 2011 at 7:53 a.m. All in the family are doing well!


Colin Levitt is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Colin Levitt is Leaving Trinity

Colin is leaving Trinity to teach middle school math at Brooklyn's Packer Collegiate School. We thank him for his time with us, and wish him luck on his next endeavor!


Judd K. Levingston has a New Book and Career Update

01.05.2010Judd K. Levingston has a New Book and Career Update

Judd writes, “I enjoyed my time at Trinity very much in 2002 and I have appreciated staying in touch with Rev. Tim Morehouse, with whom I taught in the religion department. Since then, I have been continuing to teach religious and Jewish studies at the Perelman Jewish Day School, at Temple University as an adjunct professor, and now in a new position as director of Jewish Studies at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy. A book I have written about character education has just been published by Praeger Publications, so there have been some exciting opportunities for me since leaving New York. It is called Sowing the Seeds of Character: The Moral Education of Adolescents in Public and Private Schools.”


Robin Lester has a New Novel Published

11.26.2013Robin Lester has a New Novel Published

Robin Lester, head of school at Trinity from 1975 to 1986, has written a novel, Princes of New York, which was published in November 2013. The book "is the story of a Manhattan headmaster's battle with a Trump-like trustee over the school's and his soul and includes his falling in love with the president of his parents' association, trips to Amsterdam, Scotland, and plentiful Rembrandt lore." The book can be found online at https://www.amazon.com/Princes-New-York-Robin-Lester/dp/0786755571.


Lisa Allyn Lebow Relocates to Atlanta

01.04.2010Lisa Allyn Lebow Relocates to Atlanta

Lisa and her family relocated to Atlanta during the summer.


Lawrence G. LeBow has News after Trinity

10.10.2013Lawrence G. LeBow has News after Trinity

Larry sent us a recap of his life after Trinity: "After leaving Trinity I worked in the insurance industry for three years. After this I taught high school math at Xavier High School in New York City from 1984-2007. While at Xavier I was the rehearsal and orchestral pianist for around twenty musical productions. Since retiring I have been a volunteer math tutor at Stuyvesant High School."


Lindsay Lauder is a New Teacher of Visual Arts

08.30.2011Lindsay Lauder is a New Teacher of Visual Arts

During 2008-2009, Lindsay Lauder was hired as Trinity’s Artist-in-Residence. In celebration of our 300th anniversary, Lindsay created the large mosaic at the end of the long hall, which includes creative input by our students. Additional mosaics can also be seen as you ascend the stairs in the Lower School, and also above the Upper School bulletin board. With her education and experience in art therapy and education, she uses her therapeutic and artistic skills with both children and adults to help them gain insight, increase self-esteem and to become more resilient, productive, and valued community members. If you’re looking for something different to do on New Year’s Day, go to Brighton Beach where Lindsay and her clan from the Polar Bear Club take a dip in the ocean.


Nicole Marie Lantz is a New Administrative Assistant in Regi...

02.01.2010Nicole Marie Lantz is a New Administrative Assistant in Registrar’s Office

Nicole is the new administrative assistant in the Registrar’s Office. She earned her BA from The College of William & Mary, and previously worked at HarperCollins Children’s Books where she was a publicist for four years. She is currently working on a master’s degree in creative writing at The New School.


Jeremy Lamb is a New Performing Arts Technology Assistant

02.22.2010Jeremy Lamb is a New Performing Arts Technology Assistant

Jeremy is the new Performing Arts technology assistant. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in radio, television, and film. He previously worked as a resident teacher and curriculum developer in three separate middle and high school environments leading summer school workshops and performances in improvised theatre. He is the executive producer of the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. He has also worked freelance in theatre electrics in Chicago. In addition to his position at Trinity, he works as overhaul crew for The Public Theater in New York, where he is constantly on call for any special assignments at the theatre.


Jeremy Lamb and Caitlin Sweet ’01 have Improvisation P...

11.22.2010Jeremy Lamb and Caitlin Sweet ’01 have Improvisation Performance

Jeremy, Lower School assistant teacher Caitlin Sweet, and their improvisational troupe, The Hypotheticals, are having a mini two-show run this December. The troupe will be debuting a hilarious new format, in which they improvise the process of putting up a 'play' in three acts, from table-read to opening night. The performances are 2 December and 9 December 2010 at 9:30 p.m. at the Peoples Improv Theater (PIT) on W 29th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The cost is $5.00.


Jeremy Lamb is Leaving Trinity

12.20.2010Jeremy Lamb is Leaving Trinity

Jeremy left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to head back to Austin, Texas, where he will be pursuing graduate study in Drama and Theatre for Youth at the University of Texas.


Katherine Krantz is Leaving Trinity

04.26.2010Katherine Krantz is Leaving Trinity

Katherine is leaving Trinity at the end of the year to move to Seattle, where her husband’s medical residency will begin in June.


Monika Kolodziej is Leaving Trinity

10.05.2011Monika Kolodziej is Leaving Trinity

Monika has decided to step down to attend to her health during her pregnancy. She will be replaced by Amber Hagen, who has worked in After School since 2005. We thank Monika for her service to the School.


Alexandra Klein is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Alexandra Klein is Leaving Trinity

Alexandra Klein announced her retirement from Trinity School, after forty-two years as a learning specialist, nineteen of them at Trinity. We thank her for her nearly two decades of service to the School and wish her well in this next chapter of her life.


Brian Kivlan is Retiring

01.07.2013Brian Kivlan is Retiring

After forty-two years of teaching and coaching at Trinity School, Brian Kivlan is retiring. We thank him for his over four decades of service to the School and wish him the best on his retirement.


Meredith Pinckney Kent Takes a Leave of Absence

06.06.2012Meredith Pinckney Kent Takes a Leave of Absence

While she is not leaving us permanently, Meredith will be taking a one-year leave of absence so she can devote all of her energies to the twins she is expecting in the fall.


Gregory Kenney is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Gregory Kenney is Leaving Trinity

After eighteen years of dedicated work with our students on our fields and in our gyms, Greg Kenney left Trinity at the end of the school year. We thank him for his commitment to our students and to our school and wish him well on his future endeavors.


Janet E. Kehi is Retiring

02.01.2010Janet E. Kehi is Retiring

Janet plans to retire at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year after twenty-five years of service to the School. She is excited to make Maine her permanent home and to explore opportunities to help not-for-profits in Portland.


Janet E. Kehi has First Year of Retirement

12.06.2010Janet E. Kehi has First Year of Retirement

Janet writes, "In my first year of retirement, I miss all of my former students and colleagues but have enjoyed having the extra time to paddle about in my kayak, to read, to revamp my long lost Italian, to attend lectures and concerts at Bowdoin College, and to do some volunteer work in our small Maine community. So far, I have one French student, a veteran, and I'm hoping to start a French reading group. Once a Francophile, always a Francophile!"


Meredith Kato is in a General Surgery Residency

02.08.2010Meredith Kato is in a General Surgery Residency

Meredith graduated from medical school in 2005 and is now in her fifth year of seven of a general surgery residency. Her two girls, Anna, age two, and Jillian, age five, have a favorite babysitter…Hallie M. Friedman ’01!


N. Jan Kang is Leaving Trinity and has Baby News

06.28.2010N. Jan Kang is Leaving Trinity and has Baby News

Jan is leaving Trinity to prepare for her second child.


Achyut S. Joshi is a New Teacher of Mathematics in the Upper...

08.30.2011Achyut S. Joshi is a New Teacher of Mathematics in the Upper School

Achyut Joshi has been teaching mathematics since 2002, most recently at Trevor Day School. Outside of the math classroom, he is an Indian classical vocalist, and in 2005, received a Fulbright Scholarship to train one-on-one with a teacher in India. He actively performs and teaches privately, and is looking forward to sharing his music with the Trinity community. Achyut is fluent in Spanish, Hindi, and his mother tongue, Marathi.


Achyut S. Joshi is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Achyut S. Joshi is Leaving Trinity

Achyut Joshi is leaving Trinity to pursue more music-related work as a classical Indian vocalist. He plans to teach music privately and hopes to bring Indian classical vocal music to a wider audience. He wants us to know that he has had great fun working at Trinity for the past three years. We thank him for his service to the School and wish him the best on his exciting endeavor.


Don E. Jones Jr. has an Update from Florida

02.08.2010Don E. Jones Jr. has an Update from Florida

Don writes, “I currently serve as a trustee for the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts (http://tbpac.org) in Tampa, Florida. It is the largest theatre complex south of the Kennedy Center on the East Coast. In April I will serve as voluntary program chair for the twentieth year of the Florida State Thespian Conference (https://www.flthespian.com). This conference annually hosts 7500 Florida high school theatre students for four days of performance, auditions, workshops, and competition at the Straz Center which was formerly known as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. I also serve on the board of our local Pinellas County Cultural Arts Council.”


Walter C. Johnson has an Update on Children

01.04.2010Walter C. Johnson has an Update on Children

Walter, now Headmaster of Hackley School, writes, “Some alumni may remember my daughter, Meg, who was born in January 1989 (thank you for babysitting!) She’s now a junior at Harvard, and my son Will, born in London in 1994, is a sophomore at Hackley, where we’ve been since 1995.”


Elizabeth “Libby” Jelliffe has a New Son

08.30.2011Elizabeth “Libby” Jelliffe has a New Son

Libby and her husband, Za, adopted a newborn boy from Mississippi two days after he was born. Connor Scribner Jelliffe was born on 12 July 2011 at five pounds twelve ounces and measuring nineteen and a half inches. Big brother, Dylan, adores his younger brother. All in the family are doing well. Libby returns from leave in mid-October.


Elizabeth “Libby” Jelliffe is Leaving Trinity

06.24.2013Elizabeth “Libby” Jelliffe is Leaving Trinity

Wanting to reduce long-distance commute time to maximize time with her family, Libby Jelliffe has accepted a learning support position at Rye County Day School, much closer to her home. We thank her for her wonderful work with us during the past three years and wish her well in her new position.


Shelley A. Jackson Co-Illustrates a New Book

01.04.2010Shelley A. Jackson Co-Illustrates a New Book

Shelley and her husband Jeff Crosby have co-illustrated a new children’s book published in September 2009. Upon Secrecy, written by Selene Castrovilla and published by Calkins Creek Press, is the story of George Washington’s spy ring that operated out of New York during the Revolutionary War.


Bonnie Jackson is Performing in The Nutcracker and the Mouse...

11.15.2012Bonnie Jackson is Performing in The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

Bonnie is performing in the original Off-Broadway production of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King produced by PiPe Dream Theatre. The limited engagement runs from 29 November through 15 December 2012 at the Beckett Theatre (Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street).

Bonnie writes, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is not your typical Christmas musical. A somewhat dark comedy, this fantastical show will take you on journey to another world, where there are life size mice, talking dolls, sword fights, magic, true love and, of course, a happy ending. The entire family will love this new take on an old favorite!"

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Theatre Row box office at 410 West 42nd Street.

For more information, visit http://offbroadway.broadwayworld.com/article/PiPe-Dream-Theatre-Opens-Steam-Punk-Show-THE-NUTCRACKER-AND-THE-MOUSE-KING-Off-Broadway-121-20121106.


Bonnie Jackson is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Bonnie Jackson is Leaving Trinity

Bonnie Jackson left Trinity at the end of the school year to teach at Caedmon School on the Upper East Side. We thank her for her service to the School and wish her well in her next position.


Cem Inaltong is Leaving Trinity

12.06.2011Cem Inaltong is Leaving Trinity

After almost ten years at Trinity, two-and-a-half as chair of our math department, Cem has decided he will leave us at school year's end to serve as math department head at Avenues: The World School, a for-profit school scheduled to open in Chelsea in fall 2012. We will miss Cem’s exceptional teaching and visionary leadership, but wish him well as he pursues this new professional opportunity.


June M. Idzal is Enjoying Retirement

01.04.2010June M. Idzal is Enjoying Retirement

June is living in Philadelphia and has just been selected to be in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s next two year training program for learning the collection. She says, “In 2011 I’ll be guiding tours and I hope to see some Trinity faces on my tours! Retirement is great. I just started to take up golf!”


Elizabeth J. Hunter is Active After Retirement

02.08.2010Elizabeth J. Hunter is Active After Retirement

Elizabeth has been active since retirement. “I volunteer twice a week at two different centers, attend concerts at Carnegie Hall and plays at the Signature Theatre, taking a Spanish class, going to the gym, and enjoying photography, reading, and knitting.”


Elizabeth J. Hunter is Volunteering and Traveling

07.16.2013Elizabeth J. Hunter is Volunteering and Traveling

Liz writes, "Since retiring, I have been volunteering at Jacobi Medical Center, traveled to Spain and parts of Florida in the last year, joined community groups, and later in the year I'm going by sleeper train to New Orleans."


Sue Hipkens is Retiring

01.07.2013Sue Hipkens is Retiring

After an extraordinary forty-seven years as Lower School librarian at Trinity School, Sue Hipkens is retiring at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year. We thank her for all that she has done for Trinity and the Lower School. Bob Hipkens, Upper School science teacher, will join his wife in retirement.


Robert W. Hipkens is Retiring

01.07.2013Robert W. Hipkens is Retiring

At the end of the 2012-2013 academic year, Robert Hipkens will retire. Bob has been teaching at Trinity since 1972, and we thank him for his four decades of service to the School. Sue Hipkens, Lower School librarian, will join her husband in retirement.


Nelly M. Hilsman is Back in New Jersey

12.06.2011Nelly M. Hilsman is Back in New Jersey

Nelly Hilsman, who taught French at Trinity from 1979 to 1987, writes: "My husband Ashby and I are back east in our New Jersey home after four marvelous years spent in Salt Lake City, Utah where we so enjoyed skiing and hiking."


Rev. Daniel R. Heischman Writes a New Book

01.04.2010Rev. Daniel R. Heischman Writes a New Book

Daniel has returned to New York after twenty years. He is executive director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, of which Trinity is a member. “I have just completed a book: Good Influence: Teaching the Wisdom of Adulthood, which comes out of my thirty years working in schools, about a third of which were at Trinity.”


Christina Harrison has a New Baby

04.18.2013Christina Harrison has a New Baby

Christi Harrison and her husband, John, recently welcomed a new addition to their family. Mom reports: “Slater Wesley Harrison was born on 23 January 2013 at a whopping nine pounds, seven ounces. He was born with a radical mohawk but that is the only thing wild about that child. Slater is peaceful, gentle, and enjoys adults and children alike. Etcher, now two and a half years old, was a bit jealous at first but quickly warmed up. Etch has now entered the experimental phase of brotherhood...like putting his finger in Slater's mouth as a pacifier, pinching his nose, picking him up and trying to feed him popcorn....all completely terrifying.”


Christina Harrison is Leaving Trinity

06.24.2013Christina Harrison is Leaving Trinity

Christi Harrison has accepted a position at St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn, much closer to her home. We thank her for her service to the School and to our students during the past nine years and wish her the best on her next endeavor.


Susan Harriot is Leaving Trinity

06.02.2010Susan Harriot is Leaving Trinity

Susan has accepted the position of director of admissions and financial aid at St. Luke’s School, a pre-K-8 coed Episcopal day school located in the West Village. She is not leaving entirely, though. Her son enters kindergarten at Trinity next year (class of 2024) and she will become a Trinity parent!


Elizabeth Harvard Harnage is Leaving Trinity

06.28.2010Elizabeth Harvard Harnage is Leaving Trinity

Elizabeth leaving Trinity to work as a technology integrationist at Brooklyn Friends School.


Chinita Leung Hard is Leaving Trinity

06.21.2011Chinita Leung Hard is Leaving Trinity

Chinita accepted a position as associate teacher in the first grade at the Spence School. We thank her for all that she has contributed during her time at Trinity!


Elizabeth Hanft is Attending Yale Law School

01.04.2010Elizabeth Hanft is Attending Yale Law School

Elizabeth left Trinity to attend Yale Law School.


Amy Hand is New Head of the Mathematics Department

09.09.2013Amy Hand is New Head of the Mathematics Department

Amy began her teaching career at Bronx Preparatory Charter School, where she taught algebra for three years. She then worked at The Spence School for eight years, where she taught math in grades six through twelve and where she was instrumental in introducing the Exeter mathematics approach to ninth graders. As the middle school dean of student life and leadership at Spence she was passionately committed to her work on issues of diversity. Amy is an enthusiastic cook, long-distance runner, and New York Giants fan. She and her husband have enjoyed living in Brooklyn for eight years, and they are excited to explore Sunnyside, Queens, which has become their new home this summer.


Amy Hand is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Amy Hand is Leaving Trinity

Amy Hand, who went on maternity leave in March, left Trinity to pursue an educational leadership opportunity that is a better fit for her. She has thoroughly enjoyed her work with her colleagues in the math department. We thank Amy for her service to the School and wish her the best in her future endeavors.


Jamie Hamilton is Teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy

01.04.2010Jamie Hamilton is Teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy

Jamie is ordained as an Episcopal priest and teaches religion and philosophy at Phillips Exeter Academy. “I am working on a book and having a great life. I would love to hear from my Trinity students!”


Amber Hagen is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Amber Hagen is Leaving Trinity

Amber Hagen left Trinity at the end of the school year to pursue a variety of personal projects. We thank her for her two years of service in the School and wish her the best on her future endeavors.


Jonathan Haff is Teaching in the Upper School

08.23.2010Jonathan Haff is Teaching in the Upper School

Starting this year, Jon will be teaching a computer programming elective in the Upper School.


Jonathan Haff is Leaving Trinity

04.12.2011Jonathan Haff is Leaving Trinity

Jon accepted a position at The Calhoun School as director of technology. We thank him for his time with us, and wish him all the best!


Jenny Griffiths is Leaving Trinity

06.09.2010Jenny Griffiths is Leaving Trinity

Jenny will be leaving her position at Trinity School in August. She is returning home to London to pursue a career in teaching.


Dondré Greenhouse is Leaving Trinity to Attend Law School

06.06.2012Dondré Greenhouse is Leaving Trinity to Attend Law School

Dondré, who has been a Lower School administrative assistant at Trinity for eleven years, will be leaving to become a full-time student as he completes his final and fourth year of law school, prepares for the bar examination, and pursues legal internships/externships/clerkships during his remaining two semesters. We thank him for his time with us, and wish him the best as he pursues his law degree!


Mary Anne Gray is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Mary Anne Gray is Leaving Trinity

With the decision to make the Upper School Learning Support positions full-time, Mary Anne will be leaving Trinity to work as a learning and reading specialist beyond our walls. We thank her for her twelve years of service to the School and wish her well on her future endeavors.


Anne Gravel is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Anne Gravel is Leaving Trinity

After fourteen years of teaching and coaching, Annie Gravel left Trinity at the end of the school year to move to Madison, Wisconsin, to join her partner, Chad. We thank Annie for her dedicated service to the School and wish her well on this next chapter in her life.


Caroline C. Grauman-Boss has a New Position at the Spring St...

10.23.2012Caroline C. Grauman-Boss has a New Position at the Spring Street International Summer School Program

Caroline, who worked at Trinity from 2000-2003, is program director at the Spring Street International School Summer Program, which brings local and international students to the San Juan Islands of Washington state to "engage in marine research with working scientists," "learn scientific best practices and marine stewardship," "express [their] creativity in collaboration with professional artists and composers," and connects cultures "with new friends from across the globe."

For more information visit http://summer.ssislink.net/


Caroline C. Grauman-Boss has a New Position at the Spring St...

03.18.2013Caroline C. Grauman-Boss has a New Position at the Spring Street International School

Caroline is in the faculty of the Spring Street International School in Friday Harbor on the San Juan Islands, Washington State. She writes, “I feel privileged to be part of such a lively and adventurous team. Last year, Spring Street’s head of school asked me to create a summer program. My first e-mail messages and phone calls were to locally-based scientists to find out what it would take for them to help me build a world-class experiential marine science program. I am delighted to share that scientists and educators from the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories, the National Parks Service, the Northwest Maritime Center, and other local scientific and stewardship organizations are truly excited to be part of the launch this summer.

“If any Trinity families or teachers are interested, please visit the program’s home page at http://summer.springstreet.org. Personally, nothing would be more fun than to see Trinity students bring their special brand of intelligence and creativity here!”


Sonia C. Gourdin is Teaching at a Charter School in Soho

09.26.2011Sonia C. Gourdin is Teaching at a Charter School in Soho

Sonia was offered a head teacher position to teach third grade in a new charter school in Soho. She is thrilled to be there during the beginning stages of a new and exciting venture. Her energy, good humor, and success with students will be missed.


