Principal’s Address Principal’s Address
To my knowledge Trinity’s program is unique in that we have made a strong commitment to having specialist coordinators for each of Religious Education, Campus Ministry and Christian Service.
his is quite a nostalgic time for me. I first started as a Tteacher at Trinity thirty-nine years ago in 1965. Since then I have had a son go through the College, been a foundation member of the Trinity Board, and have been Principal for the past ten years. This will be my last report before my retirement and so there is something like a grieving process going on.
Various elements of this program are proving to be even more successful than we had hoped; and I believe the results will become in time defining characteristics of a Trinity education.
The Four Pillars Ten years ago at Trinity we identified and articulated what we called our "four pillars": academic excellence, faith education, music and PSA sport. These were areas we were determined to concentrate on and improve.
Academic Excellence Trinity has traditionally been recognized as a school that focuses on academic excellence. I am pleased to report that the academic standing of the College remains strong. In particular, I am pleased with the considered and professional progress towards the implementation of the Curriculum Framework, and the strong drive to improve literacy in both the Primary and Secondary schools. When I arrived at Trinity as Principal in 1994, every single Year Twelve student studied a TEE course; and this destined 25% of them to failure. Of great satisfaction to me has been the strong growth and the great success of various programs catering for students not intending to proceed to university. Our Vocational Education and Training program has developed well and Trinity is a member of one of the best clusters of schools providing structured work-place learning for students. The Mary Rice Education Support Centre for students with disabilities is also operating extremely well and at full capacity. Apart from the excellent Coordinator and staff, the teachers at the school strongly support the program.
Faith Education
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The second of our pillars has been faith education. Over the past decade many of us have come to believe that classroom study of religious education was not, in itself, capable of nurturing a meaningful faith experience. We therefore developed – and put resources into – a three-pronged Faith Education strategy that focuses on the "head, the heart and the hands". These areas are the formal religious education courses; Christian service from Year Eight to Year Twelve; and a radical overhaul of liturgies and retreats that came under the umbrella of Campus Ministry.
The Christian Service program is developing well and in the near future Trinity will have a structured program suited to each Year level. The development of the specialist retreat program – again planned to be a meaningful experience for each particular age group – is proving a great success. To hear Year Twelve students say that their four day residential KAIROS retreat was the "best experience of their lives" is something that makes a Principal think that all the effort is worthwhile. We have recently sent one of our teachers over to America to participate in the experience of a Jesuit High School Quest Orientation Retreat, which we will adapt for our Year Eight students starting next year. I think this new orientation retreat has the potential to be as good for the Year Eights starting their secondary schooling as the Kairos retreats are for the Year Twelves.
Music The third pillar – the music program at Trinity has risen yet again to another level of excellence. The class music program, the individual music tuition, and the instrumental and vocal ensembles all operate at an outstanding level. The wonderful performances at the Catholic Schools and Colleges Performing Arts Festival recently showcased the great talent of Trinity performers. I was particularly pleased this year with the extremely moving performances of the Senior Vocal Ensemble and the work of the Primary and Secondary Dance groups. The development of these dance groups has been a great innovation for Trinity. Ten years ago the Pipes and Drums Band was down on numbers and almost facing extinction. The revival of this important band has been very significant for the College.
PSA Sport The PSA sporting competition was the fourth pillar. Membership of the PSA sports competition has been a strong part of the profile of Trinity College over the past thirty-five years. This competition has provided a
