VOICE THE TRINITY
As we celebrate 25 years of Trinity Episcopal School, I find myself filled with a deep sense of gratitude and awe. There is simply no way our founders could have imagined just how fully Trinity would blossom into the extraordinary community it is today. What began as a bold vision has become a vibrant reality, a school rooted in mission, flourishing with purpose, and grounded in the enduring values that make Trinity like no other.
It is one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as Head of School for a place I love so deeply. Every morning, I’m reminded of that love during carpool duty; yes, carpool duty! Greeting students by name, shoulder to shoulder with our leadership team, is more than a routine; it’s an intentional expression of our commitment to making every child feel known, seen, and loved from the moment they step onto campus. It’s these small, daily moments that make a lifelong impact.
In this edition of The Voice, we reflect on the many ways we’ve lived into the dreams of our founders and the ways we continue to evolve.
• The academic rigor that has been a hallmark of a Trinity education, and how Trinity has been ahead of others in shaping education’s future and setting up students for success
• The intertwining of nurturing spirituality and embracing diversity, two of the core values that have guided our community from the start
• The 25 years of adventure and learning through our cherished partnership with Green River Preserve
• The hidden history of our First Ward neighborhood and the legacy of the Hotel Alexander, which once stood on our site
• A look at Trinity through the years and the surprising history of the first effort to build an Episcopal school in Charlotte
Trinity’s core values to create scholars, nurture spirituality, and embrace diversity have always been bold. And now, 25 years in, we find ourselves as the fully-grown school we always knew we could be. Our Honor Code and mission continue to guide us, grounding our work in purpose and love. We are tasked not only with delivering an excellent education, but also with shaping young people to become kind, thoughtful citizens of their communities and the world. That is holy work.
Here’s to 25 years of love, learning, and leadership, and to the many years to come.
With gratitude and hope,
IMANA SHERRILL, HEAD OF SCHOOL
THE BUZZ
CELEBRATING OUR EPISCOPAL IDENTITY
Trinity is one of approximately 1,200 Episcopal schools in the United States, and one of only four celebrating a quartercentury this school year. As part of the national Episcopal Schools Celebration in October, Bishop Sam Rodman from the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina spoke at K-8 Chapel and reminded students to let their lights shine.
TRINITY RESPONDS TO HELENE
“What are we called to do?” is one of Trinity’s formation questions, and the answer was seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s devastation to western North Carolina. The Trinity community donated much-needed supplies and worked with Operation AirDrop and other organizations to deliver items to hard-hit communities.
GHANA ART EXCHANGE
For a second year, Trinity partnered with Children Inspiring Hope in an art exchange between Trinity’s 5th Grade and students in Ghana, West Africa. The theme of this year’s exchange was “Gathering Gratitude,” and in the spring, students’ art illustrated the role of pollinators and the power of small things - whether bees or children - to make a big difference.
AN ELECTRIC NIGHT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
Middle School students hit the dance floor in February and had a memorable evening at the Middle School dance. Koinonia representatives planned and pulled off a fantastic event, putting a new spin on the former Middle School Social.
THE GRP PARTNERSHIP ENDURES
After Hurricane Helene thwarted the annual 5th Grade trip to Green River Preserve, an opportunity arose in March for GRP staff members to meet Trinity halfway for a daylong excursion to Crowders Mountain. GRP staff members led 5th Grade students on modified GRP experiences: hikes, lessons on the mountain’s flora and fauna, and the closing circle at the day’s end. Read more about Trinity’s 25 years of partnership with GRP on page 19 of The Voice.
BAM! MAHJONG IS CRACK-IN’
Many are in their mahjong era, and Trinity is no different. More than a century after the Chinese tile game arrived in the United States, it has found new popularity across all ages. Kindergarten teacher Rachel Austin, a mahjong enthusiast herself, led a mahjong enrichment for Trinity Extended Day students in the fall.
GUS HANGS UP HIS COLLAR
Trinity’s school dog, Gus, announced that he will be retiring at the end of the 24-25 school year. Gus became a Wildcat in August 2022 as Trinity’s fourth school dog. He has brightened many students’ days, especially when they stop to pet Gus on the way out of Chapel. Our thanks to the Keels family for letting Gus be a part of the Trinity community. Gus will be succeeded by Teddy, the Monteleone family dog, who will be trained to be a certified therapy dog through a Light the Fire grant.
A CIVIL RIGHTS ICON VISITS TRINITY
Dorothy Counts-Scoggins, one of the first Black students to integrate Charlotte’s public schools in the 1950s, participated in a discussion during Freedom Fete in January. She and others discussed Charlotte’s past, particularly in race and education, and how it can shape decisions about the city’s future. Read more about Freedom Fete and Trinity’s connections to First Ward’s past on page 30 of The Voice.
TAPPING INTO EXPERTS
Trinity’s longest hallways usually take students out into the community. They also work the opposite direction, bringing community members into classrooms. In preparation for their Seminar trip to Washington, D.C., in May, 8th Grade students met with local leaders and experts, including Federico Rios from the Foundation for the Carolinas, to learn more about the topics students discussed in Washington.
For 25 years, philanthropy to the annual fund has been a Trinity cornerstone. As of May, 94% of families have given to the 24-25 Trinity Fund. We celebrated the community’s generosity at Together for Trinity in March and welcomed alumni parent and Girls on the Run founder Molly Barker as the evening’s featured speaker. Barker shared the impact Trinity had on her son, James TES’ 09, and Trinity’s part in the early days of Girls on the Run. “Every day was joy” for James, Barker said. “He always felt loved at this place.”
FATHER SMOKEY VISITS CHAPEL
It’s not every day the founding Head of School drops in for Chapel. Father Smokey Oats received a standing ovation during his visit to campus in October. He was in Charlotte to officiate the wedding of Trinity alumnus Parker Levy TES ‘09. During Chapel, Father Smokey shared the story of raising funds to construct the gym, and he later met his namesake - Smokey the Wildcat.
CLEAR MORE SPACE ON THE TROPHY RACK
The 6th Grade boys and girls basketball teams won their league championships in March. The boys’ team, coached by Trinity alumnus Conrad Pollack TES’ 13 and Carter Long, rallied from a double-digit deficit to win in a game that went down to the wire. The girls, coached by Trinity assistant athletic director Jalen Haffaney and 3rd Grade teacher LaTishia Corley, also had a hard-fought win. Congratulations, Wildcats!
ELISABETH DURHAM
What is your favorite way to start the day?
Saying good morning to my dog Mowgli with a head pat and belly rub.
What did you want to be when you grow up?
A Marine Biologist/Soccer Mom, according to my 1st Grade “Who Are You?” project.
Who Inspires you?
My dad. He taught me that everyone deserves the same level of respect and kindness. He has an amazing ability of making everyone he meets feel important.
Favorite spot on Trinity's campus?
I’m a little biased, but I love the art room.
What is your favorite time of day?
I’m definitely an early bird! Morning light is my best time of day to paint.
What's your cure for the hiccups?
Hold my breath multiple times in a row. But to be honest, it doesn’t work very well. My hiccups are stubborn.
Favorite Trinity moment or memory?
Too many to choose! I had so many good times in Mr. Thorton’s class. He was the only math teacher I’ve ever had who encouraged me to keep trying, no matter how hard I struggled. He made math funny and interesting!
If your life were a film, who would play you?
I hope it would be Aidy Bryant, she’s hilarious.
What's your favorite Charlotte-area restaurant?
If I’m keeping it completely honest, Sundries or Azteca.
What's your secret talent?
How about a secret anti-talent? I can’t whistle.
What is your favorite movie?
Any documentary about a cult. It doesn’t even have to be a good one, it’ll still be a favorite.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
I’d want to be able to travel through the multiverse, exploring different worlds and timelines.
What was the last gift you gave someone?
I gave my niece and nephew a Bluey sticker book.
Is cereal a soup?
Cereal deserves its own category.
What foreign language would you like to be fluent in?
If you were a dessert, what would you be?
