Trinity enacts new cell phone policy for middle school and freshmen.
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e Trinity Voice is produced by the newspaper/journalism class at Trinity Preparatory School of Florida. Editorials represent the opinion of e Trinity Voice writer and are not necessarily the views of the administration, faculty, or Board of Trustees of Trinity. e Voice welcomes letters to the editor and freelance articles or photography. All submissions become the property of e Voice. Please send all correspondence to 5700 Trinity Prep Lane, FL 32792. e Voice may also be contacted via phone at 407-671-4140 and via e-mail at voice@trinityprep.org. For information regarding the purchase of advertising within e Voice, contact us by one of the methods mentioned above. The Voice is a monthly publication during the school year (with the exceptions of November and January).
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Dive into a thought-provoking episode, where Gustavo Membreno explores the dangerous habit of texting while driving. Listen to candid interviews with students and alarming statistics that shed light on the dangers of this risky habit. Tune in to learn more and stay safe!
Did you just fall out of a coconut tree? If so, listen in to Jack Aaron accompanied by seniors Jerry Chen and Nikolas Polsinelli. Enjoy their friendly, lighthearted discussion about the upcoming Presidential election.
Spread by Sofia Haddadin
Graphics by Caden Liu
“The plumbing is connected from the current piping to the new building, and we will pour the foundation shortly.”
- Mr. Lawson, Head of School
Americans spend around $1O billion on Halloween each year.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are one of the most popular Halloween candy.
Halloween is the country’s second largest holiday after Christmas.
Sources: Drive Research and The Harborside
Article by Lila Choudry
Photo courtesy of Yizhao Chen
Journeying from the picturesque landscapes of Vienna, Austria, sophomore Yizhao Chen is thrilled to be starting a new chapter as an international student at Trinity.
She was selected by the American Secondary School for International Students and Teachers (ASSIST) program to spend a year at Trinity in the U.S. With a curiosity for cultural exchange and an extensive background in bilingual education, Chen is excitedly diving into the American high school experience.
Chen attended Federal Secondary School in the 19th District of Vienna, a bilingual high school, which exposed her to a global environment.
“I have tons of friends who have American parents, so I’ve always wanted to do a year abroad,” Chen said. “America was my main choice because of the movies; you see life there, and it looks very interesting.”
Before arriving at Trinity, Chen discovered the ASSIST program through a chance encounter. Her school in Austria has an English library where students often hang out during breaks. One day, she found a yearbook report featuring a student from the school who had participated in the ASSIST program approximately ve years earlier.
“ e way [the student] described the school, it was a di erent school involved in the program, with the great facilities and the great teachers just really appealed to me.” Chen said.
educational system while also providing our local students with a broader perspective,” she said. “It’s a two-way exchange that bene ts everyone involved,” Lawson said. “it [ e ASSIST program] o ers great exposure to diverse experiences and traditions.”
Chen is excited about the unique oppor-
tice, because I have another obligation, they are really nice and understanding about it.”
Chen’s adjustment to Trinity has been a mix of excitement and challenge. While the language barrier was minimal, she found some di erences in the daily schedule.
World language teacher Bozena Lawson, who oversees Trinity’s ASSIST program, emphasized the initiative’s signi cance.
e ASSIST program bene ts Trinity’s existing students as well as the ASSIST students. Lawson noted that the program’s goal at Trinity is to enrich the educational experience for all students.
“ e program helps international students to immerse themselves in a new culture and
tunities available at Trinity, such as the debate club and cross-country team—activities she had not experienced before.
“ e debate team and sports are things I wouldn’t have had access to back home,” she said. “I’m also enjoying the support from the coaches. ey are also understanding and pretty relaxed. If I’m ever missing a meet or a prac-
“ e school day here is longer than back home, and getting up early for cross-country practice has been a challenge,” Chen said. “But I appreciate the many little breaks there are throughout the day.”
Little details have made a big di erence in Chen’s experience in America. One of the most surprising di erences for Chen has been the absence of front license plates on cars, which are mandatory in Austria.
“Some random little thing that was interesting to me is that all the cars here do not have license plates … on the front, which would be illegal in Austria, ” Chen said.
Academically, Chen has noticed a higher workload and more graded assignments compared to Austria’s system, where homework is not often graded for accuracy but for completion, with feedback on its quality. is shift requires Chen to invest more time and e ort, but it has been overall, manageable for her.
Socially, Chen has found a very friendly and welcoming environment at Trinity.
“Everyone has been very friendly and accommodating to me.” she said, I’ve already built a really nice circle of friends.”
As Chen settles into life at Trinity, she’s looking forward to making the most of her time here.
“I found some great friends here who I feel like I can do really fun stu with, so I’m really grateful about that,” Chen said. “But overall, I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to becoming more independent abroad and experiencing new things.”
Article by Ashwin Anand
Photo by Jackson Napier
Chad Pentler boasts an impressive three master’s degrees, multiple playwriting credits and a novel that’s been on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. Now, the veteran writer joins Trinity as its new English department chair.
Pentler comes to Trinity after eight years at St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, where he taught AP English Language and Composition, English 10 Honors and Creative Writing. is year, Pentler is again teaching AP Language, as well as venturing into middle school with English 8 and advising Trinity’s literary magazine, Skylight. He looks forward to seeing what the department has to o er for all students.
“Trinity has an excellent reputation for being scholarly and [having] really strong students and everybody caring about learning,” Pentler said. “I felt at home on campus right away. It seems like students enjoy being students, which isn’t always the case.”
Pentler always suspected his career would be in education. While his early substitute teaching experience cemented his path as an educator, the seeds were planted in his childhood.
“My mom encouraged my sister and I to discuss movies,” Pentler said. “And so there was a lot of thinking … being able to discuss ideas out loud was really helpful [in] setting the stage to want to be a teacher.”
Pentler’s rst few years out of college went in a di erent direction, though. As a professional screenwriter in Los Angeles, he penned several TV and lm scripts. He also wrote a number of plays, including a comedy performed at one of his alma maters, Carnegie Mellon. But at the age of 30, Pentler decided to pursue a more stable occupation.
“It was a hard living,” Pentler said. “I tell my students, ‘You still need a profession’ ... Not many writers can just write and make a living.”
Now a full-time teacher, Pentler emphasizes that his students must make time for their creative pursuits while putting their work rst. For him, that meant setting aside three hours each weekend to write.
“Whatever you decide, you just have to really commit to it,” Pentler said. “You have to keep showing up at the same time. You can’t just write when you feel inspiration.” is commitment paid o in January 2022, when Pentler published his rst novel, “Orleans Parish.” e book follows the life of two brothers: a Los Angeles screenwriter with supernatural powers and a substitute teacher in New Orleans. Pentler has lived both of these lives — just without the magic.
“[My novel] came out while I was teaching,” Pentler said. “So then I had a book talk with a lot of students gathered, and it was fun teaching my creative writing class as a book was coming out because I would tell my students about the process.”
One of Pentler’s favorite aspects of writing is the art of humor. Whether he is teaching F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “ e Great Gatsby” or watching “Saturday Night Live,” he always appreciates a good joke.
“I look forward to teaching my AP Lang students about humor,” Pentler said. “ ere’s a lot you can do with dialogue, with timing, to make a joke work. You can always use humor for the rest of your life. It’s a good thing to know about.”
Pentler is thrilled to be at Trinity for this new chapter of his life. In addition to sharing his love of comedy, he hopes to see every student nd their voice.
“Being an English teacher is really about helping students not only to explore the world, but to become strong writers and to get them to see themselves as writers,” Pentler said. “And I feel like everybody should be able to write and feel comfortable with it.”
Article by Janav Rampakash
Photo by Aksel Williams
On Aug. 16, junior Maxwell Koehler was backing up in the junior practice eld parking lot when his car suddenly crashed into another car that lay just a few feet from him. As a result his back bumper was dislodged and his right rear brake light broken. e other car that was involved in the crash had its back bumper scratched up and one of its rear tail lights shattered.
