On August 11th, Trinity-Pawling honored the life of one of its greatest educators, Miles Hubbard ’57. Over 300 people returned to the campus in the midst of the summer to reflect and memorialize the life and legacy of a man who had devoted 54 years of his life to Trinity-Pawling School. Though the day was a sad one because of the knowledge that Miles has left us, it was also a day in which his spirit and legacy resonated so powerfully throughout the campus. It was a day that reminded everyone of the importance of continuity in the life of Trinity-Pawling, something to which the life and work of Miles Hubbard so clearly and significantly contributed.

In a rapidly changing world, one in which the pace of daily life can move at an exhausting pace, it is essential to be reminded of the importance of continuity in our lives and in our midst. With discipline and determination, we must force ourselves at times to be aware that there are important connections to the past that must be treasured and honored. Indeed, we must work to protect the continuity of important values that should be timeless, but could all too easily be swept away under the currents of change.

Trinity-Pawling School dates its origins to 1907 with the founding of the Pawling School by Dr. Frederick Luther Gamage. Over these years, the School has had three distinct entities: The Pawling School (1907-1942); Trinity-Pawling School, with a formal connection to the Trinity School in New York City (1946-1978); and an independent Trinity-Pawling School (1978 to present). Yet, throughout its history, Trinity-Pawling has thrived because of the continuity of its educational mission, philosophy, and values. Certainly, a large reason for this continuity is the incredible leadership that has guided the School, including that of Miles Hubbard.

Values such as perseverance, hard work, honor, shared community, faith, virtue, and pride are woven throughout the history of Trinity-Pawling School. Moreover, such values inform the teaching and learning that takes place each school year.

As we prepare to embark on the journey that is a new school year, I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to work with a community of dedicated educators and leaders who bring life and vitality to the values that permeate the School’s history. It is important work. It is transformative work in the lives of the students whom we serve. I look forward to sharing this journey with our outstanding faculty, staff, trustees, and students this year.

Onward!

by Headmaster Bill Taylor

While many mothers of children with learning differences might be overwhelmed with navigating the needs of a dyslexic child, Roberta Lidl was determined to understand all aspects of what her son, Christopher, needed to learn. Lidl, Director of Trinity-Pawling’s Center for Learning Achievement, recalls the challenges of being a young mother in search of support and solutions for her son. “It was transformative for both myself and Christopher when he joined Trinity-Pawling and began learning under the guidance of Helen Hauser, former director of Trinity-Pawling’s Language Program. I was so impressed by Helen’s professionalism — she epitomized how a teacher should teach.” Likewise, Hauser recognized a special quality in Lidl’s diligence and passion. Hauser would become the inspiration and role model for Lidl when she eventually joined Trinity-Pawling’s Language Program teaching team in 2002.

For the past seventeen years, Lidl has been steadily contributing to the program at Trinity-Pawling — expanding and restructuring the curriculum, adding Language Arts and Executive Skills components to the program, ensuring the high-level Orton-Gillingham training for her entire teaching team, and developing The Language through Enrichment, Analysis, and Development Program (LEAD). Lidl attributes the successful growth of this integrated program to her high expectations, “We see the potential in every student, and we are not going to lower the bar,” she affirms.

The Trinity-Pawling Center for Learning Achievement includes a number of support services to assist students in recognizing and reaching their academic potential. Specific instructional programs are available for students who have language-based learning differences; for students with executive function difficulties; and for international students who lack academic English proficiency. To expand support to the entire Trinity-Pawling community, Lidl added The Allen Reading & Writing Lab to the Center for Learning Achievement. The Allen Reading & Writing Lab is the unofficial help desk of Trinity-Pawling, and its scope is extensive. Students can access faculty, peer tutors, and media specialists for a range of guidance, from basic technology questions to short term in-depth writing support.