Alyssa Gorelick is a New Teacher of Visual Arts

09.01.2012Alyssa Gorelick is a New Teacher of Visual Arts

Alyssa Gorelick will return to teach visual arts to Grade Seven and Eight for the fall semester. She previously taught collage and drawing to Grade Seven and Eight and was also substitute photography teacher at Trinity during 2009-2010. She has additional teaching experience from the International Center of Photography in New York City and the Community Arts Partnership in Valencia, California. Alyssa has exhibited her work in New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and London. She received her MFA from California Institute of the Arts in photography and her BA from Sarah Lawrence College. In addition to maintaining an active studio practice, making photo-based and sculptural work, she is also co-founder of the artist-run exhibition space, Regina Rex, in New York.


Anabel C. Goa is Leaving Trinity

06.28.2010Anabel C. Goa is Leaving Trinity

Anabel is working on her master's degree at Bank Street College in Early Childhood Education and needs a bilingual placement to complete her degree. She is leaving Trinity School to work at PS 210 in a dual language Kindergarten class.


Marc Gladstone is the New Director of Learning Support

03.13.2012Marc Gladstone is the New Director of Learning Support

Marc Gladstone grew up in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. He attended public schools from kindergarten through sixth grade before attending Noble and Greenough School, a private school, from seventh through twelfth grade. “I remember the transition being difficult,” says Marc. “I personally don’t think I was prepared for the change in educational setting or academic expectation. I’m sure other classmates were going through the same transition. Looking back, it was a great education, but I had an opportunity to do more than I did. I was a decent student and athlete. However, I don’t think it was until my senior year in high school, or even my freshmen year in college, that I started to think about my learning process and how to study effectively. I do sometimes wonder if there is a correlation between my educational experience and my choice to become a teacher.”

“I have worked with students with learning differences for over twenty years in New York City independent schools. I see it as opportunity to help students have a more successful school experience, and perhaps develop greater confidence in their abilities. It can mean a great deal for a student to have that support.”

Education wasn’t Marc’s first career path. “I enrolled at Skidmore College as a business major. I enjoyed studying the different aspects of business and we used Harvard Business School case studies, so it felt current and relevant. However, being a liberal arts college, Skidmore afforded me the opportunity to take a number of other interesting classes in totally new areas for me, like archaeology, psychology, and sociology. It was in these classes when I started to feel my learning broaden, when the neurons began to fire. I did graduate as a business major and did work in commercial banking for a couple of years, and even started looking into MBA programs.”

While coaching little league baseball, Marc realized how much he enjoyed working with young people. “Banking didn’t feel quite right for me and I felt empowered to follow my instinct. I don’t know if it was fate or luck, but I ended up being hired at Winston Preparatory School, a school for students with learning disabilities. I promptly fell in love with teaching. I felt comfortable and needed in this learning environment. The students were trying to do their best and enjoy a typical high school experience—and it was an exciting school to be part of. I was learning all the time there, but needed to explore this profession further. I was encouraged by my colleagues to continue my studies, and went on to pursue a master’s degree in special education at Hunter College, with a concentration in learning disabilities.”

Marc then began working at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in their learning resource center. “I wanted to put myself in a place where I could be involved in additional areas of a school. I started by teaching a math class and assisting in Spanish I. I did some coaching and helped coordinate the high school’s peer leadership program. For me, it’s more fulfilling to be part of the greater community within a school.”

“One of the challenges a place like Trinity may encounter, with a full and rigorous academic program, is the perception that if you can’t handle the rigor, then it’s not the right place for you. I have witnessed too many student success stories, especially in K-12 schools, to not get behind a student’s desire to succeed and feel good about where they are as a learner. I do believe it is important to create an honest dialogue with families about their children’s best interests. It’s also important to work together with parents and faculty to make such decisions. We understand so much more today about how children learn: there is a wide array of strategies and interventions we can consider and try. And of course, there are environmental, social, and emotional factors involved throughout a student’s school experience that need to be considered when helping to put together a game plan for a student.”

After Columbia Prep, Marc moved on to the Dalton School as a learning specialist. Again, desiring greater involvement within the school, Marc took on the roles of grade dean and coordinator of the school’s peer tutoring program. Toward the end of his tenure at Dalton, Marc became the school’s first director of community service, helping establish its service-learning model.

For the past seven years, Marc was the director of learning support services at Berkeley Carroll, a first for the school. He established policies and procedures for the program that helped support students with learning differences in all three divisions. He created a model to help facilitate the transition students made from one division to the next. To further enhance this process, Marc helped design and teach entry courses for students in middle and upper school.

When the new position of director of learning support opened at Trinity, Marc was attracted to the opportunity. “Trinity is a distinguished school with a deep history and tradition, and values an ethical education. It’s a dynamic and diverse school. It attracts caring families and talented educators. I was clearly drawn to the fact that the School was putting energy and coordination behind learning support. Not all schools have such a thoughtful approach with regard to learning differences. The position at Trinity seemed to be one where I would have the opportunity to collaborate with the principals of the three divisions with the common goal of supporting students and teachers. I find this type of collaborative work most exciting—and an important one in schools.”

Marc is excited to be working with a new department that encompasses the learning specialists in all three divisions. “The learning specialists here are all professional, talented, and dynamic. This was another obvious draw in taking this position at Trinity—to work with, and learn along with, our talented team of learning and math specialists. One of the first things we will be working on is to further enhance and support the transitions students need to make from division to division.

“Another initiative my first year here will be evaluating how we communicate to teachers what we know as learning specialists and what we’ve learned by working with students and meeting with parents. We want to make certain that teachers are able to use that information to the students’ best advantage. To that end, we will be looking at our student learning profiles and how they reflect the students we teach as they advance throughout the school. We may want to consider adopting a consistent language that can be used for our entire community.

“Another role I will have, and one I have experience with, is that of the Upper School’s services for students with disabilities coordinator; helping students seek appropriate test accommodations for ACT and College Board tests. I have a current understanding of the application process and the different types of test accommodations available for students on these college entrance exams.

“My hope is that learning support will be seen as a positive and constructive part of the School, that parents see the department as an effective resource, and that it can be a place all students can benefit from. I want it to be a productive program that supports the mission of the School. I want students who make use of our program to look back and be able to say how positive their school experience was and remember how much they were encouraged and supported at Trinity.”


Cason Given is a New Middle School History Teacher

09.09.2013Cason Given is a New Middle School History Teacher

Cason will be joining us from the Windward School in White Plains, New York. In addition to Cason's classroom experience, she has volunteered in the Windward School Multisensory Reading Practicum, which provides one-on-one writing instruction for students needing extra support prior to the start of school, and at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt University where she served as a classroom aid for hearing-impaired students. Cason has coached cross-country in the past and looks forward to being involved with Trinity's athletics program. In her spare time, Cason enjoys running, traveling, and following Southeastern Conference football. A native of Atlanta, Cason is looking forward to all that New York City has to offer.


Michael Gilbert is Acting in a Play

03.15.2012Michael Gilbert is Acting in a Play

Michael is acting in a play, Polish Joke by David Ives, presented by the Heavenly Rest Players. The performances run Thursday through Saturday 22-24 March and Thursday through Saturday, 29-31 March. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m. in Darlington Hall at the Church of the Heavenly Rest at 2 East 90th Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on www.smarttix.com for $20.00. All profits go to the Church outreach programs. No children, please; adult humor in both language and content.
Trinity's Ann Strohmeier and her husband, Bill, are both acting in the play. Trinity's Harrison Williams is set designer.


Leslieigh Gennace Leaving Trinity

05.12.2011Leslieigh Gennace Leaving Trinity

Lesleigh left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to teach at a charter school in Newark, New Jersey. We thank her for her time spent teaching at Trinity.


Lesleigh Gennace Receives Dedication

06.20.2011Lesleigh Gennace Receives Dedication

Chris Schoberl, head of the Middle School, read the following dedication out loud during the final faculty and staff luncheon of the 2010-2011 academic year:
"Lesleigh has been at Trinity for five years. She will be leaving us to teach closer to her home at a high school in Newark, New Jersey, a charter school where she is going to teach all different levels of Spanish. The school year starts August 16th and ends June 18th, so it’s a bit different than our schedule… and she is also going to have to pack her own lunch each day (which would’ve been a deal breaker for me, I have to admit).

"My earliest memory of Lesleigh is the time we attended a white privilege conference way down town. Lesleigh was the Middle School diversity coordinator and I was a brand new principal… tired, wanting the day to end, but from the moment we met up to depart, grabbed a cup of coffee, and started talking, time evaporated as I was pulled into the Lesleigh orbit and listened to her talk about her life, her students, and her devotion to the issue of diversity in independent schools. I am delighted that she chose a charter school because I know how important it is for charters to attract really good people, and how hard it sometimes is for them to run those programs. Say’s Lesleigh about her time at Trinity, 'How could I forget Trinity! I spent my mid 20s here!'

"When thinking about Lesleigh, her colleague use these words: kind, gentle, funny, eager to help out always, and a complete professional. Lesleigh has been my guide, my 'language clone,' and my friend. She has looked after my physical health, showed me how to sit straight in chapel, brought me chocolates when I was down. Lesleigh saved me from a vicious roach attack, and saved me from a heart attack by showing me a shortcut through turf so I did not need to climb four flights of stairs between the Lower School and Middle School. Lesleigh provided daily sunshine with her colorful dress even on dreary winter days, introduced me to Yogi teas and the deep meaning printed on the individual teabags. She introduced me to yoga and the pleasures of downward dog or reverse triangle."


Nancy Garcia is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Nancy Garcia is Leaving Trinity

Nancy, who has taught Middle School Spanish for the past fifteen years, is leaving Trinity to pursue other professional opportunities in sunny Florida. We thank her for her time at Trinity and wish her the best of luck.


Andrew Housiaux is a New Teacher of Religion, Philosophy, an...

09.09.2013Andrew Housiaux is a New Teacher of Religion, Philosophy, and Ethics

Andy Housiaux comes to Trinity from Riverdale Country School, where he was the upper school director of service-learning and taught eighth grade history. Prior to that, he spent four years at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, teaching philosophy and religious studies, living in a dorm, and coaching ultimate frisbee. He welcomes the opportunity to travel whenever he can, and has visited South Africa and India with fellow educators, twice bringing students to Mumbai. While at home he enjoys cheap food, the luxury of walking to work, and an occasional yoga class, although he acknowledges that he may be the inflexible guy in the back corner.


Andrew Housiaux is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Andrew Housiaux is Leaving Trinity

After getting married this summer, Andy Housiaux and his new wife will be moving to Massachusetts to start new teaching jobs there. He is sorry to be leaving the Trinity community. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.


Ann Foster Fusco Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.22.2011Ann Foster Fusco Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Ann was recently honored by Trinity for her twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Ann, for all you have given, and will continue to give, to the School!


Patrick Frasier Ran in NYRR Race to Deliver

12.03.2012Patrick Frasier Ran in NYRR Race to Deliver

Patrick ran the New York Road Runners (NYRR) four mile Race to Deliver on Sunday, 18 November 2012 in Central Park. He placed first in the 25-29 men's age group and got seventh overall with a time of 22:25. Patrick is a member of the Central Park Track Club and they got first place at that specific race.


Patrick Frasier is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Patrick Frasier is Leaving Trinity

Patrick Frasier left Trinity at the end of the school year to relocate to Reno, Nevada. During the end-of-year luncheon, Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby gave these remarks: "Patrick, though your tenure as a math teacher here has been brief and though we are sad to see you go, we wish you well out west and want you to know that in one year you have been a wonderfully colorful member of our community and have made a lasting impression on students and colleagues alike. Thank you for your contributions to our school."


Aimee Frank is a New Assistant Teacher of Kindergarten

08.30.2011Aimee Frank is a New Assistant Teacher of Kindergarten

Aimee Frank has been working at the Maple Bear Early Childhood Program as a teacher for kindergarten through grade five, which provides a high quality Canadian bilingual early childhood education. After she relocated to New York, Aimee began working for the Kumon Reading and Learning Center, the world’s largest after-school math and reading enrichment program. She has recently commenced a master's program in literacy and childhood education at Bank Street College of Education. In her spare time, Aimee enjoys the culinary arts, outdoor education and photography. She loves to travel and explore different cultures; her most recent trip was through Vietnam and Laos.


Brooke Forbidussi is a New Administrative Assistant in Admis...

01.12.2010Brooke Forbidussi is a New Administrative Assistant in Admissions

Brooke Forbidussi is the new administrative assistant in Admissions. She recently relocated to Manhattan in May 2009 after living most of her life in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended the University of Georgia in Athens and is a UGA football fan. For the past five years, she worked at a performing arts school for ages two and one-half through eighteen. Brooke enjoys exploring and learning about New York City.


Elizabeth Fahmi is Married

05.23.2011Elizabeth Fahmi is Married

Liz was married to Alex Fahmi on 20 March 2011 in Lindenhurst, New York at Chateau La Mer. The Reverend Timothy L. Morehouse, Trinity's chaplain, performed the service. Sarah Levy (English) and Sharon Keigher (Upper School) were in attendance. Alex works as a carpenter and he and Liz met through mutual friends.


Elizabeth Fahmi has a New Baby

12.16.2013Elizabeth Fahmi has a New Baby

Elizabeth and her husband, Alex, welcomed a daughter, Isabella Leah Fahmi, to the world on Tuesday, 3 December at 12:24 a.m. She weighed in at six pounds and thirteen ounces and measured nineteen inches. Mom and baby are doing very well. Congratulations to the family!


John P. Evans III is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014John P. Evans III is Leaving Trinity

John Evans left Trinity at school year’s end to become lower school principal at Friends Seminary. We thank John for his wonderful work here over the last six years and wish him well in his new position.


Curtis G. Evans Returns to New York

10.22.2012Curtis G. Evans Returns to New York

Curt has moved back to New York, where he has taken the position of director of athletics at Woodstock Day School in Woodstock, New York. He writes, "After being in Virginia for three years, it is good to be back in the Hudson Valley! I will be trying to build a whole new program here."


Kevin R. Espy has a New Position at Berkeley Carroll School

01.04.2010Kevin R. Espy has a New Position at Berkeley Carroll School

Kevin is now an assistant kindergarten teacher at the Berkeley Carroll School in Park Slope, Brooklyn.


Pamela Elrod is Enjoying Texas

02.22.2010Pamela Elrod is Enjoying Texas

Pamela continues to enjoy Southern Methodist University and Dallas. “I always miss New York and Trinity. I’ll get back up there one of these days!”


Nancy Lester Elitzer is a New Teacher of English

09.01.2012Nancy Lester Elitzer is a New Teacher of English

Nancy is returning to Trinity as a half-time English teacher in the Middle School after a long career as an Upper School teacher. During a one year leave of absence in 2005-2006 she and her family lived in Lake Placid, New York where she wrote a collection of essays on the life of a New Yorker living in the rural northern Adirondacks. Upon her return to New York City, Nancy was a DOROT volunteer with housebound elderly, a college essay consultant, English tutor, and student of Modern Hebrew and Torah. She has periodically returned to Trinity to substitute when needed, most recently as Dan Alford’s replacement during his paternity leave. She lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, Michael; son, David ’13; and Labrador retrievers, Wilson and Olive. Welcome back, Nancy!


Sarah Brett England is New Musical Director in Performing Ar...

09.09.2013Sarah Brett England is New Musical Director in Performing Arts

Sarah received her BA in conducting and music theory from the College of William & Mary. She has worked as a music director, accompanist, and arranger for Off-Broadway theater, regional theater, dinner theater, and tours and cruise ships. She has also worked with students from elementary grades up through college. Most recently, Sarah worked at Barrington Stage Company, where she will continue to work, as well as at Montclair State University and State University of New York at New Paltz. In addition, she arranges music for musicals, coaches vocalists, and serves as an audition accompanist in the city for various theatres. When she finds free time, she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling, and exploring the city.


Elisa Dragu is Leaving Trinity

01.07.2013Elisa Dragu is Leaving Trinity

After three and a half years here at Trinity, Elisa will be leaving us this month as she prepares for her soon-to-be-growing family. We thank her for her service to the School and congratulate her on the upcoming arrival of her baby. Heather Nielsen will take her place as the new assistant teacher in Grade Two. Heather came to Trinity in 2011 as an after-school supervisor and puppet teacher.


Michelle Rodriguez Dowling is Head of Lower School at Stuart...

08.29.2012Michelle Rodriguez Dowling is Head of Lower School at Stuart Country Day School

Michelle, who taught Spanish and was assistant principal in the Middle School at Trinity from 1995 to 2000, is the new head of the lower school at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton Township, New Jersey. Read more at http://princeton.patch.com/articles/stuart-country-day-names-new-head-of-upper-school-lower-school.


Alison J. Distefano has a New Position at Ranney School in N...

01.04.2010Alison J. Distefano has a New Position at Ranney School in New Jersey

Alison a has Period left Year Trinity to her teach Breaking science at industriel Ranney https://www.chicagobearsjerseyspop.com School Watch in New Jersey.


Damon Diemente is Retiring at Year’s End

12.06.2011Damon Diemente is Retiring at Year’s End

After twenty-five years of distinguished teaching in our science and math classrooms, Damon Diemente has decided to retire at year's end. We thank him for his extraordinary contributions to the School and wish him well in the next chapter of his life.


Damon Diemente Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Damon Diemente Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Damon was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Damon, for all you have given to the School!


Dennis Desormier is Leaving Trinity

06.28.2010Dennis Desormier is Leaving Trinity

Dennis is leaving Trinity to pursue other interests. He plans to tutor, work on a couple little music projects, and continue with various gymnastics-related things while he takes the time to look for the perfect permanent position.


Megan DeBaun Moves to Helsinki

01.04.2010Megan DeBaun Moves to Helsinki

Megan has moved to Helsinki, Finland to teach kindergarten at the Of International School of Helsinki.


Bhavna de Montebello is a New Upper School Administrative As...

01.12.2010Bhavna de Montebello is a New Upper School Administrative Assistant

Bhavna is the new Upper School Office administrative assistant. She returns to Trinity full-time this fall after having working previously in the Lower School as a second grade assistant teacher and substitute teacher for grades kindergarten through four. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.


Bhavna de Montebello is Leaving Trinity

02.01.2010Bhavna de Montebello is Leaving Trinity

Bhavna is expecting her first child in the spring. She will be leaving Trinity to devote her full attention to being a new parent.


Bhavna de Montebello has a New Baby

06.02.2010Bhavna de Montebello has a New Baby

Bhavna gave birth to Achille Philippe on 22 May 2010 at 2:38 a.m. Achille weighed in at eight pounds and fourteen ounces.


Lindsay Davis is Leaving Trinity

09.13.2010Lindsay Davis is Leaving Trinity

Lindsay left Trinity School to work in development at St. Bernard's School.


Marianne David is Retiring

05.31.2011Marianne David is Retiring

Marianne writes, "There is a time for everything in life. While I had meant to retire in June 2012, I have increasingly been feeling the urge to paint and write full time. Having been at Trinity for twenty-eight years, enjoying the experience tremendously, my decision is a bitter-sweet one. I thank you all: students, colleagues, administrators, staff. God bless you!"

We thank her for her years spent teaching at Trinity School, and wish her well on her retirement!


Marianne David Receives Dedication

06.14.2011Marianne David Receives Dedication

John Allman, head of Trinity School, read the following dedication out loud during the final faculty and staff luncheon of the 2010-2011 academic year: "What a rich array of gifts Marianne David has brought to us since her arrival here as a part-time French teacher in 1982. Teacher, scholar, artist, master of no less than five languages, in her own inimitable way, Marianne has taught both French and Spanish in our Middle and Upper Schools, has served as the advisor to Rasgos, has led student trips, and has traveled and studied herself at various locales here and abroad. During her nearly three decades in our classrooms, some of the hallmarks of her work have been her passion for using creative activities to engage her students’ imagination as well as intellect; her keen interest in interdisciplinary education, encouraging students to make connections across the disciplines of literature, art, history, language, and culture; her abiding interest in the complex interaction of media, language, and education; her intellectual preoccupation with the notion of 'convivencia,' the flourishing of culturally pluralistic communities, most notably in Andalusia; and, most of all, her masterful ability to teach her students how to caress, poke, prod, cajole complex texts to elicit meaning and significance from them. Marianne, we cannot wait to see what treasures you will produce as you leave us to spend more time painting and writing."

Marianne donated this book to the Trinity School library upon her retirement: Praisers of Folly: Erasmus, Rabelais, Shakespeare by Walter Kaiser

In Marianne’s first year in graduate school she took a Renaissance literature course with a wonderful professor, the late Thomas M. Greene, who constantly referred to Kaiser's book. Her choice has to do with one of her finest memories as a student.


