Wintersession is full steam ahead for the next two weeks at Trinity-Pawling. Practical and immersive, Wintersession affords students a concentrated period of time where they can hone in on various projects, questions, and challenges. Steered by the teachers and students, Wintersession is ultimately overseen by faculty extraordinaire, Gabe Avis. Gabe is incredibly excited about the opportunity to lead. In fact, his voice and energy take on an electric charge when talking about the projects. “It’s dynamic. It’s a change in scenery. The biggest thing with the Wintersession is that we’re not in traditional classes. Students and faculty are going to be moving, building, engaging, serving the community, and so, each day will be completely different than the previous day. This is a Trinity-Pawling-only thing, a truly one-of-a-kind project so why not be on the ground floor of something unique and exciting?”
Wintersession at Trinity-Pawling was conceived as a learning bridge between Thanksgiving and Christmas and came into sharp focus during the remote learning period of COVID-19.
Now, three years into the practice, the energy and interest around Wintersession, which includes Winter Projects, The Global Collaborative Challenge, and Senior Independent Projects, is palpable. As Gabe reiterates: “It gets you in touch and moving around with a lot of different people and collaborating on different ideas and goals. I mean, we’re exploring how Mars, if ever colonized, should be governed, as well as the geopolitical implications of the World Cup…just to name a few projects. It’s invigorating.”
Invigorating surely is the word for Wintersession and for Gabe Avis himself. Gabe is, in essence, a walking Wintersession. Each day he models the aspirations Trinity-Pawling has for the students during this unique Wintersession block. Thoughtful, focused, curious, discerning, thirsting for knowledge, and loaded to the gills with energy and creative insight, Gabe is the perfect leader for Wintersession, and his leadership will lead us all to new heights and new hopes.
We wish him and the boys all the best in the coming weeks, and we look forward to seeing all the amazing projects that come to fruition as a result of Wintersession. One thing is for sure – it’s full steam ahead!
by The Reverend Daniel Lennox