Lidl’s personal experience and pedagogical acumen enables her to make unique and trusting connections with parents and students alike. Lidl is known to be a challenging teacher, but extremely fair. She adds, “Sometimes the important lessons to be learned are not academic – they are resiliency and grit.” Lidl reflects on her full-circle journey of serving children with learning differences. “At Trinity-Pawling there is constant collaboration that is invaluable, and the needs of students always comes first.”

For more information about the LEAD Program, English Mastery Program, or the Executive Skills Program visit the Trinity-Pawling Center for Learning Achievement page on our website.

by Judy Redder

Done properly, a memorial service can turn mourning a person’s death into a celebration of his life. The nearly 300 guests who gathered on Sunday, August 11 to pay final respects to Miles Hubbard ’57 experienced that transformative power. Over the course of several hours, a fitting tribute, held in All Saints’ Chapel, followed by a reception in Smith Field House and the Hubbard Gymnasium, lauded the legendary coach and athletic director’s 54 years at Trinity-Pawling. Prior to dismissal from the Chapel, two members of the U.S. Army bestowed formal military honors, presenting Hubbard’s wife Janet with a crisply folded American flag, while Taps played to honor his service in the Army Reserves.

On that bluebird August day, generations of alumni, faculty, trustees, staff, and community friends filled All Saints’ wooden pews to hear reflections of Bruce Birns ’70, Chris Kelly ’81, Headmaster Bill Taylor, and former Chaplain John Gedrick. John Paul Burlington ’95, Erik Olstein ’86, Brian Foster ’79, and David Coratti offered readings. The Reverend Daniel Lennox, Trinity-Pawling’s chaplain, served as officiant.

Birns recounted the evolution of his 53-year friendship with Hubbard. Alternating between choking back tears and self-deprecating laughter, Birns shared tales of playing basketball for Coach Hubbard in the late 1960’s, specifically from his viewpoint as a founding member of the “30-30” club, relegated to the far end of the bench and hoping to see 30 seconds of court time if the team were up or down by 30 points.

In his later post-coaching years, Hubbard’s favorite pastimes were sweeping the court floor and doing the uniform laundry. Birns continued, “The gym was his and he let people know it. He ran that gym as though guarding the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. God forbid he found T-P students playing on it after he closed it for the night or wearing non-sneakers.”

These amusing accounts elicited appreciative laughter from the congregation who understood that Hubbard’s signature gruff approach belied a deeply caring heart. Birns poignantly described Janet Hubbard, whom Miles married in 2005, as his “fearless and loyal first mate who steered him magnificently through both the sweet and sometimes choppy waters of later life, infusing him with the fountain of youth.” “Miles was a champion, not just because of the banners that adorn the walls of Hubbard Gymnasium but by the way he lived his life – with love, passion, dedication, humor, and humility. He set a high bar of excellence for all of us to aspire to. There is no doubt that God will choose Miles to coach the angels. Undoubtedly they will be in good shape after Miles has them jumping from the clouds and stars, and without question, with Miles in charge of the heavenly laundry, they will have the cleanest and shiniest wings around. When my day comes, if I’m lucky enough to be sitting with that team, I don’t care if he ever puts me in. To be sitting near him on that bench will be more than enough for me.”

Chris Kelly ’81 shared reflections as a player and then coaching with Hubbard from 1989 to 1999. Kelly proposed that “Great coaches are gifted with an ability to unlock the potential in others. They possess some magnetic force of personality. Great coaches are born, not made.” Kelly spoke of Hubbard’s mantra ‘Do the right thing’ as his philosophy of coaching and of life. “Coach Hubbard wanted us to do the right thing by being a good teammate – working together and being unselfish. By being consistent and being prepared – Coach was a stickler for details and the fundamentals. Do the right thing by being a competitor. He preached that in order to be great at anything, you had to work at it every day. He wanted his players to be passionate. We saw that in his own infectious enthusiasm.”