Marianne David Coauthors Spanish Textbooks

08.12.2013Marianne David Coauthors Spanish Textbooks

Marianne David has coauthored four Spanish language textbooks: Defining and Re-Defining Diasporas: From Theory to Reality with Javier Muñoz-Basols (Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2011), Spanish Idioms in Practice: Understanding Language and Culture (Routledge, 2013) and Developing Writing Skills in Spanish (Routledge, 2011) with Javier Muñoz-Basols and Yolanda Pérez Sinusía, and Speed Up Your Spanish: Strategies to Avoid Common Errors with Javier Muñoz-Basols and Olga Núñez Piñeiro (Routledge, 2009).


Linda M. D’Apolito and Howard Warren Present Science C...

12.06.2010Linda M. D’Apolito and Howard Warren Present Science Curriculum at Convention

Linda and Howard Warren (Lower School Science) presented a curriculum piece that Howard wrote entitled “You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover… But a Fish is a Different Story” at the National Science Teachers Association Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.


Linda M. D’Apolito is Leaving Trinity

02.17.2011Linda M. D’Apolito is Leaving Trinity

Linda let us know that, while living in Manhattan has been a great adventure, she and her husband have discovered that they are New Englanders by heart and want to return to what has become their home. She left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year, and we wish them well on their next adventure!


Linda M. D’Apolito Receives Dedication

06.14.2011Linda M. D’Apolito Receives Dedication

"Linda D’Apolito is a woman after my own heart," says Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby. "She cares deeply about kids and she loves her discipline. In fact, she’s a true scientist by training and a teacher by vocation. Given her rich experience in the field as a practicing scientist, I imagine that in an ideal world she would design her classes and labs on boats in the ocean—and other settings in which her students could see and live life science first hand. Over the past three years, Linda has worked to bring her wonder as a scientist to our students, and she has been a wonderfully generous collaborator as a colleague. I know I and so many others among us will miss Linda’s kindness, collegiality, communal spirit, and sense of adventure. Linda, we wish you godspeed and the very best in the personal and professional journey ahead."


Jeff M. Crosby Co-illustrates New Book

01.04.2010Jeff M. Crosby Co-illustrates New Book

Jeff and his wife Shelley Jackson have co-illustrated a new children’s book published in September 2009. Upon Secrecy, written by Selene Castrovilla and published by Calkins Creek Press, is the story of George Washington’s spy ring that Apply operated out of New York during оценить the Revolutionary War.


Jeff M. Crosby has a New Children’s Book Published

09.14.2011Jeff M. Crosby has a New Children’s Book Published

Jeff wrote and illustrated Wiener Wolf, a new children's book published by Hyperion Books for Children. From Jeff's Web site: "Wiener Dog has a cushy life—a warm lap, plenty of chew toys and treats, and all the TV he can watch. But there's something missing. And he must strike out on his own to find it, even if it means leaving Granny behind. But is being a lone Wiener Wolf all it's cracked up to be?"


Sigun Coyle has Another Fine Year in Paris

12.20.2010Sigun Coyle has Another Fine Year in Paris

Sigun writes, "Another fine year in Paris. A highlight of the year: our trip to Dubai, Oman, and Qatar. We regularly see one of my students, Sophie B. Deutsch '98. Any of my students coming to Paris: Venez prendre un verre!"


Devin A. Correa-Spain is Leaving Trinity

06.23.2011Devin A. Correa-Spain is Leaving Trinity

Devin worked Trinity's day camp during the summer of 2011, but then left the School in order to break into the business world. Her plan is to apply for law school for the following fall. We wish her luck on her future endeavors!


Victor Concepción is Teaching in Upper School

08.23.2010Victor Concepción is Teaching in Upper School

Starting this year, Victor will be teaching a class, Intro to Computers, in the Upper School.


Victor Concepción has a New Position at St. Bernard’s...

06.06.2011Victor Concepción has a New Position at St. Bernard’s School

Victor has accepted the position at St. Bernard's School of technology integrator, and thus left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year. He is also pursuing graduate studies in education. We thank Victor for his contributions to the School and wish him the best!


Victor Concepción is Leaving Trinity

06.14.2011Victor Concepción is Leaving Trinity

Upper School Pricipal Jessica Bagby says, "Victor Concepción is a maestro who just so happens to be a bit of a techno-guru to boot. If you have ever heard him tinkling the keys in a quiet moment to himself in the chapel or heard him play in other settings, you know what I mean. Many of us know very well what wonderful assistance he has provided over the past two years when we have faced techno-gremlins or our own technological ignorance. We wish Victor well in the artistic pursuits that feed his soul in his new position at St. Bernard’s. You’ve been a clutch player here in a tough transitional period, Victor, and we appreciate you."


Steven R. Cohen has a New Position at Super Shoreham-Wading ...

06.27.2011Steven R. Cohen has a New Position at Super Shoreham-Wading River School District in Long Island

Steven was appointed superintendent of Shoreham-Wading River School District in Long Island, New York.


Abigail Coffie will Attend Graduate School

01.03.2011Abigail Coffie will Attend Graduate School

Abigail has been accepted at Bank Street College of Education in the Master of Science in Education, Leadership in Community-Based Learning program. She begins her coursework in January 2011.


Abigail Coffie Graduates from Bank Street

02.05.2013Abigail Coffie Graduates from Bank Street

Abby recently graduated from Bank Street College of Education with her Master of Science in Education degree from the Leadership in Community-Based Learning program. Congratulations, Abby!


Abigail Coffie is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Abigail Coffie is Leaving Trinity

Abigail Coffie left Trinity at the conclusion of this year's Lower School admissions season in February. Abby plans to spend time with her family and continue her career in education. We thank her for her service to the School and wish her well in her future endeavors.


Catherine J. Codoyannis is a New Teacher of Classics

08.30.2011Catherine J. Codoyannis is a New Teacher of Classics

Catherine Codoyannis earned an MAT in Latin and classical humanities from Boston University. She has been teaching Latin to both middle school and upper school students since 2004, most recently at the Chapin School. In the past, she has also taught Greek and French. In 1999, Catherine was awarded the Palma Aurea full-tuition scholarship at the Boston University Latin Contest. Cathy enjoys traveling, cooking and yoga.


Virginia Closs Completes First Year in PhD Program

01.04.2010Virginia Closs Completes First Year in PhD Program

Virginia had an exciting first Are year wholesale nfl jerseys in The the PhD program at a UPenn which Venues culminated cheap nfl jerseys in a grant to cheap nba jerseys spend First part of Baron the summer in Rome doing research Aktuellt on Latin inscriptions in By the Forum of Trajan.


Samantha Clark is Returning to England

05.12.2011Samantha Clark is Returning to England

Samantha left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year. She returned home to England with her husband and son to be closer to family in Yorkshire. We thank her for her years of service to the School.


Kevin Clark has Twin Boys

06.20.2013Kevin Clark has Twin Boys

Teacher and coach, Kevin Clark, and his wife, Carolyn, welcomed their beautiful twin boys to the world on Friday, 7 June 2013. “Kevin John weighed in at seven pounds nine ounces and was born at 10:18 a.m. Derek Joseph weighed in at six pounds five ounces and was born at 10:19 a.m. Carolyn and the boys are all doing wonderfully and we couldn't be happier!”


Jessica Clark is a New Teacher of Spanish

08.30.2011Jessica Clark is a New Teacher of Spanish

Jessica Clark’s background includes a BS in Elementary Education, a BA in Spanish, and an MA in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages). She has spent her teaching career both in the United States and abroad, with her first international teaching experience in Barcelona, Spain. In Barcelona she taught English and dance for three years. She also spent a summer in Wenzhou, China where she taught English. After several years abroad, she returned to Connecticut to teach grades two and three at Samuel Staples Elementary School. In 2009 and 2010, Jessica was awarded the Weller Excellence in Teaching Award for teaching quality and innovation. As an avid traveler, she has spent time in Indonesia, crossed the Atlantic by boat, and recently returned from a trip to Australia. She is enthusiastic about joining Trinity School and looks forward to a wonderful school year.


Carole S. Clark and Frank C. Leana Publish a New Book

03.21.2011Carole S. Clark and Frank C. Leana Publish a New Book

Carole and her writing partner, former faculty member Frank C. Leana, recently published Pathfinder [An Action Plan] Making the Most of High School under IUniverse, Inc. The book is a guide for parents and educators to help students feel empowered and make decisions that will help them through high school, college, and beyond.


Victor Cirilo is a New Middle School English Teacher

09.09.2013Victor Cirilo is a New Middle School English Teacher

Victor comes to us from Washington, D.C., where he taught humanities to fifth graders at the Georgetown Day School. He grew up in New York City and has a BA in history and social studies from Ithaca College and a MSEd from Syracuse University. He is a skilled educator of adolescent students, and he possesses a deep knowledge of and commitment to issues of diversity and multiculturalism, particularly as they affect the cultures of independent schools. Victor is also a dedicated coach with seven years of experience coaching basketball. He and his wife just had their first child in August 2013.


Victor Cirilo is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Victor Cirilo is Leaving Trinity

Victor Cirilo, who left for paternity leave in April, is seeking other teaching opportunities for next year. He is deeply thankful for your collegiality, thoughtfulness and support this year. We thank him for his service to Trinity and wish him well.


Carol Christiansen is Leaving Trinity

06.24.2013Carol Christiansen is Leaving Trinity

After ten years, Carol Christiansen left Trinity at the end of the school year. She plans to spend time travelling and enjoying leisure time in New York City and in her Sag Harbor, New York, cottage. We thank her for her service to the School and our students over the past decade.


Linda L. Chiao is a New Grade Two Teacher

08.30.2011Linda L. Chiao is a New Grade Two Teacher

Linda Lam Chiao has just left the Westminster School District in Southern California to become a permanent resident of New York City and one of the newest members of the Trinity community. During her past five years as a classroom teacher, Linda has had the opportunity to work with children and adults from a vast variety of multicultural backgrounds both culturally and linguistically. Since Linda’s MEd comes with an emphasis in educational technology, Linda is always looking for ways to integrate technology components into her lessons. She strives to provide a classroom that is conducive to learning while challenging all her scholars to reach their full potential through multi-media and differentiated instruction. Linda grew up speaking three languages in her household and is fascinated about learning different cultures. During her free time, you will find Linda reading a good book, enjoying the outdoors, or relaxing (sometimes, all three at once). She is a lover of food, snowboarding, swimming, traveling, digital photography, new technologies, teaching, and inspiring the development of young minds.


Linda L. Chiao has a New Baby

07.28.2014Linda L. Chiao has a New Baby

Linda and Michael Chiao are the proud new parents of Colette Lam Ying Chiao. Born on 17 July 2014 at 2:16 a.m. weighing in at six pounds eleven ounces, and measuring 19.5 inches. Linda reports that Colette "is a happy, healthy baby, and Michael and I love being new parents."

Congratulations to the family!


Alexandra Caloyeras is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade One

09.09.2013Alexandra Caloyeras is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade One

Alex expects to complete her MSEd from Bank Street College of Education this December. Last year she worked as a teaching assistant at PS77 Lower Lab School. She has student taught at Manhattan Country School, the Bank Street School for Children, The Spence School, and PS314 Muscota New School. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, Alex worked at Basic Trust. Alex likes to cook, read, go to the theater, and explore New York City with her ten-year-old daughter, Zoe.


Isabelle Cadieu is Teaching in France

02.01.2010Isabelle Cadieu is Teaching in France

Isabelle is teaching English as a foreign language and English literature at Lycée Laure-Gatet in Périgueux, France. Her school was visited by Trinity alumnus Colson Whitehead ’87 on 13 November 2009, where he discussed his novel The Colossus of New York with students as part of a Tour de France organized by the French Minister of Culture.


Christopher Buckley is a New Upper School Mathematics Teache...

09.09.2013Christopher Buckley is a New Upper School Mathematics Teacher

Christopher comes to us from the Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, where he taught mathematics and coached lacrosse and wrestling. Prior to entering the field of education, Chris worked as a financial analyst in Washington, D.C. He performed on stage with national champion improvisational actors at the world renowned Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. Chris is also a triathlete.


Christopher Buckley is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Christopher Buckley is Leaving Trinity

Regrettably, Chris Buckley, on paternity leave since early October, has shared with us that his family circumstances prevent him from returning to work. We wish him the best in his future endeavors!


Melville S. Brown has a New CD of Piano Concertos

12.06.2010Melville S. Brown has a New CD of Piano Concertos

Mel Brown has recorded a CD of Maurice Ravel’s piano concertos recorded with Sofia Sinfonietta of Bulgaria: Piano Concerto in G Major, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, and Pavane pour une infante défunte.
The CD can be purchased directly from Mel for $10.00 or from future retailers for $13.00-$14.00.


Melville S. Brown is Stepping Down

10.05.2011Melville S. Brown is Stepping Down

After over two decades of leadership, Mel has decided to step down as head of the performing arts department at the end of the academic year.


Melville S. Brown is Leaving Trinity

12.06.2011Melville S. Brown is Leaving Trinity

Mel, our long-serving head of performing arts, has been appointed head of the Waring School, a co-educational independent day school for grades six through twelve located on Boston’s North Shore in Beverly, Massachusetts. He will be leaving us at the end of the academic year. Waring offers an academic liberal arts and science program with multi-age groupings, French language immersion and cultural exchanges, and an extensive music and arts curriculum. We thank Mel for his outstanding service to the School and wish him well on his next exciting journey.


Melville S. Brown Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

06.15.2012Melville S. Brown Celebrates Twenty-Five Years at Trinity

Melville was recently honored by Trinity for his twenty-five years of service to the School. Thank you, Mel, for all you have given to the School!


Jamel Brian Brinkley is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Jamel Brian Brinkley is Leaving Trinity

Jamel Brinkley left Trinity at the end of the school year to attend the Iowa Writer's Workshop. During the end-of-year luncheon, Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby gave these remarks: "Jamel, as both English teacher and English chair you have deeply enriched our common life. We are thrilled for the opportunity you have to pursue your calling at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. We hope you won’t be a stranger and that you will let us know, despite your signature modesty, when we can expect to see your name in print. Thank you for your contributions to our community."


Steven Bloom has Novel Published in Germany

11.22.2011Steven Bloom has Novel Published in Germany

Dr. Steven Bloom lives in Heidelberg, Germany. His latest novel, Die menschliche Schwäche, was published in Germany by Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen this year. He is looking for an American publisher.


David Bird is Dean at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jos...

09.18.2013David Bird is Dean at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jose

Cary Fulbright '75 reports that David Bird, who was chaplain at Trinity from 1973 to 1978, is dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jose, California. “My family and I attended the Christmas Lessons and Carols service at his beautiful church in December 2011 and again in 2012. The attached picture is from 2011. Father Bird, as we all called him at Trinity School, is happily married with two young children. I’m happily married with two sons now in their early 20s, and living still in San Francisco. If you’re in the area, please drop me a note so we can get together.”


Lisa Bianchi Participates in 2011 Nautica New York City Tria...

06.13.2011Lisa Bianchi Participates in 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon

Lisa, along with Loretta McNamee and Jennifer Levine, will be swimming, cycling, and running in the 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon on Sunday, 7 August. Be sure to go out and cheer them on!


Lisa Bianchi Announces Triathlon Results

08.10.2011Lisa Bianchi Announces Triathlon Results

Congratulations to Lisa on a great race! She completed the 2011 Nautica New York City Triathlon on 7 August 2011 at a time of 3:05:53.


Lisa Bianchi is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Lisa Bianchi is Leaving Trinity

After six years as associate director of college counseling, Lisa Bianchi will leave Trinity at the end of the academic year to assume the position of director of college counseling at The Calhoun School. This is a wonderful opportunity for Lisa and we are proud of her accomplishment. But we will also sorely miss her warmth, expertise and vitality. Please join us in congratulating her and wishing her all the best.


Ellena Bethea is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Ellena Bethea is Leaving Trinity

Ellena Bethea left Trinity at the end of the school year to teach at Millbrook School in Dutchess County, New York. During the end-of-year luncheon, Upper School Principal Jessica Bagby gave these remarks: "Ellena, your devotion to chemistry and eagerness to continue learning yourself have distinguished you in our science department. We will miss you, but we wish you well as you move to a more bucolic setting and embrace the rhythms of boarding school life. Thank you for your contributions at Trinity."


Karin Bernstein is Leaving Trinity

01.18.2011Karin Bernstein is Leaving Trinity

Karin departed Trinity School at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year to pursue leadership opportunities beyond the classroom. We thank her for her fourteen years in the classroom, and wish her well on her next journey!


Daniel A. Bergman is Leaving Trinity

05.04.2011Daniel A. Bergman is Leaving Trinity

Daniel accepted the position of Upper School Head at the Park School of Baltimore in Maryland. He left Trinity at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year after more than twelve years in dedicated service to the School. We congratulate him as he takes on exciting professional responsibilities at another fine independent school.


Brigitte Bentele is in Juried Art Show

01.06.2010Brigitte Bentele is in Juried Art Show

Brigitte showed one of her watercolor paintings at the Bowery Gallery Juried Show that was on view from 28 July to 15 August.


Brigitte Bentele has work in Art Exhibition at Bronxville Pu...

02.01.2010Brigitte Bentele has work in Art Exhibition at Bronxville Public Library

Brigitte and former faculty member Emily P. Scharf have their watercolor paintings included at an exhibit entitled “Watercolors from the National Academy of Fine Arts” at the Yeager Community Room Gallery at the Bronxville Public Library from 2 February through 25 February 2010. The opening reception is Thursday 4 February from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For directions, please visit the Bronxville Public Library Web site atwww.villageofbronxville.com


Brigitte Bentele has Watercolors in Art Exhibit at Governors...

06.09.2010Brigitte Bentele has Watercolors in Art Exhibit at Governors Island

Two of Brigitte's watercolor paintings will be in a show, "Painting Governors Island," at historic Building 408 at Governors Island (www.govisland.com). The exhibition is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in June.


Brigitte Bentele is Returning to Math Department

06.30.2010Brigitte Bentele is Returning to Math Department

Brigitte is leaving her position as Interim Associate Head of School to return to the Mathematics Department.


Brigitte Bentele has Watercolor Paintings in Two Exhibitions

04.23.2014Brigitte Bentele has Watercolor Paintings in Two Exhibitions

Four of Brigitte's watercolor paintings will be in the 1100 Watercolor Society Spring Exhibition, at the office of the Manhattan Borough President at 1 Centre Street, from 5-30 May 2014, with an opening reception on Friday, 9 May, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. In addition, many of Brigitte's watercolors will be part of "Creative Mischief: A Pop-Up Exhibition" at the National Academy Museum and School at 1083 Fifth Avenue from 15-18 May, with an opening reception on Thursday, 15 May, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.


Lorenzo Bellard is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Lorenzo Bellard is Leaving Trinity

Lorenzo Bellard left Trinity at the end of the school year to teach at the Allen-Stevenson School. We thank him for his four years of service to the School and wish him well in his next position.


Gabriel Baron is a New Technology Specialist

01.04.2010Gabriel Baron is a New Technology Specialist

Gabriel Didn’t is the new technology specialist. He has cheap jerseys been working cheap nfl jerseys as a video artist and filmmaker since 2004 and is still active in his field. He will her also teach a cheap mlb jerseys film class in Novel Trinity’s Kids Club for grades hendrerit 3-6. Gabriel has won the Genius Award in Theater in 2005 and three Footlight Awards cheap mlb jerseys from the Seattle Weekly Kun in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Other areas of februari expertise include: playwriting, mime, clown, ukulele, guitar, dance, and poetry.


Gabriel Baron is Leaving Trinity

10.05.2011Gabriel Baron is Leaving Trinity

Gabriel will be leaving us on 21 October to start his own video production company, Toy Tiger Studios, and to focus on his filmmaking and acting career. We thank him for his service to the School.


Michael Saul Bárbaro has Twin Babies

07.29.2014Michael Saul Bárbaro has Twin Babies

Michael Barbaro is now the extremely proud father of two fraternal twin boys, Giovanni Michael Barbaro and Luciano Saul Barbaro. They were born on 22 July 2014, and they weighed in at seven pounds six ounces and six pounds six ounces. Michael reports that "Danielle, the surrogate mom, is doing great and Daddy's heart is full, and his arms are too (two)!"

Congratulations, Michael!


Chrysallis Baldonado is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Thr...