Key Lime Pie - mostly tart, a little sweet. Put a little pressure on me and my hard exterior crust will crumble!
What historical figure(s) would you invite to dinner?
Georgia O’Keefe. I’d love to pick her brain about her artistic process.
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
What's your favorite song?
"Rivers and Roads" by Head and The Heart reminds me of my mom. Don’t listen until you’re ready for a good cry!
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Maybe pizza?
What’s the silliest thing you believed as a kid?
The mountain I grew up on was an active volcano. Blame my brother! He was very convincing.
What’s the most useless fact you know?
love the smell of sugar cookies.
If you could have anyone’s job for a day, who would it be?
Anyone doing anything corporate. I’ve never worked a job in a cubicle, I’d love to see what that was like for a day.
What was the most recent book you’ve read?
"Happy Easter, Mouse!" I read it to my toddlers in class today.
Who was your favorite teacher or subject as a student?
Ms. Rankey-Zona helped me foster a growing love for the arts that has followed me through adulthood, and has shaped much of my career up until this point. Her lessons were dynamic and challenging and encouraged me to grow personally and artistically, which I will always appreciate!
Dog
Hedgehogs
French
What is your favorite way to start the day?
What did you want to be when you grow up?
Who Inspires you?
Favorite spot on Trinity's campus?
What is your favorite time of day?
What's your cure for the hiccups?
Favorite Trinity moment or memory?
If your life were a film, who would play you?
What's your secret talent?
What is your favorite movie?
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
What historical figure(s) would you invite to dinner?
James
Shakespeare
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
What's your favorite song?
What was the last gift you gave someone? Is cereal a soup?
What foreign language would you like to be fluent in?
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
What’s the silliest thing you believed as a kid?
Disney characters – but so much fun!
What’s the most useless fact you know?
All things Jimmy Buffett –but I love all things Jimmy Buffett!
If you could have anyone’s job for a day, who would it be?
Jim Ryan, President of the University of
What was the most recent book you’ve read?
If you were a dessert, what would you be?
What's your favorite Charlotte-area restaurant?
Who was your favorite teacher or subject as a student?
“Crush” by Dave Matthews Band
JEN RANKEY-ZONA
FOUNDING FACULTY MEMBERVISUAL ARTS DIRECTOR
What is your favorite way to start the day?
No alarm, a quiet house, and a strong cup of coffee
What did you want to be when you grow up?
I would rather not grow up. :) But if I have to, I would be a genetic engineer tasked with saving animals from extinction.
Who Inspires you?
Every student who has worked in the art studio at Trinity. I am also intensely inspired by what our students do out in the “real world.”
Favorite spot on Trinity's campus?
The Middle School Art Studio in the CCA and the Latin room on the 3rd floor of the main building (as it was the art studio before we moved to the CCA).
What is your favorite time of day?
The quiet moment at the end of the day when the house is quiet, the dogs (and other humans) are gently snoring and I can take a deep breath and let the day unwind.
What's your cure for the hiccups?
Bitters and soda water (I learned this trick on a trip to Boston).
Favorite Trinity moment or memory?
After 9/11, the whole TES community gathered to paint large banners of hope and love to be sent to Ground Zero. I remember the hope, pain, anxiety, and love that moment held for children and adults alike. One of the banners created still lives at Trinity Church at Ground Zero.
What's your favorite Charlotte-area restaurant?
Lang Van
No judgement, but "Tommy Boy." If I had to choose a more serious one it would be "The Natural." 1 17
12 10 13 11 14 16 15 2 3 4 5 7 6 8
If your life were a film, who would play you?
Helen Mirren because she is SO cool (I like to think I am aging as confidently as her!)
What's your secret talent?
I am very good at taking mechanical things apart and fixing them. I have dismantled 100’s of pencil sharpeners, garage door openers, hot water heaters, washing machines, copiers, printers, etc....I can *usually* get it back together and working.
What is your favorite movie?
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Invisibility. I would LOVE to sneak up on the people I love and scare them in the most silly way!!
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
What's your favorite song?
Depends on my mood. My walk-up song is "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. My car-singing song is "Mr. Brightsides" by The Killers. Lastly, my chill/happy song is "Wish I Knew You" by The Revivalists.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Potatoes- they can be so many different things!!
What’s the silliest thing you believed as a kid?
A hand-built clay cup for my mother-in-law.
What was the last gift you gave someone? Is cereal a soup?
ABSOLUTELY NOT
What foreign language would you like to be fluent in?
If you were a dessert, what would you be?
shell :)
What historical figure(s) would you invite to dinner?
Again, so many!! I would love to talk to Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, and Helen Frankenthaler about being female artists. I would love to have dinner with my mom one more time (a big part of my personal history).
That if you swallowed a watermelon seed, a baby would grow in your belly.
What’s the most useless fact you know?
If you find a four-leaf clover, you will most likely find more in the patch because the four-leaf thing is genetic, and all the clovers on that one vine will be four-leafed.
If you could have anyone’s job for a day, who would it be?
Curator at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
What was the most recent book you’ve read?
"How We Learn to be Brave" by Bishop Budde
Who was your favorite teacher or subject as a student?
DOG
Creme Brulee. It is sweet with a little crunchy
Another tie: Art and Science
What is your favorite way to start the day?
With a good bath in a sunny spot.
What did you want to be when you grow up?
A school mascot, what are the odds?
Who Inspires you?
Favorite spot on Trinity's campus?
Anywhere Gus won't chase me.
What is your favorite time of day?
What historical figure(s) would you invite to dinner?
One of my many, many cat naps.
What's your cure for the hiccups?
Hissing. HEEEEEEEEE
Favorite Trinity moment or memory?
The 8th grade basketball championship last year
If your life were a film, who would play you?
12 10 13 11 14 16 15 2 3 4 5 7 6 8
9
What's your favorite Charlotte-area restaurant? Tipsy Burro
What's your secret talent?
I can beat the Martins in a game of HORSE
What is your favorite movie?
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Landing a triple flip dunk
My holiday card"To me, you're purrrfect" Cats 1
What was the last gift you gave someone?
Is cereal a soup?
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
What's your favorite song?
Anything by Cat Stevens or Modest Mouse
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Fancy Feast
What’s the silliest thing you believed as a kid?
That mascots aren't real
What’s the most useless fact you know?
We actually do not always land on our feet
If you could have anyone’s job for a day, who would it be?
What foreign language would you like to be fluent in?
Portuguese
I'll eat anything in a bowl KitKat bar
If you were a dessert, what would you be?
Mr. Schwerin because I love climbing ladders "Clifford the Big Red Dog" Boy was that scary!
What was the most recent book you’ve read?
Who was your favorite teacher or subject as a student?
Meow-sic with Ms. Cluff
The Sphinx
Duh
Colin Firth
Sir Purr
GALILEE CENTER
The stained glass windows of the Galilee Center on Central Avenue were a dazzling welcome for Trinity’s 5th Grade as a new servicelearning partner. Housed in the former St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Galilee Ministries is a special mission of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and works with other non-profits to provide services to refugees, immigrants, migrants, and neighbors in East Charlotte.
SHELF LIFE
IN NEED OF A GOOD BOOK OR PODCAST? LET TRINITY’S STACULTY HELP!
BOOKS:
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
“Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson
“None of This is True” by Lisa Jewell
LEIGH ANN FRESINA
MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMIC DEAN AND ELA TEACHER
We asked what has been in their queue lately and what they would recommend to others.
