The Nurturing and Educating Paradox

The Trinity Episcopal School website, brochure, and other marketing materials are designed to introduce prospective parents, as well as potential benefactors, to the School’s stated mission that begins: “…to nurture and educate children in a God-centered environment.”  In order to state what we do at the School as succinctly as possible, we state right off the bat a kind of paradox…. We nurture by listening, modeling kindness, taking time to re-teach when a student needs patience from us most of all, while at the same time we educate by furthering students in the growth of mind, body, and spirit.  Trinity’s traditional approach to education means that we must hold in balance the ideals of an individual approach that adapts to each child and a rigorous approach that serves high standards and expectations.  Doing this all in a God-centered environment reminds us that we cannot have nurture if there are no expectations any more than we can have love without justice.  The life of faith calls on us to wrestle with seemingly incompatible ways of being, and so there it is:  we will both nurture children and, at the same time, put them through a rigorous education.  That is the ideal for which we strive. Please pass the word to others who might be interested in our parish day school.

Here are some upcoming Spring school events for our calendars:

March 28	Stations of the Cross at Chapel, 8:15AM
March 29	Good Friday (No School)
April 1	Easter Monday (No School)
April 6	Trinity Booth @Grand Kids Festival
April 10	Rachel’s Challenge School and Community Events
April 11-19	Scholastic Spring Book Fair Open
April 13	Annual TES FUN RUN
April 25	TES Art Showcase
April 27	“Burgers on the Bayou” Spring Casual

Faithfully,

The Rev. David C. Dearman

Head of School Report for the Annual Parish Meeting of Trinity Episcopal Church

Robert L. and Ann Moody Activity Center on January 17, 2013

Trinity Episcopal School

Graduation is always the high point in our school year.  Our commencement speaker last May was our new rector, The Rev. Susan Kennard.  For the record, our 2012 Graduates were as follows:

JULIA ALEMAN, JORDAN BASSETT, TAYLOR BLACKWELL, GEORGE CRAGAR, SOFIA FAUS, CHLOE FLORES, ALAN HAMILL, KEVIN HARRINGTON, JOANIE KELSO, MARIA KOUTROUVELIS, SAVANNAH LANIER, JIM MARION, MARISSA MATTHEWS, AARON METYKO, ARKADYIA MILLS, KAY PINEDA, KELSEY PLANT, CARA QUIGLEY, CATHERINE THOMAS, TAYLOR TRIMBLE, and CHASE WALDROP

The obvious “big news” for 2012 was the $2.7 million grant from the Moody Foundation to build the Robert L. and Ann Moody Activity Center.  As of mid-December, 2012, about 75% of this grant had been used (including retainage), and the project remains at or under budget. The latest estimate calls for building completion by mid-February.  At the time of this report, work was continuing on the main covered entry at the Southwest corner of the building.  Parking lots, landscaping, and a new playground should take shape over the coming weeks.  Although the building is an outright gift, the school must find a way to pay the costs of operating and maintaining the building.  This will be the most expensive structure to insure on the school side, and there will be increased utility and staff expenses from the start.  Libbie Ansell is chairing the “Building Our Future” drive to create a fund for the school to meet this challenge.  $102,514.00 has been given or pledged toward this purpose as of January 10, 2013.

Also in 2012, Trinity Episcopal School….

• expanded our e-reader program into 5th Grade

• learned that 13 of our 19 Seventh graders qualified to participate in the Duke University Talent Identification program based on their achievement test scores from the previous year

• received the date for our 10-year ISAS/SAES re-accreditation visit: February 9-12, 2014.  The chair of our visiting committee will be John Morvant, Head of Christ Episcopal School, Covington, LA.

I am thankful for the symbiotic relationship between the Trinity Church and its parish day school.  A renaissance has blossomed at the parish under the leadership of Reverend Susan….I am proud to have seen this day and look forward to another year of service as your head of school!