“I’ve never crashed my car, never gotten close to crashing my car,” Koehler said. “I’ve backed up the same way every single time [but] this parking lot is so bad it feels like an airplane where they cram 500 people into a super small tiny area.”
Some parents also felt that the parking system can be a burden when picking up and dropping o .
“From the tra c light… to the drop o area, it’s around 15 minutes to get there,” seventh grade parent Franklin Adrianza said.
Because of this delay, parents felt that it took a toll on their children’s sleep and themselves.
“[ e] earlier you get up in the morning, you don’t sleep well so you have to go to bed earlier,” Adrianza said. “[It requires] more effort [from] us parents to try to get up earlier and the kids to get ready earlier.”
Because of the year-long construction of the Nochur Sankar Science Center, the parking and drop o /pick up system had to be signicantly altered. Some of these rst alterations included juniors having to park in the practice eld, sixth graders having to be dropped o behind the middle school, and seventh grade and up having to be dropped o in front of the DAC. However, there were con icting feelings among students, parents, and teachers about the new parking system.
“As a junior, I feel like I have to walk half a mile to my car every single day, especially because I have theater practice after school,” Koehler said. “I get mud all over my shoes and on my car because the parking lot is just awful.”
While students and parents felt like the new system was awed in some aspects, some teachers found it more convenient than ever with assigned parking lots.
“I nd that coming in the mornings is a lot smoother than it was in the past,” Science Department Chair Dr. Romina Jannotti said. “As a sta member, this is a lot more e cient in the morning because I know exactly where I have to park. I don’t have to spend my time in the morning searching for a place.”
the sixth grade was better than we anticipated. So we added seventh grade [to the drop o / pick up behind the middle school].”
Another change that has been made to the system is crosswalk duty. A number of Trinity’s administrators perform crosswalk duty in the parking lot or drop o /pick up points on speci ed days to ensure that students are crossing safely and that parking rules are being followed.
“ is is a duty I didn’t have to do in the past,” Jannotti said. “But I’m glad to do it because we want to make sure that kids don’t get hurt coming in from the parking lot in the morning.”
Taking the views of parents, students, and teachers into consideration, administration has made two main changes to the system.
“We did start with sixth grade only dropping o behind the middle school,” Associate Head of School Dennis Herron said. “After monitoring the [drop o ] for two or three days [though], we realized that the ow with
Along with these changes, Trinity is working to nd new ways to better manage the system. Director of Security Anthony Maldonado keeps in contact with Seminole County Tra c Engineering to ensure there is an open line of communication between the county and the school. On Sept. 11, new parking instructions for juniors were released: students must now only park in the middle rows of their designated lot. is was done to ensure safety when pulling in and out of the parking spaces.
“It’s been a learning curve for those of us who designed it and are trying to manage it,” Herron said. “It’s been a learning curve for those who are driving to campus, both parents, students and faculty.”
“As a junior, I feel like I have to walk half a mile to my car every single day.”
- Maxwell Koehler, Junior
“As a sta member, this is a lot more ecient in the morning because I know exactly where I have to park.”
- Dr. Romina Janotti, Science Department Chair
“[It requires] more e ort from us parents to try to get up earlier and the kids to get ready earlier.”
- Franklin Adrianza, Parent
Article by Aarav Gupta
Graphic by Caden Liu
In a small impoverished town of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 6-year-old Amani begins to feel tremendous pain across his body. Although unnoticeable at rst, minuscule spots rapidly multiply until he feels something like red hot needles poking him. ey pierce through his esh like small knives, causing his body to ache and throb uncontrollably. Luckily — due to his parents’ rapid e orts — he fully recovers in under a week as reported by the BBC. However, others may not be so lucky.
Long before the recent outbreak in Africa, Monkeypox, otherwise known as mpox, has been around since 1958, when rst discovered in a colony of monkeys in Denmark.
On Aug. 14, this newfound disease was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). Spread through direct contact with scabs and open wounds, mpox, which is a double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, is primarily a sexually transmitted infection. Although very unlikely, the virus can spread through respiratory droplets.
Symptoms of this life-threatening disease include uncomfortable blisters, also known as pustules, fever,headache, swollen
lymph nodes, muscle aches and chills.
Since its recent rise to fame, mpox has made its ways into numerous households around the world. Coming in close contact with a blister is the primary way to receive the disease, causing it to spread throughout your body.
WHO records that the recent global pandemic was caused by the clade IIb strain. Since its recent upsurge in cases across Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been particularly vulnerable to this infectious disease. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 20,000 mpox cases have been reported from 13 African Union Member States with over 500 deaths since 2024. e extreme poverty and lack of necessary resources contributes to the sharp rise of cases within this region.
“[Africa] lacks health infrastructure,” UCF Professor of Pathology Hatem Kaseb said. “If people go untreated they cannot get adequate vaccines. is will de nitely lead to the spread of the disease.”
body and then bring the virus back home.
“Anytime you have transmission of a sexually transmitted infection, it usually is due to microabrasion,” science teacher Scottie Smith said. “Microabrasions is where you have a tiny little non-visible cut and when you have a pustule (blister), it breaks against that cut.”
Africa’s widespread con ict is also a factor that adds to the rise of the disease. According to the Geneva Academy research journal, with more than 35 armed con icts, Africa ranks second in the number of wars globally.
“A lot of areas in Democratic Republic of Congo where this disease started [have] domestic unrest and a civil war,” Kaseb said. “When you have this situation, it’s very hard for the government to provide health services for the people.”
Beyond Central African countries, the newest strain of this disease has spread to Pakistan, the Philippines and Sweden via travel.
Misinformation spreads like wild re. Children panic. Teachers worry. e big question on everyone’s mind is “will mpox be the next COVID-19?”
Rest assured, students won’t be in lockdown once again particularly because of how restrictive the disease is.
“Mpox is not the new COVID-19,” WHO’s European director Dr. Hans Henri Kluge told CNBC. “We know how to control mpox and, in the European region, the steps to eliminate its transmission altogether.”
According to Dr. Kaseb, Mpox spreads remarkably di erent than COVID-19.
When someone is exposed to a new microbacteria from a new geographic area, they can become infected through small openings in the
“ is is a disease that is mainly a contact transmission,” Kaseb said. “It’s not an airborne disease like COVID-19 or even avian u. ey spread very quickly and through multiple routes.”
Although mpox is transmitted di erently than COVID-19, Kaseb said some lessons
learned during the 2020 pandemic can be applied to this current health crisis.
“ ese were lessons learned from the recent COVID: working together, providing the vaccine, having availability of the vaccines in the developing countries, especially the Central African countries,” Kaseb said.
In addition, much is known about the virus and the means to control it.
Currently, modern pharmaceutical companies have developed two e ective vaccines for combating mpox.
Despite these safety measures, mpox is becoming more dangerous than ever before. It is vital to ensure the safety of others as well as yourself to be properly educated about the dangers of the virus. Although the chances of mpox spreading through respiratory droplets is considered extremely low, it is entirely possible. at means to frequently wash your hands with soap, cover your mouth when sneezing, dispose of tissues immediately, wear a surgical mask when near others, etc.
On the contrary, the most e ective ways to decrease the spread and likelihood of contracting the virus includes avoiding physical contact with others, avoiding sharing the same objects and staying away from wounds.
Yet, the symptoms of children pose more serious side e ects due to a weaker immune system and constant exposure to other people.
“Children are slowly building up their immunity to illnesses in the community, so tend to get unwell more often,” family health doctor Preeya Alexander said.
“I wish the LGBTQ+ community wasn’t so marginalized when it came to healthcare. It’s important for patients to feel like they can talk to their doctors ... because I do think there’s that stigma and it needs to be removed in healthcare settings ... everybody’s the same.”
