Do you remember your first day of school? I came to Trinity as a kindergartner. My first day is very clear in my mind: the smell of new books, pencils, and backpacks, the classroom full of 20 or so new faces, and the anxiety of what was to come. I wouldn’t have been able to guess how amazing the years to follow would be.

Elementary school opened a world of discovery. The dedication and commitment of my teachers challenged me and built a foundation for the rest of my educational career. Middle school came along and offered new opportunities to grow and learn. By the time I entered eighth grade, I started to think about what colleges would be looking for in a prospective student. This led me to branch out more in my classes, making every assignment reflect how hard I was willing to work to make an impression on the teacher.

Through encouragement from my family and the school, I have been able to foster this drive into a key mechanism in preparing for college and my life beyond.

Trinity is full of talented, caring teachers who work diligently to prepare students for the obstacles they are to face in college, careers and life. My eighth-grade Algebra teacher always stressed the importance of taking all we could from our classes. He said we are going on a journey. We don’t know where we are going or what we will need, but we are allowed to take anything. Therefore, we have to prepare ourselves with everything we can. My classmates and I have taken to heart this analogy of surviving school and life. All of the teachers at this school have that same drive for helping us excel.

I know I could never have achieved anything without the amazing skill and determination of Trinity’s devoted teaching staff.

One thing that makes Trinity different is its dedication to accessing the full potential of each student’s individual abilities. Our counselor and headmaster have developed a schedule for me, which has allowed me to double up on math and science in ninth and 10th grades, respectively. The classes I have taken have challenged me and made me a better, more hardworking student. The teachers, though, are always very willing to help me when things start getting a little too challenging. Thanks to the school’s flexibility and my teachers’ commitment to my success, I have been able to get the absolute best out of my education.

Attending Trinity also has a special advantage. Traveling is heavily incorporated into the curriculum. The junior class every year takes a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., during the spring, for which they raise funds throughout the year. Also, the eighth, ninth and 10th grades went on a trip to Puerto Rico this September that will continue every two years. For middle school students, a trip to Biloxi is organized, in which students get to practice tasks that real marine biologists do to research various ocean life. Trinity understands not only the importance of learning in the classroom but also learning through personal experience in these new and fascinating places.

The characteristic that truly sets Trinity apart from other schools can be described in one word: family. Trinity is not simply a school; it is so much more than that.

It is a place where seniors become best friends with kindergartners, where bullying is not a source of power, but an intolerable weakness, where everyone, no matter how different, can come together as one united force, and where a tragedy for one person becomes a burden that all are willing to carry.

This environment has been a blessing to me as I have navigated the stormy waters of becoming my own person.

I cannot begin to imagine my life without the special people that make up this loving school.

Trinity’s Open House will be Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Guided tours will be provided. Come see why this school holds such importance for its students, faculty and me personally.

 

Sarah Rodriguez is a 10th-grade student at Trinity Episcopal Day School.