News

The Trinitas family collected nonperishable food on behalf of Manna Food Bank for needy families during the Thanksgiving season.  Trinitas houses, St. George, St. Polycarp, St. Augustine, and St. Valerian, competed internally to collect the most pounds of food.  The goal was to serve the needy in the Pensacola community while encouraging camaraderie and good will within house families.  Mr. Doug Ford, with Manna Food Bank, called to congratulate Trinitas on the donation of 1553 pounds of food which was the largest donation of any school (public or private) in Escambia County, Florida.

Trinitas Christian School Marks the Start of the School Year with its First Annual Convocation Exercises

Trinitas joins other universities, colleges and preparatory schools who traditionally begin each academic year with convocation. Faculty and students gathered on Friday, 27 August, to ponder and prepare for the odyssey of both body and mind that lay ahead.  Students in the School ofRhetoric (10-12 graders) participated in the ceremony while their friends and relatives along with students from the School of Logic gathered to observe.

Mr. Justin Hughes opened the ceremony by explaining the historical precedent and reason for gathering at the beginning of the school year.  Mr. Ken Trotter offered the invocation, asking God’s blessing on the ceremony, the students and teachers, and the academic year ahead.

Mr. Josh Gibbs delivered the convocation address.  He explained that the Bible presents wisdom as a riddle to be solved.  He referred to Proverbs 25 which says that “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search a matter out,” and he sited St. Paul who claims that “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are “hidden” in Christ Jesus.  These activities—riddle solving, searching out, and finding hidden wisdom and knowledge in Christ—are what will characterize the students’ school year.

In response to Gibbs’s address, the students prayed a prayer of convocation and signed their names to a copy which will hang in their classroom during the school year.  This serves to remind them of the seriousness of their riddle-solving endeavor and of the wisdom and grace God promises when His people ask for it.

Mr. Rob Hadding, president of the Board of Governors, briefly addressed the gathered students on behalf of the Board of Governors, and all those gathered sang “Be Thou My Vision,” the Trinitas school song, to conclude the program.

Joshua Butcher – Logic & Rhetoric Teacher: Master of Arts in Rhetoric & Public Affairs from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from Liberty University. Mr. Butcher has completed all coursework for a PhD in Rhetoric & Public Affairs from Texas A&M and is working on his dissertation.

Justin Hughes returns to Pensacola as Logic & Rhetoric Teacher and Logic & Rhetoric School Curriculum Coordinator: Master of Arts of Trinitarian Theology and Culture from New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from The University of Mobile.

Stephen Long – Logic & Rhetoric Teacher: Master of Arts in Classics (Greek) from The University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Virginia Tech.

Terri McGee of Pensacola – 1st Grade Teacher: Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Florida State University.

Yoana Todorova – Music Instructor: Master of Arts in Choral Conducting and a Bachelor of Arts in Music, flute performance from Pensacola Christian College. Miss Todorova is from Plovdiv, Bulgaria where she attended Dobrin Petkov, a vocational music school. She is a soloist for the Pensacola Civic Band and a substitute flutist for the Pensacola Symphony.

Amy Steinmetz – Art Instructor: Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of West Florida. Miss Steinmetz has completed coursework for a Masters of Arts in Communication and is writing her thesis to complete her degree.

Brittney Hartke – 5th Grade Teacher: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Culture from New Saint Andrews College.

Kathryn Long – Logic & Rhetoric Teacher: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Culture from New Saint Andrews College.

Debbie Peacher – 4 year old Kindergarten Teacher: Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from University of West Florida.

Mr. Patch Blakey, executive director of the Association of Classical & Christian Schools (ACCS), presented a Trinitas contingent at the annual ACCS conference in Raleigh, NC on June 19, 2010 a plaque awarding the school accreditation. Trinitas has been a proud member of the association since 1999 but is excited about this recent distinction.  Only 21 members have been awarded accreditation.  Thank you to our Board of Governors, Administration, teachers, staff, and parents for providing a wonderful environment for our students and families.