PODCASTS:
“What Should I Read Next?” with Anne Bogel
“The Lazy Genius” with Kendra Adachi
“The Girl Next Door Podcast” with Kelsey Wharton and Erica Ladd
RUDY WISE
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION AND HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR
“What You're Made For: Powerful Lessons from a Life in Sports” by George Raveling
TRACY ONZE HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
For news: “The Daily”
For education: “Class Disrupted” and “Middle School Walk and Talk” For laughs: “Handsome” and “Family Trips”
TATYANA CORLEY
3RD GRADE TEACHER
“Before I Let Go” and “This Could Be Us” by Kennedy Ryan
SARAH BARTON THOMAS HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL
BOOKS:
“Wonderstruck” by Helen de Cruz
PODCASTS:
“Everything Happens” with Kate Bowler “The Common Good”
DAWN WHEELER
KINDERGARTEN
INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT
“The Wonder of Stevie”
DAVID MARTIN
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
“The Power of One” by Bryce Courtenay
THREE-PEAT
TRINITY MOCK TRIAL TEAM WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP
For the third consecutive year, Trinity Episcopal School’s Middle School mock trial team was champion in the North Carolina Bar Foundation’s annual mock trial competition.
It is a unique achievement for Trinity’s team to be the winner three years in a row, said Jennifer Bader, Trinity’s mock trial and speech and debate coach.
Trinity’s team of Middle School students competed at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse on Jan. 31 against five public and private schools from across North Carolina. Students acted as the prosecution and defense in a felony hit-and-run case and took on the roles of defendant and witnesses.
One thing that sets our team apart is how well our attorneys can argue the rules of evidence and handle objections. That is very hard to do. They’re arguing the same rules of evidence that are used in real court, which even professional attorneys find hard to argue.
JENNIFER BADER
In preparation for the competition, teams spent months building their cases, crafting their questions and cross-examinations of witnesses, and writing opening statements and closing arguments.
During each round of the competition, the prosecution from one school’s team faced the defense from another school. Students “have not seen any of the other teams prior to the competition, so you have to be prepared for whatever may come your way,” Bader said.
The verdict? Trinity was the only school in the competition to win each round and top every judge’s ballot.
Bader said Trinity’s case presentation and student performances on the witness stand helped clinch the win. “Our witnesses really take on the character of their role and it shows in their performance,” she said.
Trinity’s mock trial championship run began with the team’s founding in 2022. While most of the students on this year’s team were new to mock trial, 8th Grade student Ethan Lavoie has been with the team since it first gaveled to order in his 6th Grade year.
“Some of my family members are lawyers and I wanted to see what it was like to be in a courtroom,” he said. In this year’s championship, Lavoie acted as the lead defense attorney. His favorite moment was his opening statement, giving him the floor to be “the only one talking.”
Bader has been coaching middle and high school mock trial programs for nearly two decades, beginning in California where she and husband Bert led teams before moving to Charlotte. Each year’s team brings different experiences and interests, Bader said. Some enjoy the performing aspect of the program, while others are drawn to the legal experience and have gone on to become attorneys.
“I just love when the light bulb comes on for kids,” she said. “It’s really challenging material, but they really get into it. Once they understand everything and are able to execute (a case), I just love that moment.”
The students on Trinity’s 2024-25 mock trial championship team are: Tuner Allen, Andrew Arriola, Charlotte Bloom, Elle Bonner, Oliver Brown, Hampton Bundy, Ansley Hankins, Ethan Lavoie, Anna Glenn McCready, Claire Niemann, Stella Simonsen, India Thompson, Mary Madison Tonsmeire, Aleyah Whitaker, and Sally Zolak.
AN ENDURING PARTNERSHIP
TRINITY AND GREEN RIVER PRESERVE
As Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in September 2024, the Trinity community’s thoughts immediately went to one of the school’s longest-standing partnerships: Green River Preserve in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The hurricane struck on Sept. 27, four days before 5th Grade prepared to set out on the annual class trip to the camp about 100 miles west of Trinity.
GRP was spared the brunt of Helene, but sustained trail damage and a washed-out road.
“We were very fortunate,” said Catherine Schenck, GRP’s executive director.
Still, the storm’s impact in the broader region and the need to prioritize recovery efforts prompted GRP to cancel its fall programming, including Trinity’s trip. It was only the second time in 25 years that Trinity did not travel to GRP - the first being in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a heartbreaking decision, Schenck said, “because I know what a cornerstone (the trip) is for y’all, as well as us.”
“A perfect fit”
The cornerstone was laid in Trinity’s founding school year. In the summer of 2000, founding staculty member Chris Weiss sent her daughter, Victoria, to GRP for camp. After hearing about Victoria’s experience, Weiss met with GRP founder Sandy Schenck and learned about the camp’s programming for schools.
GRP’s “mission and philosophy about the way they believe children learn very much aligned - and I think still aligns - with the way Trinity believes children learn,” said Weiss, who started at Trinity as a 5th Grade teacher and served for 23 years, leaving as Assistant Head of School and Head of Lower School.
“We were these two institutions doing very similar things,” she said. “Right off the bat, we were such a perfect fit.”
During the week-long trip, GRP’s School of Environmental Education allows students to explore the 3,400-acre camp’s trails, caves, waterfalls, and mountaintops. GRP staff members serve as mentors on hikes and teach students about the land and the people who once inhabited it.
Schenck, GRP’s executive director, said the camp, like Trinity, provides an environment that values learning and exploration so that children can “be your authentic self.” If a student is into nature, there are opportunities for them to “geek out and share their knowledge,” she said, while a student who excels in the physical challenges of the outdoors can be a leader and encourage others to step outside their comfort zones.
An important part of GRP is challenge by choice - giving a student space to determine their level of involvement in, for example, exploring a cave or climbing a tower.
and Fortitude and guide campgoers to practice kindness, respect, bravery, humility, joy, curiosity, and much more - all of which are echoed in the Trinity Honor Code that was later written by the first 5th Grade class to go on the GRP trip.
is named) we’re just singing y’all’s praises.”
So when Helene brought an abrupt end to this year’s trip, “it was just crushing,” she said.
Both sides began working to see what could be done to provide a GRP experience. York recalls an email from Schenck in the storm’s aftermath, hoping to help students through the loss of the trip.
“While they were cleaning up their property, while they were figuring out how their people could get water and power, they were in constant contact with us, saying, ‘Is there anything we can do?’” York said.
The answer came to fruition in March 2025 when GRP staff members met 5th Grade on Crowders Mountain in Gaston County for a day of GRP-related activities on the mountain. Mentors guided students on hikes and taught them about the mountainscape, and played games similar to those they would play at GRP. At the end of the day, students shared their experiences in a closing circle just as they would on the final day at GRP.
Piscitelli praised the GRP staff for being able to “bring the essence of GRP other places,” and he looks forward to the first trip back in the fall of 2025.
That anticipation is shared up the mountain at GRP. “I’m just so proud of this relationship,” Schenck said, “looking forward to many bright futures to come.”
One of my favorite things about these school programs is seeing the transformation in students in just a short amount of time, being a little bit more comfortable in their own skin.
- CATHERINE SCHENCK
A Building Block
GRP provided early inspiration for Trinity as it was being constructed, from the curriculum to the culture of the school.
The natural habitat and the lessons shared on GRP’s trails helped shape the early science curriculum and studies of North Carolina history and Native American cultures.
The camp’s Woodcraft Laws outline the camp’s philosophy of Love, Truth, Beauty,
All these years later, 5th Grade teacher Matt Piscitelli said the perseverance and grit that students are encouraged to lean into during each year’s trip provide 5th Grade students with “skills and experiences that will set them up with a solid foundation” for their next chapter at Trinity.
“It’s the perfect bridge year for ending Lower School and preparing for Middle School,” he said.
5th Grade teacher Joann York added that it was the perfect grade for going to GRP because it helps students “notice and wonder and engage in a way that might have gotten stale by the time they’ve reached 5th Grade.
“It reinvigorates the Trinity way of living,” she said.
A Different Kind of Trip
Because of the history between Trinity and GRP, staff at the camp have come to look forward to the school’s visit each year. “We love Trinity,” Schenck said. “When we’re doing staff training, we give a rundown of schools and (when Trinity
Schenck said the students who are tentative about the activities when the bus drops them off are often the ones who are hugging the staff by the end of the week.
HAND IN HAND
One of the first things that 5th Grade students' eyes were drawn to when they entered the sanctuary of Temple Beth El in Charlotte was the stained-glass doors of the aron hakodesh (“holy ark”).