Kelly closed with an observation that rang true for anyone who knew Miles Hubbard. “As soon as you met him, he was coaching you – like it or not – peering into what made you tick, giving advice, teaching and challenging you as an athlete and a young man.” He concluded, “We lost a great man but his influence on helping so many young kids become better men will last for generations.”

Headmaster Bill Taylor described Hubbard as a ‘stalwart force of continuity’ within the institution, yet able to find plenty of humor in life and laugh at himself. Taylor quoted comments from Hubbard’s teachers and advisors in the mid 1950s, revealing the young man’s commitment to perseverance and to excellence. “In his 54 years of service to Trinity-Pawling, Miles Hubbard created excellence by how he lived his life and how he taught and modeled the fundamentals of hard work, honor, accountability, perseverance, and pride. It is impossible to overstate the impact Miles Hubbard has had on the School.”

In his homily, former Chaplain John Gedrick urged the congregation to “share the burden of grief by giving voice to stories.” And that is precisely what Miles and Janet Hubbard, and their extended family, would want us to do: to share stories and laugh, to take the underlying lessons to heart, and to take pride in a job well done. We should channel Miles who, after sweeping the gym floor, rolling the rack of basketballs into the storage closet, and folding the last uniform, would relax with friends, smile, and toast life… with an ice-cold can of Coors Light.

by Maria Buteux Reade

Christian Strader ’21 began surfing when he was just seven years old. “You could say it’s a family thing,” he shared. “My father has surfed for 55 years and he introduced me to the sport.” Now sixteen years old, Strader continues to spend his summers in the waves, teaching surf camps and clinics along the south shore of Long Island with Skudin Surf, a company based in Long Beach, New York. It’s his passion for the sport — and the lessons he has learned with Skudin Surf — that inspired his Winter Project this past year.

Wanting to dive deeper into the history and environmental impact of surfing, Strader designed his own 2019 Winter Project. He set out to learn more about the water in which he surfs and what role he and his fellow surfers can play in keeping that water clean and safe from pollution. His research pointed to newer, more sustainable, and eco-friendly materials used for making surfboards.

Enter: Connor McKenna ’01. McKenna began surfing at eighteen years old during a study abroad adventure in Australia. Originally a snowboarder (and a really good one, at that — he placed 12th at Nationals in 2011!), McKenna was a natural on a surfboard. “Surfing has taken over my life. I get to meet so many great people, travel to places like Nicaragua and Puerto Rico…it’s amazing,” he shared. “I wish I could be surfing every second.”

McKenna learned about Strader’s Winter Project when he received the spring magazine this past May. Reading the spotlight on Strader and his sustainable surfing research, McKenna could hardly believe his eyes. “I was so interested in Christian’s project,” he shared. “He’s so young, yet has such a great vision. His research is literally what I’m working on.”

McKenna recently took over ARC Sports, his family’s sporting good business in the tri-state area. Although he stays focused on land sports during his day job, he can’t keep his mind out of the waves for too long. In addition to his work at ARC, McKenna is in the process of developing a small line of eco-friendly surf essentials. He and Joe Falcone, owner of Falcone Surfboards, are working together on the product line. “We’re experimenting with alternative materials in our products. Eco-friendly, organic, plant-based, you name it! If it’s not safe for the ocean, we don’t want to sell it,” McKenna explained. “And that’s the direction this entire industry needs to follow.”

Over the summer, McKenna and Strader finally had the opportunity to connect and discuss the concept of sustainable surfing. As it turns out, they learned that they even have Skudin Surf in common. And while they both have competed in surfing competitions over the years, they mainly surf for the pure joy of the sport. That, and their love for the ocean.

“One of my instructors at Skudin once said: ‘Your house is not your home; it is a shelter. The ocean is your home.’ And it’s so true! As surfers, we live off the ocean,” Strader explained. “It’s our responsibility to keep it clean, protected, and respected.”

“He couldn’t have said it better,” McKenna echoed. “It is possible to build surfboards that perform well but are made sustainably. We just have to put in the effort.”

