Leadership is an art, not a science, and the senior prefects elected in late May assume a job that has no user’s manual. They quickly learn to serve as advocates, ambassadors, and big brothers. Headmaster Bill Taylor has given each prefect a specific area of the School to oversee based on their existing talents and interests.

“Prefects need to share their collective wisdom and work collaboratively as leaders,” said Taylor. “However, each prefect will assume responsibility for a certain realm and serve as point person for that area.” In addition to serving as Head Prefect, Caelahn Bullen will support his cohort as they oversee their duties. Junior Prefect Tanner Baldin will focus on students’ academic experience, remaining attuned to their concerns particularly in stressful times. Miles Martin will encourage connectivity among various student networks with the goal of enhancing relationships. Drew Wyman will promote school spirit notably in athletics. Stephen O’Hanlon will pay attention to the morale of the student body and seek ways to improve the quality of school life. Trey Aiello will ensure that the Honor Code is maintained both in and out of the classroom while Cole Stewart will advocate for environmental sustainability across campus, including an increased commitment to recycling and promoting the annual Green Cup Challenge.

Head Prefect Caelahn Bullen admits he feels the weight of responsibility. “I look at what past prefects have accomplished and strive to live up to those standards. Our goal is to create a more unified community, focusing on inclusion and brotherhood. We have a pretty diverse group of prefects this year so that sends a positive message. We’re all psyched for this opportunity to lead and serve the School!”

Trinity-Pawling is moving forward. As we continue to respond to changes occurring on the educational landscape, specific focus is being directed toward project-based learning and ways that we can incorporate more innovation into our curriculum. The School will be focusing on inquiry-based learning, experiential education and teaching entrepreneurial skills. Headmaster Bill Taylor will be sharing his vision, ideas and reflections with us on his blog.

We hope you will follow Bill on this journey of learning at Trinity-Pawling School.

Jeff Thompson ’17 knows first-hand about the power of effort and determination. “I’ve learned those lessons here at T-P,” he says. In the classroom, he’s found individualized attention, challenge, and support to thrive. Through football, track, and especially wrestling, he’s come into his own as an athlete. In his spare time, he reaches out to future members of the Pride as an active admission ambassador. “The brotherhood will change your life,” he says, “I’m proof of that.”

Be there for the boys of Trinity-Pawling. Make your gift today. You can direct your gift to the area of the School that means the most to you. Thank you.

Please visit our website to find your giving options.

Nick Yawman ’14 of Sleepy Hollow, NY, arrived at Trinity-Pawling as a junior unsure of what to expect. Yet in two years, Nick quickly found a place where he felt at home, and tried things he had never done before. He was presented with the Wells Award at graduation — awarded to the student who combines outstanding performance and growth in all areas of life at T-P. Additionally, Nick was a prefect, head tour guide, a member of the Varsity Football and Lacrosse teams, and perhaps Trinity-Pawling’s most celebrated play-by-play commentator for the Varsity Hockey team’s live webcasts — a skill he never would have known he had if he hadn’t decided to take a risk and give it a try. (More than a few people asked him if he was considering a career in sports broadcasting.) Now a sophomore at Santa Clara University, in California, he hasn’t yet declared a major.

Nick, who was both honored and amused to be recognized as Trinity-Pawling’s 1000th donor (as part of the 1000 Donor Challenge which concluded on June 30th, 2015) reflects on his experience at Trinity-Pawling, “As time goes by I increasingly appreciate what an influence Trinity-Pawling had on my development as a person. Giving back is just one way I can show my gratitude to a place, but more specifically to a group of people who have shaped the man I am today.”

It’s all about family: in mid June, Rob Hutchison ’03 was tapped to serve as head coach of men’s hockey at Skidmore College. A few weeks later, Bobby Ferraris ’93 signed on as Trinity-Pawling’s head hockey coach and associate director of admission. Both had spent a postgraduate year at T-P followed by highly successful college hockey careers, Hutchison at Skidmore and Ferraris at Saint Anselm’s.