As Rabbi Lexi Erdheim shared how her congregation worships and answered students’ questions about the Jewish faith, she opened the rainbow-colored doors where the Torah is stored and she invited students onto the bimah - or platformwhere she unrolled the scroll for them to see.
The visit to the temple was the completion of the grade’s faith studies unit on Judaism.
SPIRITUALITY AND DIVERSITY WORKING TOGETHER AT TRINITY
In an earlier unit studying Hinduism, students visited the Hindu Center of Charlotte, climbing the stairs of the temple and taking off their shoes before entering the worship space. When they left, the center’s priests offered holy water and a blessing over the students.
“You feel the floor under your feet, you smell the incense, and it engages all the senses,” said The Rev. Lindsey Peery, Trinity’s Interim Head Chaplain.
Exploring the many faiths in the community is one of the ways Trinity not only nurtures spirituality, but also embraces diversity.
“It's really like two sides of a coin,” Peery said. “Nurturing spirituality and embracing diversity just go together hand in hand.” Trinity’s commitment to diversity in its many forms - cultural, religious, etc., - was not in response to any modern shift in the broader world, but was a founding core value of the school. Decisions such as where to locate the school were grounded in reflecting the diversity of the community.
Diversity is also an important part of Trinity’s Episcopal identity. As an Episcopal school, Trinity supports every child on their spiritual journey, not toward a particular denomination or faith background, but toward developing compassionate hearts.
The Episcopal identity statement, first written in 2013 and updated in 2020, also calls on the school community to foster a sense of belonging in an inclusive environment, and strive for equity, justice, and love of neighbor.
“We’re not training up students to be Episcopalians, but to become more open, more accepting, more understanding, and more empathetic as they become young adults,” Peery said.
Perhaps the most visible displays of the connection between Trinity’s spirituality and diversity core values are the K-8 Chapel services that celebrate community groups and feature speakers from other faith traditions. Rabbi Erdheim was one such guest, leading a Chapel service during Jewish High Holy Days. Another Chapel service brought the festival of Diwali to life through song and dance.
The temple visit and Chapel provide a safe space to ask questions and to build bridges across differences… and find solidarity in our shared values.
- LEXI ERDHEIM
Even within the Christian faith, Chapel services show the breadth of diversity of worship styles, such as the music-filled Sankofa Chapel each year during Black History Month. Trinity’s Latino families have led Chapel celebrations of their
cultures during Hispanic Heritage Month, and in recent years, the student GSA affinity group has organized a Pride Chapel.
“It’s beautiful the way we involve families and students, (giving) that opportunity to see yourself reflected to celebrate your heritage,” Peery said. “I can only imagine how it helps children make connections. I don’t think there’s any other school doing this the way we are in Charlotte.”
Ayeola Elias, Trinity’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, said those Chapel services are powerful opportunities that empower students to feel like they belong, whether it’s on campus or in the community.
“We get to experience spirituality through their eyes,” she said. “It’s a privilege. We all get to experience it and become better humans.”
Faith studies classes continue the exploration of diverse world faiths and how they build upon other faiths. 8th Grade’s world religions class included a new project in which students created a spiritual life map that includes a fact they’ve learned about a different faith tradition, and how it is part of their own faith or spiritual journey.
Even if a student does not come from a faith background, Peery said, they can still be on a spiritual journey that can be nurtured and include traits that are found in other faiths.
“Spirituality is this constant growth toward what we were meant to be,” Elias added.
Beyond Chapels and faith studies classes, spirituality is a critical piece of the four
essential questions that frame Trinity’s diversity, equity, and belonging practices: Who am I? Who are you? Who are we together? What are we called to do?
Elias said those questions reinforce a person’s uniqueness as part of God’s creation, love of neighbor, and our shared values. “Your experience is part of my responsibility,” she said. “Scripture asks, 'Are you your brother’s keeper?’ Yes, we belong to one another.”
Students take on that responsibility through service learning in every grade - another layer of spirituality and diversity being interwoven. When a student delivers a meal to a neighbor or spends time with someone with different abilities, “you’re learning about someone else’s situation and building empathy,” Peery said, “and you’re called to action.”
“When you think about Jesus’ greatest commandment - love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind - and the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself, that is being inclusive, that is embracing your neighbors and embracing diversity,” she said.
“It’s a calling from God.”
BISHOP CURRY VISITS
Much of the world came to know the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry through his sermon at the 2018 royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Trinity, however, has known Bishop Curry since its founding.
As bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, Curry blessed our campus in 2000, returning in 2003 for the dedication of the main building. We welcomed him back to Trinity in December to celebrate Advent at K-8 Chapel as he concluded his 9-year term as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
“It really is a blessing to be here,” Curry said. Following the Chapel, he met with a group that included Trinity founders and local Episcopal clergy, and caught up with founding Head of School “Smokey” Oats in a FaceTime call.
FUTURE OF LEARNING AND ACADEMIC RIGOR
A new millennium was on the horizon when Trinity’s doors opened in 2000, and there was no shortage of predictions of what the future would hold for all manner of life, including education.
In the decades leading up to the year 2000, it had been treated as a milepost for what schools and learning in general would look like, with predictions of robot teachers and computers becoming integral to learning - one of the few expectations that were realized.
In many ways, Trinity embodied the future when the school began: constructivist classrooms in which students collaborate and build their learning and understanding of concepts; teachers serving as guides rather than lecturers; an emphasis on critical thinking and problemsolving rather than memorization of facts.
As Trinity marks 25 years and looks ahead to its next quarter-century and beyond, its approach to teaching and learning remains more important than ever for preparing students for the future.
“We are holding true to the North Stars that have guided our work from the beginning,” said Stephanie Griffin, Assistant Head of School for Academics.
A Rigorous Foundation
Academic rigor has been a hallmark of a Trinity education since its founding, along the way redefining what academic rigor looks like.
To be sure, Trinity provides traditional concepts of rigor through, for example, advanced math courses and world languages in Middle School.
Head of Lower School Sarah Barton Thomas said rigor at Trinity is not about the difficulty or volume of work, but more about the student. Trinity’s workshop model of collaboration helps students engage deeply in the process of learning and not just memorize an answer.
“If we are going to be rigorous, then we are going to help our kids become problem solvers, become complex thinkers,” she said. “Sending
home a thousand worksheets does not make you a scholar,” she said.
Griffin added that defining rigor by the amount of homework a student leaves school with does not recognize students’ different learning styles, nor does it allow a balanced childhood that includes extracurricular activities.
Head of Middle School Tracy Onze compares Trinity’s method of rigorous learning to exploring the deep sea. “We are not a ‘snorkel’ school,” she said. “We’re a scuba diving school, going deeper into concepts and learning much more about them rather than just briefly introducing them.”
The Middle School years deepen the skills students have cultivated in Lower School so that they are prepared to learn any type of content in any subject.
“That is rigor,” Onze said. “We want them to be intrinsically motivated to learn, and when that happens, they will challenge themselves to go deeper.”
An example she points to is the 8th Grade Area of Expertise project in which students design their own scientific experiments rather than
have one assigned to them, conduct independent research, test their hypotheses, and then present their findings to parents and classmates.
A similar process occurs in 7th Grade social studies with a biography and monuments project. Students select a figure who has made a contribution to social justice in history, research and write a biography of that person in EnglishLanguage Arts class, and then go a step further by creating a monument representing them.
“That’s deep thinking,” Onze said, adding that it reminds her of 5th Grade’s space museum in which students study a piece of the solar system and then showcase what they’ve learned in creative ways, such as a board game or graphic novel. “You can see how they’ve really thought critically about it.”
The deep sea analogy of learning is vividly displayed in 2nd Grade and its studies of coral reef and its ecosystem. Teachers create intentional partnerships between the two 2nd Grade classrooms, giving them early skills in collaborating in the research process. Students write reports and bring their topics to life as they paint the windows on the 2nd Grade hall. The coral reef unit continues with an oil spill which students study from multiple perspectives, such as a marine biologist or an oil company.