- Scottie Smith, Science Teacher
While very little research has been recorded on the newest strain of mpox, according to the BBC in May 2022, the virus impacts the LGBTQ+ community at a higher rate.
Due to the stigma and discrimination this community often faces, especially in underdeveloped countries in Asia and Africa, people in this group sometimes struggle to receive the help they desperately need. “ ey are vili ed in many places,”
Smith said. “If you get it in a country where it’s illegal to be gay, how are you going to talk about it? To your friends? Doctors?” is challenge makes it much harder for [LGBTQ+] patients to receive the proper resources and vaccination needed.
“I wish the LGBTQ+ community wasn’t so marginalized when it came to healthcare,” Smith said. “It’s important for patients to feel like they can talk to their doctors … because I do think there’s that stigma and it needs to be removed in healthcare settings … everybody’s the same.”
Since mpox is such a fast-spreading disease, it may be challenging for governments to dramatically reduce the rapid growth, meaning enforcing protective measures amongst ourselves could be more e ective than those of the government.
“ e problem is that the US and Europe tried to ban people from traveling during COVID, and it wasn’t e ective,” Kaseb said. “Protective measures were even more e ective than travel bans.”
It is extremely unlikely that students will be forced to isolate once again since COVID. To ensure this, proper guidelines must be adhered to ensure limited spread of the virus.
According to the o cial CDC website, the risk of contracting mpox in children and teens in the US is low although still possible.
Luckily, advocacy groups from across the world have worked together during this crucial time period. With the new mpox variant being on the brink of arriving in the US, governments and advocacy groups are trying to work together to ensure the spread of the virus is mitigated.
Article by Sami Haddadin
by Jackson Napier
Since 1999, Trinity students and teachers have dedicated countless hours to building homes and o ering hope to families in need.
rough their e orts, they’ve helped Habitat for Humanity’s vision of a ordable housing for all become a reality, one house at a time.
Despite some challenges, Habitat for Humanity is working to help low-income families achieve homeownership, driven by its vision of a world where everyone has access to a ordable housing.
“Trinity provides the majority of our volunteers and is one of our nancial sponsors,” Winter Park Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Courtney Kropp said. “We would not be where we are today without them!”
Even with high volunteer turnout helping move projects along e ciently, uncontrollable factors still delay the building process. In recent years, Habitat for Humanity has faced roadblocks in purchasing land in Winter Park due to the housing market in the central Florida area becoming increasingly competitive, outpacing wages. According to the Orlando Sentinel, housing costs have increased more than wages in Central Florida. e median monthly home price in Central Florida was $395,000 in June, according to Orlando Regional Realtor Association, the highest price on record.
“In recent years we have struggled a lot when it comes to nding land to build our
homes due to the increased cost of land in Winter Park,” Kropp said.“We rely on donations from community members to help us purchase land.”
Support from the community is what keeps Habitat’s e orts alive. rough the organization, students have the opportunity to give back to their community while making memories.
“Habitat is a great way to get out and help your community while having fun doing it… you can get your friends to come with you and you can go out for lunch on Park Ave,” junior Owen Ra a said. “It’s a super fun and rewarding way to help those in need.”
Trinity’s volunteers have an opportunity every weekend to help build, making a significant impact while also making up a large percent of the volunteers.
“Every Saturday, they have the ability to go out and build at the houses, and [students] come out for around three hours to work on it,” Habitat for Humanity club sponsor Emily Massey-Burmeister said.
rough volunteering often, club members can help speed up the building process, allowing for families to get their houses sooner.
“You’re able to put in up to 10-12 hours every month and I went with 15 to 20 kids there, [so] that’s a total of 60 hours at work put it in every single weekend,” Ra a said.
When working at the build site, a volunteer
will never nd themselves short of a task to complete. With a wide variety of jobs and activities, volunteers are constantly engaged.
“It depends on how far along they are in the development,” Ra a said. “I’ve seen kids build the structure of the house with hammers and nails. e kids paint because that’s a safe thing to do… Pretty much anything at any development stage of the house, there’ll be something for the kids to do.”
Ra a enjoys volunteering because of the impact it makes in his community. e work he does feels ful lling, and each day he works is an accomplishment.
“ e most exciting part is knowing that the work I’m doing is making a di erence in the lives of the family,” Ra a said.
Habitat for Humanity has left a long-lasting footprint in our community, giving lives stability and lifting people from poverty. rough the long-lasting partnership with Trinity, Habitat’s vision will continue to live on.
“I think that Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful organization that helps provide home ownership for people that might not have the ability to have that,” Massey-Burmeister said.
“I think it is an incredibly worthwhile organization to be a part of, and there’s nothing more important than you could do than give back to the community around you.”
Article by Krish Gupta
Graphic by Caden Liu
On July 11, Trinity announced its plan to create an environment where students complete their work on time, socialize during breaks and increase their attention spans year after year. ey aimed to accomplish this through the new cell phone policy requiring students in grades 6-9 to give their smartphones to their advisors for the entirety of the school day.
According to a Stockton University report from 2019, cell phones produce both positive and negative impacts in an educational environment. Although they help students engage in classroom activities and make information more readily accessible, phones may also interfere with students’ focus, cognitive abilities, and attention spans through social media and messaging apps.
Due to a recent Florida law enacted in May of 2023 prohibiting cell phone use during class, Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) have also terminated smartphone use.
to create an environment for learning and an environment that minimizes negative distractions and encourages engagement with peers, with teachers [and] with material in the classroom,” Dryden said.
Teachers and parents have also been noting the improvements brought by this policy. Assistant Upper School Dean and English teacher Steven Garnett, as both a father and educator, recognizes the signi cant distractions smartphones cause.
“ e new cell phone policy ... is 100% satisfactory to me,” Garnett said. “As a parent, I saw rsthand the distractions that phones could be outside of the classroom and during the school day.”
AP Psychology teacher Michael Brown notes how, from a psychological perspective, the policy has already increased student communication levels.
dents’ overall focus and concentration.
Brown thinks of cell phones as a barrier to social interaction between students. However, he also believes students can circumvent the policy using other devices.
“We just took away a speed bump to interacting with others, [but] it might not force it to happen,” Brown said. “ ey could be on their laptop [or] they could bring a switch in their backpack. ere [are] so many other options, but we just removed a [barrier] here.”
Eighth-grader Liem Murphy has beliefs similar to Brown’s, in which he has seen the obstructive e ects of devices rsthand.
“I think that [the policy] helps with kids who are more prone to playing video games or just sitting by themselves at break,” Murphy said. “It forces them to make friends ... [and] develop better social skills and talk to other people during breaks.”
As an independent school, Trinity does not have to follow this state law. However, Head of Middle School Dr. Stephanie Dryden said her research led the administration to follow suit.
“As a school, we’re always tapping into current trends in education and trying to keep our ngers on the pulse of that world,” Dryden said.
“We’re regularly re ecting on what [we] are doing, why [we] are doing it, [and] how [we] can be better.”
Dryden and her colleagues have been frequently observing this policy’s overall e ectiveness and noting its glaring advantages.
“We’re seeing more strong social interactions,” Dryden said. “Teachers are reporting that the classes are going well. Not having that distraction has been helpful.”
is distraction-free environment lled with interactions is an atmosphere the administration and teachers have been trying to achieve for years.
“[ is policy is] all about how we are trying
“Humans have not evolved to handle the addiction machines that are our and so we succumb to very rapidly,” Brown the idea of removing
screens, that addiction said. “I love it and forcing [students]
to interact with other humans rather than a screen.”
In the past during the 2023 - 2024 school year, Brown allowed students burden. problem with want
to keep their phones with them during the class period. However, he noticed that this negatively impacted the stu-
Murphy, however, also feels that this policy may partially be a burden. He states how factors such as communication may be drastically a ected due to this policy.
“ e messaging app is really important for me because, if my parents are late or early to pick me up from practices or school, it helps communicate,” Murphy said.