09.01.2012Chrysallis Baldonado is a New Assistant Teacher in Grade Three

Chrys earned her BA in psychology from California State University, Long Beach and is presently working on her MS in Educational Technology from California State University, Fullerton with an anticipated completion date of May 2014. Prior to joining Trinity, she had been working at JHS 127 The Castle Hill School in New York as a long term substitute teacher. Originally from Los Angeles, California, she also worked as a student teacher and educational tutor before relocating to New York. During her free time, she enjoys reading, the movies, and discovering the many eateries offered by the city. Although she misses the California coastline, she has a new found love for the bright lights and energy of New York City.


Karin Baker has New Musical Production Performances

11.24.2010Karin Baker has New Musical Production Performances

In 1998, Karin wrote and directed The Last of the Red Hot Mamas with partner Tony Parise. A new production of the show is opening at the Jewish Community Center's New Jewish Theater in St. Louis, Missouri. The show runs from 1-26 December 2010. If you're in the St. Louis area, check it out!
A description of the show: "Before Madonna, before Marlene Dietrich - there was Sophie! The legendary Sophie Tucker, Queen of vaudeville, burlesque theatre and the jazz age, whose career spanned a sensational sixty years in showbiz. Born Sonia Kalish to a Jewish family in Tsarist Russia that immigrated to the United States, Tucker’s bawdy sense of humor and outspoken views on men and relationships influenced comediennes and singers for generations. This original musical, featuring many of the songs Tucker made famous, including “My Yiddishe Momme,” her signature song, “Some of These Days,” and “I’m The Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” celebrates the gutsy vaudevillian’s six-decade career and popularity."


Karin Baker is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Karin Baker is Leaving Trinity

As we restructure staffing within Trinity's Performing Arts Department, Karin Baker will be leaving us after sixteen years of dedicated work with our Upper School musical productions(from 1990 to 1998, and from 2004 onward). Karin says, "I will miss the students and everyone in the Performing Arts Department very much. This summer I'll once again be at Emerson College (third year) in Boston teaching master classes in musical theatre. In the fall I will be working with Mercedes Ellington as part of her team to create the new Duke Ellington Center for the Arts, and I will continue on the board of directors for Dancers Over 40, helping to leave a legacy of Broadway history with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts for future young dancers and choreographers."

We wish her well on her future endeavors!


Lindsay Baker is Engaged

12.06.2010Lindsay Baker is Engaged

Lindsay was engaged to Ben Felton on 22 September 2010: "Ben and I met when I was a senior in high school. I was in New York for a senior year internship program and lived with a friend from summer camp whose family's apartment is on the Upper West Side (In fact I took my AP Spanish exam at Trinity!). This friend introduced me to Ben, and we became fast friends, sharing many interests including a love of music. Over the years we stayed in touch, but lived in different cities: Ben in Massachusetts and North Carolina, and I was in Rhode Island and California. In 2008, we were delighted to realize that we were both moving to Brooklyn during the month of July. We started spending a lot of time together and voila! The rest is history! Ben proposed to me on September 22 on the Upper West Side in front of my friend's building where I stayed during my visit senior year. We celebrated by going to see our favorite band in Central Park! Currently we are in the process of planning for a fall 2011 wedding. Students have even gotten involved in the wedding planning process--the fourth grade helped me compare wedding venues by using math reasoning and their personal opinions!"


Lindsay Baker has a Rock and Roll Band

06.09.2011Lindsay Baker has a Rock and Roll Band

Lindsay performs in a rock and roll band called Radical Dads. View their Web site, check out their music, and see updated show listings at radicaldads.com!

If you'd like to see them perform, the following is their schedule over the summer:

Thursday, 9 June at Cake Shop in the Lower East Side. Their performance will begin around 10:30 p.m.

Thursday, 16 June at Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Saturday, 18 June at Spike Hill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.


Lindsay Baker is a New Teacher of Grade Three

08.30.2011Lindsay Baker is a New Teacher of Grade Three

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Lindsay Baker joined the Trinity faculty in 2008 as the Lower School math specialist. Last year, she also worked as Lower School curriculum coordinator for grades two through four. Lindsay came to us from the Willows Community School in Los Angeles, California where she taught for four years in grades three through five. While in Los Angeles, Lindsay was also a volunteer writing teacher for 826LA, a non-profit writing and tutoring center. She has most recently completed professional development coursework at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Drexel University, Bank Street College of Education, and through the New York Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). Lindsay was married this summer during Hurricane Irene. She spends her time away from school playing guitar and singing in a band called Radical Dads.


Lindsay Baker has a Performance with her Band

12.09.2013Lindsay Baker has a Performance with her Band

Lindsay performs in a rock and roll band called Radical Dads. They will be playing on Sunday, 15 December 2013 at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, in conjuction with Kidrockers. Doors open at 11:00 a.m.

View Radical Dad's Web site, check out their music, and see updated show listings at radicaldads.com!


Lindsay Baker is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Lindsay Baker is Leaving Trinity

Lindsay Baker has accepted a position next academic year at St. Hilda's and St. Hugh’s School, a nursery-eighth grade co-educational independent school. She will be teaching first grade and is looking forward to the challenges presented by this new position. We thank her for her service to Trinity and wish her well in her next position.


Michael Baez is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Michael Baez is Leaving Trinity

Mike Baez has been part of the Trinity family since 2001. Over the last twelve years, he has developed, enhanced, and supported our technology needs, enabling our communication and furthering our learning as a community. During Hurricane Sandy, Mike braved stormy conditions and worked diligently to ensure all network resources were up and running and available to continue our valuable work. Over the last year, Mike has supported the transition to Zev Markenson as director of technology. With that transition now substantially complete, Mike is leaving Trinity. We wish him all the best as he goes forward to his next role.


Julia Lee Aquadro is a New Health Curriculum Coordinator

08.30.2011Julia Lee Aquadro is a New Health Curriculum Coordinator

Julia Lee has relocated from Denver, Colorado where she has worked as an AmeriCorps member at Metro Community Provider Network. In her role, she was a health educator for three public schools where she developed and taught health lessons. Before this year of service, she earned her degree in sociology at Bates College. In college, she studied abroad in Thailand, and was the president of the all-female a capella group. In her free time, Julia loves being outdoors, traveling, dancing and singing. She is excited to be living in New York City and working at Trinity.


Julia Lee Aquadro is Leaving Trinity

06.25.2013Julia Lee Aquadro is Leaving Trinity

Julia Lee Aquadro left Trinity at the end of the school year to pursue a master's degree in school counseling at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. We thank her for her service to the School and wish her well as she continues her schooling.


David Argenzio is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014David Argenzio is Leaving Trinity

In early June, David Argenzio left Trinity to pursue an exciting professional opportunity. He says of his time at Trinity, “I’ve had the great pleasure of working with some of the finest people. The Trinity community has been kind and respectful to me and that will not be forgotten. As a true 'New Yawker' (that’s right, English teachers, I spelled it the way I say it), I can say that Trinity School epitomizes all that is good with our great city.”

We thank David for his exceptional five years of service to Trinity School.


Stephany Arcentales is Leaving Trinity

06.28.2010Stephany Arcentales is Leaving Trinity

Stephany has accepted the position of Head Teacher for the Lower and Middle School Science Program at Mandell School.


Stephen K. Arbogast is Leaving Trinity

06.06.2012Stephen K. Arbogast is Leaving Trinity

Stephen, chair of our Religion, Philosophy, & Ethics Department, has been named senior chaplain and chair of the Religious Studies Department at the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. We congratulate him on his new position and thank him for his time at Trinity.


Allan Appel has a New Novel Published

01.04.2010Allan Appel has a New Novel Published

Allan looking has published a new novel, cheap MLB jerseys The Hebrew Tutor of Bel Air. A brief description wholesale Minnesota Vikings jerseys of the book: “In his application to TRADE become the spiritual Children’s leader of Carl the King Solomon Motorcycle Club, Norman Plummer cheap jerseys recalls the and momentous events cheap jerseys that shaped his life during one for sultry Los Angeles summer.”


Gayle Allen is the New Associate Head

09.27.2010Gayle Allen is the New Associate Head

Prior to assuming her role as associate head at Trinity School, Gayle Allen served as associate head at Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey. There she led school-wide initiatives in curriculum and teaching, founded and directed the Adult Learning Institute for educators, regularly contributed lead articles to the school’s educational publication, The Voyager, and founded and led a group of teachers in Talking about Teaching, a forum for teachers interested in sharing teaching strategies and in learning about new approaches in the field.

Gayle Allen began her teaching career as a coach, dorm parent, and science teacher at The Madeira School in McLean, Virginia. After several years there, she joined the teaching staff at The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, as a coach, dorm parent, and member of the science department. While there, she organized a group of faculty who met regularly to discuss topics in teaching and learning, and she became a curricular leader within her department.

Gayle’s work in curricular and faculty leadership at The Lawrenceville School led her to co-found The McCord Grauer Center for Excellence in Teaching at Purnell School in Pottersville, New Jersey. Working in conjunction with her head of school and director of development, she helped with the fund-raising and grant writing required to endow the center. Once endowed, the center became a hub for speakers and internal and external programs for educators. While there, Gayle also took on the role of dean of faculty.

Gayle's doctoral work was in adult education, with a specific focus on transformative learning and emerging technologies, and she continues to adjunct at Teachers College, Columbia University. Over the course of her career, she has presented at the National Association of Independent Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, and the American Educational Research Association.


Gayle Allen is Leaving Trinity

04.04.2011Gayle Allen is Leaving Trinity

Gayle and her husband, Rob Mancabelli, director of technology, are leaving Trinity in June 2011. They are moving to Boston, Massachusetts to enjoy opportunities with MIT Sloan School of Management (both are in the MBA program) and the broader field of education.


Patricia P. Alexander is Interim Chaplain

03.15.2010Patricia P. Alexander is Interim Chaplain

Patty taught Religion during Rev. Timothy Morehouse’s paternity leave. Patty holds a BA, magna cum laude, in English language and literature from Yale University; an MA from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College; and an M.Div, cum laude, from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Prior to her ordination as an Episcopal priest in 2001, Patty taught grades five and seven at Greenwich Country Day School and before that, served as director of Christian education at St. James’ Episcopal Church on Madison Avenue. Patty lives in Pelham, New York with her husband, the Rev. J. Randolph Alexander Jr., and their three sons: William (eight), Peter (six), and Andrew (three).


Elisabeth Alba Illustrates her First Children’s Book

01.04.2010Elisabeth Alba Illustrates her First Children’s Book

Elisabeth has Welcome! illustrated her first children’s book: wholesale jerseys China Diamond written VS by HAt Suzanne Lakers Weyn cheap mlb jerseys and published by des Cartwheel Books, an imprint cheap jerseys of Scholastic.


Elisabeth Alba has Illustrations in Book

08.23.2010Elisabeth Alba has Illustrations in Book

Elisabeth contributed illustrations to Tales of Woe by John Reed, published in August 2010 by MTV Press.


Elisabeth Alba Illustrates a Children’s Book

09.13.2010Elisabeth Alba Illustrates a Children’s Book

Elisabeth has illustrated Fancy, written by Kristin Earhart and published by Cartwheel Books, an imprint of Scholastic.


Elisabeth Alba is Leaving Trinity

06.17.2014Elisabeth Alba is Leaving Trinity

Elisabeth Alba is leaving Trinity in August to pursue her career as a freelance illustrator. She will be relocating to Western Massachusetts with her husband in October before departing on a six month honeymoon (where they will be working freelance!) in Germany. She is very grateful for having had the opportunity to work at such a great place for the past six years, and will miss everyone terribly.


Nina Berman is today’s Lunch and Learn speaker

04.13.2016Nina Berman is today’s Lunch and Learn speaker

Author, Documentary Photographer, and Associate Professor at Columbia University, Nina Berman is today’s Lunch and Learn speaker. Nina’s work documents militarized life in the U.S. post 9/11, and the subsequent two wars that followed. Her photographs and videos have been exhibited at more than 100 international venues, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Dublin Contemporary. She has received numerous awards from prestigious organizations, including the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Open Society Foundation, among others.


Moon Duchin is today’s Community Time Speaker

04.12.2016Moon Duchin is today’s Community Time Speaker

Associate Professor at Tufts University in the Department of Mathematics, Moon Duchin is today’s Community Time Speaker. Professor Duchin researches geometric counting problems and the geometry of groups and surfaces. She received her A.B. from Harvard College and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She is the author of numerous papers and is a frequent presenter at conferences throughout the U.S..


The Diversity Committee is hosting a free screening of the f...

04.11.2016The Diversity Committee is hosting a free screening of the film, I Am Not a Racist…Am I?

The Diversity Committee is hosting a free screening of the film, I Am Not a Racist...Am I?. Families from all three divisions along with students in grades six through twelve are invited to attend. A follow-up discussion of the film is planned for a later date. For more information, visit their website:  https://www.notracistmovie.com/


Dr. Laurence Steinberg shares parenting strategies with pare...

04.07.2016Dr. Laurence Steinberg shares parenting strategies with parents while discussing adolescent brain research

Author and adolescent psychologist, Dr. Laurence Steinberg shares parenting strategies with parents while discussing adolescent brain research. The author of Age of Opportunity: Lessons From the New Science of Adolescence, focuses on adolescent brain development, risk-taking, and decision-making, parent-adolescent relationships, adolescent employment, high school reform, and juvenile justice. He appears frequently on the New York Times and NPR as an adolescent psychology expert.


William Deresiewicz gives the Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture

04.04.2016William Deresiewicz gives the Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture

William Deresiewicz, author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, gives the Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture. Deresiewicz is an award-winning essayist and critic. He has taught at Yale and Columbia Universities, and is a contributing writer for The Nation. For more information about the author, visit his website: https://www.excellentsheep.com/


Pediatric psychiatrist and author, Dr. Jodi Gold is today’...

02.22.2016Pediatric psychiatrist and author, Dr. Jodi Gold is today’s Community Time speaker

Pediatric psychiatrist and author, Dr. Jodi Gold is today’s Community Time speaker. She has spoken to domestic and international audiences of her approach to managing digital technology in children and adolescents. She is the author of Screen-Smart Parenting: How to Find Balance and Benefit in Your Child's Use of Social Media, Apps, and Digital Devices, and is a psychiatric expert for various news outlets. She serves on the voluntary faculty of Cornell and has a private practice in Manhattan. Visit her website here: http://jodigoldmd.com/


Trinity Students honored with 2016 New York City Scholastic ...

02.09.2016Trinity Students honored with 2016 New York City Scholastic Art and Writing Award

Trinity Students honored with 2016 New York City Scholastic Art and Writing Award. Trinity was well represented among the winners, selected from over 11,000 submissions. The recipients of the top award, the Gold Key, will be invited to choose artwork to display at the 2016 NYC Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For full results of the 2016 NYC Scholastic Awards, visit:  https://nycscholasticawards.wordpress.com/2016/02/01/the-2016-nyc-scholastic-awards-results-are-here/


Artistic Director of the Dash Ensemble, Gregory Dolbashian i...

02.09.2016Artistic Director of the Dash Ensemble, Gregory Dolbashian is today’s Community Time speaker and performer

Artistic Director of the Dash Ensemble, Gregory Dolbashian is today’s Community Time speaker and performer. The Dash Ensemble is a contemporary dance company combining elements of modern, hip hop, floor work, and physical theater. They have performed at NYU’s Skirball Center, Dance Theatre Workshop, Summer Stage, and the Joyce Theater, among others. Gregory received dance training at the Alvin Ailey School and later graduated cum laude from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. For more information visit their website:  https://www.thedashensemble.org/


Dr. Paul C. McCormick, the Gallen Professor of Neurological ...

02.04.2016Dr. Paul C. McCormick, the Gallen Professor of Neurological Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, is today’s speaker

Dr. Paul C. McCormick, the Gallen Professor of Neurological Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, is today’s speaker. His clinical work and research focuses on the spine and spinal cord. After studying at the Neurological Institute of New York, he later joined their neurological staff as the first neurosurgeon dedicating his practice to the treatment of patients with spinal disorders. To view his profile, visit:  https://www.columbianeurosurgery.org/doctors/paul-c-mccormick/


Trinity’s biannual literary and art journal, Columbus, rec...

01.21.2016Trinity’s biannual literary and art journal, Columbus, receives the Superior award in the Excellence in Student Literary Magazines competition

Trinity’s biannual literary and art journal, Columbus, receives the Superior award in the Excellence in Student Literary Magazines competition from the National Council of Teachers of English. Trinity is the only independent school in New York City to receive the honor. Student editors of the publication include Ella Epstein '17, Amelia Frank '16, Laura Glesby '17, Mia Nicenko '16, Ani Tchorbajian '17, and Christopher Vassallo '16. To see NCTE’s 20015 ranked magazines, visit: https://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/About/Awards/PRESLM/2015PRESLM/NY.pdf


Trinity takes home prizes from the Greater New York Scholast...

01.19.2016Trinity takes home prizes from the Greater New York Scholastic City-Wide Chess Championship (GNYSCC)

Trinity takes home prizes from the Greater New York Scholastic City-Wide Chess Championship (GNYSCC). Tying for first place in the Primary Novice division, Oliver Epstein, with a perfect score, was the city-wide co-champion. Lila Paul ’25 and Carter Hebard ’26 both finished in the top twenty-five in the same division. The Primary Intermediate Team missed first place by only one point, and was led by Kyle Hahn ’25, also with a perfect score, earned first place in the city. In addition, Trinity’s K-1 team placed sixth and the Elementary Novice team finished tenth. For a list of rating reports for all the games of this event, visit:  https://www.gnyscc.com/


Rena Deitz is Upper School’s Community Time speaker

01.19.2016Rena Deitz is Upper School’s Community Time speaker

Education specialist at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Rena Deitz is Upper School’s Community Time speaker. The IRC is a non-profit that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Prior to the IRC, Deitz worked as an Education Project Manager at UNESCO Juba and in communications at Child Protection in Crisis Network. She graduated from Columbia University Teachers College with an MA in International and Comparative Education.


Alvin L. Bragg Jr. ’91 is today’s Upper School’s Commu...

04.24.2016Alvin L. Bragg Jr. ’91 is today’s Upper School’s Community Time speaker

Executive Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice and Alumnus, Alvin L. Bragg Jr. ’91 is today’s Upper School’s Community Time speaker. He currently oversees six divisions of the Social Justice Division, including charities, civil rights, environmental protection, health care, labor, and tobacco compliance. Previously, Bragg specialized in the investigation of officials’ misconduct and was an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the Attorney’s Office in New York’s Southern District. He received his A.B. from Harvard University and his JD from Harvard Law School. For more information visit:  https://www.ag.ny.gov/senior-staff


Alumna Marguerite F. Karter Elisofon ’74 releases her memo...

03.28.2016Alumna Marguerite F. Karter Elisofon ’74 releases her memoir My Picture Perfect Family: What Happens When One Twin Has Autism

Alumna Marguerite F. Karter Elisofon ’74 releases her memoir My Picture Perfect Family: What Happens When One Twin Has Autism. One of the fastest growing developmental disabilities in the U.S., Elisofon describes the courage needed to raise and advocate for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Download a free excerpt here: http://margueriteelisofon.com/book


Alumna Damaris Rosa Hernández ’97 is profiled in the New ...

03.04.2016Alumna Damaris Rosa Hernández ’97 is profiled in the New York Times’ “Deal Book” section

Alumna Damaris Rosa Hernández ’97 is profiled in the New York Times’ “Deal Book” section. She is the first Latina to become a partner a the law firm of Cravath, Swaine, & Moore. Read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/business/dealbook/law-firms-first-latina-partner-with-boost-from-nyu-program.html?_r=0


Alumna Cynthia Carris Alonso ’81 discusses commercial flig...

02.23.2016Alumna Cynthia Carris Alonso ’81 discusses commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba

Alumna Cynthia Carris Alonso ’81 discusses commercial flights between the U.S. and Cuba on WABC’s show, “Tiempo,” a weekly round-table discussion about topics affecting Hispanic citizens. Visit their website here: http://abc7ny.com/uncategorized/tiempo-watch-this-weeks-show/31525/


Alumnus James Panero ’94 celebrates birthday by visiting e...

02.10.2016Alumnus James Panero ’94 celebrates birthday by visiting every gallery in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and writing about his experience

Alumnus James Panero ’94 celebrates milestone birthday by visiting every gallery in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and writing about his experience for the Wall Street Journal. James successfully rises to the challenge, covering a total of two million square feet. Tanya Rivero also interviews James for the WSJ’s live video news series, “Lunch Break.” Read the full article here:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-met-1454537974


Peter B. Zwack ’73, publishes opinion piece in the online ...