“You have this multifaceted project that spans several months that is really rich and rigorous,” Griffin said.
Well-Rounded Students
A rigorous education that prepares students for the future goes beyond the core academics. Thomas said it also takes into account the development of the whole child, which was a founding focus of Trinity.
“How are we rigorously building good humans?” she said. “We have the privilege of building wellrounded kids who will function in the world as good human beings.”
Trinity seeks to achieve that by helping students on self-reflection and emotional regulation, teaching them to be flexible in their thinking and develop a stamina for challenging situations.
Other vital elements of building rigorous people are service-learning - “We dedicate our time to service in a way that is unsurpassed by any school,” Thomas said - and building connections across age groups, such as Science Buddies in Kindergarten and 8th Grade and Reading Buddies in 1st and 3rd Grades.
Griffin said Trinity gives students a head start on these skills, which the World Economic Forum has identified as essential for the future.
“Our job must be to instill in students habits of empathy and relationship-building,” she said. “That learning, which you can’t read on a report card, is going to be so critical to the world in which our kids will graduate.”
Adapting to the Future
Just as Trinity students are preparing to adapt to the future, Trinity itself is balancing its rigorous education with emerging needs, especially in the area of artificial intelligence.
Staculty members have formed an AI task force to help frame the school’s integration of AI and how students can use it intentionally and ethically while also retaining the rigor they’ve developed at Trinity.
Recognizing that AI fluency will be a requirement when they go on to high school, college, and beyond, we're also trying to tend to their growth and development with skills that will help them harness AI while centering the Honor Code.
- STEPHANIE GRIFFIN
Added Onze: “We are preparing students for jobs that haven’t been invented yet.”
Changing needs also led to an update in recent years to Trinity’s literacy curriculum in Lower School. Recognizing the need for a curriculum that gives students foundational reading skills, teachers took the initiative in researching a new curriculum that is better aligned with modern research.
While the curriculum has changed, students still have the traditions of ImaginOn walks and independent reading in the classroom.
“Our teachers have done a really good job of being true to our mission and our educational philosophy, while also engaging in their own lifelong learning and critical thinking to make changes when changes are needed in support of what’s best for our students,” Griffin said.
With firm roots in a rigorous tradition and an anticipation of the future, Griffin said Trinity is “already doing innovative thinking that has put us ahead of some of the drivers of change in education.”
RECIPE LOVE OF LEARNING
CARY DUFRESNE REFLECTS ON HER TRINITY CAREER
It’s Sunday afternoon, and David Dufresne has laid out the ingredients for one thing Trinity staculty look forward to seeing in the workroom tomorrow morning: banana bread.
The spices are measured out; the pecans and cranberries are separated in plastic-wrapped bowls. At the edge of the kitchen counter, a picture of Trinity alumni Louise TES ‘05 and Mason TES ‘09 watches as he zests a pair of oranges into the mixing bowl.
I am overwhelmed by the great memories and the joy I have experienced at this remarkable school. I will always be grateful that fate put us in Charlotte and at Trinity. FOR A
The recipe for the bread is a modified version of Louise’s, which she included in a recipe booklet she gave as a wedding favor.
“It has taken on a life of its own,” 2nd Grade teacher Cary Dufresne said of her husband’s bread, which started making its way to school two years ago on a whim.
The bread is one of the many things the community will miss when Dufresne retires from Trinity at the end of the 2024-25 school year after a decade as a lead teacher.
Dufresne said it was a difficult decision to step away from teaching to spend more time with her mother.
"This has been an amazing place for me and my family," she said.
Like many longtime staculty, Dufresne has worn many hats, the first of which was that of a Trinity parent.
“I felt the sense of community when I toured the school to send my own children here, and I still feel it just as strongly today,” Dufresne said.
Her path at Trinity continued as a substitute teacher and coach for Odyssey of the Mind, taking two teams to World Finals in 2009. In the 2024 issue of The Voice, Jessie Duncan TES ‘09 said Dufresne’s Odyssey coaching gave her a skillset she continues to
use in her career as a NASA astrophysicist.
Dufresne said what’s even more remarkable about her time at Trinity is that “it almost didn’t happen.”
As her family prepared to move from New Jersey to Charlotte in the early 2000s, someone suggested she check out Trinity for Louise and Mason to attend. “I was skeptical because the school was brand new,” she said.
While her children were convinced Trinity was right for them, she was still on the fence. On her way to the airport on a Sunday afternoon, she made one more stop at Trinity’s trailers and ran into founding Academic Dean Liz Whisnant on the front porch. Their conversation cemented it.
“I had no idea this random chance on a Sunday afternoon would make such a profound impact on both of my children - and on me,” Dufresne said.
Lower School Academic Dean Monica Browne, a longtime colleague of Dufresne, said she has been a distinguished educator who knows and loves her students.
“When she sees a student is struggling, either academically or socially, she wastes no time in finding resources and figuring out how she can help a student reach their potential,” Browne said, adding that Dufresne is equally passionate about sharing her knowledge with her peers.
While Mrs. Dufresne is retiring from full-time teaching, she will continue to be a part of our community as an Orton-Gillingham tutor.
David's Banana Bread
Ingredients Instructions
4-5 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork cup melted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten, and 1 egg yolk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries (reduced sugar)
Zest of 2-3 oranges
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. With a fork, mix butter into mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, egg, vanilla, and then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
3. Add flour and mix. Add ½ of orange zest, ½ cup of cranberries, and ½ cup of pecans and mix. Add the remaining zest, cranberries, and pecans and mix.
4. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle a little salt on the top of the loaf. Bake for 47 minutes and check for doneness with a toothpick.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Students' jaws dropped when they entered the gym to see a towering Earth balloon. They were filled with even more wonder when they stepped inside the 20-foot balloon and studied the planet from a different perspective. Our thanks to UNC Charlotte and its Office of International Programs for providing the balloon as part of its International Festival in September.
LANGSTON HUGHES SLEPT HERE
TRINITY’S PLACE IN FIRST WARD’S HISTORY
When Trinity students climb the third-floor stairs, past the wall art featuring Langston Hughes’ poem “Dreams,” they are steps away from where the poet himself once stayed.
The artwork is, by coincidence, the closest thing to a historical marker of First Ward’s past. There are no similar callbacks to the church that once stood where the carpool lane begins, or the community that was created - and later destroyed - where students now make their way to ImaginOn.
“History is not the past - we live inside various histories,” said Greg Jarrell, an author and community organizer who sat on a panel discussion in January at Trinity’s annual Freedom Fete. The conversation, moderated by Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Ayeola Elias, explored Charlotte’s past and how that history might shape the city’s future.
“It’s important to know (those histories) so that
we can understand the story that we’re living,” Jarrell said.
First Ward’s Beginnings
Trinity planted itself in First Ward in the late 1990s as the neighborhood was changing - a constant in First Ward’s history. The neighborhood was created because of Charlotte’s growth and change in the post-Civil War years. With a booming population of more than 4,000, the city was divided in 1869 into four political districts - “wards” - extending out from Trade and Tryon Streets.
Dr. Tom Hanchett, Charlotte’s leading community historian, said First Ward was arguably the center city’s most racially and economically diverse neighborhood at the time. White and Black residents, Hanchett said, lived side-by-side for many blocks.
But as the 19th Century gave way to the 20th,
the neighborhood began segregating into allBlack or all-White sections, and by the 1930s, First Ward and nearby Second Ward were the centers of Charlotte’s Black population, Hanchett said.
“So Much History”
As First Ward was emerging as a majority Black neighborhood, it became home to another example of segregation in the broader community.
Located at the corner of 9th and McDowell Streets, the Hotel Alexander opened in December 1947 and was billed as the city’s first hotel for Black guests.
Owned by local physician John Eugene Alexander, the Alexander was envisioned as “a center for (Black) activity as well as a first-rate hotel,” according to a Charlotte Observer story on its opening.