Respectfully Submitted,

(The Rev.) David C. Dearman, Head of School

TES Lessons and Carols

2008 Lessons & Carols

The school’s annual Festival of Lessons and Carols is Friday, December 21, beginning at 10:30 AM in the sanctuary of Trinity Episcopal Church.  This liturgy includes dramatic readings and anthems from the classes, K-8, along with carols sung by the congregation.  The highlight is the Nativity story portrayed by our costumed First Graders.  Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, the heavenly host of angels, the animals of the stable, and the three kings take their cues coming forward as the story unfolds in word and song.  Every student and graduate who attended here in First Grade remembers his or her role.  God-willing, each can recount the story of the humble birth of Jesus celebrated by Heaven and Earth.  At the center of the final scene is Jesus lying in a manger.  It is no accident that Mary must use a food trough for Jesus' crib, and that the story is set in Bethlehem which means “House of Bread.”  It is a story of God’s love for humanity, and the giving of God’s very self...as a kind of food...to heal our brokenness.  The story refers to Jesus as Savior…God’s chosen One who sustains us with spiritual nourishment, if we will only receive the gift.  For many folks, the telling of this story is the most sublime moment of the entire school year.  If you find yourself harried in the days before Christmas, and your heart is not where it needs to be, these kids can help you reconnect.  That's what they do for me every time!

Reading to Enjoy

The English Language Arts curriculum at Trinity Episcopal School supports the development of a life-long love of reading.  While we must attend to the perennial pedagogy that moves students from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” we also stress “reading to enjoy.”  The amount of reading a child does outside of school has a positive impact on vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, as well as general working knowledge.  It’s no overstatement to say that reading makes a person smarter. 

Thanks to the generous gift of TES Board Vice-President Jere Pederson and to the strong support of the school’s Annual Fund, we are expanding our e-reader program into 5^th Grade by the end of this month.  This gift should go a long way toward encouraging the love of reading.

The first book that our 5^th Graders will be asked to read with the new technology will be Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  Published earlier this year by Alfred A. Knopf, this is a gem of a book.  Wonder is told in a fast-paced, often humorous way, but it calls forth some pondering about human character….both at its worst and at its best.  The book centers on the life of 10-year-old Auggie Pullman who begins his 5^th Grade year at a private school after having been home-schooled to that point.  Auggie is intelligent and resilient but visibly different; he was born with extreme facial abnormalities that have shaped his life and the lives of those around him.  The book is skillfully told from the perspectives of various people, so the reader gets to stand inside the shoes of multiple characters.  To see how people can see things very differently is always a powerful learning!  To me, the story of the book embodies this C.S. Lewis quote: “…what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are” (From The Magician’s Nephew).  Will you laugh, will you cry, or will you be completely surprised by the…….?  No spoiler here!

Faithfully,

The Rev. David C. Dearman

P.S. Our Fall Scholastic Book-fair has been scheduled for Eaton Hall September 26 through October 5.  This is one of my favorite school fundraisers because it helps get books into the hands of children and encourages independent reading.

A Good Foundation

Throughout the summer, workers have been building the foundation for the Robert L. and Ann Moody Activity Center. In the photo shown here, concrete for the retaining wall is being poured into the wall's metal forms.  The foundation is critical to the integrity and longevity of the entire structure.  As I write on July 20, the retaining wall is in place and the anchor bolts are visible where the steel framework will be attached.  I think we will all be surprised at how quickly the building takes shape when workers begin framing about 4 weeks from now!


Speaking of building a foundation, the school's mission serves as the foundation for our entire school program.  Like the foundation of a building, the school's raison d'etre is critical for success.  In our faculty meeting at the beginning of June, we ended the school year and kicked off the summer doing some reflecting on our mission statement.  In the midst of our discussions, a teacher summed up all that we do with this observation: "At Trinity we help students find their voice in the world."  It's not as detailed as the mission statement on our website, but it's consistent with our mission and it's a superb one-sentence summary of our work with students. This motto has a place in my heart as I pass the 10-year mark as Head of School!


With 193 students enrolled thus far and more in the "pipeline," we are on track to maintain last year's enrollment despite graduating a large class of 21 students in May.  If you know of families with talented students who should be considering Trinity, please urge them to contact us.  There is still time before the first full day of classes on Tuesday, August 21.