With two years left at Trinity-Pawling and many project-based learning opportunities ahead, Strader hopes to see his sustainable surfing project grow. McKenna, too, is eager to stay involved and even hopes to one day recruit Strader to join his surf company. “I’d love to have him on board,” McKenna concluded (see what he did there?). “You just never know what connections will come out of T-P.”

by Emma Christiantelli

For many in the boarding school world, summer is a time of rest and relaxation; a break from the hustle of the school year. For the Facilities Department, however, summer is the time to kick things into high gear. From daily maintenance to campus upgrades, the Trinity-Pawling Facilities team works tirelessly over the summer to keep campus running smoothly, carry out improvements, and prepare for the upcoming school year. This summer has been particularly busy for the team.

“We’ve implemented several exciting upgrades across campus this summer,” began Director of Facilities Dan Tompkins. “It’s been busy — but these enhancements will make an incredible difference for the School.”

In early July, Trinity-Pawling’s all-weather track was recoated and repainted. “Resurfacing the track will ensure the safety and longevity of the space,” Tompkins explained. “The track not only serves our runners, but the entire Pawling community too. The work we’ve done this summer will keep it safe and reliable, allowing everyone to enjoy it for years to come.”

Shortly after the track was updated, the main campus drive was paved. This project, too, guarantees the longevity and reliability of the highly-trafficked road. “Most importantly, it will ensure safety for all vehicles driving on our campus,” shared Tompkins.

In addition to the daily campus maintenance this summer — mowing, landscaping, painting, cleaning, and so much more — the Facilities team has also been working to install card key access to many buildings on campus. “The card key access project was a tremendous undertaking for my team,” shared Tompkins. “As a security upgrade on campus, a keyless entry system has been installed in Cluett, the Dann Building, Gardiner Arts Center, the Smith Field House, and all dorms.” All security cameras, Tompkins explained, have also been upgraded and a new video monitoring system has been installed. “Safety and security are our top priorities. All of these upgrades help to further ensure a safe and secure learning and living environment for the School,” Tompkins stated.

Working alongside Director of Technology Bryan Turner, Tompkins and the Facilities team has also upgraded the wireless internet in all dorms on campus.

“My team is fantastic, and with their help, our new upgrades and projects have been smooth and efficient,” Tompkins shared. “Much of the card key access project has been completed in-house! We’ve really demonstrated the possibilities of the Facilities team and I’m excited about the direction we’re moving in.”

With the start of school just a few short weeks away, Tompkins and his team are putting the finishing touches on each project and preparing for the new school year. “The work of the Facilities Department is never done,” Tompkins shared with a smile. “We’re excited about the upgrades we made this summer. Better yet, just wait until you hear about the other projects we have in store!”

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all members of the Facilities Department at Trinity-Pawling. Your hard work and dedication this summer — and throughout each school year — makes such a difference on campus. We are truly grateful for all that you do.

by Emma Christiantelli

Trinity-Pawling is more than a school, we’re a family — and a growing one at that! This past spring, the School community was blessed with four new bundles of joy on campus.

Ralph ’04 and Elizabeth Fedele, along with their daughter Isabel, welcomed little Ethan Henry Fedele on March 13, 2019. Just one week later on March 20, Kevin and Maria Richards were blessed with the arrival of Colette Stokes Richards — who has two older sisters, CeCe and Josie. The following month, on April 30, Chris ’05 and Ariana Gillman welcomed their firstborn, Brady Clifford Gillman into the world. And finally, on June 18, Dan and Angela Tompkins, along with their twin daughters, Adalynn and Brelynn, celebrated the arrival of Chelsea Ava Tompkins.

What’s the best part about raising a family on the Trinity-Pawling campus? “It’s the willing support of the T-P community,” shared English teacher and coach Ralph Fedele ’04. “There are so many excellent parents amongst our faculty. They serve as mentors professionally, but also as wonderful examples of fathers and mothers.”