The hotel was one of the Charlotte stops listed in “The Negro Travelers’ Green Book” of businesses that would serve Black customers as they navigated segregated America. At the Alexander, those customers included leading Black figures of the era. It was where Langston Hughes checked in and read his poetry to a private audience during a 1950 Charlotte visit.
“Sam Cook stayed there; Nat ‘King’ Cole stayed there,” recalled Arthur Griffin, who grew up on 6th Street in First Ward.
Griffin, a long-time civic leader in Charlotte and current member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, participated in the Freedom Fete panel in January.
Peeling back another layer of the history behind Trinity’s location, Griffin shared that before it was a hotel, the Alexander was the location of the Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers.
Behind the Alexander, at the corner of 9th and Myers Street - where Trinity’s driveway begins - was Griffin’s childhood church, Gilfield Baptist Church, which moved in the 1950s and went on to become one of Charlotte’s largest congregations - University Park Baptist Church, now called The Park Church.
“There’s so much history,” Griffin said at Freedom Fete. “It’s important for us - and not just African Americans - to know African American history because African American history is American history.”
Beginning of the End
The threads of First Ward began pulling in the mid-20th century as urban renewal arrived a few blocks over in the all-Black Brooklyn community of Second Ward.
Greg Jarrell’s book, “Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods,” chronicles the destruction of Brooklyn as the city began buying property and demolishing homes that were deemed “slums.”
An iconic photo of the city’s campaign shows then-Mayor Stan Brookshire in December 1961 taking a sledgehammer to the porch of a home to initiate the razing of Brooklyn.
“We’re scared about where to go,” Brooklyn resident Fanny Woodard told The Charlotte Observer. She and more than 1,000 other families were displaced as nearly 1,500 homes and more than 200 businesses were leveled.
Not a single new residential unit was built in their place.
By 1967, the city trained its bulldozers on First Ward and other Black communities near downtown, applying the same “slum” label to those neighborhoods as it did to Brooklyn.
The federal government, meanwhile, observed the toll renewal was taking and mandated that Charlotte devise a plan for relocating displaced residents. The result was Earle Village - a sprawling 409-unit public housing project in First Ward spread across 11 city blocks.
Hanchett, the community historian, said Earle Village did not solve any of the relocation challenges. “In fact, they tore down more
existing housing in First Ward (to make way for Earle Village) than were built back,” he said.
With Earle Village in place, and after a lawsuit by First Ward residents who said the city had not provided adequate replacement housing, the urban renewal of First Ward marched on. Among the casualties was the Hotel Alexander, which the city purchased for less than $46,000 ($268,000 in 2025 dollars). By then, the Alexander had fallen by the wayside. Civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s that ordered the integration of businesses ironically made the hotel unnecessary.
“The big bands, the entertainers, the traveling men - the mainstays of its business - haven’t been back,” said a Charlotte Observer article. The homes on the opposite side of McDowell Street were already boarded up to make way for what would become the Brookshire Freeway section of I-277, named for the mayor who took the sledgehammer to Brooklyn.
Once shuttered, the hotel was burned down in a Charlotte Fire Department training exercise. In the rubble was a cornerstone with an inscription: “Florence Crittenton Home, March 10, 1905.”
The Path Forward
The final toll of Charlotte’s urban renewal: 11,115 housing units destroyed, including Arthur Griffin’s home on 6th Street and 466 other homes in First Ward.
“Some folks, especially for communities such as First Ward, experienced deep and traumatic loss,” Jarrell said at Freedom Fete, “and that history is much more alive than it is for the rest of us.”
It didn’t take long for Earle Village to absorb the same “slum” tag that befell Brooklyn. A 1993 Charlotte Observer article called it a “crimeplagued cluster of generational poverty.”
In his book, Jarrell said that viewpoint overlooks the city’s own role in the neighborhood’s lack of quality of life by not
investing in its upkeep and infrastructure, and the landlords who rented out housing that was below building code.
The 1990s marked a turning point for First Ward and Earle Village.
Hanchett said it had become clear that the urban renewal method of wholesale demolition “didn’t work, didn’t create healthy new neighborhoods.”
Government agencies and others began embracing a mixed-income approach to housing. “That was so radical at that (time),” Hanchett said.
In 1993, Congress created the HOPE VI program for cities to replace massive public housing projects such as Earle Village with mixed-income redevelopment. Charlotte won a HOPE VI grant in the program’s first year, and in 1995, the first bulldozers moved in on Earle Village. In a scene reminiscent of the sledgehammering of Brooklyn, then-Mayor Richard Vinroot and federal Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros smiled as the first buildings crumbled under bulldozers. (pictured right).
Just as the creation of Earle Village caused a loss of housing in First Ward, its death left nearly half of its residents displaced. “For folks who lived there, there’s still some anger,” Hanchett said.
Still, Charlotte was hailed as a national leader in mixed-income housing. Earle Village was replaced by First Ward Place, which included apartments for low-income residents, while on neighboring 8th and 9th Streets, new singlefamily homes and townhomes began rising out of the ground with the help of investments from NationsBank, the predecessor of Bank of America.
“By and large, it has worked,” Hanchett said, as housing was built for diverse economic levels.
This surge of First Ward redevelopment caught the attention of a group of families looking to open an Episcopal School in Charlotte that represented the community’s diversity. In 1997, they approached the city to purchase the property at 9th and McDowell Streets, which had been vacant since the razing of the Hotel Alexander nearly a quarter-century earlier.
“We are more and more excited about what is happening in First Ward,” Trinity’s founding Board of Trustees chairman, Ted Rast, told the City Council.
New Challenges
More than 60 years on from the beginning of
urban renewal, Charlotte continues to grapple with where people can live.
Arthur Griffin told the audience at Freedom Fete that modern housing segregation in Charlotte is more along class lines than racial lines, citing his native First Ward as an example.
“I grew up here, but can’t live here today,” Griffin said. “Look at the cost of the homes.”
Similar housing pressures are finding their way to Dorothy Counts-Scoggins’ childhood community of Biddleville-Smallwood on Charlotte’s Historic West End.
Biddleville emerged from the urban renewal era as the city’s oldest surviving Black neighborhood. Today, homes that were built in the post-World War II baby boom are selling for more than half a million dollars, and newlybuilt homes are in the multi-million dollar range.
“It’s changing like a lot of other communities in Charlotte,” Counts-Scoggins said at Freedom Fete. “I don’t use the word ‘gentrification.’ I use the word ‘transition.’”
Counts-Scoggins made international headlines
in 1957 when she tried to integrate the all-white Harding University High School. The hostile reaction from her classmates was a galvanizing moment for the civil rights movement.
She moved back to Biddleville in 2002 and sees community involvement - and a commitment by newcomers to learning the neighborhood’s history - as essential to its preservation.
“What we have to do is to learn to work together,” she said. “We can preserve it together.”
Jarrell echoed the importance of personal choices in reversing the lingering impacts of urban renewal, encouraging the audience at Freedom Fete to, for example, shop for groceries in a different neighborhood.
“If we don't want to live in a segregated city, then we can make some choices to desegregate our lives,” he said.
But because it was policies that brought about urban renewal and its ill effects, Jarrell said, it will take new policies to undo them.
“Our city has been engineered for segregation,” he said, “and if you want something different, then you’re going to have to reverse engineer it” through zoning policies, transportation planning, and other measures.
Griffin was optimistic that the combination of personal choices and political decisions by leaders such as himself would put Charlotte on a different path.
“We are all in this together as a Charlotte family,” he said. “I think we can get there. But (we’re) going to have to put forth a personal commitment and effort to make Charlotte work.”
Photograph courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Freedom Fete speakers
LET 'S GO TO ... SPACE
Every grade lined the driveway and Linear Park for a longtime Trinity tradition: 1st Grade’s multicultural parade. As part of a Story Path unit on cultures and their traditions, students learned how they fit into a broader world, starting with Trinity and Charlotte, zooming out to the United States, Earth, and the Solar System. In the parade, students represented each stop along their journey, including the seven continents. They topped it off with a cultural feast inspired by the parade, from Vegemite sliders to Moon Pies.