02.04.2016Peter B. Zwack ’73, publishes opinion piece in the online national security publication, Defense One

Former Brigadier General with the U.S. Army and Alumnus, Peter B. Zwack ’73, publishes opinion piece in the online national security publication, Defense One, recounting his experience as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence in Moscow. His account includes time spent with Russia’s Military Intelligence Chief, Igor Sergun. View the article here: https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/02/death-gru-commander/125567/?oref=d-skybox


Alumna Daphne Uviller ’89 publishes Wife of the Day

01.12.2016Alumna Daphne Uviller ’89 publishes Wife of the Day

Alumna Daphne Uviller ’89 publishes Wife of the Day, the third installment in the Zephyr Zuckerman Series. Uviller’s beloved amateur sleuth is thrown into the world of New York City real estate. For more information, visit: https://www.daphneuviller.com/


Alumni Samuel Halpern Sugerman ’12, Benjamin Nathaniel Ros...

01.04.2016Alumni Samuel Halpern Sugerman ’12, Benjamin Nathaniel Rosenblum ’11, along with fellow student jazz musicians are profiled by the New York Times

Alumni Samuel Halpern Sugerman ’12, Benjamin Nathaniel Rosenblum ’11, along with fellow student jazz musicians are profiled by the New York Times in the article, “Melodies Night and Day in this Columbia Dorm.” Occupants of the Columbia University Jazz House discuss balancing their academic studies while performing jazz. Visit article, here: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/nyregion/life-in-a-columbia-dorm-adopts-a-fascinating-rhythm.html


Alumnus Vincent Katz ’78 reads from his latest collection ...

10.13.2015Alumnus Vincent Katz ’78 reads from his latest collection of poems, Swimming Home

Alumnus Vincent Katz ’78 reads from his latest collection of poems, Swimming Home, at St. Mark’s Bookshop. A poet, critic, translator, editor, and curator, Swimming Home is his first book of poetry in a decade. Published by Nightboat Books.


Alumna Abigail Naomi Jackson ’98 makes her literary debut ...

09.10.2015Alumna Abigail Naomi Jackson ’98 makes her literary debut with the novel, The Star Side of Bird Hill

Alumna Abigail Naomi Jackson ’98 makes her literary debut with the novel, The Star Side of Bird Hill. She begins her book tour in New York City, and will join fellow writers Yitzhak Gormezano Goren and Juan Villoro to discuss the topic of navigating cultures through the lens of geography and history.


Alumna Cynthia Carris Alonso ’81 talks about her recently ...

09.10.2015Alumna Cynthia Carris Alonso ’81 talks about her recently published collection of photographs

Alumna Cynthia Carris Alonso ’81 talks about her recently published collection of photographs, Passage to Cuba: An Up-Close Look at the World's Most Colorful Culture.  Alonso has worked as a photographer and photo editor for the publications Businessweek, Newsweek, and Vanity Fair, among others. She has been traveling to Cuba regularly since the early 1990s.


Judy Glantzman ’74 debuts new work at the Betty Cuningham ...

09.02.2015Judy Glantzman ’74 debuts new work at the Betty Cuningham Gallery

Judy Glantzman ’74 debuts new work at the Betty Cuningham Gallery located at 15 Rivington Street.


Alumnus Kevin McEnroe ’04 makes his literary debut with Ou...

05.29.2015Alumnus Kevin McEnroe ’04 makes his literary debut with Our Town: A Novel

Alumnus Kevin McEnroe ’04 makes his literary debut with Our Town: A Novel, published by Counterpoint Press. Our Town has been praised by Hilton Als as “one of those auspicious debuts that cannot be explained because real talent cannot be explained.” For more information visit:  http://counterpointpress.com/products/our-town/


Alumnus Brian D. De Leeuw ’99 kicks off his Brooklyn book ...

04.22.2015Alumnus Brian D. De Leeuw ’99 kicks off his Brooklyn book tour

Alumnus Brian D. De Leeuw ’99 kicks off his Brooklyn book tour following publication of his new novel, The Dismantling, with appearances at Book Culture and Bookcourt.


Trinity Students Perform at United Nations

12.05.2012Trinity Students Perform at United Nations

Three Trinity Upper School Chorus members participated in a performance at the United Nations on Monday, 26 November 2012: Emily S. Shah ’15, Tanvi Janardhan ’15, and Isabelle J. Chau ’16. The choir was organized and led by Trinity alumna Amy M. Zakar ’95.

The event—A Celebration of Love: Love Towards All, Malice Towards None—took place in the Economic and Social Council Room at the United Nations. It celebrated universal love, human unity, and service without regard to race, religion, or national origin. The evening included the renowned Shahi Qawwals from Ajmer Dargah Sharif (devotional singers and musicians from India) and a presentation by Dr. Deepak Chopra. Tanvi Janardhan ’15, Emily S. Shah ’15, and Isabelle J. Chau ’16 sang to a full house of delegates and families as well as to the security council president and the deputy secretary general. The soloist, Mor Dior Bamba, is a Senegalese griot singer (a hereditary caste in western Africa whose function it is to keep an oral history of a tribe or village).

The concert was organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations to celebrate India's presidency of the United Nations Security Council and to mark the 800th Urs (anniversary of death) of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, a twelfth century Sufi saint.

Video of the performance can be viewed here:
http://webtv.un.org/search/musical-concert:-love-towards-all-malice-towards-none-the-renowned-shahi-qawwals-from-ajmer/1990863843001?term=love.


In Memoriam: James Grady Hobson

12.06.2012In Memoriam: James Grady Hobson

We recently received news of the death of one of our former faculty members that occurred last year. James Grady Hobson, who taught mathematics at Trinity School from 1979 to 1991, passed away on 30 November 2011 at his home in Selma, California.

James was born on 5 February 1926. During World War II, he served in the United States Armed Forces. He received his undergraduate degree from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Prior to teaching at Trinity, James taught at both campuses of Robert College of Istanbul in Turkey between 1952-1960, 1962-1968, and from 1971-1977, for a total of twenty years. Back in the United States, he also taught at Verde Valley School in Sedona, Arizona, from 1968-1971 and St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio, Texas, from 1977-1979.

James is survived by his nieces and their spouses, Gail and Pat Lewis; Karen and Rod Ochinero, and Rae Coonce; four great nephews and their spouses; and two great nieces.

To learn more about James’s life in Istanbul and in New York City at Trinity, read this 2003 interview with him conducted by a former student of his from Robert College: https://www.cs.ucsb.edu/~omer/DOWNLOADABLE/J_Grady_Hobson_Interview_2003.pdf


Trinity DNA Project on ABC News Nightline

01.24.2013Trinity DNA Project on ABC News Nightline

Parent of alumna Dr. Mark Stoeckle, alumni Catherine C. Gamble '11 and Rohan N. Kirpekar '11, and student Grace Young '13, who made the news after finding unlisted ingredients in teas and infusions by using DNA barcoding, were featured in an ABC News Nightline program on food fraud. See them at minute 3:50 in the video, which can be watched at http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/food-fraud-watchdog-group-raises-concerns-18290097.

Read the Campus News article from 2011 about their findings at https://www.sinecharta.org/Campus-News/Around-the-Campus/2011-2012/July/Trinity-Students-Use-DNA-Barcoding-to-Test-Teas-an.aspx.


Trinity Students Win Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

02.11.2013Trinity Students Win Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The 2012-2013 academic year marked the ninetieth anniversary of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers presents the awards every year to bring recognition of the artistic and literary talents of students to a national audience.

The Gold Key awards are the highest level of achievement on the regional level. Gold key entries are automatically entered into the National Judging later this year. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of New York City are in, and Trinity students are among the many talented students of New York City who have been awarded Gold and Silver Key awards in art and writing.

Visit https://www.artandwriting.org/ for more information about the awards and the history of the awards.

Over the next couple of months, the Scholastic Awards of New York City blog will be publishing five artworks and five works of writing a day from the Gold and Silver Key winners. A list of honorable mentions can also be seen on the blog. Visit it at http://nycscholasticawards.wordpress.com/.

The winners are below:

Writing – Gold Key
Daniel B. Carlon ’13 – Poetry – Southern Catatonia
Elodie M. Freymann ’14 – Short Story – The Boat, Short Story – Scratch Paper
Kyra S. Guillemin ’15 – Short Story – Tree
Lee Harris ’15 – Persuasive Writing – “Falling” in Love
Hyunsun “Heidi” Kim ’17 – Short Story – Flowers and the Bottom Line
Alexandra L. Lathen ’17 – Short Story – Rosie’s Rainbow
Ian B. Leifer ’17 – Short Story – Popped Like a Zit
Lucy L. MacGowan ’17 – Flash Fiction – Perspective, Flash Fiction – Metamorphosis, Personal Essay/Memoirs – Awake with the Rainbows
Emily R. Malpass ’17 – Flash Fiction – The Boy with the Mulberry Mark
Sophia R. McCreary ’17 – Poetry – Papa, Short Story – Seasons of Friends
Sarah A. Saltiel ’14 – Short Story – Witness Theory
Madeleine C. Steinberg ’13 – Personal Essay/Memoir – Oklahoma
Sara S. Tavakolian ’17 – Flash Fiction – A Walk in Winter Wonderland, Short Story – Porchetta Pig
Kristjan T. Tomasson ’15 – Personal Essay/Memoir – The Gift

Writing – Silver Key
Jane R. Baldwin ’17 – Flash Fiction – Dear Randy
Catherine Banner ’16 – Poetry – The Land of Magnolia
Corin I. Bronsther ’14 – Personal Essay/Memoir – The Primate Voyeur
Kenan Danon ’16 – Personal Essay/Memoir – Rawhide
Elodie M. Freymann ’14 – Short Story – The Plowman, Personal Essay Memoir - Tunneling
Finn Freymann ’14 – Personal Essay/Memoir – I’ll Lend You My Voice So You Can Be Yourself
Clara M. N. Gardner ’17 – Flash Fiction – Yellow and Red
Emma R. Gray ’17 – Short Story – The Fall
Jasmine Henry ’16 – Flash Fiction – Coming of Age
Casey E. Horey ’17 – Flash Fiction – A Flickering Hope of Home
Alexandra L. Lathen ’17 – Poetry – These are the Candles I am Lighting
Lucy L. MacGowan ’17 – Poetry – Life Is…
Susanna E. McCollum ’17 – Flash Fiction – The Eye of the Storm
Sophia R. McCreary ’17 – Short Story – Falling, Short Story – Bright
Ava C. McEnroe ’17 – Short Story – Storm, Short Story – Trapped
Scott R. Newman ’17 – Short Story – How am I Getting Home Tomorrow
Ananth Raghavan ’16 – Poetry – The River
Sarah A. Saltiel ’14 – Poetry - What to do About the Consequences, Goodbye/Hello Wish It Would Snow, Shadows are For Decoration, A Study of Dickinson, Small Dreams; Short Story – A Catastrophic Sense of Being
Zachary C. Spohler ’13 – Personal Essay/Memoir – Butterfield
Jack D. Wasserstein ’17 – Short Story – KAROLD

Art – Gold Key
Annabel C. Berney ’17 – Photography – The Necessities of Night
Daniel B. Carlon ’13 – Photography – Promised Land III
Elodie M. Freymann ’14 – Mixed Media – Forest Things, Drawing – An Answer, Photography – Dumpling Shop
Olivia A. Robbins ’17 – Photography – Julia, Julia, Oceanchild
Aaron Z. Smithson ’15 – Architecture – Skyscraper, Architecture – La Plaza

Art – Silver Key
Jane R. Baldwin ’17 – Digital Art – Lights
Daniel B. Carlon ’13 – Photography – Urban Self-portrait I Miranda Coombe – Painting – Untitled I
Emma J. Delaney ’13 – Photography – Red Shoes
Elodie M. Freymann ’14 – Photography – American Trumpet, Photography – Fly Swatter
Olivia Glen-Rayner ’14 – Photography – Ancramdale 1
Olivia C. Manocherian ’14 – Photography – Equilibrium
Olivia A. Robbins ’17 – Photography – Hallmark 1970, Photography – In the Abyss
Jennifer P. Romanello ’13 – Photography - Untitled
Jack Saltzman ’14 – Photography – Hurricane Sandy, Photography - Limbo
Elisa M. Sheen ’15 – Photography – Dedication
Aaron Z. Smithson ’15 – Architecture – Pavilion, Architecture – Train Station, Architecture – Fluid Station
Romy D. Vassilev ’15 – Photography – Untitled 4
Caroline M. Wilson ’14 – Photography – Trey

 


Trinity Students Win at Rondo Young Artist Festival

02.21.2013Trinity Students Win at Rondo Young Artist Festival

Congratulations to students David M. Leeds '13 and Quinn A. Steven '14 who were selected as first place winners in the First Annual Rondo Young Artist Festival. They will both perform, along with other first place winners, in Rondo's recitals this spring.

David Leeds will be performing George Gershwin's "Prelude" on piano at the Liederkranz Foundation in New York City on 13 April at 5:00 p.m. and Quinn Steven will be singing Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Black Swan" in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall on 17 March at 1:00 p.m. The Rondo Young Artist Festival is an international concert showcase which is set out to encourage young musicians to further their musical talents. Rondo's idea is simple: to build confidence in the participants and prepare them for successful lives ahead, while helping their budding musical careers and promoting the spread of music in the community.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.rondoyoungartist.org/.


Trinity Community Helps Toborg Family After Hurricane Sandy

03.26.2013Trinity Community Helps Toborg Family After Hurricane Sandy

Fred Toborg, who coached and taught physical education at Trinity for thirty years, and his wife, Barbara, live in Broad Channel, New York, where their home was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. NY1 produced a segment on the couple and the volunteer efforts of Trinity’s community as they work to rebuild their home. With help from many alumni, including Elvin A. "Elly" Can ’91, Norman W. “Ned” Boyd III ’92, Vaughn P. Caldon ’95, and Chip Brian ’89 (co-owner of the construction firm, Design Development, who is rebuilding the home for free), the Toborgs hope to be able to return to their home in April. Watch the segment at https://www.ny1.com/content/179265/queens-couple-thankful-for-team-of-support-in-sandy-recovery.

The Curbed NY blog featured the renovation of the house in an article, including photographs. Read the post at http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/09/11/with_a_little_h


Trinity Students Published in Independent Voices Anthology

04.08.2013Trinity Students Published in Independent Voices Anthology

Each year, Independent Voices, sponsored by Joint Student Activities, Inc. (JSA), gathers together student poets from New York City's independent schools for a public poetry reading at Barnes and Noble. This year four Trinity students--Sarah A. Saltiel '14, Danny B. Carlon '13, Anna S. McEnroe '14, and Gabriela "Gaby" Sommer '15--will be participating. Their poems will also be published in theIndependent Voices anthology, of which an online edition will be available. Student Claire A. Keyte '13 will not be reading; however, her work will also be published in the anthology. Congratulations Sarah, Danny, Anna, Gaby, and Claire!

The reading will be at the Barnes and Noble located at 150 East 86th Street on Friday, 12 April 2013. The event begins at 6:00 p.m and will run until 7:30 p.m.


Trinity Middle School Robotics Team Places Second

04.22.2013Trinity Middle School Robotics Team Places Second

On 19 January 2013, Trinity’s two Middle School robotics teams, the Siberian Tigers and the Raging Tigers, competed in the regional FIRST LEGO League contest. The Raging Tigers placed second overall out of thirty-six teams in Manhattan, beating perennial winners, The Dalton School and Hunter College Elementary School, in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Manhattan Qualifier at the City College of New York, which qualified them for the regional New York City tournament on 9 March.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a LEGO based robotics program for students age nine to sixteen years (nine to fourteen in the US, Canada, and Mexico) which is designed to get them excited about science and technology and teach them valuable employment and life skills. Visit http://firstlegoleague.org/ to learn more.

On 9 March 2013, at the FLL Championship at the Javits Center, the Raging Tigers placed second among the eighty teams from the qualifying tournaments in the five boroughs. The team included Arnold Nam ’18, Eli H. Schiff ’18, Jeremy S. Ben-Meir ’18, Alexander M. Sheen ’19, Deen Amanat ’19, and Jacob L. Cohen ’20. They earned exemplary scores in nearly every category with perfect scores in robot design and project presentation.

The Raging Tigers developed Text-Stop for the competition after the team met with seniors at a local community center. The seniors expressed concern about being knocked over by people walking and texting at the same time. Conducting research jointly with the New York City Department of Aging, the US Center for Disease Control, and Skyping with a wireless expert in the United Kingdom, the team came up with Text-Stop, which uses a phone’s accelerometer to cause its keyboard to freeze when a someone attempts to text while walking. The team has submitted their invention to the Global Innovation Award competition and hope to make it commercially available to help seniors and others avoid potentially dangerous collisions and falls. (http://fllinnovation.firstlegoleague.org/text-stop).

Congratulations to the teams!
Watch a video from the 19 January competition at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxhyXrBxmXA
Watch a video from the 9 March championship of the Trinity team placing second at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg7Dz510JM4


Trinity Senior Speaks During Lower School Chapel

05.06.2013Trinity Senior Speaks During Lower School Chapel

This speech was given by Jennifer P. Romanello '13 during Lower School Chapel on 3 May 2013. A slideshow of photographs accompanied the speech.

Good morning Lower School! My name is Jennifer Romanello. I don’t know how many of you have seen me around school, but I am a student here at Trinity, just like you! I am in the twelfth grade and I came to Trinity in Kindergarten in the year 2000 when I was five years old. That was thirteen years ago and now I am eighteen. I will be graduating from Trinity later this month, and after the summer, when you come back for the next school year, I will be going away to college. Last month I asked Chaplains Barbaro and Morehouse if I could come talk to the Lower School to share with you what it has been like to grow up at Trinity.

I remember being a student in the Lower School really well! What really stands out to me about my time in the Lower School are the many fun traditions I was a part of.

Take a moment to look at the picture behind me. I’m going to count to three. After I say three, can all of you tell me: for what event is this Trinity student holding a dream catcher above her head? 1 – 2 – 3…

Yes! It is the Native American Festival! Do you know who the girl is? It’s me! I am dressed up as a possum and holding a dream catcher above my head on the day of my second grade Native American Festival. Each homeroom represented a possum, coyote, or spider. My whole grade worked really hard learning the dances and together we put on a great show.

I also remember the third grade egg drop. On the screen is a picture of me, my partners, and Mr. Warren as we opened our carefully designed box to find that our egg did not break. My partners and I worked together and respected each other’s ideas.

Celebrating different holidays is a lot of fun in the Lower School. I remember dressing up in a black and orange witch costume for the Halloween Parade when I was in first grade. I still remember a few of the songs from the Halloween Parade, including the one about the little green baby ghost. The Halloween Parade is a lot of fun for not only the first graders, but also for the other Lower School students and the teachers. The three traditions I’ve mentioned so far create a strong sense of community in the Lower School, which I think is very important. It’s great to feel part of something fun, but these traditions are so much more than just fun. They bring us together. When people feel united, they take the time to learn about each other. When people feel united, they are less focused on themselves and more caring for others.

For decades, Trinity students have been a part of these Lower School traditions. The first grade pancake breakfast, the second grade Native American festival, the third grade Immigration Simulation, and fourth grade Japanese Festival – these traditions create some of the best memories of our childhoods. They connect us to our school and to each other. They unite people who are now in the Lower School to people who are no longer in the Lower School – like me. I have been talking about traditions that I was a part of around ten years ago, and you guys know exactly what I’m talking about. I think that’s really special. Many of the important events of your Lower School experience were part of mine too. They have been a part of the Lower School for a very long time.

Just a show of hands… how many of you have seen this flag in real life? On the count of three, can you guys tell me where you’ve seen it? 1 – 2 – 3… Yes! This flag is in the Great Hall! It was actually created when I was in first grade. Each handprint represents a student in the Lower School during the 2001–2002 school year. I remember going to the Lower School kitchen to mix the paint and then press my hand onto the flag that you see everyday.

A few months ago I was in the Great Hall and I told Adele that I wondered which handprint on the flag was mine. She then revealed that she has a list of which handprint belongs to which student. I then knew that I just had to find out which handprint was mine! It’s the thirteenth from the left on the fourth row from the top. Here is a picture of me reunited with my handprint that I stamped onto the flag over ten years ago!

Even if you haven’t realized it, the past and present students of the Lower School are very much united by the flag you walk by everyday. About half of the Upper School students came to Trinity in the Lower School. The older students you walk by in the Long Hallway may have had the same teachers as you – my Kindergarten teacher was Mr. Parbst and my first grade teacher was Ms. Alvarez! Maybe these older students went on the trip to Dead Horse Bay, like you, or had a parent read to their class in the library. You certainly learned to read in the same rooms where some of them learned to read. You even see some of their handprints everyday without even knowing it.

