“If a boy can learn to draw and paint adequately or spin a pot on the wheel, he gains confidence to approach other new challenges.”

For four decades, Ned Reade has introduced generations of boys to the joys and challenges of art. And even after all that time, he remains invigorated.

“I hate it when kids say ‘I’m no good at art.’ Most of them have never really had instruction! So I teach art in a step by step process, much like teaching a language. You start with building blocks. Language begins with words and phrases and evolves into sentences and paragraphs. In art the building blocks are line, value, design, technique, and color. A line takes shape, patterns form, the composition evolves.”

However, nothing is more frightening for an artist than a blank piece of canvas or paper or a lump of clay. When the class starts a new project, Ned begins with a demonstration. He can hear the “Aha!” moment hit the students gathered around him when they see the brush strokes morph into a tree or the still life take shape. After the demo, the boys do a few sketches to help them work out ideas and approach the project with confidence.

Working in pottery exposes the boys to clay’s unique elastic nature. “Before we advance to the wheel, we start with hand-building projects such as creating masks or boxes. The box project assignment is deceptively simple: create a box with a lid. But the possibilities are endless as the boys realize a box doesn’t have to be a square or rectangle. I’ve seen kids create cars, an oversized Oreo, a NYC brownstone, a snare drum. They tend to embrace something they understand intuitively or experientially. Almost every project in art reveals a slice of a boy’s personality.”

“I enjoy doing the projects alongside the boys, especially in the advanced classes, so they can see me struggling as well. No matter how much experience you have, producing art is hard work.” Ned believes the fun comes in finding the solution. How do you draw clear glass or convey loose folds of drapery? How can you shade properly to create a spherical object? Or spin a graceful urn on the wheel and maintain a consistent thickness?

The boys love it when the process of creating art transports them into the “zone,” when they’re so focused and engaged that they lose track of time and the world around them. “You don’t have to have ‘talent’ or a background in art; you just need persistence, practice, focus, and motivation. As with any endeavor, the more time you dedicate to practicing that craft or skill, the better you’ll become.”

“Anthropology is taught in virtually all liberal-arts colleges, but rarely in high school,” says Dr. Kerry M. Dore, one of Trinity-Pawling’s new faculty members. “Offering Introduction to Anthropology to the young men at Trinity-Pawling gives them exposure to a field of study that many students never hear about until they reach college.”

Designed as a true college-preparatory course, the challenging material and activities are presented in a way that encourages good study skills and techniques, giving our students a significant advantage when entering college.

The study of anthropology helps the boys understand why people living in different cultures act the way they do. While it is human nature to categorize people, the stereotypes we assign to those categories are cultural. Dr. Dore’s course focuses on biological and cultural anthropology. The biological anthropology component shows the students the depth of human evolution and how we are, in fact, one of the least diverse species in the world. The cultural anthropology component allows them to view other cultures through a lens that does not see their own culture as better, more important, more modern, or more “civilized” than any other. This knowledge gives students the sensitivity required to be successful in a global society.

Dr. Dore began teaching in 2007 while still in graduate school, and has been teaching anthropology as a part-time professor at Marist College since 2012. Having lived on Trinity-Pawling’s campus with her husband, Will Dore, an English teacher at Trinity-Pawling; and their children for four years, Kerry decided she wanted to get to know the boys in a classroom setting, share her passion for science – especially her research area of ethnoprimatology – and guide them to have a better understanding of our ever-changing world.

Darien Clay ’16 admits, “The expectations are high, like a college course – but the way she presents the material makes it fun to learn, and the topic gives us a perspective on how we became to be – it’s very interesting.”

The Pride has performed well on the course and the fields to begin our 2015-2016 athletic season.

Varsity Cross Country has established itself as a top contender in New England, amassing an impressive 8-3 record, despite hosting only one home contest. The coaches are confident heading into the Founder’s and the New England Championship races. Lead racers Jacob Hough ’16, Jordan Harnum ’16, Jordi Jefferson ’17, Will Estony ’17, Tanner Baldin ’16, usually compete for the vaunted top seven slots, while Hunter Olstein ’17 and Nate Tanner ’18 push the crew and have placed in the top seven as well.

Varsity Football comes off an impressive 44-30 win at Avon on Halloween with a 4-2 record (4-1 New England, 3-1 Erickson) looking to face rivals Salisbury and Kent to conclude an impressive season. The Pride host undefeated Salisbury under the lights Saturday November 7th in what will prove to be a pivotal matchup in New England Prep Football. The squad is led on offense by QB Brandon Harris ’17, RB Khaleed Exum-Strong ’16, RB Ray Davis ’18, and RB Ricky Norris ’17. While on the defensive side the line is anchored by Henry Fracasso ’16, Alijah Burno ’16, and Jimmy Onulak ’16 – it should be noted these boys also anchor the offensive line and have worked wonders on both sides of the ball. A new member of the squad, kicker Will Rickert ’19, has performed well with a solid PAT record and impressive work in the kick-off game.