However, Dryden believes this is simply a short adjustment period in which students and parents are getting used to the new policy.
“I don’t really think that the end of the day pickup is a downside to the policy,” Dryden said.
“I think it’s just an adjustment period. Quite honestly, you could have that problem even if people do have phones.”
Garnett is excited to discover the new opportunities this policy will create for both the students and the faculty and hopes it will improve Trinity’s overall educational experience.
“At 2:55, [students] have their phones and they can catch up with their friends and do [what] they want to do,” Garnett said. “But for roughly seven hours, hopefully, they did better schoolwork.”
Trinity’s new policy makes the term “cell phone” literal, with phones locked up in metal cases. And much like a traditional prison system, it is ine ective, inequitable and unsafe.
e policy — which forces all middle schoolers and freshmen to turn in their phones to their advisers for the school day — was enacted to “enhance student well-being and bolster learning,” according to the school’s announcement from July. However, it fails to accomplish either.
Our student handbook acknowledges that phones provide great utility in the classroom: “All electronic devices must be turned o during class unless the teacher has speci cally authorized the use of the device during that particular class for educational purposes.”
e new policy inhibits students below 10th grade from completing tasks as basic as submitting classwork or recording media for projects. Nowhere is this more glaring than in our own newsroom: freshman sta ers have to navigate a tedious new process to simply record an interview. Outside of class, QR codes, often used for club signups and incorporated into assembly, now exclude one-fourth of our upper school. at doesn’t bolster students’ learning; it diminishes it.
Recent changes to the dress code and attendance policies have been couched as necessary for students to build self-discipline. But with phones completely out of the picture for younger students, they no longer have a chance to do so.
“I don’t know if students, not just Trinity Prep students, students in general, are strong enough to self-regulate against what is one of the most lucrative industries in the world,” Assistant Head of Upper School Sebastiaan Blickman said. “So I’m not sure that practicing that attempt to beat [that industry] and failing repeatedly actually allows the student to develop that discipline.”
Students should not be denied that opportunity. Wholly eliminating phones from large
swaths of the student body because of a few downsides neglects the bene ts of learning to use them in moderation.
“We had a negative way of using our phones at school,” Freshman Class President Max Menard said. “So, because of that, we can’t improve ourselves and learn from our mistakes, and they just take it away. We don’t learn anything, and we’ll just go back to the same thing next year.”
Furthermore, much of what the policy aims to guard against, including video games and social media, can easily be accessed on laptops. Even texting can be accomplished without a phone — with the right technology.
MacBooks allow users to chat through iMessage even if their phone is turned o . erefore, students who use Apple can circumvent the policy while maintaining a facade of compliance. is not only renders the current system futile but also creates an equity concern: Android and PC users can’t skirt the policy in this manner. What could have been a great campaign for healthy cell phone use has manifested as a half-baked advertisement for Apple.
“ ese are inequity issues that I think, as an administrative team, we [have] to wrestle with and [that] only get exposed when we actually put this into [e ect],” Blickman said. “Now that we know it’s an issue, now we have to solve it.”
Students without Macs are now cut o from their parents, causing confusion with processes like after-school pickup — especially at this time of year, when severe weather holds are a regular occurrence. Trinity’s solution, per the policy’s announcement, is that “Parents can relay messages through the division o ces, and students can connect with parents via the ofce phone.” But in serious situations, such as a medical emergency or threat on campus, that middleman wastes precious seconds.
During the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Sept. 4, sophomore Abby Turner kept in touch with her mother
over text. Her father soon rushed to the campus. If not for her phone, Turner would’ve spent what might have been her nal moments in complete isolation from her family.
“I wanted to [text her] in case I couldn’t do it later,” Turner said in an interview with e Washington Post. “It was my rst instinct.”
Given these concerns, Trinity should expand the system currently employed by 10th-12th grade, where students retain their phones while complying with teachers’ policies. More severe measures can be used as punishments on a case-by-case basis. Phones are valuable tools both educationally and socially, and at a college preparatory school, students must be prepared to work with such an integral part of society, not shielded from it.
“We can take phones away from kids during the school day, but when they end up going out to the real world … that’s something that they’re going to have,” Student Body President Connor Nanus said. “So if we’re trying to replicate a preparatory environment, I think limiting access to those things isn’t always the best option.”
Despite its aws, Trinity’s new policy stems from an honorable goal. Unexpected challenges are bound to occur with any monumental change to life on campus.
“My biggest fear is that kids see teachers or admin or whoever as boogeymen that are out to get them,” Blickman said. “I want them to see that any decision we make is always guided by what’s best for the student. And it might be best for the student tomorrow, or it might be best for the student 10, 15, 20 years from now. We are trying to serve you all.”
For better or worse, phones are a part of life. It is time for us to stop locking them up and instead deal with them in a way that is practical, fair and safe for all.
e lead editorial expresses the opinion of the Trinity Voice editorial sta . Please send commentstovoice@trinityprep.org.
Article by Karl Loiseau
Graphic by Caden Liu
“I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Former President Trump said in July about Vice President Kamala Harris. As harmless as this statement may seem, Trump’s comments reveal a greater issue regarding identi ers and how multi-ethnic people, like Harris, are often forced to choose between two identities.
“[It] goes to the way in which [people] understand mixedness,” said Dr. Curtiss Takada Rooks, a multi-racial studies professor of Loyola Marymount. “[Harris] identi es with being Indian heavily. She was raised by a single Indian mom, but her life experience [was] walking through the world as a Black girl.”
Society has constructed rigid binaries that prevent people from simply being themselves. In Harris’ case, she is expected to be either Black or Indian, as if identity is mutually exclusive. While 33.8 million people nationwide identify as multiracial according to the 2020 U.S. Census, these binaries still form well before adulthood.
people who fell outside of the binary, and they have had long-lasting impacts. is binary has personally impacted me and my family members due to our multi-ethnic background. People coming up to my brother and inquiring about “what he was” seemed absurd. Asking personal details about those who appear ethnically ambiguous feels entitled and intrusive. What was more striking, though, was his answer. Depending on who asked, he identi ed himself di erently. His answers were either “mixed” or “Black,” neither of which helped him feel comfortable.
However, my brother’s response is not an isolated one. In 2015 a Pew Research report found that 21% of multi-ethnic people said that they have felt pressure from friends, family or “society in general” to identify as a single race. Ethnically ambiguous people are questioned while simultaneously their answers are never enough.
prompted to select “some other race.” If they choose to type out their identity, they are funneled under “some other race.” While identifying as an “other” seems invalidating, the Census did not even allow for a person to identify as mixed until 2000.
Black, Asian, Alaskan Native, Latino– all these identi ers serve to indicate a cultural background or shared identity. No matter how diverse each respective culture is, those identi ers still point to lived experiences or countries that people can associate with. ere is no shared country or culture for people who are mixed, biracial or multi-ethnic. To accommodate this, society must recognize that identity is not Black and white. For mixed people, identity is an eternal gray.
“I identify as Black,” Rooks said. “I identify as Black Japanese. I identify as Japanese. One plus one for me equals three.”
“My brother had to give a photo of him being in an Indian out t for one of his friends to believe him and it’s like you need to prove [yourself] ... just for you to be accepted,” junior Marisela Morel said.
e way we perceive race started explicitly for discrimination. When America was still forming, poor white laborers were treated the same as enslaved African people. By the 1700s, however, race had become a legalized system, and slavery had become a social status bound to the color of one’s skin to delineate white laborers from enslaved African people. To cement a boundary, a series of anti-miscegeneation laws were passed to prohibit interracial marriage which not only impacted Black people but also excluded South and East-Asian people. All of these e orts served to alienate multi-ethnic
Identity invalidation is not just constricted to a social aspect though. On government-sanctioned surveys, like the 2020 Census, people t under the seven options that are provided are
who do not under “ person
Society must rupture the identity binary, accepting the fact that multi-ethnic people can be multi-ethnic. Mixed people are entitled to their identity as well as their privacy and should not have to deal with uncomfortable questions. Identity-based questions that seek to categorize people lead to unproductive discussion, as more often than not, multi-ethnic people feel obligated to choose the path of least resistance. ese questions then place the responsibility on the reply rather than addressing society’s pressure.