THROUGH THE YEARS
“A New Tradition for Charlotte” was promised when Trinity opened its doors in First Ward - the culmination of years of work by Trinity’s founders.
In the 25 years since, Trinity’s footprint has expanded, not only in its physical size but also its impact on the lives of students and families and the community beyond our campus.
As we mark a quartercentury of Trinity, we reflect on its milestones and look to the future.
Parishioners and clergy of St. John’s Episcopal Church and Christ Church study the possibility of “An Episcopal School for Charlotte” - the tentative name for the school that would become Trinity.
After more than a year of work by a steering committee, First Ward is chosen as the school’s location, allowing it to reach a diverse student body and give students access to cultural resources uptown.
The Rev. Louis “Smokey” Oats is hired as Trinity’s founding Head of School, and the first admission applications are distributed.
August 23. The first day of school in Trinity’s temporary learning cottages. Trinity opened as a K-5 school with 102 students.
Trinity breaks ground in May on the three-story main building, which opens in the 2003-04 school year.
The Trinity Honor Code is approved and adopted. Written by students, the Honor Code instills expectations of community and respect and is recited every Monday at Greet the Week.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
The idea of an Episcopal school in Charlotte started percolating in 1989six years before the ball began rolling on what would become Trinity.
Tucked away in a cardboard box are memos, budget projections, and handwritten notes from a six-member task force that explored the creation of the Charlotte Episcopal School.
“The Bishop always wondered why we don’t already have a Charlotte Episcopal School,” said a memo from September 1990.
Reading through the documents, there are many similarities between the hopes of the 1989-90 group and the Trinity we know today, including an emphasis on having a school where “the whole child (would) be nurtured,” according to a 1990 presentation.
Just as Trinity’s founders intentionally located the school in the center of Charlotte to attract a diverse student body, the proposed Charlotte Episcopal School would also be in the heart of the city, and not far from Trinity’s current location - less than a mile away at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church on 7th Street.
The proposed Charlotte Episcopal School would open, the task force hoped, in the fall of 1991 or 1992 as a K-3 school with 120 students at St. Martin’s. A new grade would be added each school year, up to 8th Grade - the same pace at which Trinity expanded in its early years.
In her 1990 presentation to St. Martin’s, task force member Dr. Sarah Leak asked: “Won’t it be wonderful” when all this is realized?
It was - just not on their timeline.
As “wonderful” as it seemed, the task force’s work did not continue beyond the fall of 1990. The ambition was shelved until new life was breathed into it in 1995. The rest, they say, is history.
The inaugural 8th Grade class - 33 students - graduates from Trinity. When the Class of 2025 graduates, the number of Trinity alumni will top 1,000.
2010
Trinity graduates its first class of lifers - 15 students who have completed all grades, K-8, at Trinity
Trinity opens Alexander Street Park in a partnership with Mecklenburg County, providing the school with an athletic complex for soccer and tennis that is shared with the community.
2012
· The 8th Street Community Garden opens on the edge of campus. · The first Light the Fire grants are awarded, giving faculty and staff unique, outside-the-box professional development opportunities.
2018
Trinity breaks ground on the Center for Community and the Arts on the site of the “Yellow House” office. When it opens in February 2020, the CCA houses classrooms for music and art, and space for student performances.
The global COVID-19 pandemic sends students and staculty home for remote learning for the final few months of the 2020-21 school year. Students return to campus in August 2020 with social distancing, outdoor chapels, and temperature screenings.
2022
Imana Sherrill joins Trinity as its third Head of School and the first woman of color to lead an independent school in Charlotte.
Trinity appears on the “CBS Evening News” after students in grades 5-8 led a walk-out to advocate for safer schools and gun safety.
2011 2024
· Trinity begins its 25th year of creating scholars, nurturing spirituality, and embracing diversity in Charlotte’s center city. · Trinity launches a strategic plan with goals, initiatives, and action plans for the school’s faculty, families, and future.
Tom Franz is installed as Trinity’s second Head of School.
SNOWN + LOVED
Wildcats didn’t need to be triple-dog-dared to stick their tongues out and catch as much snow as they could.
When snow days are a rare occasion, you stick your tongue out and lap it up!
After a record snow drought of nearly 1,100 days, Charlotte experienced three snow days in the span of a few weeks this school year, including Feb. 19 when postcard-worthy snow began falling right at dismissal.
Another wave of snow fell on campus the next morning during morning break, giving way to snowball fights and snow angels on the field. By afternoon, it was back to blue skies and hardly a trace of winter fun.
LIGHT FIRE THE
8TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER AND HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR
There is never enough time for the things we enjoy. For Lilla Clark, that was writing.
As an avid reader and 8th Grade English Language Arts teacher, she appreciates authors’ word choices and the way a story is structured. Her students’ writings provide a window into their personalities and allow her to get to know them better.
“But I’ve never really given myself the time or space to practice writing myself,” she said. “When I’m teaching students about reading, I’m telling them about what I’m reading, and I needed to do that with writing as well.”
Clark found the opportunity to hone her writing in Lubec, Maine - the easternmost town in the United States - at the Quoddy Writing Retreat for Teacher Renewal in the summer of 2024.
The retreat allowed Clark to spend time with other teachers as well as professional writers, all with varying degrees of writing experience.
During the five-day retreat, Clark and the other attendees would have writing lessons, from how to generate ideas to revising a draft. They would then fan out across the campus for an hour or two of writing. While they wrote, retreat leaders Ralph Fletcher and Georgia Heard would visit and offer feedback. “That one-onone engagement felt so familiar to me as a teacher because we do a lot of that in our classroom,” Clark said.
The solo writing time was followed by time in small groups, sharing what each person wrote and offering thoughts, and opportunities to build community with other educators and writers with whom she stays in touch.
“A writer’s community wasn’t something I had been a part of in the same way that I have book clubs and people who like to read,” Clark said. “We were all on such different journeys as writers that when you found someone who was in the same
Trinity students take what they’ve learned out into the world as a life-long learners. The same is true of staculty members who engage in professional development to sharpen their skills as educators. One special opportunity for staculty is the Light the Fire grant, made possible, like all professional development, through the Trinity Fund. This unique grant allows staculty members to pursue outside-thebox opportunities that help them grow professionally and personally.
position as you, it was affirming,” Clark said.
It requires vulnerability to share your writing, whether you’re a student or a longtime educator surrounded by unknown peers. Clark said the retreat let her step into her students’ shoes and experience what they feel when sharing their writings in class.
2024 RECIPIENT
LILLA CLARK
Even a veteran writer and instructor such as Fletcher, the retreat leader, isn’t above asking for feedback. He has emailed Clark’s cohort seeking their thoughts on his writing. “It leveled the playing field,” Clark said. “We’re all just trying to figure out how to give everybody the best writing possible.”
When the week was over, Clark came back ready to begin the school year with ideas on how to get Middle School students more engaged in writing. “Without the retreat, I would not have felt the push and the confidence to do it,” she said.
A creative writing club was formed and has seen a regular group of students come and share their writings, some of which have been entered into competitions.
“It’s been a great way to bolster that love of writing,” Clark said.
In the classroom, Clark said the retreat “(gave) me a leg up on how to teach writing to students, whether it’s a poem about a memory or an essay that weaves together a class lesson with a personal narrative.
Ultimately, the goal is to build students’ confidence in their writing abilities and in sharing their writings with classmates.
What’s cool about writing is you can change it, you don’t have to keep what you’ve written. And Middle Schoolers are constantly changing and trying to figure out who they are. What better way to do that than writing?
What began as five days in Down East Maine has turned into “the gift that keeps on giving, personally and in the classroom.”
That impact happened because of the Trinity community’s generosity to the Trinity Fund. “The fact that you care about enriching the lives of our students and what you do for teachers is incredible,” Clark said. “I am so grateful.”