History teacher and coach Kevin Richards echoed the same sentiment. “The best part of raising a family on this campus is all the help. From Annie Keel taking the older girls on the night Colette was born to JP Burlington ’95 taking her for walks around campus. It’s truly personification of the phrase, ‘it takes a village,’” Richards shared.

New to parenthood, Dean of the Senior Class, LEAD teacher, and coach Chris Gillman ’05 and his wife Ariana are also thankful for the constant support on campus. “Having spent many years at T-P as a student and young faculty member, it was always my dream to be able to raise my family in an environment like this,” shared Gillman. “Everyone is always willing and happy to help however and whenever they can. We have been so grateful to be able to start our family at Trinity-Pawling. It’s the best community I’ve been a part of and we’re proud to call it home.”

It’s true what they say. There’s no place like home — especially at Trinity-Pawling. As we celebrate Ethan, Colette, Brady, and Chelsea, the newest members of the Pride, we’d like to say: welcome to the family, little ones!

by Emma Christiantelli

The experience is transformational. The traditions, time-honored. Your connections are the future of Trinity-Pawling.

Do you know a boy who would benefit from the Trinity-Pawling experience? Your neighbor, nephew, son, or grandson could be the next student to cross through Cluett on his way to a successful future.

As an alum, you understand the value of a Trinity-Pawling education best. Spread the word and share the T-P experience today!

Refer a boy to Director of Admissions JP Burlington ’95 at 845-855-4825 or admissions@trinitypawling.org

It’s summertime on Martha’s Vineyard and one never knows, for certain, who may be on-island. But, on Sunday, August 4, a wide-ranging group (26 all counted) of Trinity-Pawling’s alumni, parents, and friends gathered for Ned Reade’s art show at The Old Sculpin Gallery in Edgartown. Located in the harbor where the Chappy ferry comes and goes, Old Sculpin had been a boat builders home and construction site. It’s the perfect setting for Ned’s luminous watercolors.

“It was fun to introduce one of my current advisees, Thomas Solecki ’20, to one of my very first advisees, Kip Chapman ’77,” recalls Ned. Among the attendees, Ned said, “I was happy to see Tim Burns ’89 and it’s always nice to catch up with Curtis Flynn ’84 (he’s a distant cousin!).” Maria Reade joined Ned in greeting guests. Early arrivals included Gay and Arch Smith, who brought their children and two of their grandchildren. “I also had the pleasure of meeting Angela and Ed Spalding ’67.” Ned continues, “Susan and Trustee Peter McCabe ’68 made the trip and Peter caught up with David Lott ’68, a classmate he hadn’t seen in years.”

Thank you to all who attended! With fall on the not-too-distant horizon, we’re already thinking about next summer and hoping to meet up at Old Sculpin Gallery again next year. Please let Janet Hubbard, in the Office of Advancement, know if you’d like to receive information about a possible gathering on Martha’s Vineyard next year.

by Colleen Dealy

In less than two weeks, the first early sports candidates will arrive on campus. The beginning of the year allows for fresh starts, and the hopes for all teams will be high. Whistles and yells will fill the air as boys vie for roles on the varsity teams.

Soon after, school will begin, the leaves will turn, and games will be won. Between the three fall sports, many contributing seniors have since graduated and will be moving on to college. Fresh faces will take on important roles, especially on the football and soccer teams. With the departure of a number of football players, new faces will be needed to contribute at a number of different positions. The team will be led by a solid returning core of juniors and seniors, as well as some new post-graduates.

The varsity soccer team, by contrast, will be led by a young, talented group with a number of freshmen and sophomores expected to contribute alongside the returning juniors and seniors. With a very large number of graduated contributors, the young guys will need to step up to make the season a success.

The cross country team will be looking for a new #1 runner, but have some solid returning depth as the team brings back 6 runners who ran in the top 7 for Trinity-Pawling at various points throughout the year.

We’re looking forward to another great fall athletic season. Roll Pride!