Four Receive Commendations

The Trinitas Christian School family congratulates our 2010 graduating class members who have been distinguished by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

Miss Mary Proffit Kimmel

• National Merit Scholar**
• Awarded college sponsored scholarship for NMSC – Hillsdale College

Miss Marina Dunayeva

• National Merit Commended Student*

Miss Chrisann McGee

• National Merit Commended Student*
• Awarded Presidential Scholarship Alabama University

Miss Elizabeth Swaim

• National Merit Scholar**
• Awarded college sponsored scholarship for NMSC – Auburn University

Program Recognition

Of the approximately 1.5 million students who take the PSAT in the fall of their junior year, only 50,000 with the highest scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program.  Two-thirds of these high scorers receive Letters of Commendation* and are candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.    Only 15,000 (or 1% of those students that took the PSAT) advance to Finalist standing**.  Finalists are eligible for three types of scholarships including:

• National Merit® $2500 Scholarships awarded on a state representational basis to 2500 select students,
• Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards awarded to children of corporate sponsor employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage, and
• College-sponsored Merit Scholarships awarded by colleges from the finalists who have been accepted for admission.

Finalists who accept any above-mentioned scholarship are named National Merit Scholars**.

We congratulate these young ladies on their achievements.

Trinitas invites you to make plans to be part of its upcoming events:

• March 20:  7th Annual Golf Classic 8:00 a.m. Scenic Hills Country Club
• March 26: Evening of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, 6:00 p.m.
• April 23 & 24: Harvey Drama Presentation

The Family and Friends Talent Show and Silent Auction is an annual event for the Trinitas family to bring their friends for an evening of fun.  The four Trinitas houses compete in a talent show while we enjoy the meal and fellowship together.  At the same time, a silent auction is being held for the many items donated to the school from area businesses, families, and friends.

The Trinitas Golf Classic is a fun event held the first Saturday in March at Scenic Hills Golf Course off 9 Mile Road in Penscola.  Golfers have enjoyed this event for the past six years as it continues to grow.  Get a foursome together and enjoy a day of fun.  Proceeds from this event help provide financial aid for our students.

Evening of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness is a scholarship fund raising event.  On this evening, friends are invited to come along side Trinitas to assist in providing the funds needed for financial aid to students so that children of like-minded families can receive a classical, Christ-centered education.  The Trinitas students perform “A Day in the Life of Trinitas” showing what and how they learn at each stage, grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

Each year the Drama Club presents a play to the community.  This year, the Drama Club is proud to present “Harvey” on April 23rd and 24th.  Watch for ticket information.  You can be sure it will be an excellent production and one you will not want to miss.  Past plays have included “Anne of Green Gables”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Witness for the Prosecution”, “Our Town”, “Tom Sawyer”, “Comedy of Errors”, “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, “Love’s Labour’s Lost”, and “William Tell”.

On Saturday, March 7th, we will host our annual golf tournament, the Trinitas Classic, at the Scenic Hills Country Club.  This will be our 6th anniversary of the Trinitas Classic.  Funds raised will benefit the annual fund and scholarship funds.

We are excited to tell you that our very own Mrs. Wendy Phillips has been selected as “Teacher of the Month” by the Gulf Coast Parent newspaper!  Mrs. Phillips will be featured in the March issue of Gulf Coast Parent, copies of which will be available in our foyer.  She and her third graders were treated to a CiCi’s Pizza lunch on Thursday, Feb. 19, courtesy of CiCi’s Pizza on Nine Mile Road, to celebrate this auspicious occasion.  Congratulations, Mrs. Phillips!

We were happily honored to host Pastor and Mrs. Douglas Wilson here at Trinitas Christian School on Monday, November 10, 2008.  Pastor Wilson opened the school day with a devotional thought about forgiveness to the student body during our Morning Meeting.  At a mid-morning ladies’ tea, Mrs. Nancy Wilson encouraged our mothers, daughters, and grandmothers to exert a Godly feminine influence on their homes.  For an afternoon coffee break, Pastor Wilson spoke to our fathers and sons about the masculine influence on the Christian home.  Our families were greatly enriched by their thoughts and words of wisdom.  During a private staff luncheon, the Wilsons exhorted and encouraged the faculty to keep on about God’s task here at Trinitas.  The wonderfully full day concluded with a dessert fellowship attended by the Trinitas Christian School family and area friends, where Pastor Wilson addressed the gathering on the topic, “The Paideia of God.”  Pastor and Mrs. Wilson were most gracious and edifying as they unselfishly served our school during their visit, and we are humbly grateful.