“ ... Being counted as multiracial is of both personal and national signi cance,” wrote professor of law at Georgetown University Naomi Mezey Georgetown Law Faculty Publications. at is, a person can only sustain [their] identity if others recognize [them] as [they] recognizes [themselves] and that [they] [are] only included in the national community to the extent that the government classi es [them] in a recognizable way.”
Article by Amanda Rose DeStefano Graphics by Caden Liu
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” hit-singer Taylor Swift said in an Instagram post following the presidential debate.
Along with the o cial endorsement, Swift explained that she thought her post was important to dispel AI-generated images of herself endorsing former President Trump’s campaign. She explained that in light of the images, she thought transparency about her political intentions was vital.
Swift isn’t the rst celebrity to use their platform to comment on politics. Football stars, hit singers and CEOs are all getting political. Scrolling through your social media feed, you are sure to nd countless celebrities weighing in on hot-button issues – whether it be climate change, LGBTQ+ rights or geopolitical tension. While some argue that these celebrities should stick to the eld or the recording studio, celebrities have the power to make or break our political system with their platforms. e most valuable of this in uencer activity is endorsements of political candidates. At both the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention, celebrities were loud and proud in the audience and on the stage. From Kid Rock to Lil Jon,
celebrities made up a large portion of media coverage at the conventions.
liticans on social media. Musical sensation Charli XCX’s tweet reading “kamala IS brat,” has reached over 55 million views on X. While she didn’t mean for the tweet to spark such fame, Charli explained to Vulture magazine that she stands by her tweet.
“... to be on the right side of democracy, the right side of women’s rights, is hugely important to me,” XCX said.
Regardless of the importance of the young vote in elections, the Harvard Kennedy School found earlier this year that only 53% of 18 to 29 year olds intend to vote in the 2024 election. is number is incredibly concerning, with young people inheriting the product of the next presidency, but refusing to show up for it.
Celebrities might be the solution to getting young voters to show up to the polls.
NPR reported in 2023 that after Taylor Swift posted a link for voting registration on her Instagram, more than 35,000 people registered – an unexpected surge in democratic involvement, all thanks to the pop star’s social media message.
Celebrity status isn’t a reason to steer away from politics, but a reason to become involved. Celebrities like Swift are able to create tangible and positive change by encouraging fans to participate in elections.
themselves as well as the society at large.
Although some argue that celebrities aren’t quali ed to comment on politics, junior Jia Sood thinks otherwise.
“If you’re living in the world, you’re quali ed to talk about it, because it’s what you’re seeing around yourself,” Sood said.
With an in ux of celebrities commenting on politics, backlash has also increased.
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham went down in infamy in 2018 for her request for Lebron James to just “shut up and dribble” in reaction to his commentary about racism, Trump and politics at large.
In response, James used a press conference to defend his statements and his societal role in talking politics.
“We will de nitely not shut up and dribble. ... I mean too much to society, too much to the youth, too much to so many kids who feel like they don’t have a way out,” James said.
While there is a risk of giving the wrong people a huge platform, it’s important for social media users to recognize that the personal is political. Athletes like James deserve to comment on the racism rampant in athletics and in the country at large – his celebrity status doesn’t change this right. Charli XCX should feel comfortable using her art to advocate and her platform to endorse. Lil Wayne should advocate for Trump’s presidency after Trump pardoned the rapper in his rst term. Personal experiences, interactions and opinions shouldn’t be kept out of Hollywood – they make Hollywood
is isn’t the rst time that stars have stuck their nose in politics. Bob Dylan, famous for his anti-war and pro-Civil Rights lyrics, proved that left-wing ideas could be commercially successful. Coined as one of music’s biggest stars, Dylan’s attention to moral issues spiraled him into fame in the rst place, showcasing that celebrity intervention in the political sphere can bene t celebrities
Even more so, celebrities advocate for porelevant.
“I don’t speak out because I am an artist,” Scandal’s Kerry Washington said. “I speak out because I’m an American.”
Article by David Hull
Graphics by Caden Liu
In today’s digital age, news can be posted with the click of a button, and as a result, celebrities have a signi cantly larger role than ever in shaping public opinion. Although they have the right to free speech, news spread by celebrities has, in some cases, been proven to be misleading and a distortion of the truth.
Opening up X, any common voter can scroll past fabricated or deceptive posts such as a picture of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in a communist uniform. While these posts may seem harmless, they often garner hundreds of thousands of likes, expanding their in uence further than many are willing to admit. With the far-reaching in uence celebrities wield over American citizens, the question has to be asked: are they quali ed to tell others how to vote?
While it would be ideal for all voters to be well-versed in current events and basic governmental policies, a poll by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology nds that the average voter only knows 1.3 of the 3 most important news stories each month. Even more concerning, according to the University of Pennsylvania, only 5% of adults know the rst ve amendments of the Constitution. While the right for celebrities to share their political opinions is protected by the First Amendment, voters’ inadequate political awareness has caused a need for this debate.
ese statistics are especially concerning given the recent emergence of social media as a popular outlet of news. With the average social media user spending over two hours on di erent plat-
forms per day, it is evident that what they see will a ect their views. Public gures who have gained their fame through a variety of industries have used their popularity on social media to voice political opinions.
e average voter’s lack of knowledge and constant use of social media makes them more susceptible to false information posted by celebrities. For example, Elon Musk has used his fame and fortune to endorse Former President Donald Trump. e multi-billionaire bought the social media platform Twitter (later renamed X), and in an e ort to sway the public view of the current candidates, he has unbanned Trump from the app. Musk is also an avid user of X and has posted many misleading tweets, which include an AI-generated video of Kamala Harris, claims that non-citizens are voting, and multiple messages about his doubt in the machines that tabulate votes and mail ballots. While multiple of his messages have been fact-checked and proven incorrect, Musk’s dominance over the app gives him the ability to in uence X’s 556 million users with false information that could alter their perception of current events – and more importantly, their votes.
Many Americans, especially young voters, would prefer to listen to celebrities rather than governmental representatives. According to a Harvard study, only 9% of young Americans believe that the US is heading in the right direction which shows the common distrust of political leaders. is skepticism has opened the door for celebrities to have a larger e ect on Americans’ views.
Although voter education is a key part of the issue, the more important matter at hand is the political consciousness of those spreading information.
While it isn’t possible to know the average celebrity’s extent of political literacy, many instances in the past suggest that they shouldn’t be the ones shaping public discourse. According to studies conducted by Temple Management Information Systems Professor Minseok Pang, social media users create more fake news after being veri ed. e majority of celebrities are veri ed users on social media, and the credibility of their posts is likely to be assumed because of their popularity.
“When you’re veri ed, your posts carry more weight, and it’s more damaging when you share fake news,” Pang said.
Kanye West is a perfect example of celebrities’ lack of credibility. In an interview with American radio host Alex Jones, West was quoted praising Hitler. Although most acknowledge the radicality of West’s quote, his words fuel the lasting e ects of the Holocaust.
“I like Hitler,” West said. “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.”
Particularly in recent history, public gures have made their political stances known. At the Women’s March on Washington in 2017, famous pop singer Madonna Ciccone told a large crowd about her thoughts of blowing up the White House because of her disagreements with the Republican administration. After President Trump’s victory in 2020, award-winning actress Roseanne Barr posted racist tweets toward one of President Obama’s advisers. While the radicality of celebrities’ statements on politics can vary, it is often too hard to decipher who is trustworthy, and the diversity of public gures speaking out highlights the broad range of people a ected by their opinions. In a world where disinformation is so rampant, celebrities only contribute to the noise, drowning out credible sources of information.