Trinity from years ago and Trinity today are also connected in All School Chapel. I really like All School Chapel. My last All School Chapel ever as a Trinity Student is in thirteen days and I’ve already been to forty-seven of them! But I will definitely come to All School Chapel even after I graduate, especially the one at Christmas time. I really love how during All School Chapel, all the Trinity students and teachers, and even some parents are together in one room. We sit together, sing together, and listen together. Think of the Christmas All School Chapel. At the very beginning, nine twelfth graders walk down the aisle in white robes. They are called acolytes. They are joined by Chaplains Barbaro and Morehouse, Mr. Allman, the twelfth grade speaker and the eighth grade speaker. Three fifth graders sing “We Three Kings” and everyone joins in at the refrain. Four six graders sing “Once in Royal David’s City” as the first graders walk down the aisle holding their candles. Parents lean over the balcony with their cameras and video-recorders. Students of all ages stretch their necks to catch a glimpse of the angelic first graders. I think this part so beautiful. Later, the Upper School chorus sings, and of course you can’t forget the caroling at the end and the singing of “The 12 Days of Christmas”! I have been the first grade candle bearer, the sixth grade singer, and the twelfth grade acolyte. I have also sung in the Upper School chorus.

Being a student at Trinity really means being part of something larger than yourself. The Trinity community includes all thirteen grades, the teachers, parents, traditions, and even the students who have graduated and share many of the same experiences as you. And, by now, there have been Trinity students, teachers, and parents for 304 years!

The Lower School is not only a place where traditions bring us together as a caring community. It is also a place where we learn the independence that we will need in the Middle School and Upper School as well as our lives outside and beyond Trinity. Here in the Lower School, every student has a job to help out the entire class. Some of you are line-leaders or line-enders. You pick up snacks in the cafeteria, you speak during morning meetings, and, in fourth grade, you are ushers, snuffers, or readers in Chapel. You get the job done, even if your teachers aren’t there with you to get snack or usher homerooms to Chapel.

In the Middle School and Upper School, it is very important to be independent in order to do many things by yourself – although of course your teachers (and friends) are there to help you. In the Middle School, your classes are taught in different rooms by different teachers. After sixth grade, you independently travel from room to room instead of moving with your homeroom. You must make sure that you are not late to class. No one from your first class of the day will necessarily have their second class in the same room as you.

Starting in the Middle School, you also must choose how to spend your time during the day. In both Middle School and Upper School, there are twenty minutes every day of free time after your second class. You could go to the cafeteria and have snack with your friends… you could play on the turf… or you could meet with your teacher if you have a few questions about what you’ve been learning in class. Every once in a while, you may find that, although you want to play soccer on the turf, you know that you really should meet with your teacher. In the Middle School, all the teachers are really nice and want to help you. And the Lower School is preparing you to have this level of independence, and I believe that when fifth grade comes around, you will be ready. And now after thirteen years, I believe that my entire time at Trinity has prepared me for next year when I will go to another school. And I know that when I get there, I will be ready to make good choices to balance my time between my classes and spending time with friends.

I knew even when I was in Kindergarten, back in the year 2000, that I’d be graduating in 2013, but the year 2013 always seemed like something I’d be moving towards and never actually reaching. It always seemed so far away. And now I am here after thirteen years, forty-seven All School Chapels, and nearly 500 weekly chapels – over 180 of them in the Lower School. I have had over 2,000 days of school here at Trinity. And now I have only twenty-one days left until I graduate.

Take a moment to look around at our ushers today! They’ve done a great job leading you all to Lower School Chapel! They should be very proud that they are carrying on a tradition that began many years ago and has included thousands of students. They’ve been very independent. And look at all of you in the audience! Together, you all sat and listened to what I have to say. We are sitting here together. We are sharing this experience today at Lower School Chapel.

From my thirteen years here, I have learned that: to be a member of the Trinity Community is to be part of something larger than yourself. When you are part of Trinity School, you are part of something that includes classmates, teachers, and parents. We develop thoughtful and caring relationships with one other here at school. And if you are a member, you are a member for life. You and me, no matter what age, are Trinity kids. Remember that my name is Jen and don’t hesitate to say hi if you pass me in the Long Hallway.

Thank you students, teachers, parents, Ms. Milliman, Mr. Allman, Chaplains Barbaro and Morehouse, Mom and Dad, and my brother Peter who is in the tenth grade… Thank you for the education, memories and friendships that I will take with me well beyond my time at Trinity.


Students From Trinity’s Grades Five and Six to Support a S...

05.21.2013Students From Trinity’s Grades Five and Six to Support a School in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in West Africa

The Empowering Children and Youth School (ECYS) in Freetown, Sierra Leone, serves a community of impoverished children in a slum called Congo Town. These children cannot take advantage of the public school system, as public schools are not free and the children cannot afford the fees. The director of ECYS, Ibrahim Kamara, provides an education for these children in a safe, well-run alternative that allows the children to attend school at no cost to their families. A former child soldier, Ibrahim has dedicated his life to serving the most disadvantaged children in his neighborhood. At only twenty-three years old, he has raised money to build a new building, he has hired teachers, and he has brought together many families in his community to help him pursue his vision.

"When I told this story at a recent chapel, a number of fifth and sixth graders approached me saying that they wanted to help support ECYS,” recalls Benjamin Stern, Middle School technology integrationist. “In my Computers class, the students came up with a number of ideas. They want to create instructional videos that help to explain math, science, and English concepts. They also want to plan and participate in a swim-a-thon to raise funds to support the school.”

The students hope to leverage social media and online outreach to solicit friends, family, and community members to support the students of ECYS. They will have a videoconference next week to begin to establish one-on-one relationships with the students in Freetown.

"I hope that the Trinity community will support these Middle School students in their pursuit of a better education and, therefore, a better life for the students of the Empowering Children and Youth School,” says Ben. From now until the end of the school year, Trinity students will be developing video tutorials, children’s books, and lessons in PowerPoint to teach the students at ECYS subjects such as math, science, and English. During the summer, the fifth and sixth graders will avoid spending money on ice cream, popcorn at the movies, and other expenses and they will contribute that money instead to ECYS. In the fall the students will host a series of fund-raisers to support ECYS and build upon their hard work.


Ada M. Guzman ’14 and Ozra Yazdani ’14 Read at N...

05.29.2013Ada M. Guzman ’14 and Ozra Yazdani ’14 Read at Nuyorican Poets Café

Students Ada M. Guzman '14 and Ozra Yazdani '14 performed their original poetry, to a very appreciative crowd, at an open mic night on 27 April 2013 at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe at 236 E 3rd St in New York City. The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, which was founded in 1973, is a renowned venue for poetry, music, visual arts, comedy, and theater. "We have serious young poets among us, and the city is noticing," says Cindylisa Muñiz, Upper School English teacher. Fellow English teacher and Upper School Class Dean Dr. J. Bradford Anderson was also enthusiastically in attendance.


Commencement Address Given by John G. Golfinos, MD ’80

05.29.2013Commencement Address Given by John G. Golfinos, MD ’80

Trinity Commencement Address, 24 May 2013

Headmaster Allman, Faculty, Trustees, Alumni and Alumnae, Parents, Family, Friends, Students and, in particular, the Members of the Trinity Class of 2013:

I honestly can’t tell you what a tremendous privilege it is for me to be asked to speak to the Class of 2013 at their commencement ceremony. I’m still trying to figure out why I was asked. Trinity has had the president of NYU where I work, John Sexton, give this speech. They’ve had Garry Trudeau who created Doonesbury. Two years ago, I think it was a Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry. So why am I standing here in front of you today? I’m hoping the reason is that I represent a lot of things, neurosurgeon being one of them, but the more important ones being an alumnus of Trinity (Class of 1980), a trustee of the School, and, most importantly, a parent of one of your classmates, Jason. Perhaps you will see in me a glimpse of your future—is thisreally what happens after Trinity? Perhaps you will trust that I might have something relevant to say, since I have in some long-distance way gone through many of the same experiences that you have gone through with some, I might add, of the exact same teachers. Perhaps, I will be a voice from the other side for you, proof-positive at this delicate moment in your lives that things do work out in the long run.

As a neurosurgeon for these past eighteen years, I will tell you, there are very few things that scare me, aside from uncontrolled bleeding. Trying to speak in front of the graduating class of Trinity is now on my list of terrifying moments. To that end, I’d also like to thank personally the eighty-six separate people who have asked me over the past month how my speech was coming. I am unfortunately reminded of the poor souls who come to speak as honored guests at our national neurosurgery meetings and have to address a room full of 2,000 brain surgeons, trying to say something that a neurosurgeon doesn’t already know or at least thinks that he or she knows. I was at your Virgil Academy and saw you go head-to-head with classics professors from Ivy League schools without blinking. Worse, in the age of the Internet, everyone knows everything that’s already been said in the good commencement speeches. At the NYU medical school commencement two days ago, the speaker mentioned how tempted he was to use Woody Allen’s fictional commencement address of 1979: "More than at any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly."

So when I was asked to give this speech, my first fear-tinged thought was, "What can I say to 108 of the brightest, most well-educated and far-ranging young minds that will leave an honest mark?" My fear, I should note, was not assuaged last night at the baccalaureate when I learned that one of the lines in your class statement was, in fact, "I am always thinking, 'Why did they invite this guy to speak?'" But I’ll be honest with you. This is actually the second time I will speak at Trinity Commencement—the first was thirty-three years ago in June, 1980 when I was one of the senior class speakers for my own graduation. The keynote address that year was given by Leonard Lauder, the CEO of Lauder cosmetics and the father of Gary Lauder in our class. The chance today to try again was one I couldn’t turn down, although I hope you will appreciate what a precarious position I was given, speaking after Travis and Visala. It was in my contract that I would get to speak before them, but I guess that didn’t work out. Before I accepted, I of course had to ask my son, Jason, if it would be all right with him. My children think that my life mission at times is to embarrass them, so that I needed Jason’s approval to speak, which he gave willingly although I thought I caught a faint snicker cross his lips as he assented. I can say already that I know there is at least one person who is happy that I am speaking today. My daughter Chloë, who is in ninth grade, upon finding out that I would give the commencement address, was thrilled. "That’s great, Dad,” she said, “at least that way I can be certain you won’t be giving it at my graduation."

This morning, then, I thought I would speak to you about what I have learned as a neurosurgeon. The original title of my speech, in fact, was "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Neurosurgery School," but as I started to write I realized that so many of the lessons I had learned had their earliest roots at Trinity. My crystallized realization of what mattered came as a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, but the foundations were constructed decades earlier in my twelve years on West 91Street. So, I thought I would let you know a little about my brain and what’s in it, and then tell you a little about your brains, and, with any luck , what I hope will end up in them. How long should this speech be? Well, that’s one of the things I learned at Trinity, from Mrs. Mallison, your and my English teacher. She would say it should be like a woman’s skirt—long enough to cover everything, but short enough to be interesting.

If you ask one of my best friends in the world when it was that I decided to be a neurosurgeon, he will tell you that it was in first grade. That’s right, I met one of my best friends, David Saltzman, on the first day of first grade at Trinity School (there was no kindergarten then.) I showed up to the first day of school with a broken arm, and David was the first kid to come over and ask if I was okay and if he could help in any way. He was the first at Trinity to sign my cast and we have been fast friends ever since. Through high school and even medical school, I thought that being a neurosurgeon meant having an opportunity to finally understand exactly how the brain works. That’s why I wanted to do it. I thought I would understand directly how it is that we know things, how it is that we remember things, how it is that we create things, how it is that we can deliver speeches like this and talk about the process even while doing it. But the reality was quite different. It is only in the last five years, really, that neuroscientists have started to look at the parts of the brain beyond sensation, movement, language, and vision. In fact, to this very day in neurosurgery, any part of the brain not involved in movement, sensation, vision or language is called "non-eloquent." That part of the brain can’t speak for itself. We freely plan surgical approaches to tumors that transverse and, of course, damage these "non-eloquent" areas of the brain. For virtually all of us right-handers and non-familial left-handers, that includes the entire right hemisphere of the brain except for the motor strip and visual areas. But we are now on the cusp of understanding how crude an approach that is. It is becoming clear that every part of the brain, as we suspected all along, is eloquent if you know how to test its functions adequately. Neuroscientists now use MRI scanners that show real-time activity in the brain to plot out which previously ignored areas of the brain are responsible for such things as fear, anxiety, bargaining, and even altruism. A tiny area of the right (non-dominant) hemisphere where the temporal lobe of the brain joins the parietal lobe seems to be important for assigning guilt and ethical responsibility to our own and other people’s actions. A good friend of mine studies what he calls neuro-economics, using the same MRI scanners to understand how people decide when to gamble or when a price is fair. We are starting to place electrodes deep in the brain to improve mood in chronic depression. In Toronto, neurosurgeons there were placing stimulating electrodes to curb appetite in massively obese patients. In one case, they missed and placed the electrode instead in memory structures of the brain. When the electrodes were turned on, the patient’s memory improved, and this has led to a trial in Alzheimer’s disease.

For me, though, the reality of being a neurosurgeon was far different from my medical school idealism of figuring out the brain. It turns out that being a neurosurgeon is one part surgeon, one part psychiatrist, and one part priest. You are with people at the extremes of happiness and despair in their lives. You see families tested by profound loss and sadness. You learn to judge quickly who will bear up and who will not. You become an acute judge of resilience. I thought that I was going into a technically demanding specialty. But the most demanding part of being a neurosurgeon is emotional, not technical. We all know the typical jokes about neurosurgeons: "It’s been another long day at the pearly gates and St. Peter is dutifully processing people. An amazingly long line of people waiting to get in stretches for miles before him. Then, from the back of the line, a lone figure starts to walk toward the gates. He’s clean cut, dressed in scrubs and a white coat, and has the words 'Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery' stitched under his front coat pocket. He smugly walks to the front of the line, winks at St. Peter, and strides into heaven. The people in the line are dumbfounded and outraged. 'Just because he’s a neurosurgeon, he doesn’t have to wait in line?!?' the people start to yell. St Peter looks back at them and answers, 'No, that’s just God. He likes to pretend he’s a brain surgeon sometimes.'" Well, I will tell you that nothing makes you humble more quickly than neurosurgery. All of the mistakes I make are permanent and irrevocable. The nervous system doesn’t repair itself like other organ systems. My patients live with the neurologic complications I give them for the rest of their lives. It’s impossible for me to have an ego given that truth. Many of my patients have malignant brain tumors. I am most often the one to tell them that they only have a year, perhaps two, to live. That has taught me how desperately precious life is. The strangest thing about our lives is that the arrow of time points in only one direction. You can never reverse it. There’s a reason we have so many ways to say it. You just heard one in the last hymn we sang: "Time like an ever-flowing stream, bears all our years away." Carpe diem; from Virgil—Fugit irreparabile tempus (time flies without recall); Gather ye rosebuds while ye may (Robert Herrick); to the ancient Greeks, Ta panta rhei (you can never step in the same river twice). The musical, Pippin, is on Broadway now and in a wonderful song the grandmother sings, "Spring will turn to fall, in just no time at all." Well, that has been the hardest lesson that neurosurgery has taught me. There is not enough time on this earth. As a surgeon, I have done heroic operations to secure only another two months of life sometimes. My patients will say to me, "Just be sure I am at my daughter’s wedding." Or, "I need to see my grandchild born." Or as one of my patient’s said when I talked about the risks of surgery with her, "That’s okay, Dr. Golfinos, you know—not walking beats not breathing."

It was being a neurosurgeon that led me to realize, in the face of our fragile lives, that we have to find happiness in every possible moment. When I was recruiting a faculty member from the University of Pittsburgh recently, he remarked anxiously that he was taking a gamble by coming to New York. I told him not to worry: I have a pathological need to make everyone around me happy. I got it from my mother (who is here today). It was my friends the neuroscientists who showed me how to do it, and this is what I want to impart to you now. What we call happiness, it turns out, correlates with levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in the frontal lobes of the brain. There are only three things to date that have been proven to raise dopamine levels on functional MRI scans in the frontal lobes: antidepressants (naturally), exercise, and shared social experiences. The last is the one I want to concentrate on. Actual experimental trials show that social experiences in groups, especially with family and relatives, will raise dopamine levels in the brain as measured by PET scanning. This is the basis, it turns out, of psychoanalysis—the talking cure. It is why church works. It is why being a part-time priest as a neurosurgeon is its own reward. It is probably the basis of altruistic behavior as well. The origins lie deep in our genetic history as social primates, and more importantly lie in specialized neurons in our brains. These neurons, called mirror neurons, respond to other people’s actions. They allow us to empathize with another person. They are how our brains make sense of what is going on in another person’s brain. Our mirror neurons crave contact with other mirror neurons in other brains. It’s why social contact is so critical to humans. The military stresses the Rule of 3s in survival. You can survive three minutes without oxygen, three days without water, three weeks without food, and only three months without social contact. Solitary confinement in prisons is, for this reason, a cruel and sometimes lethal punishment.

Furthermore, the cognitive psychologists teach us that social activities create longer-lasting happiness than material goods. This has led to an entire field of study called hedonic psychology. Daniel Kahneman from Princeton won the Nobel Prize in economics for showing that beyond $60,000/year in income, there is no additional gain in happiness in families in the United States. More material goods do not create additional pleasure; only shared social experiences can do that. This was driven home for me in a wonderful way by Professor Kahneman himself. I went to a fundraiser for my twenty-fifth college reunion, and he was the featured speaker. It took place in early 2009, right after Lehman Brothers had collapsed. The location was an all-white penthouse at the very top of the Time Warner Center. The drapes were white, the furniture was white, even the cat was white. The host was perched at the time at the lip of financial ruin in the real estate markets. In his brief remarks, Daniel Kahneman looked around him at the wonderful views of the park and told the host not to worry. Even if he lost these material things, he would still be happy with his wife and children, and he cited his own studies to prove it. His advice to the host was to create more happiness by spending more time with people he liked.

As a neurosurgeon, learning what neuroscientists knew about happiness was my antidote to the fragility of life. Shirley Tilghman was a full-time working molecular biologist before she became president of Princeton. She was asked how she had time to do research and administrate while being the single mother of two adolescent daughters. She said that her answer was to make vacation times sacrosanct so that every minute was shared with her children. That’s what I have tried to do in my family. I even look forward to being trapped in traffic for hours with my family in the car, though I am not honestly sure that they would say the same thing.

I hope that you members of the Class of 2013 will learn to pursue real happiness when you leave here. Realize that there are mountains of evidence showing how fleeting the happiness of material objects is and how conversely permanent is the happiness of shared social memories. You will have to know your priorities since there will be so many demands on your time. My predecessor as chairman at NYU was a crusty but brilliant neurosurgeon of the old school. He was asked once what his priorities were. He replied, "My priorities? I’ll tell you what my priorities are—1) God Almighty 2) My family 3) That poor bastard on the operating room table 4) My residents and somewhere down around #99, medical school administrators." He had it right. He is in retirement, sailing now, spending all of his time with his wife and daughter.

At this point, I suppose, it’s traditional to close with some pithy aphorisms that you can take with you, sort of like a verbal gift bag. I hate to deprive you of that. The safety of your brain goes without saying—wear helmets at all times in hazardous activities. Mel Brooks noted in The 2000 Year Old Man that the brain was far more important than the reproductive organs, otherwise God would have put a skull around the testicles. At age forty, neuropsychologists can begin to measure memory and cognitive decline in normal people. That’s right. You, the Class of 2013 are close now to your maximum intelligence in your lifetime. Is there any way to stave off decline? This week, the University of Iowa showed for the first time that a specific video game could improve working memory in older adults. It is based on a single training exercise that improves working memory (the basis of IQ), although it’s not clear how long the improvement lasts. The only other proven way to prevent cognitive decline is, of course, exercise. Have a motto—it helps to keep your mind focused. In our neurosurgery department we have two—Grace under pressure. That was Hemingway’s response to Dorothy Parker when she asked him what courage was. "Courage," he said, "is grace under pressure." Having gone to Trinity, I thought we should have a Latin motto as well, so I included Aut inveniam viam aut faciam (Either I shall find a way or I shall make one, apocryphally attributed to Hannibal when he was told there was no way across the Alps). I thought it appropriate for neurosurgery. And by the way, never apologize for your Latin training. Ceteris paribus, it’s a wonderful thing to have. It’s not your fault if other people didn’t go to a school that had seven years of Latin. Similarly, have a sound track for your life. You millenials are particularly adept at that. I use classical music in the operating room for opening and dissecting, and rock and roll for closing. Finally, smell nice. Olfactory memories (those created by the sense of smell) are among the strongest of all memories. The olfactory bulbs themselves are not nerves but specialized parts of the brain, and one of the few parts of the brain where new neurons and connections are continually formed. They connect directly to deep emotional centers of the brain. It explains Proust’s memories involuntarily triggered by the smell of fresh-baked madeleines. Exploit all of your senses, not least your sense of decency.

