Jay Kellogg has been at Trinity-Pawling for 21 years. Kellogg has had two sons graduate from the School, and has taught over two decades of students. He attributes the longevity of his time here to the people; the relationships he’s made as well as the School’s mission. Kellogg explains, “Being able to guide and teach young men and being a part of their life in general is the biggest piece for me. Not just as a teacher, but influencing a very formative time in their lives.”
Kellogg, who teaches both Middle School and Upper School science, describes that his approach in teaching boys is to implement project-based learning as much as possible. This hands-on learning approach, which is introduced in the Middle School, plays a large part in preparing students for the Upper School and beyond. “It’s how they will be asked to learn in High School and College. At T-P, there’s a lot more learning that takes place with projects than in a traditional setting where students are listening to lectures, taking notes, and memorizing. The vast majority of their learning here comes from the construction of their projects,” says Kellogg. “Boys love to explore and work jointly and cooperatively with their peers.”
The collaboration that occurs in the classroom has recently been implemented outside of the classroom as well, in the form of a large-scale community service project conceived by Kellogg and his fellow class advisors. “MayDay”, as it has been named, will take place May 1 and will be an all-day fundraiser for The Ryan McElroy Children’s Cancer Foundation, as well as the Pawling Resource Center. The Ryan McElroy Children’s Cancer Foundation is a local organization that raises funds to support the children and their families in this community that are afflicted with cancer and other life threatening diseases. Kellogg explains, “It is a really interesting foundation that has helped hundreds of kids. It is all locally based in the Hudson Valley. They’ve literally never said ‘no’ to helping a family.” The Resource Center is another local organization that does great things to help local people as well. The MayDay effort for them will be a food drive to help them replenish a depleted food pantry.
Trinity-Pawling, along with the Pawling Public Schools and Mizzentop Day School are pooling resources to provide a fun-filled family day for the local community in aimed at raising awareness and funds for the two organizations. “We are trying to bridge the three schools in town and all work together on this event. We want our students to experience working together for a common goal and to see the value in giving back to the local community” Kellogg says.
There will be a food drive, a 5k extreme cross country race, a walk, a kids’ race, games, food and more – all happening here on campus. With 300+ volunteers on deck, MayDay has great promise to be a very profitable day that will undoubtedly raise both awareness and funds for The Ryan McElroy Children’s Cancer Foundation and make a difference for local families throughout Dutchess County.