Article by Mia Prince
Photo by Julia Hoskins
Trinity’s campus looks immensely di erent from last school year. With drastic changes in our parking lot, phone policies, and Grille, students have turned from sending each other TikToks to trying to navigate the tra c in the parking lots.
New Parking Lot:
e new junior parking lot in the practiceeld has created morning and afternoon chaos due to the rain. When thunder, lightning and severe weather hit, the long trek across is now even more painstaking.
“ e worst part is when it rains and there is lightning alerts, we get stuck and we can’t walk to our cars,” junior Isabella Moore said. “Leaving is also a pain because in order to get out of the parking lot we have to go through carline which takes a lot longer.”
Although there are minor inconveniences created for the junior class, there are aspects to the new parking arrangement that juniors like better.
drive themselves, but now with this new rule, sophomores have to rely on their parents to get them to school.
e Grille Changes:
e Grille has implemented newfood options for students, even bringing back preCOVID-19 options such as the panini station and the salad bar. Other stations were added like the soup bar which has been greatly appre-
year,” Balouchian said.
e large volume of students adds to the crowds formed in the Grille. Although there are obstacles created the new stations o er new options for pickier eaters allowing the Grille to appeal to a bigger variety of students.
Students have enjoyed all the changes and are excited to see how they develop and other changes made in the future years.
“I leave at the same time because only juniors are allowed to park and I’m not ghting for a spot like I had to last year,” Moore said. “I’m not so worried about getting to school as early as I did last year and I am less stressed.”
On the other hand, sophomores have been completely inconvenienced because they can no longer drive to school.
“ e reason why it has been frustrating is because sophomores are getting to the age where they’re going to be able to drive and I don’t think administrators understands the hardships now created,” sophomore Monely Balouchian said.
Many parents depend on their students to
ciated by all students.
Even the stations that already existed have been upgraded like the grab and go section has new sandwiches and wraps adding to the level of variety this school year.
“ e new stations are great and create more variety allowing more options for each and every student,” Balouchian said.
e new stations create more varieties but allows for more crowds creating frustration.
“More options for food have created longer lines, the panini station and hot lunch lines have become longer now that there are more food stations in the same small space as last
e New Phone Policy:
Sixth through ninth graders are not allowed to have their phones this year. In the morning, the phones are taken and are locked up until dismissal.
Many ninth graders are upset that they are included in this rules since they feel they are mature enough.
“We shouldn’t be included since we’re already in high school,” freshman Kamilah Herniquez said. “We nished middle school so I think it isunfair to include us as well.”
Students are having are harder time connecting with their parents and friends. If needed to be picked up there is no easily accessible way to contact parents. During breaks students can’t easily text their friends to locate them.
“If I need to leave early or have an emergency, I have to schedule a time for it and know beforehand and it’s not some-
thing I can always plan,” Herniquez said.
Picking up their phones at the end of the day has become a new hassle.
“It’s chaotic because there was a time that my advisor wasn’t in the room and she had the key,” Herniquez said. “I had to wait 10 minutes for her to come after school and I was almost late to practice.”
ese challenges hinder students social lives which is a source of frustration.
Article by Mila Taylor
Graphic by Maxi De La Fuente
In 2007, Barack Obama was the rst presidential candidate to ever leverage the power of social media for campaigning, with almost 1 million followers on Facebook. is was signi cant for his time, but fast forward to 2024, and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has around 17 million followers on Instagram. On July 22, a day after Harris was endorsed by Joe Biden, Kamala HQ posted a neon green statement with blurry black letters and a tweet from Charli XCX saying “kamala IS Brat.”
Marking a signi cant change in campaign tactics, Harris’ campaign has steered towards Generation Z (Gen Z), giving her a stronger
from reelection. Over the summer, “Coconut Tree” TikToks went viral, based on a statement she made at a White House event in 2023, advocating for education equity.
“My mother ... would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us ... You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris said. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
Supporters then used coconut and palm trees to show their support and endorsement for her, and Harris’ campaign team used the viral meme to their advantage. Sponsor of Trinity Prep’s Voters Club, Sebastiaan Blickman said he has learned a lot about pop cul-
“We decide our leaders based on who can promise the most, and do so in the most attention-seeking way,” Blickman said. “I had no idea what this “brat” thing was … en I learned about it based on that campaign.”
Kamala HQ is providing context; between posts highlighting the dangers of Project 2025 and Harris’ policy plans, the campaign team uses viral Gen Z memes to appeal to younger audiences, while also educating them about the candidate. Harris’ campaign orts had differed vastly from former President Donald Trump, who turned to media outlets like X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook, mark-
ing an appeal to older audiences. Harris’ approach to appealing to younger audiences has gained her a signi cant amount of press.
“As a strategic move, I think it’s been tremendously e ective,” senior Nikolas Polsinelli said. “I think it’s more representative towards a broader audience. I think it’s good for democracy in addition to her campaign.”
Harris’ media presence has boosted her polls signi cantly, in contrast to Biden. Shortly before Biden dropped out, his polls stood at around a 38% approval rate from U.S. adults, according to AP News. However, when Harris entered the race as the new Democratic candidate, her approval rate stood at 48%, almost half of US adults, according to AP News. Not only has her appeal to Gen Z, but also the historical signi cance of a woman of color running for president, has excited many voters.
Similar to Harris, Obama who was known as the “ rst social media president,” launched a campaign with such force that he inspired citizens to vote for him. According to a case study written by the Stanford School of Business, a major factor that contributed to the success of the Obama campaign was its use of social media, “not only to raise money but also more importantly, to develop a groundswell of empowered volunteers who felt that they could make a di erence.”
Just like Obama, harnessing the power of social media has since become a driving force of campaigns. However, no other candidate has caught the attention of Gen Z quite as much as Harris. Her campaign has used pop culture to its advantage, and voters have latched onto her relatability. Despite her growing popularity at the beginning of the campaign, Trump has now caught up in the polls. Americans will just have to wait and see if Harris’ large social media presence and platform of young voters is enough to secure the presidency.
Article by Taylor Gri th
Graphic by Maxi de la Fuente
e world-famous theme park, Universal Studios, is expected to grow dramatically with a fourth park, Epic Universe. Ten years in the making, this project has faced many construction challenges but the highly anticipated park will make its epic opening sometime in 2025.
According to the tourist website Orlando Informer fourth theme park at Universal Orlando has been a bumpy ride: announced in August 2019, put on hold in July 2020, and reactivated in March 2021. Currently, construction is slowly ramping back up to pre-pandemic levels, and its opening date is still set for sometime in 2025.
rst time, at least in local history, where you will have a hotel directly in the park and the views are spectacular.”
e hotel will be something that many theme parks have not seen before. e new lands and hotel will attract lots of crowds, and Universal has been preparing for this.
“ is new park is going to double the size of Universal Orlando,” Crumbaker said. “Currently we have Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay. If you take the capacity of those three parks, the new park is going to equal the capacity of Epic Universe. It’s huge, and it’s Universal’s largest park.”
Crumbaker said.
Instead of people just visiting Islands of Adventure and Universal which usually only takes one to two days, with the new park there is much more to do.
“ ey’re expecting 200,000 tickets just on the rst day of ticket sales for the new park,” Crumbaker said.
“ ese plans were started years and years ago, but we’re kind of down to our last nal parts of planning,” Software Development Manager at Universal Studios Chris Crumbaker said.
With these plans completed, o cials released the map for the new park and announced the new lands. According to Crumbaker, the di erent lands are Super Nintendo World, e Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk and Dark Universe.
“A big draw is going to be the Super Nintendo World,” Crumbaker said. “ ey have that in Hollywood right now, and that was a big draw there. is one’s going to be a lot bigger than Hollywood.”
