On October 17, Peter Claro ’21 and Stuart Phillips ’21, with the help of the Trinity-Pawling community, created a stunning display of 34,000 blue and gold flags on the front lawn of campus in memory of the 34,000 New Yorkers who lost their lives to COVID-19. “We hope that drivers going by will be moved by the display and reminded to continue to think of others. We’re all in this together.”
The installation is part of Peter and Stuart’s Senior Independent Project (SIP). At Trinity-Pawling, the SIP process allows seniors to pursue an idea that is meaningful to them, while they grow as engaged, interested, and aware citizens of the world. Headmaster Bill Taylor explained, “The goal of the Senior Independent Project at Trinity-Pawling is for seniors to consider something for which they have a passion or a driving interest and then to create an original product that reflects what they have learned through the experience. Everyone has been touched by the enormity of the impact of COVID-19, including our students who have been working to adapt their lives so that they can remain on campus for in-person learning in ways that protect their health and the common good. Peter and Stuart’s project dramatically and emotionally captures the devastating impact of COVID-19 in our local and state community. I have heard from many in the Pawling community and some who just drive by how impactful the visual statement has been. For our own students and school community, the project is a vivid statement of the power of young people to engage in their larger community and in ways that connect across generations.”
Read more about Peter and Stuart’s SIP in their press coverage.
Thank you, Peter and Stuart, for your inspiring work and moving tribute!