Faithfully,


David C. Dearman+

Recognizing Citizenship at Trinity Episcopal School

2012 Citizenship Honorees

Each May, Trinity Episcopal School recognizes students who have been singled-out by their teachers as good citizens.  Unlike academic awards that are objectively defined, citizenship is determined by a subjective sense of the individual as a member of the community.  Forming this opinion is rarely easy.  There is goodness in all of our children, so it’s usually hard to choose just one or two from each class to exemplify citizenship.  Yes, we are proud of the ones we honor, but this tradition is not about these few; it is about all of us, students, parents and staff.  This tradition forces us to be intentional about what good character is, to name it, and to look for it.


Here, in a “nutshell,” is my take on good citizenship at school: a good student citizen is polite, responsible, and kind.   I feel very proud of our students when I see them treat adults, especially visitors, politely….making eye contact, opening doors, saying “excuse me” when appropriate, and including “ma’am” or “sir” in conversation.  This kind of deference of children to adults helps to underscore the proper order of things.  The folks who have been on the planet longer have something to offer us, but only if we will let them.  Respect of authority is essential to opening our minds to learn, whether from a teacher, a textbook or a trusted website….it is hard to learn from anyone or anything you do not respect.  Secondly, I describe a solid Trinity citizen as responsible.  These are boys and girls who “paddle their own canoe,” so to speak, as appropriate for their age.  A strong student citizen is able to manage things in their lives without lots of adult intervention.  I’m talking about students who do their homework, keep their word, clean up their messes, own their mistakes, keep trying if at first they don’t succeed, wait their turn, ….basically, these are the students who, by the way they live, can’t help but make the world around them a better place.  And, third, a solid Trinity citizen is kind.  These are students who have a heart.  They care for others and it shows by how they treat their friends, how they share what they have, and how they show compassion for people in need.  A student who is kind cannot be a passive bystander when another is being bullied.  Their heart gives them courage to speak out when something is unjust.  These are students who volunteer to help someone on crutches, call to check-in with a friend who is sick, or enthusiastically participate in school service projects.


It is no accident that citizenship tends to run in families.  Taking the time to recognize citizenship also honors  parents, grandparents, and guardians who intentionally teach “right” from “wrong,” and who themselves model what they preach.  These are parents who hold-on to a cookie until the toddler says, “Thank you,” who expect their children to complete chores at home, and who show compassion in their own families and beyond.


Hearty congratulations to this year’s honorees and their families:


K/Heaton- Brody Rogers and Evelyn Gault; 1st/Mullins- Hudson Mims and Emily Mataro; 1st/Funston- Isabella Alvarado and Dean Roberts; 2nd/Schwab- Sara Gabriel and Noa Seigel; 2nd/Panfilli- Anna Shepherd and Sydney Scarbrough; 3rd/Humphrey- Will McQuitty and Landon Parsons; 4th/Kelemen - Aidan Knupple and Rocio Prida; 4th/Spurlock- Christof Gault and Elizabeth Pennington;5th/Gaido - Megan Leasure and Carrington Traylor; 6th/Cucco - Charlie Cragar and John-Austin Gaertner; 7th/Sjostrom -Paloma Prida and Krista Freed; 8th/O’Malley - Jordan Bassett and Joanie Kelso.

Why Call It Good Friday?

Why do we call this Friday "good?"   This is a perfectly understandable question asked recently by members of our 5th Grade class.  Since the Friday of Holy Week is the day we associate with Jesus' death on the cross, "good" doesn't seem like....a good word to describe it.  On this day, perhaps the year 33 CE, Jesus was put on trial, abandoned by his friends, mocked, scourged, and painfully put to death.  Jesus is in Christian theology the very embodiment of God, in no way deserving of the punishment he received on this infamous day.....so, why call it Good Friday?  First, we need to realize that words can have more than one meaning.  In this case, "good" is used in an old and uncommon sense of "pious" or "holy."  Much in the same way that we might refer to the Bible as the "Good Book."  So Good Friday is a day that is spiritually edifying.  Observing this day puts us in touch with the mystery of God's saving action....which brings me to a second point.  Even in the sense where "good" means helpful or beneficial, we can think of it describing this day.  Good Friday marks the day in history when Jesus demonstrated God's love for us by laying down his life.  He paid the price for our sins and transgressions.  Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice, love is the final word and all of the failings of humanity are, by comparison, like "a live coal dropped into the sea."  When you think of it this way, it really is Good Friday.