“I loved my T-P job and had no intention of leaving,” said Hutchison. “The call from Skidmore was a complete surprise. And it’s the only position that could entice me away. I was the only candidate without college coaching experience so I’m honored to have this opportunity.” It’s quite a nod for Trinity-Pawling’s coach to make the leap to NCAA.

After coaching 12 years of NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey, Ferraris is equally grateful for this chance to return to his alma mater. “I loved my PG year here and chose T-P over other schools. I stayed in touch and came back for alumni games over the years.”

Ferraris is fired up to be back on T-P ice. “T-P’s campus has improved significantly but the feeling of brotherhood is the same. Everyone treats each other well and the sense of community infiltrates everything we do. I love to see the boys’ high fives and watch how the boys and faculty interact across campus. I feel fortunate to be able to come back to serve the School and raise my family in this atmosphere.”

Hutchison agrees that he will miss the tight-knit community and the hockey program he developed in his five years as head coach. “Trinity-Pawling provides a solid foundation for academics and athletics, and I know that Bobby has the credentials and moxie to move the program forward.”

It speaks volumes that the School has cultivated such high quality coaches able to shift seamlessly between high school and college level play, and a real testament to Trinity-Pawling’s hockey family that the past two coaches played for Brian Foster ’79 during his 28 years as head coach. The past 38 years of Pride hockey has been led by alumni – David Reece ’67 coached for 10 years before Brian Foster. “I’m appreciative of the effort and detail that past coaches and players have given to the hockey program, and enthusiastic to doggedly build on the strong traditions and foundation of T-P Hockey,” adds Ferraris.

Best of luck to Hutch and welcome home Bobby!

Ask not “Where do you come from?” Rather, ask “Where are you a local?” As International Student Coordinator, Mark Corliss is charged with helping our global students make the culture of Trinity-Pawling School be local – the place where their history, their story, their present struggles and triumphs, and their future become home.

What does it mean to be local? If experience is local, according to the author Colum McCann, then the people who comprise our community at Trinity-Pawling School all matter in this enterprise of making memories together. Rituals, relationships, and restrictions further define what this experience is, says author Taiye Selasi. The rituals of campus clubs, chapel, sports, sit-down meals, dorm and academic life clarify and enrich our experience together. Global students simply become Trinity-Pawling students as they share fully in this endeavor. The relationships forged daily among T-P brothers and teachers -those who impact their emotional, social, and intellectual health and development make us locals to one another. Restrictions are those impediments that deny or limit our ability to feel at home in a locale. The three ‘R’s’ figure prominently in daily life at Trinity-Pawling. “It’s really about creating an educational community that values empathy and cross-cultural collaborations,” says Mark Corliss.

Last year, in addition to travelling across the world to meet our families who live abroad, Mark organized a variety of events for the entire campus in celebration of cultural holidays. From making sure kids’ belongings are delivered promptly, to facilitating student to student, student to teacher, and School to home communication, Mark helps the students of Trinity-Pawling School create a culture that is local for all, a culture where all can become citizens of many worlds.

Since 1990, when alumni reminisce about the good ol’ days at Trinity-Pawling, their conversations invariably turn to their meaningful experience on the “Ropes Course” — two days and a night spent in the woods in the spring of their junior year.

An experiential-learning vehicle, the ropes course aims to provide rising seniors with the tools to be effective leaders by teaching teamwork, camaraderie and trust. Until a few years ago, new seniors and post-graduates missed the opportunity to participate in what most believe is the cornerstone of Trinity-Pawling’s Leadership curriculum, and what so many graduates have come to cherish. Now, each fall, new students enjoy a ropes course experience distinctly their own, and benefit from the opportunities it provides for growth.

Headmaster Bill Taylor, an original proponent of the program, attended the ropes course earlier this fall with the newest members of the class of 2016. Regarding the challenges he said, “These are great opportunities to put yourself into a situation where you’re out of your comfort zone.” He highlighted Trinity-Pawling’s atmosphere as one that addresses an overall ‘ethos of effort’ – “Where you are pushing yourself; where you are digging in to find that area within yourself that’s going to allow you to go to even higher levels of achievement and success…”

Hear more of what he had to say here.