I hope you will go on in your lives to do great things. I didn’t want to say it, but one of the other reasons I became a neurosurgeon was so that I would help other people without having to even think about it—it would always be the nature of the job. That first grade friend I mentioned early on? He’s helped millions of children and adults in New York City as the head of the Robin Hood Foundation. Take the enormous head start that Trinity has given you and go out to change the world. Change other people’s minds, or, even, their brains.

Thank-you so much for letting me speak, and may you fill your own lives with the most profound happiness. Start with the memories you have all created together here at Trinity School.

John G. Golfinos, MD ‘80


English Teacher Saul Isaacson Wins Greenberg Family-Alumni A...

06.14.2013English Teacher Saul Isaacson Wins Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32 and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, twenty-six teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall.

The 2013 award was given to Saul Isaacson. Saul has taught English at Trinity since 1989. He served as class dean from 1994-2004 and again from 2006-2008. He’s been noted by parents as a “teacher whose outstanding contribution to our children’s education through his love of teaching and ability to inspire, merits Trinity's recognition and praise.” Colleagues have called him “a master in the classroom” Someone who brings “rigor, passion and patience” to his teaching. Saul was nominated in 2004 to “Who’s who among America’s teachers” and was awarded a faculty travel grant in 2008.

Trinity Alumni and Alumnae Association Board Member Janna I. Levine ’03 presented the award at the end of year faculty luncheon.


Trinity Student Awarded Scholarship to Writing Workshop

08.05.2013Trinity Student Awarded Scholarship to Writing Workshop

Trinity Student Selina Liu ’15 recently spent two weeks in Iowa City, Iowa, from 13-27 July 2013, where she participated in Between the Lines (BTL) Russia, a creative writing and cultural exchange program that brings together twenty talented sixteen-to-nineteen-year-olds—ten from Russian, ten from the United States—for intensive creative study. The workshop is hosted by the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, in partnership with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the United States Department of State. The only student from New York, Selina was also one of only two participants awarded a full scholarship to attend the program.

During the two week program Selina and the other students participated in writing workshops and seminars, attended literary events, and gave a public reading at the Haunted Bookshop, a local literary landmark. Classes were led by the Russian novelist, Alan Cherchesov, and American poet, Kiki Petrosino. To inspire their writing, the students toured the Figge Art Museum, attended rodeo and mutton busting events, and sampled fried Jell-O at the nearby Washington County Fair. The students stayed in dorms on campus; the Russian students got a taste of US campus life, and the American students learned about Russian life and were able to sample Russian foods and learn traditional games.

“The people we meet inspire us to write…and BTL gave me an opportunity to meet people from all around the world, broadening my understanding of different cultures and allowing me to share my culture with others,” says Selina, whose parents came to the US from Taiwan.

For more information about Between the Lines, visit: http://iwp.uiowa.edu/programs/between-the-lines.


In Memoriam: Richard H. McLeod

09.04.2013In Memoriam: Richard H. McLeod

Richard Harvey McLeod, who taught Grade Five at Trinity School from 1946 to 1953, passed away on 20 March 2013 after a short illness. He was ninety-two years old.

Mr. McLeod was born in Albany, New York, on 8 July 1920. He attended Albany Academy, where he served as president of the Joseph Henry Society (for students interested in the physical sciences), played varsity tennis, managed the hockey team, marched and drilled, and graduated in 1939. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1943 with a BA in government. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and played on the tennis team.

Upon graduating from college, Mr. McLeod enlisted in the US Army and trained at bases in Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Jersey. He also studied the language and geography of Germany at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1944, after shipping out to England, he crossed into Normandy days after D-Day. For most of the next two years, he served with the 129th Signal, Radio, and Intelligence Company, listening to German radio transmissions and forwarding possible intelligence to Allied commanders.

After returning to New York, Mr. McLeod began teaching at Trinity School in 1946 while studying at Teachers College Columbia University. He received his MA in education in 1948. At Trinity, he met Barbara Price Birmingham, who taught Grade Three. In 1953 Mr. McLeod began working at Buckley School. Mr. McLeod and Barbara married on 11 September 1954 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and spent six weeks on honeymoon in Scotland and around Europe.

Of Scottish heritage, Mr. McLeod first traveled to Scotland and the Isle of Skye, the ancestral home of the MacLeods, while stationed in England during the war. In 1954 Mr. McLeod witnessed the creation of the Clan MacLeod Society of America at a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, and Mr. McLeod and his brother, Andy, would each later serve as president of the society. Mr. McLeod and his family attended several Clan MacLeod “parliaments” in Scotland. He also served over twenty years as “Chief of the Clan” at the annual Boar’s Head Festival at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut.

Mr. McLeod and Barbara’s three children, Suzanne, Doug and Andy, were born in New York City. Dick taught at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, for two years before the family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, where he was appointed an English teacher at Renbrook School in 1963. He worked there for twenty-nine years, as homeroom teacher, middle school head, director of admissions, and as assistant headmaster. Upon his retirement in 1993, the family established the Richard H. McLeod Scholarship, which provides tuition for a deserving child.

Since 1954, Mr. McLeod spent part of every summer in Weekapaug, Rhode Island, at Skye Cottage, designed by his brother and built on land purchased by his mother. He continued to play tennis and co-founded the Weekapaug Tennis Club. Mr. McLeod and his family and friends loved spending time at the cottage.

After retirement, Mr. McLeod kept busy serving and participating at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, West Middle School, American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels Association of America, the Old Guard, the “Renbrook Readers” book club, and other groups. He and Barbara moved to the Duncaster Retirement Community in Bloomfield, Connecticut, in 2003.

Mr. McLeod was predeceased by his beloved wife, Barbara, in 2011. He is survived by his daughter, Suzanne Warren McLeod, of Arlington, Massachusetts; sons, Douglas Birmingham McLeod of London, England, and Andrew Harvey McLeod of Tallahassee, Florida; daughters-in-law, Bette Anne Berg and Kathy Baughman McLeod; granddaughters, Eleanor McLeod Maybury, Jillian Augusta Jayne McLeod, Fionna Nilsson, and Fiona Hester Cronin; his brother and sister-in-law, David B. and Betty McLeod, of Appleton, Wisconsin; sisters-in-law, Mrs. C. Anderson (Jean) McLeod of Essex, Connecticut, Mrs. Frank (Helen) Keenan of Vero Beach, Florida, Mrs. Henry (Nancy) Jamison of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and Suzanne Birmingham of Greensburg, Pennsylvania; sister- and brother-in-law Mr. and Mrs. H. Ross (Margot) Perot, of Dallas, Texas; and twenty nieces and nephews.


Trinity’s Science Club Competes in Interschool Science Bow...

11.19.2013Trinity’s Science Club Competes in Interschool Science Bowl

Congratulations to Trinity’s Science Club for placing second at the Interschool Science Bowl Hosted by Brearley School on Saturday, 16 November 2013. The Trinity team made an excellent showing, with team members, Clio E. M. Meghir ’15, Justin J. L. He ’16, Eric Chen ’16, Corin I. Bronsther ’14, Matt J. Leifer ’15, Maxwell L. Mitchell ’16, Jennifer W. Bi ’15, Valia P. Leifer ’15, and Nivita Arora ’15, participating.

A couple of sample questions from the day:

Which one of the following is found in BOTH plant and animal cells?

W. Lysosomes
X. central vacuole
Y. golgi apparatus
Z. centrosomes

Your nose is 5 centimeters from a concave mirror that has a focal length of 12 centimeters. Your nose appears:

W. upside down and smaller
X. upside down and larger
Y. right side up and smaller
Z. right side up and bigger


In Memoriam: Mary Evelyn Bruce

01.09.2014In Memoriam: Mary Evelyn Bruce

Mary Evelyn Bruce, Lower School music teacher emerita and pillar of the Lower School faculty for two generations, died on 29 December 2013 after a brief but intense battle with cancer at seventy-nine years of age.

Already a skilled soprano with professional credits to her name when she arrived at Trinity in 1967, Mary Evelyn was always a Virginian but also quite at home with the hurly-burly of a performing and teaching life in New York. In a distinctive Trinity career that spanned forty years, she made a real difference to the School and its students in every year of her tenure, and it is no exaggeration to say that her influence continues beyond her retirement in 2008 to this very day. Her colleagues and students remember her high musical standards for people and programs, her wry wit, and her ability to coax expert performances out of even reluctant pupils. Understanding that musicians need performances to push forward their training, she encouraged regular instrumental performances in chapel and founded the Lower School Trinity Tones as a way to allow Grade Four to work together at choral singing. Knowing that clear public reading and speaking are hallmarks of any effective chapel program, she trained thousands of students to speak and listen expertly to each other in chapel each week. She composed the text for and organized many programs and events that have now become traditions in the Lower School. When today's Lower School parents marvel at how all of these efforts have blossomed and grown, Mary Evelyn's legacy surely lives on.


The Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture with Mr. Ernest Green

02.06.2014The Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture with Mr. Ernest Green

We must give [our students] the tools of rigorous and passionate intellectual inquiry and self-expression so they can grow…We must lead them to distinguish right from wrong and then do what is right so they can be persuasive and courageous citizens.

These words from Our Idea of Excellence, Trinity School’s mission statement, provide the framework for The Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture. Through this annual program, the entire Trinity School community—students and faculty, parents and grandparents, alumni and their families—has the unique opportunity to interact, formally and informally, with outstanding scholars, artists, writers, and social and civic leaders. Trinity School is particularly grateful to Jack Rudin, father of Eric C. Rudin ’71, for the opportunity to create this important initiative.

This year’s Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecturer was Ernest Green, member of the “Little Rock Nine.” Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on 22 September, 1941, Green earned his high school diploma from Little Rock Central High School. He and eight other black students were the first to integrate Central High, following the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that declared segregation illegal. They later would become known as the “Little Rock Nine.” Green then went on to receive his bachelor’s in social science and master’s in sociology from Michigan State University. He also received honorary doctorates from Michigan State University, Tougaloo College, and Central State University.

Since 1985, Mr. Green has been with Lehman Brothers, where he is the managing director of public finance in Washington, D.C., where he lives with his wife, Phyllis, and three children. Previously, he was a partner in the firm, Green and Herman, from 1981 to 1985, and owned E. Green and Associates from 1985 to 1986. He also directed the A. Phillip Randolph Education Fund from 1968 to 1976. During the Carter Administration, Mr. Green served as assistant secretary of Labor for Employment and Training. He was appointed to serve as chairman of the African Development Foundation and chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board during the Clinton Administration.

The recipient of numerous awards, Green was the youngest recipient of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) Spingarn Medal, at the age of seventeen. On 9 November, 1999, President Clinton presented Green, along with the rest of the “Little Rock Nine,” the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor given to a civilian, for outstanding bravery during the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

On Monday, 27 January 2014, Mr. Green spent the day at Trinity speaking and visiting with Middle and Upper School students and faculty during morning assemblies followed by a “lunch and learn” discussion with the Upper School students. The day culminated with the annual Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture given to alumni, faculty, parents, and members of the public in the Hawley Chapel.

The Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture, inaugurated in 2004, is supported by a generous grant from Jack and Susan Rudin.

To read more about Ernest Green and the Little Rock Nine® Foundation visithttp://littlerock9.com/ernestgreen.aspx.


Two Seniors are Candidates in the Presidential Scholars Prog...

02.06.2014Two Seniors are Candidates in the Presidential Scholars Program

Update on 24 April - Gabriella has advanced to the next level in the Presidential Scholars Program and is now one of 560 semifinalists chosen by a distinguished panel of educators.

Seniors Gabriella E. Borter ’14 and Adrian Ivashkiv ’14 are two of more than 3000 candidates in the 2014 United States Presidential Scholars Program. They were chosen from nearly 3.4 million high school seniors in the US, selected for their exceptional performance on either the College Board SAT or the American College Testing Program ACT Assessment. In addition, candidates were also nominated by their Chief School State Officer in their jurisdiction.

Now in its fiftieth year, inclusion in the US Presidential Scholars Program is one of the highest honors bestowed upon high school students. Scholars are selected based on superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character, and involvement in community and school activities.

560 semifinalists will be chosen by a distinguished panel of educators in early April. In May, the US Department of Education and the Presidentially-appointed White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will announce the Scholars—one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and US students living abroad; fifteen students at large; and up to twenty students from the creative and performing arts. Finalists will be invited to Washington, D.C. the summer after they graduate from high school to receive the Presidential Scholars Medallion, participate in events and activities, and meet with past Presidential Scholars, elected representatives, educators, and other leading individuals.

Good luck, Gabriella and Adrian!

For more information about the US Presidential Scholars Program visithttp://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html.


Trinity Hosts HackTrin – A Computer Coding Competition

02.12.2014Trinity Hosts HackTrin – A Computer Coding Competition

On Sunday, 9 February 2014 Trinity’s computer coding club, HackTrin, hosted a hackathon, a competition in which teams worked collaboratively to create applications. Forty students from seven New York City schools competed for three cash prizes and three special merchandise prizes offered by corporate sponsors. One Trinity team that included Justin J. L. He ’16, Maxwell L. Mitchell ’16, Samuel B. Schiff ’16, and Grace Y. Zhang ’16 was awarded an honorable mention for their project, Syntaxtic. The event was organized by HackTrin’s president, Virginia Cook ’14; vice-presidents, Michael S. Chess ’14 and Daniel M. Ernst ’15; and the club’s faculty advisor, Justin Gohde.

Learn more at https://www.hacktrin.com/.


Hannah M. Sherman ’11 is a Recipient of the 2014 Harry...

05.05.2014Hannah M. Sherman ’11 is a Recipient of the 2014 Harry S. Truman Scholarship

Hannah M. Sherman ’11, a junior at Bowdoin College, is a recipient of the 2014 Harry S. Truman Scholarship. The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established in 1975, in lieu of a statue, as a living memorial for the thirty-third president, Harry S. Truman. The Truman Scholarship is awarded to United States college students, mostly juniors, who have demonstrated a commitment to public service leadership. Between fifty-five to sixty-five students are chosen each year. This year, fifty-nine Truman Scholars were selected from among 655 candidates.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is highly competitive and prestigious, and Truman Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate study. Perhaps more importantly, they also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some graduate institutions, career and graduate school counseling, leadership training, networking opportunities, and special internship opportunities within the federal government.

Hannah, who is pursuing a double major in government and Spanish, applied for the scholarship while working in Guatemala from June through December of 2013. “I was first nominated by my college. I sent in in my application, which included various essays on what I’ve done, what I’d like to do within public service, and a mock policy proposal. I had to do this all from abroad, and the Bowdoin scholarship office was incredibly helpful to me during the whole process. My application then went on to the national round where I was chosen as one of nine finalists for New York State, and, in March, I came to New York City for an interview in front of a panel of distinguished people.”

Hannah feels honored to be one of the nearly 3000 Truman Scholars. “The scholarship money will be a huge help for graduate school, but, for me, the really big draw was the community that I will join. Being a Truman Scholar gives me admission into the network of Truman Scholars, a community of hundreds of people who are working in public service all over the world, and I can now connect with them.”

Hannah grew up in Brooklyn, and attended Brooklyn Heights Montessori School through eighth grade, before attending Trinity’s Upper School. “I know that I’ve been incredibly lucky and privileged. I always knew there were people out there not as fortunate as me, especially living in New York which has so much diversity, but I didn’t realize that I wanted to work towards empowering women until the summer before my senior year at Trinity. I was interning in the Netherlands. My mom is Dutch and I wanted to spend the summer there with my family. My internship was in The Hague at the United Network of Young Peacebuilders, a network of international organizations with many focused on empowering women. One of my responsibilities was helping to set up a conference they were organizing about empowering women in Africa. I was reading about women growing up there, often in war-stricken zones, and it was eye-opening. It was the first time that I saw how many women were not like me. While growing up, my parents were always telling me I could do and be whatever I wanted. But there are so many girls all over the world whose parents are not telling them they can do whatever they want, who have so many constraints placed on them, so many expectations for them, and their lives are not their own. I want to help them.”

In Guatemala, Hannah was working at a primary school in Quetzaltenango for the summer, and took the fall semester off so she could continue. The school provides room, board, and education to high school-aged students from poor rural regions. Hannah was teaching English and math, tutoring, and was also helping with the school’s publicity. “It really struck me—in Guatemala there is some expectation that girls will make it through high school, but very little expectation that they will go to a university. The girls at this school were trying really hard to break this cycle. Some of them didn’t have the full support of their families, but they were doing it anyway because they wanted to do more with their lives.

“What was most interesting for me was the grass roots aspect of the school. What are the different ways that people can be provided with the tools that they need to start their own businesses and be successful? I’m specifically interested in microfinance.”

Hannah is interested in using social entrepreneurship as a way to empower women and begin to alleviate poverty for women, especially in Latin America. “This summer I’m interning with FINCA International (the Foundation for International Community Assistance), a microfinance organization. I will be at their Honduras office for ten weeks, and I’m incredibly excited to learn more about microfinance in low-income communities.”

After graduating from Bowdoin, Hannah is planning to take a couple of years off to continue working in microfinance in Latin America. For graduate school, she is considering a MBA with a focus on international business with a joint MA in international studies. “After that, I’d like to continue working in microfinance or in a different kind of social entrepreneurship area. I don’t want to be in politics, but I can see myself working for a government agency.

One of the questions I was asked in my interview was why I wanted to help women in Latin America and not in the US. There are women here facing similar challenges, but the relative amount of poverty in Latin America is so much higher. I made many connections with women there and the relationships I built with them are pulling me back. I want to start in Latin America, but eventually I want to end up back in the States, possibly at an international organization. I’d like to find a way to work internationally and domestically.”

Read more about the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation at www.truman.gov.


Grade One Teacher Johanna Stadler Wins Distinguished Teachin...

06.13.2014Grade One Teacher Johanna Stadler Wins Distinguished Teaching Prize!

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, twenty-seven teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize plaque in the Great Hall.

The 2014 award was given to Johanna Stadler. Ms. Stadler started at Trinity as an assistant teacher in Kindergarten in 1993, before becoming head teacher of Grade One in 1996. During her time at Trinity, Ms. Stadler has served as Lower School team communications coordinator on several occasions, as well as scheduling coordinator for the Lower School. Ms. Stadler has also served as a Lower School diversity coordinator. During Ms. Stadler's tenure as a diversity coordinator, the workshops on micro-aggressions that she helped to develop for the Lower School faculty were so successful that the team was invited to make the presentation to other divisions, to Parents' Association meetings, and at workshops throughout the city. Parents describe her as “thoughtful, attentive, responsive, calm, and able to see the good in every child and person” a teacher with great insight into all students and someone who “students receive strong support from.” Colleagues see Ms. Stadler as a peacemaker—someone who is always willing to see both sides of the story and willing to support give and take in all situations. Ms. Stadler is a team player who can be counted on to contribute positive energy and outcomes to any shared endeavor. Lower School Principal Dr. Rosemary Milliman describes her as, "Approachable, flexible, authentically warm, and easy-going—Ms. Stadler is a saint. She has contributed quiet leadership and unfailing support for any and all Lower School endeavors. A true colleague, Ms. Stadler understands life and brings inspiration and hope to the most discouraging of circumstances. She is a true friend and a sought after colleague."


Aaron Smithson ’15 Wins Essay Contest

06.30.2014Aaron Smithson ’15 Wins Essay Contest

Aaron Smithson ’15 is the New York State winner of the United States Institute of Peace National Peace Essay Contest for 2014. A rising senior at Trinity, Aaron has been interested in international relations for as long as he can remember. He discovered the contest by searching online, looking for something additional to do his junior year at Trinity. He decided that it would be interesting, and challenging, to write about security sector reform in Somalia and Sierra Leone.

Listen to his interview about his essay here. His essay is included, in full, below.

Cooperation, Reintegration, and Civil Oversight: Strategies in Efficient Security Sector Reform

In 1991, two civil wars erupted in Sierra Leone and Somalia, both engendering government collapse and horrific violence. Twenty years later, though, Sierra Leone would pledge 850 troops to the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in conflict-ridden Somalia,  demonstrating the nation’s growth as an active participant in maintaining continental peace. The countries’ dissimilar fates reflect divergent paths in the transitional process of security sector reform (SSR) and ultimately exemplify the effectiveness of three central reform strategies.

First, active and long-term international engagement is crucial in providing a stable environment for SSR and in preventing the spread of militants and weapons. Second, the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of opposition fighters and civilian victims allows for reconciliation between conflicting groups that could otherwise disrupt future peace. Finally, capacitating civil society to oversee and scrutinize the security sector allows transitioning nations to validate and sustain their own reforms, often leading to a cleaner exit for intervenors.