Next spring’s Voice will feature the winners of the 2025 Light the Fire grants: 2nd Grade teacher Tatyana Corley and her travel to the Great Barrier Reef, and Learning Catalyst Kimberly Monteleone, who is training her dog, Teddy, to be a certified therapy dog for Trinity.
FAMILY PHOTO
The view from Trinity looks much different today than it did 25 years ago. Where we’re standing for our group photo was the site of the learning cottages where Trinity took root in First Ward. Before long, we moved into the main building. We continued to grow along with the skyline overlooking our campus. What hasn’t changed are our core values and mission, which have made Trinity such a special place in the community we’re called to serve.
TRANSITIONS
LOOKING BACK AND CELEBRATING TES’ 2024 GRADUATES
When Trinity’s Class of 2024 walked down the first-floor hall, past the applauding staculty members who guided them through Middle School, it was a milestone for themselves and the school, as it was the 20th anniversary of the first class of 8th Grade students. Like the many 8th Graders before them, the Class of 2024 took with them countless memories. It is a tradition for the graduating class to share what Trinity means to them as they move on to high school. Here are some of their reflections.
Trinity helped me learn to be myself. The people here are very friendly, welcoming, and kind, which is something that was lacking in my life. I am so grateful for experiencing the Trinity way of life.
I will take a lot with me from Trinity, of course, the excellent education, the friends I’ve had since Lower School, and the lessons that have shaped me. Trinity will always be a part of my life.
- McKINNON COLLINS
Trinity taught me that friendships will go a long way, self-worth and responsibility are key, and to never give up on something that you believe you will accomplish.
- GREYSON COTTRILL
These people next to me are like my brothers and sisters. Seeing everyone grow and mature is a privilege. Thank you, Trinity, for loving me unconditionally.
I have been shaped into a responsible and caring person because of Trinity. I am appreciative of the wisdom Trinity has provided me. I felt accepted for who I was and didn't have to change for anyone or anything. I was surrounded by people who loved me as much as I loved them.
I have been blessed to be taught by and learn alongside some truly amazing human beings. Thanks to the incredible people I’ve met here, I have a broader worldview, a deeper understanding of myself, and a well-developed sense of sarcasm!
- CAROLYN MARINO
- KENNEDY STEVENS
- LIZA WRIGHT
Will Ackerman
Mateo Arita†
Emma Arnold
Amir Askar
Preston Beard†
CLASS OF 2024
HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES
Providence Day School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Christian School
Blythewood High School
Myers Park High School
Taylor Bellagamba Saint Mary's School
Thomas Bowman†
Tate Brinkley†
Graham Burton
Lucca Celebron-Brown
McKinnon Collins
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Providence Day School
Charlotte Latin School
Greyson Cottrill† South Mecklenburg High School
Pryor Daly
Catherine Damesek
Brooke Hastings
Charlie Hatch†
William Hobbs
Will Holland
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Providence Day School
Charlotte Latin School
Charlotte Latin School
Ma'Kenzie Jones† Stewart W. Cramer High School
Emerson Lindvall
Lucy Lindvall
Carolyn Marino
Addie Marques†
Anna Milheim
Colin Miller
Arli Mitchell
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Providence High School
Myers Park High School
Covenant Day School
Myers Park High School
Porter Ridge High School
Henry Moeller Myers Park High School
Drew Muncy
Providence Day School
Takudzwa Muvezwa Providence Day School
Jack Ogburn Charlotte Latin School
Jackson Onze Langtree Charter Academy
Milly Ramsey-Pelletier Mercersburg Academy
Cleo Reti Myers Park High School
Ashley Rodríguez Castillo Covenant Day School
Molly Rust† Myers Park High School
Bella Salguero† Myers Park High School
Avery Scannell Providence Day School
Finley Shaw Myers Park High School
Mia Shook Hedgpeth† The Cannon School
Ayla Skipper Myers Park High School
Garrett Smith
Charlotte Latin School
Kennedy Stevens Phoebus High School
Kyla Taddeo† Myers Park High School
Davis Tedrick Myers Park High School
Jack Totten
Charlotte Latin School
Jade Watkins† Jackson Day School
Lilliana Whelan Myers Park High School
Laila Whitley† East Gaston High School
Liza Wright† Providence Day School
Jane Young† East Mecklenburg High School
Charlie Zolak† Providence Day School
(† = Lifer Student; HS Choices as of August 2024)
IN LOVING MEMORY
CHARLOTTE'S CUTEST CAT
1st Grade teacher Sally Marshall’s cat Weez was a regular visitor to her classroom.
“She is so sweet and so chill,” Marshall told The Charlotte Observer in December 2024 when Weez was voted the cutest cat in Charlotte by an online Observer poll.
Weez passed away in April at the age of 17.
Ms. Marshall found Weez at an animal shelter in Boone when she was a student at Appalachian State University. When Ms. Marshall found her way to Trinity, so did Weez, pictured with this year’s 8th Grade class when they were Ms. Marshall’s students.
“She’s basically a therapy cat,” she told The Observer.
Two four-legged members of the Trinity Episcopal School community passed away recently. Each had a special place in the hearts of students and staculty.
We’re thankful for the many years Weez shared with Ms. Marshall and the joy she brought to her fellow Wildcats.
EVEN A DOG IS A WILDCAT
There have been four school dogs in Trinity’s history, but none served as long as Cisco.
From 2012 to 2022, Cisco was a familiar face around campus, calming students when they were nervous, letting them love on him when they needed a hug, or just brightening their days. Cisco meant so much to students that he was included in the Class of 2022’s banner when he retired.
Visual Arts Director Jen Rankey-Zona brought Cisco to Trinity as a school dog trained through a Light the Fire grant.
“Early in his training, I made the decision to not train the play out of him, and it was honestly one of the best decisions,” Rankey-Zona said. “He would run with kids, play ball, wrestle, and cuddle with any of his Wildcat friends.”
Cisco passed away in May at the age of 14, leaving behind countless treasured memories for Mrs. Rankey-Zona and her family and the entire Wildcat community.
Trinity Episcopal School is committed to the breadth of the Episcopal tradition in both its unity and diversity.
A student of Trinity Episcopal School is challenged to academic excellence while honored as an individual with unique potential.
As faculty and families together influence young lives, students themselves will be affirmed as ambassadors of grace, citizens who live and teach an ethic of service and respect for others.
A student of Trinity Episcopal School is trained in the example of Christ and toward a stewardship of healthy body, lively soul and discerning mind.
THE TRINITY VOICE
is a publication produced by the Advancement Office of Trinity Episcopal School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Volume 10
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
Katie Keels kkeels@tescharlotte.org
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Chris Miller cmiller@tescharlotte.org
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Alexa Adams aadams@tescharlotte.org
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Ron Laffitte rlaffitte@tescharlotte.org
ADVANCEMENT COORDINATOR
Joan Palumbo jpalumbo@tescharlotte.org
BOARD OF TRUSTEES ’24 -’25
Eugene Brown, Chair
Dr. Katherine Addison
Omid Ahdieh
The Rev. Joshua Case
Ann Clark
Amy Colaco, Past Chair
Marisella Cuervo
Elizabeth Dalrymple Eblen ’07
Sommers Errington
Tere Ey
Lois Johnson
Jamie Kiser
John Laughlin, Treasurer
Sharai Lavoie, Secretary
Dan McCready
Valecia McDowell
Al McMillian, Senior Trustee
Raj Natarajan
Meredith Nelson Rhyne ’10
Maryam Zeledon
EX OFFICIO
Imana Sherrill, Head of School
Crystal Rountree, PA President
Donnie Simmons, Ex-Officio
Trinity Episcopal School admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin in administration of its education and admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Community, scholarship, and generosity are at the heart of Trinity's school spirit. The same is true for the Trinity Fund. Your gift rings out loud and strong as a cheer for our students and teachers.
750 E. 9th Street Charlotte, NC 28202-3102
704. 358. 8101 www.TEScharlotte.org