Supposed to be the best ride in Super Nintendo World, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is a way for people to be in a real race, like Mario Kart. Not only is this new park going to have di erent lands, but also a hotel that will be overlooking the park.
“[ e hotel] is going to be amazing,” Vice President of Resort Development for Placemaking Ricardo Galbis said. “It’s kind of the
With a new park, crowds will ramp up, but Universal has found a way to ensure the old parks are still visited the same amount as the new park.
“When the new park opens, they’re doing what is called a gated ticket way of selling tick ets,” Crumbaker said.“If you want to go to the new park you’re going to have to buy tickets to the old park too.”
is method will maintain the status of the old parks and control the large crowds at Epic Universe. A new technology of face ID will also be introduced to both parks. When you en ter the park instead of using your ngerprint, there will be a camera that sees if your face matches your ticket. Creators are hoping the new park will cause more people to stay at hotels and parks longer.
“ eir idea with this park is to make Universal the week-long destination,”
With each land taking about a day to go through, the park has many stops. e new park will intrigue many new guests and the changes to Universal are said to be the biggest investments they have ever made and will completely change the experience. With many new rides that are like no other, the highly anticipated ride Harry Potter and the Battle of Ministry is said to be one of the darkest rides that brings the magic of Harry Potter alive. With new rides like these, Epic Universe will gain attraction rapidly.
“ e park is really going to be spectac-
Article by Lucy Chong
Graphic by Caden Liu
A typical day’s top stories on Google: “11-year-old boy confessed to killing former mayor of a small Louisiana town and his daughter.”
“A man was found dead in a closet at a Florida nursing home.”
“Apalachee High School shooting leaves at least four dead.”
“In Ukraine’s supposed safe haven city, a family is wiped out by a Russian missile strike.”
e news has become all too predictable; every day there are fresh stories, but they are all written in the same tragic font. e rise of 24-hour news and social media have created a never-ending stream of violent, dire content that has impacted readers, writers and policymaking for the worse.
e dean of Boston University School of Public Health, Dr. Sandro Galea, explains in an interview with NPR that the viewing of trauma in media outlets can cause psychological distress or mental health issues among viewers. Research after 9/11 found that speci cally watching images of people being hurt had the greatest impact on audiences.
Unsurprisingly, these impacts are even more severe for the reporters who are expected to keep researching and writing these types of stories day after day.
“As bad as this may be for the audience, it’s even worse for the people who are cover ing these stories,” journalist and UF professor Dr. Kim Walsh-Childers said. “For health re porters who were covering COVID non-stop it was very traumatic ... they were constantly having to write about people dying.”
e constant ood of bad news brought on by 24/7 coverage of everything that’s wrong with the world has left people with the feeling that they no longer have the power to make a dif ference, which has harmed civic involvement.
“[It] makes sense.” Walsh-Childers said.
“If the big problem in your city is homelessness, but you feel like there’s homelessness everywhere and nobody knows how to solve the problem, why would you get involved? Nobody likes ghting losing battles.”
However, despite today’s overwhelming number of tragic headlines, journalism seems to be headed in a more positive direction, even if slowly.
Walsh-Childers explains that the coverage of mass shootings has recently evolved for the better. Previously, news outlets focused heavily on the shooter and their life, which raised concerns that the media was inspiring copycats to commit similar actions because they desired this “fame.” In 2022, however, there was a notable shift in the way publications chose to cover mass shootings, choosing to focus on the victims instead of the perpetrator.
things are happening, but it is imperative that those discussions start becoming more solutions based.
Solutions journalism is an emerging eld of journalism that focuses on solutions-based coverage of global issues. e movement has been led by the Solutions Journalism Network, but continued by big name publications too like BBC, Politico and the Seattle Times, who have all started columns (People Fixing the World, What Works, the Education Lab, respectively) dedicated to solutions journalism.
“If we find places that are actually making some di erence, then it’s a lot more appealing to people to try to be involved...because they don’t feel like they’re fighting a losing battle.”
- Walsh-Childers, UF Professor
“Solutions journalism is [the idea] that rather than focusing all of our attention on things that are going badly, maybe it would make a lot more sense if we tried to nd places where things were working,” Walsh-Childers said.
Walsh-Childers gives the example of an article on graduation rates to show what solutions journalism looks like in action.
Moving forward, Walsh-Childers believes journalists can continue this trend of change by shifting the way they cover tragic issues to focus on solutions over problems. It’s important reporters don’t stop discussing these topics because people deserve to know when bad
“If I’m going to tell you about how our schools’ graduation rates are bad, doesn’t it make more sense to say, ‘yeah, ours are bad, but look at this other school over here that’s in a very similar community, very similar population and their graduation rates are actually pretty good,’” Walsh-Childers said. “So what is it they’re doing that we’re not?”
Despite its recency, studies on solutions journalism have shown that it makes audiences feel less depressed and less anxious. Most notably, solutions journalism has made people more willing to get involved in global issues, which has given it the potential to reinvigorate civic engagement.
nd places that are actually making erence, then it’s a lot more appealing to people to try to be involved in those activities because they don’t feel like they’re ghting a losing battle anymore,” WalshChilders said.
Article by Jack Aaron
Four classrooms. Four di erent math courses. 29 years of teaching. To some, he is “coach.” To others, he is “Mr.” To many, he is an inspiration.
Michael Hill was a math teacher at Trinity for 12 years, after having taught at Winter Park High for 17. Before departing from his teaching career, Hill taught pre-algebra, algebra, geometry and college algebra. He also worked with the cross country and track and eld teams as a coach and o cial timekeeper for meets.
Now, Hill has retired from teaching to dedicate more time to his track and eld timing company, Elite Timing & Event Management.
“We’d like to host events as the former head track coach of Winter Park High School where we hosted the state meet for years,” Hill said. “I feel very comfortable in a directorship role. I’ve done everything from compete to ociate the time.”
Hill has been surrounded by track and eld his entire life. His largest role-model was his high school coach; his best man at his wedding was a former teammate; and he has even coached numerous high school athletes to state championships.
His love of sports and math perfectly blend together to form the passion he has for this profession.
“[ ere are] 34 events, 17 boy’s, 17 girl’s events and within each of those you can have 15 to 40 kids competing,” Hill said. “So if you do the math, that’s hundreds and hundreds and sometimes thousands of points of data that have to go in through me, and none of them can be wrong… I love the pressure.”
Along with prioritizing his entrepreneurship, Hill plans to spend the rest of his free time helping others and being with his loved ones.
“I think the rst thing is to expand
my business and help others, and if I get bored I can always tutor math and [I’ve] got a few years of doing that,” Hill said.
Since leaving teaching, Hill has certainly made the most of his time.
“I did a half Ironman race in Oregon and then visited my family in Colorado,” Hill said. “So it’s been a full summer of go-go-go. I’ve probably traveled more this calendar year than any previous two or three combined. Not so much with retirement but just the way it worked out.”
Hill’s plans don’t end here. After having to cancel his trip previously due to COVID-19, Hill would like to visit his birthplace, Switzerland, for his 30th wedding anniversary. How-
ever, ending his teaching career still hasn’t sunk in yet.
“Every teacher goes on retirement for two months out of the year anyway, so it still feels kind of like it’s still summer,” Hill said. “I know school has started, but in some ways, it’s not quite hit me any di erently than another summer would.”
As the end of a school year approaches, teachers typically publicly disclose their resignation. Hill, on the other hand, kept his leaving lesser known.
“I did not make [my retirement] known until right at the end of school,” Hill said. “I told the people I had to tell earlier in the semester, just out of respect and who I had to tell. But I didn’t tell even my close friends here till maybe two weeks before school and I didn’t tell my students just because I didn’t want them distracted.”
Sophomore Everest Lochbryn was one of Hill’s students and was surprised to hear about his favorite teacher’s sudden leaving.