In March 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebelled against the tyrannical Sierra Leonean government.  Six years later, the RUF joined the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council in launching a military coup that forced President Kabbah to flee to Guinea,  then formed a junta to rule Sierra Leone.

In January 1998, the Nigerian-led West African military observer group ECOMOG retook the capital Freetown.  Sierra Leone and Guinea held bilateral discussions to prepare for rebel penetration of their shared border  while regional partners aimed to cut ties between the RUF and Liberian President Taylor through sanctions.  To reduce the risk of recurring conflict,  the U.S. led the Kimberley Process, an international initiative to end the trade of ‘conflict diamonds,’ which often exacerbate violence in unstable African countries.

In 1999, the international community organized peace talks,  formed the U.N. Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL),  and committed peacekeepers to maintain order.  The Sierra Leonean government and rebels eventually agreed to form a unified government and curtail hostilities.

When militants attacked U.N. forces in 2000, the U.K. sent 800 soldiers to Sierra Leone to reestablish order.  The soldiers fought confidently, swiftly restoring peace.  The British government and Sierra Leoneans alike commended the operation for its efficiency.  Evidently, when international partners show commitment to reconstruction, the likelihood that locals will embrace it increases proportionally.

The number of participants that responded to this crisis and cooperated with Sierra Leone, whether due to geographical proximity, post-colonial commitments, or international responsibility, was admirable. Following conflict or governmental changes, combatants and weapons can move and operate within criminal networks that do not necessarily respect national borders. Regional engagement is important in managing their spread and initiating DDR while international intervention is vital in temporarily maintaining peace as reforms begin.

The UN, in consultation with Sierra Leonean and international authorities, executed a phased approach to DDR.   Over four years, the National Committee for DDR (NCDDR) worked with ECOMOG and UNAMSIL to collect and destroy almost 50,000 weapons and more than 1,000,000 pieces of ammunition.  Disarmed soldiers underwent post-conflict reorientation into the economy, often receiving formal education and vocational training.  Sierra Leone’s DDR program ensured social reintegration through promotion of forgiveness and reconciliation.  The NCDDR also worked with the Community Reintegration Program to train civilians affected by conflict in skills that could improve quality of life.  UNAMSIL completed the disarmament and demobilization of over 75,000 combatants by 2002, when the government officially declared the war over.

A coordinated approach to DDR is essential in effective SSR. Unifying a country under the control of one group is seldom an enduring solution to conflict, so DDR programs in Sierra Leone successfully reorganized security forces and transformed rebels into constructive members of society.

In a constructive society, the media is an important vehicle for civil oversight. While the Sierra Leonean government limits media criticism of authorities, access to information has been expanded and international training of journalists has raised scrutiny capabilities.  By expanding media freedoms and education, Sierra Leone is developing its citizens’ political competence and, therefore, civil oversight capabilities.  Ultimately, achieving these goals will allow intervenors to exit more seamlessly.

In Somalia, civil conflict beginning in 1991 produced contrasting outcomes. After a coalition of clan warlords ousted President Barre, a power vacuum engulfed the country’s governance.  The U.S. and U.N. organized a military operation to maintain peace in the collapsing state.  When eighteen American soldiers died in battle in 1992, the resulting media firestorm eliminated public support for the operation.  U.S. marines and U.N. peacekeepers abandoned the operation and left Somalia in utter chaos by 1995.  Similarly, in 2009, Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia amid local discontent that had caused conflict among Islamic insurgents.

This disorderly and apathetic international intervention, which President Bush described as not open-ended,  failed to provide a secure environment for DDR to begin. While neighboring states showed interest in promoting Somali peace,  the undertaking lacked long-term support from major international players. Furthermore, unlike UNAMSIL, UNOSOM (UN’s mission in Somalia) was formed without consent from local authorities,  which alienated Somalis from the SSR process. The absence of commitment and cooperation, contrary to experiences in Sierra Leone, caused locals to disengage with reconstruction processes.

Without global commitment to provide temporary security, DDR in Somalia has been ineffective. Forming a harmonious society is inherently difficult in Somalia due to factional animosity.  Still, intervenors became too involved in factional fighting and did not establish traditional inter-clan power-sharing mechanisms that could have fostered cooperation.  Instead, the U.S. sided against warlord Aideed and showed few signs of offering reconciliation,  which caused Somalis to view disarmament as surrender  and ultimately prevented clan cooperation.

While Sierra Leone incorporated civilians into reintegration programs, Somalian DDR failed to respond to local needs.  Because intervenors paid insufficient attention to these needs, dissonance developed among Somalis, who consequently have taken little responsibility over the outcome of SSR.  Civil oversight of the security sector in a failed state is unconventional at best and nonexistent at worst. Somalis rely primarily on local and international radio broadcasters for information.  However, freedom of information is limited by insufficient funding for local broadcasters and by the peremptory influence of terror group Al-Shabaab in southern regions, which frequently dismantles radio stations.  Pervasive radio culture, though, provides opportunities for oversight capabilities. While contingent on the formation of a legitimate government with full national control and on the establishment of press freedoms, formation of civil oversight in Somalia is plausible. Without ordered governance, though, Somalia presents few options for the productive exit of intervenors.

Whether instability is caused by transition from war to peace or from dictatorship to democracy, SSR remains critical for development. The two types of transition are closely intertwined, both frequently causing power vacuums that provoke conflict. While each situation requires some customization, the basic strategies are universal. Failure to complete SSR, though, also has universal consequences. Without proper execution, transitioning countries can enter inextricable cycles of state failure, violence, and economic collapse.

Internally, Somalia’s lawlessness has produced appalling poverty and continued violence. The U.N. has confirmed six Somali regions as famine zones,  infant mortality has reached levels higher than in any other nation,  and civilian attacks have inflicted enormous damage,  reducing hopes for the emergence of sustainable democracy.
Realizing stability through SSR is not only of domestic, but also of regional and international interest. Regional failure to counter spreading militant influence has allowed Somali violence to spill into nearby countries.  In a siege on a Nairobi mall in 2013, Al-Shabaab killed 61 civilians.  This and other attacks on Somalia’s neighbors seriously threaten regional stability.

Internationally, Somalia’s anarchy has widespread implications. Somali pirates have terrorized global trade in the Gulf of Aden,  costing several countries billions in security spending to protect the commercial passage.  Meanwhile, international Al-Shabaab pipelines recruit Somali emigrants, usually disenfranchised adolescents, for terrorist activity.

Sierra Leone’s relative stability has raised hopes for further development of a reliable democracy with a viable economy. While overburdened infrastructure  and a low ranking of 177th  on the Human Development Index  still limit the economy, prospects for international investment and growth have improved. Between 2005 and 2012, Sierra Leone’s economy received praise for improvements in ease of doing business  while expansion in mining, agriculture, and services  contributed to astonishing 15.2% growth in 2012.

Corruption and substandard education preclude full democratization, but Sierra Leone has developed politically, too. International observers, for instance, deemed the 2012 presidential elections impartial and transparent.

Conflict resolution and the collapse of authoritarian government are typically viewed as great victories for peace and democracy, but the ensuing years are often ones of great volatility. Societies emerging from war and dictatorship confront highly fluid circumstances with countless potential outcomes. Some grow and prosper from these predicaments while others collapse into chaos. Somalia and Sierra Leone demonstrate the benefits of committed international cooperation, inclusive reintegration, and civil oversight in creating self-sufficient security sectors for transitioning societies. In learning from such successes and failures, other struggling countries may one day contribute to an international community dedicated to peace, prosperity, and human progress.

End Notes:
Print Sources:
1.    Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. 1st ed. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2008. 127-129. Print.
2.    Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. 1st ed. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2008. 125. Print.
3.    Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. 1st ed. New York City: Penguin Books, 2006. 60. Print.
4.    Newton-Small, Jay. "The Home Front." Time Magazine. 14 Oct 2013: 10. Print.
5. Wittmeyer, Alicia. "What's an African Life Worth?" Foreign Policy Magazine. Dec 2013: 28. Print.d

Internet Bibliography:
1.    Kron, Josh. "Somalia: Sierra Leone to Send Troops." New York Times. 03 Nov 2011: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.\
2.    "Sierra Leone Profile." BBC. BBC News, 19 Dec 2013. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
3.    "United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone - Background." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
4.    Fitz-Gerald, Ann. "Security Sector Reform in Sierra Leone." Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform. (2004): 7-17. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
5.    "Kimberley Process Basics." Kimberley Process. Kimberley Process, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
6.    Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene, and Kristin Kosek. "Why Humanitarian Interventions Succeed or Fail." Kent Academic Repository. University of Kent, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
7.    Conference Report on Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration (DDR) and Stability in Africa. New York City: United Nations, 2005. 22-23. Web.
8.    How BBC Media Action is Working in Sierra Leone. BBC News, Film. 13 Jan 2014.
9.    Albrecht, Peter. "Monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the Sierra Leone Security Sector Reform Programme: A Case Study." Safer World. Safer World. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
10.     "Somalia Profile." BBC News. BBC News, 19 Dec 2013. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
11.     Hassan, Mohamed. "Somali Insurgents Take Over 3 Police Stations." Huffington Post. 03 Jan 2009: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
12.     Bush, George H. W., perf. George H.W. Bush Addresses U.S. Troops in Somalia. The History Channel, Film. 13 Jan 2014.
13.     Brickhill, Jeremy. "Security and Stabilization in Somalia: Learning from Local Approaches." SSRNetwork.org. Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
14.     Bryden, Matt, and Jeremy Brickhill. "Disarming Somalia: Lessons in Stabilisation from a Collapsed State." SSRNetwork.net. Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
15.     "Somalia: Media and Telecoms Landscape Guide." InternNews.org. Info as Aid, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
16.     Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. 1st ed. New York City: Penguin Books, 2006. 60. Print.
17.     "Somalia, 16 September 2011: The most difficult place to grow up – Somalia has the world’s highest child mortality rate." UNICEF . UNICEF Somalia, 16 Sep 2011. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
18.     Straziuso, Jason. "Doctors Without Borders Pulls Out of Somalia." Huffington Post. 14 Aug 2013: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
19.     Banda, Gabriel. "Somalia's Violence and Africa." Saturday Post Online. 13 Aug 2010: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
20.     Karimi, Faith, Steve Almasy, and Lillian Leposo. "Kenya mall attack: Military says most hostages freed, death toll at 68." CNN International. 23 Sep 2013: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
21.     Abdulkadir, Shukri. "Al Shabab's Impact on Peace in Somalia and the Horn of Africa." Africa Portal. 23. (2012): 1-2. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
22.     Gettleman, Jeffrey. "Money in Piracy Attracts More Somalis." New York Times. 09 Nov 2010: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
23.     Bellish, Jonathan. "The Economic Cost of Somali Piracy 2012." OceansBeyondPiracy.org. Oceans Beyond Piracy, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
24.     "Human Development Reports: Sierra Leone." United Nations Development Programme. United Nations, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
25.     "Doing Business 2014: Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises." World Bank. 11. (2014): 26. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
26.     "Sierra Leone." African Economic Outlook. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
27.     "Sierra Leone Overview." The World Bank. The World Bank, 01 Nov 2013. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
28.     "Sierra Leone: Ernest Bai Koroma Wins Presidential Poll." BBC News. 23 Nov 2012: n. page. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.


In Memoriam: Margit Ulrich

05.24.2016In Memoriam: Margit Ulrich

Margit Ulrich, longtime Lower School receptionist and transportation coordinator, died peacefully in her home on Monday, 23 June 2014, after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.

When she arrived at Trinity in 1982 to work as an accountant in the business office, it may have been difficult to imagine what a generous and public role Margit would come to inhabit at Trinity. Happily, for a generation of our students, in two or three years she moved to the Great Hall and began to account not only for school busses but for Lower School students as well. With sixty pictures of every new Kindergartener on her desk each year, Margit came to know every student in the Lower School individually and called them each by name as she shepherded them to and from their extracurricular responsibilities. Fourth graders in particular remembered with respect, and a certain reverence, the dignity, care, and concern that Margit brought to classes as she taught them about growing up as a young Jewish girl in Germany during the Holocaust and about immigrating to the United States. She loved our students, worked with and admired our teachers, and, by the time of her retirement in 2009, many of us at Trinity thought of Margit Ulrich as the kind, sensible, and well organized grandmother whose oversight of the Great Hall had transformed it from a transfer space into a home away from home.

Margit is survived by her daughter, Nancy J. Ulrich '81, Nancy's husband, Michael, and their son, Adin '21; and her daughter, Lisa S. Ulrich '80, Lisa's husband, Seth, and their son, Lucas. Margit was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-three years, Ernest Ulrich, on 26 November 2013.

A memorial service for Margit is planned for the early fall, at which all Trinity friends and colleagues will be most welcome.

-The Rev. Timothy L. Morehouse


Maxwell S. Chung ’17 Wins Two National Fencing Championshi...

07.22.2014Maxwell S. Chung ’17 Wins Two National Fencing Championships

Congratulations to Maxwell S. Chung ’17, who competed in the 2014 USA Fencing National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, from 22 June to 3 July 2014. He is the national champion for Division II and Division III in men’s foil.

Maxwell began fencing seven years ago at Fencers Club in Manhattan, with coaches Simon and Irene Gershon. Maxwell’s sister, Isabella, a Greenwich Academy student, is also a nationally ranked fencer.

Training as a fencer would be considered to be grueling by many, but Maxwell enjoys the challenge, “I am grateful to the administration and faculty at Trinity School who have allowed me to train throughout the week. I go at least four to five times a week for a minimum of three hours for each session. I have a two hour training session with a group, then a thirty minute private lesson with my coach, and then another thirty minutes of free fencing afterwards.

“Fencing is a burst sport. There’s a lot of energy exerted in a very small period of time. During a tournament, even though there are breaks, you know that one mistake can cost you the touch or the match. Stamina is a key component in fencing, and you have to quickly size up your opponent, because you don’t want to waste energy on an opponent who you can beat with simpler moves. The three strongest aspects of my fencing are agility, speed, and thought..  Fencing is a mentally, as well as physically, challenging sport and every match is different.”

Maxwell often trains with his sister, Isabella, but sibling rivalry does not interfere in their relationship. “Men’s and women’s foil are vastly different. Our presence in training with each other, and then supporting each other during tournaments, really helps us to push ourselves to the best of our abilities. We always know that no matter what happens in the fencing world, whether we win or lose, we have each other’s back. My family’s support is very important to me in my fencing career.”

After a few years of being disappointed with his results, Maxwell has been working on his concentration, not letting outside variables distract him from a match. “I listen primarily to rap music, but also some trap, mashups, and occasionally dubstep-electro to help me focus and eliminate thoughts not about the bout. I try not to think about whether I’m going to win or lose. You have to block out all thoughts except the match, because otherwise you are blinded to your decisions in the current moment. In the past, I have let my mental guard down and lost. If I lose, I want to lose because we both fought well but the other person was better at that time, not because I let myself get lost in my mental state. Fencing has taught me to truly learn from defeat. When you put so much training in, you expect to see results. But I learned to accept defeat and grow from it.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect at nationals this year. I have been putting a lot of effort into my training and reforming my style. I am aggressive and I would always rush into things. But this time I tried to keep a strong mental focus. I made sure I understood my strengths and weaknesses relative to my opponent’s, and I was much more patient. I knew that I had the potential to do well."

Maxwell also had the added challenge of competing against a good friend and fencing teammate in both final matches. “We see each other training and we know each other’s style. But no matter how close you are, you have to block that from your mind. It’s a high-stress situation for me. Just because you are close friends, doesn’t mean that you should let go of the spirit of the competition. You push them to do their best, and they do the same for you.

“When I won Division III, which came first, I truly felt that it was a blessing from God, but also a reflection of my own hard work. I realized that all the hard work you put behind something really pays off. It was an indescribable feeling of happiness and self-fulfillment. And then I won Division II the next day. It showed me that anything was possible, as long as I kept fighting for what I wanted. I have never been a national champion before. It has been such a journey and I know there is so much more in front of me. I’m proud to represent my school, my club, and my family. My achievement motivates me to work harder and achieve even more. I view these events as pivotal moments in my fencing career, as well as focal learning points from which I can improve.”

See photos from the Division II men’s foil gold medal final:

https://www.usfencing.org/photo_gallery/show/861939#1


Cindylisa “Cindy” Muñiz wins Distinguished Teac...

06.05.2015Cindylisa “Cindy” Muñiz wins Distinguished Teaching Prize

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to long-serving and distinguished faculty members Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award for a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, twenty-eight teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. The 2015 award has been given to Cindylisa "Cindy" Muñiz . Ms. Muñiz started at Trinity as a teacher of English in 1990. During her time at Trinity she has served as Upper School class dean (1998-2004), cohead of the English Department (2004-2007), Upper School multicultural coordinator (2008-2010), and chapel coordinator (2014-present). She was listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2000 and was a recipient of the 2006 Summer Curricular and Pedagogical Fellowship. “Phenomenal teacher,” “intellectual fire,” “questing spirit,” “unabashed determination”—a teacher whose “commitment to the community of her classroom is palpable as is her passion for her craft”—are among the ways her colleagues and peers describe her.

Upper School Principal and Assistant Head of School Jessica Bagby shares about Cindy: "Cindy Muñiz is a rare spirit whose artistry as a teacher is rooted in her own moral conscience, her deep love of literature, and her belief in the power of writing to transform us and enlarge our humanity. James Baldwin writes that those of us who teach, who engage with the minds and hearts of young people, must be prepared to 'go for broke.' Cindy Muñiz has made not just a career, but a life of 'going for broke' in furthering her students. Daily, hourly, she gambles it all on her faith in them, their gifts, and their power to make the world better--more just, more humane, more beautiful."

 


In Memoriam: Kevin Bleakley

05.24.2016In Memoriam: Kevin Bleakley

Kevin Bleakley worked at Trinity from 1974 until 1993, as the dean of faculty, as well as a chemistry and physics teacher. After leaving Trinity, he and his wife, Glenys, returned to their native Australia where Mr. Bleakley continued his successful career in schools, and Glenys continued her career as a well-known operatic soprano. Mr. Bleakley is remembered by his colleagues of the time, not only as a master chemist and a mathematician of keen insight, but as an able sportsman and fierce competitor on the tennis court. Most of all, his contemporaries say that he was incredibly devoted to Trinity students. In his time at the School, he assisted with the student-faculty senate, student government, and assembly committee. He was the sort of colleague whose faithful work with students and faculty made the School a warm and welcoming place.

Kevin Bleakley died on 22 December 2014. He is survived by his wife, Glenys, his sister, Anne, his brother, Gary, and brother and sister-in-law, Geoff and Janet.


In Memoriam: John Dooley

09.01.2015In Memoriam: John Dooley

John Dooley, longtime head of the Visual and Performing Arts Departments, worked at Trinity from 1970 until his retirement in 1999, and during his tenure mentored generations of Trinity students and faculty alike. In addition to his classes in studio art and art history, he headed up the film club for many years and served as the artistic director of the Morse Center, working with the fall musical and the spring cabaret. His legacy at Trinity is not only humane but humanizing. Mr. Dooley designed the Brass Arts Wing, creating the large seminar room that the Upper School now uses for classes as well as for faculty meetings, to the Visual Arts Department classrooms that we all envy, full of light and air.

John Dooley died on 30 December 2014. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and son, Brendan ’84.


Anne Subrizi Mckee Wins Distinguished Teaching Prize

05.12.2016Anne Subrizi Mckee Wins Distinguished Teaching Prize

The Distinguished Teaching Endowment was created in 1983 as a tribute to Clarence Bruner-Smith, Dudley M. Maxim ’32, and Frank G. Smith. In 1988, the Alumni Association decided to establish an annual award to a teacher who has taught at Trinity for ten years or more, exemplifies the history and traditions of the School, and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching. The prize, now known as the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize, was increased to $10,000 in 2004.

Since its inception, twenty-nine teachers have received this honor, their names displayed prominently on the Greenberg Family-Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Prize Plaque in the Great Hall. The 2016 award was given to Anne Subrizi Mckee. Anne started at Trinity in 1981 as a Teacher of Physical Education and Fitness for Lower, Middle, and Upper School. During her time at Trinity, she’s coached swimming, gymnastics, softball, track and field, volleyball, tennis, and cross country. Anne is an inaugural inductee into the Trinity Coaches Hall of Fame, and recipient of the Smith Award in 1997 and 2009, the Parent’s Association Award in 1989, and the Spirit of Trinity Award.