At Trinity-Pawling, we see just how deep your potential goes. We will help you turn promise into achievement, hard work into results. Along the way, you’ll discover greatness that takes many forms. A breakthrough English paper. An act of friendship. A single, perfect game. It’s all about discovering your talents, and putting them into action around you. Because at Trinity-Pawling, no one sits on the sidelines.

Come to our Open House and see for yourself!

Register here or call our Admission office at 845-855-4825 and we’ll add you to our guest list.

Henry B. duPont’s 1000 Donor Challenge inspired 1187 gifts from Trinity-Pawling’s alumni, parents and friends. Battling it out for the title of Highest Number of Donors in a Class, ’90 and ’88 found themselves, through mutual enthusiasm, competing until the final minutes for victory and bragging rights. The Class of ’90 ultimately prevailed, but the Class of ’88 – gracious in defeat – recognize that it was a huge win not only for ’90, but also for the alumni association.

In ’90’s favor was a year of planning for their upcoming 25th Reunion scheduled for October 9th and 10th, 2015. “A lot of work goes into a great time,” says Tom Seitz ’90. Tom, and his Reunion co-chairs Pat Cooke ’90 and Sandy Keys ’90, are determined to bring as many of their classmates back to campus as possible. They’ve gone so far as to place bounties on the heads of missing friends with cash prizes for anyone who finds them. Endless time has gone into making a customized website complete with a countdown clock, a Facebook page, multiple videos, and even throw-back cassette tapes filled with throw-back music. According to Tom, “It’s been a real labor of love and it’s been worth it.” Those coming to campus for their 25th are in for an epic time. They are also coming back to campus to remember a classmate who is no longer with us.

Kevin Acrish ’90 had been elected prefect but died in a car accident the summer before his senior year. A scholarship and memorial fund was created in Kevin’s name and his classmates showed up in record numbers to support it and the Trinity-Pawling Fund. On June 30th, the end of the School’s fiscal year, the phones rang until midnight. Most of the calls came in from the Class of ’90, thus sealing their success. As John Wick ’90 said, “Love it! The Class of ’90 taking the challenge to support T-P and to remember a dear friend.” Roll Pride!

Parents’ Weekend is just around the corner, and we’re excited to have you join us!

Highlights will include: an address by Headmaster Bill Taylor – Mindset, Honor, and Effort: The Trinity-Pawling Transformation; performances from The Trinitones, Jazz Band, and Drama Club; Parent Teacher conferences, PRIDE Parents’ Association volunteer training; athletic matches; and a tailgate dinner.

Find the event schedule for Parents’ Weekend – October 23-24, 2015 here. Watch your inbox for an email with instructions to register for parent teacher conferences.

We say “Effort System,” but it’s really an ethos. On campus and around the world, Trinity-Pawling celebrates giving your all – any time, any place you can. At events across the country this year, we’ll celebrate the 45th anniversary of this distinctive program, and how it’s shaped the lives of alumni from countless professions and walks of life.
As Headmaster Bill Taylor begins his first year at Trinity-Pawling, he’d like to hear from as many alumni, parents, and friends as possible. How did the Effort System influence you or your child? What has been the greatest lesson of a Trinity-Pawling education? What are your hopes for the School’s future?

You can write to Bill at headmaster@trinitypawling.org or send a Tweet to Bill @TPSHeadmaster

There’s still time to register to join in the fun. Reunion & Homecoming Weekend is open to all classes.
Events include an all-alumni clambake hosted by Bill and Jennifer Taylor; campus tours; Headmaster installation; Homecoming football game; Oktoberfest at Gamage Gardens; and special 25th & 50th reunions being celebrated by the Classes of ’90 and ’65.

View the full schedule and register here, or contact Beth Bryant for more information 845-855-4833.