“He was a very enthusiastic teacher,” Lochbryn said. “ e way he did his lessons and the way he talked and taught us made it more engaging, and I feel like I remember that more than some other classes … It was obviously sad because I like to still talk to teachers after I’ve left [their] class. But I’m happy for him. I’m sure he and his business are doing well, and so I wish him all the best.”
Hill wasn’t just a teacher or a coach; he was a man who genuinely enjoyed what he did and strived to be a role model for all students.
“A colleague here told me on the last day of school, ‘you’ve got a golden ticket if you ever change. Math teachers are needed, and you could always nd a job,’” Hill said. “My response was ‘I don’t know that I ever want a job’ and I’ve never felt like teaching was a job.”
Article by Ben Kleiman
Photo by Julia Hoskins
omas Roark enters the 2024 - 2025 school year as the interim head coach for the varsity swim team. Roark’s passion for swimming began at the age of ve and he has always had big aspirations for his swimming career. At the age of 12, Roark made his rst national cut which ultimately led him to pursue his swimming career.
In 2016 and 2017 Roark was the captain for his school swimming team. is role was primarily reserved for seniors, but Roark was given the honor in his junior year and continued his captainship throughout the rest of his high school career. Leadership positions and teamwork were often challenging for Roark, but this role changed his life.
“It helped me realize that there are people that are going to have struggles, but as a leader, you have to uplift everybody and serve them in their best way,” Roark said.
e following year Roark joined the Louisiana State University (LSU) swim team as a 10time state champion. Roark had achieved the
goal that he made when he was 12 years old. After Roark wrapped up his swimming career at LSU, he still felt that he had more to give to the sport.
“As I grew older, I wanted to start to give back to the sport that gave me so much, and that’s what got me into coaching,” Roark said. “I am giving back to the next generation and showing them how amazing [swimming] is.”
Roark began his coaching career at Crawsh Aquatics in Baton Rouge, La. followed by his employment at Blue Tide Aquatics in Houston, Texas for nearly two years. Roark later moved to Florida, where he became the assistant coach for the Trinity swim team under Coach Steve Lazaraton.
e swim team practices alongside the diving team coached by Kristy Nave, a First Team All-American and diver for Duke University. Nave has worked closely with Roark for the past year, and she is excited to see his growth throughout the swim season.
“ e assistant coach helps the head coach,” Nave said. “[Roark] organized the things behind the scenes for the team, so he was pre-
pared to be the head coach. It was a really good transition up for him.”
In his new position, Roark is determined to teach his team about accountability and the importance of staying focused, in order to help them accomplish their nal goal of winning districts. Roark also aims to set up his swimmers for success in and out of the pool.
“My ultimate goal is to develop better people,” Roark said. “You are accountable to your teammates, your teachers, your coaches, and your parents, and if you’re not giving your best, you can’t ask someone else to do their best.”
Roark has signi cant expectations for the team. He is going to keep on pushing the swimmers. is season he plans to guide his swimmers on what it means to be a hard worker, but also on technique in hopes in leading the team to districts.
“I want the best out of [the team],” Roark said. “Holding the swimmers to their team’s expectations and staying focused on the present, not worrying about what was in the past, but rather looking forward to the future.”
Article by Thomas Bonos
Photo by Caden Liu
Almost every kid’s childhood dream is to pursue their passion at the highest level possible — whether that be as an astronaut, professional athlete or a school teacher; Peter Princi is no exception.
In his life, he’s only had two employers: the NY Mets and Morgan Stanley. Star pitcher and senior captain of Wake Forest’s baseball team, Princi ful lled his childhood dream when he was drafted to the New York Mets. After a brief career in the minor leagues, Princi believed it would be in his best interest to hang up his cleats. e internship Princi secured during his senior year created a lifelong job at Morgan Stanley; the lessons and skills he learned as a student-athlete in college provided him the foundation to climb to the top of the nance world.
Division I volleyball at Davidson College and is currently in medical school.
“Davidson taught me a lot about time management,” Brady said. “ ere were days where I had a crazy schedule with little breaks, and I had to learn to manage it… at’s one thing that many med school programs and potential employers really look for.”
Time management forces student-athletes to stay disciplined and work extremely hard to stay at the highest level of their sport and academics. Not only does the rigorous collegiate athletic environment prepare future employees for work, but, according to Princi, it creates a competitive spirit and drive that carries over into his career in wealth management.
ness,” Princi said. “So there’s no room to fail.”
Trinity Prep Assistant Head of Upper School Sebastiaan Blickman has found the same level of discipline to be vital in the college world and his life today. He attended Bucknell University, where he played soccer. Blickman later earned teaching degrees at Boston University and the University of Pennsylvania.
“You [learn] to love the structure of being a student-athlete and to value every minute to be as e cient as possible throughout the day,” Blickman said. “ at’s the greatest gift that [college] ever gave me, and I realized the beauty of structure and discipline.”
e teamwork and camaraderie that comes with being part of a collegiate team creates opportunities for athletes like Brady and Blickman to form relationships and connections.
According to a 2024 Harvard Business School study as well other studies by the NCAA found that 33% of collegiate athletes had great job opportunities after graduation. Former collegiate athletes nd more success when it comes to securing higher-paying jobs or pursuing additional degrees than students who did not play a sport in college.
“When I came into Morgan Stanley, there were 20 other rookie advisors and I came with the mentality that I’m going to beat them all; only two [of the rookies] are still in the busi-
Student-athletes have been trained to manage and balance the many demands on them, whether that is social, academic or athletic. is early understanding of creating a life balance sets them up well for real-world exposure.
Princi believes that juggling the challenging workload of the Wake Forest Business School and the demands of playing in a top 20 Division I baseball program helped him deal with real-world pressures.
“Go to the best possible school you can go to because the likelihood of you making money in your sport is less than 1% even when you get to the college level,” Princi said.
Trinity Alum Isabella Brady has had similar experiences managing a rigorous academic schedule while competing at the Division I level. After graduating Trinity in 2020, Brady played
“[Being a student-athlete] you have a group of friends who are all pulling more or less in the same direction,” Blickman said. “ ey become like family, and it creates this culture that is driven to success and to growth.”
Athletes at the pinnacle of their sport after high-school sometimes choose to go straight to the pros. Athletes considering bypassing college to go straight into the professional world of their sport may gain valuable skills in the college process that will translate into the real world as they are no longer able to play a sport.
“Being a student-athlete teaches you to manage your time well in that type of schedule and translates when you come into the work world,” Princi said.
Recruiters choose to hire college athletes because time management and discipline are skills that allow them to hit the ground running with the most challenging of jobs.
“Playing a sport at a collegiate level [is] kind of the icing on the cake when I look to bring people into my consulting rm,” Princi said.“I know they are going to be hardworking and resilient when they step into the door.”
On September 16, Trinity Prep captains (from left to right) Jackson Altomare, Orion Ratanasirintrawoot, Jack Niles, and Carson Wicker approach the middle of the eld to call the coin toss. e Saints lost to Seven Rivers Academy 14-22.
8. A system of government by all the members of a state, through elected representatives
updated every school year
... summer
e inaugural bingo tradition kicked o on Sept. 10. Students competed in di erent versions of bingo to win a casual day, gift cards, a get-out-of-detention pass, and to show school support.
Ally Williams
On Sept. 14, the annual college fair occured. Senior Lauren Hayes talked to the representative from Lehigh University. Admission o cers from 80 di erent colleges attended the fair.
Napier
On Aug. 23, the seniors arrived early to school for the annual Senior Sunrise. In this photo, Saanvi Arvind (center) and her friends are taking a photo to remember the moment.
Julia Hoskins
On Aug. 28, the annual club fair featured 60+ clubs. Juniors Alexander Greenwald, Samantha Nappi, Kelly Wentz, and Alex Sagotsky showed o their Wellness4Kids club. Trinity provided time for students to explore many extracurricular opportunities.