Varsity Soccer has battled hard and played New England’s best competitively. Goaltender Juan De la Cruz ’16 has faced a significant amount of pressure, despite the best efforts of Miles Martin ’16 and James Varian ’17, who anchor the defense. The offense is lead by Joe Morley ’17 and Avery Johnson ’18. Tyler Gywn ’16 was doing great work until an injury sidelined him, removing a key cog in the offensive scheme. The squad faces rivals Salisbury and Kent in the coming week, and looks to make some noise in New England soccer to close out the year.

It has been a mild and temperate fall season and the boys have comported themselves well, exhibiting fine sportsmanship, while earning some terrific victories. Even in their closely contested losses the opposing coaches were adamant in their praise of our boys. Roll Pride!

Jud Hartmann is a born storyteller and a gifted artist. For 32 years, he’s been sharing powerful accounts of the Iroquois and Algonquin with anyone who enters his galleries in Blue Hill, Maine and Grafton, Vermont. Jud has made the Woodland Tribes of the Northeast the focus of the exquisitely detailed bronze sculptures he creates, a subject that has captivated him since boyhood.

“I grew up in Bedford, New York and had as my playground tracts of virgin forest owned by the Nature Conservancy. Among these 300 year old hemlocks and oaks, it wasn’t a stretch for my little imagination to envision Indians running through those woods.”

After graduating from Hobart in 1970, Jud spent six months in the Virgin Islands where he discovered his true calling. While he had always shown talent in drawing and painting, he considered art a hobby, not a profession. However, that changed when he bought a chunk of mahogany and borrowed some tools from a local furniture maker.

“The next day on the beach, without any idea what I was doing, I struck the chisel with the mallet, and instantly, something happened inside of me. Before that day was over, I knew I was put here on earth to be a sculptor. Probably the most important day of my life. I spent the next few years teaching myself how to carve and sculpt in wood, stone, and marble. Never took a class, never read a book.”

In 1983, Jud began modeling in clay and casting in bronze, reconnected with the Native American theme, and opened his gallery in Grafton, Vermont. He opened his second gallery in Blue Hill, Maine in 1987. He now splits his time between the two locations, Maine from early June through mid September and Vermont from mid September through Memorial Day.

“I love being in the gallery. I become a story teller and share the history of each piece I sculpt. I do extensive research for each piece and that history becomes vital to the life of the sculpture. Most people have no idea of these tribes so I consider it an honor to share their stories through my words and art.”

With more than 1200 bronzes in private art collections and museums, Jud feels fortunate that he’s been able to make a living researching and sculpting these indigenous people. “This career combines my two loves, art and history, which began at Trinity-Pawling.”

Check out his website to explore Jud’s artworks and learn about the lost wax process of casting bronze.

Lastly, Jud reminds his classmates to start making plans to return to campus next fall for their 50th reunion – September 30th – October 1st, 2016.

Bill Taylor is a born teacher. His measured headmasterly reserve to the side, he becomes animated, hands gesticulating as he describes The American Experience, a course he designed 20 years ago.

“We take an ideological rather than chronological approach to analyzing our history. How do we view ourselves as a nation? What role has religion played in our evolution? Why do we maintain the phrase ‘In God We Trust’ on our currency? How did the reality of wilderness shape us as a people? Wilderness offers opportunity, as in ‘Go west, young man,’ yet wilderness is also where sin exists. Think of Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter.”

To best engage his students in such explorations, Bill favors a round-table seminar style of discussion and intellectual debate rather than a ‘sage on the stage’ approach. “I want to challenge my students to think and question, not passively accept. They should be stretching themselves to make connections to literary and cultural references as well as historical relevancies.”

Bill developed this class back in the mid 1990s at T-P, and though the current course is a distant cousin of that 1990s iteration, he still incorporates a multimedia-rich library of visual and auditory resources, including iconic movies, You Tube videos of historical events and music of particular eras to complement the college-level texts. A vigorous emphasis on analytical writing helps prepare students for college.

“I’m delighted to have this opportunity to return to the classroom and work with our boys in this collaborative setting. I love challenging them to grapple with concepts in an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based approach. Engaging students in intellectual debate is germane to what we do at Trinity-Pawling.”

This course, which explores the religious, literary, and social history of our nation from the Puritans and Colonial America to present day society, is open to motivated upperclassmen.

Christina Kratzman, Spanish instructor at Trinity-Pawling, reflects on the 2015 IBSC Conference:

As a first time attendee of an International Boys’ Schools Coalition Annual Conference, it’s global nature was immediately evident to me as I sat in the chapel at Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town, South Africa with close to 700 delegates from eleven different countries. From attending the Action Research training to hearing Desmond Tutu deliver the opening conference address to having dinner at the home of a local Cape Town boys’ school educator, the conference drove home the need for acceptance, cooperation, and global participation.

One of the most valuable parts of the conference was attending presentations by educators. They offered a perspective and a context that reading an article cannot offer. It stood out to me that schools – and boys – around the world are facing similar issues. How do we help our boys connect more meaningfully to the world around them? How can we help them become more emotionally intelligent? How do we teach masculinity?

My project looks to tackle these issues. This academic year, 2015-2016, will serve as a research and trial run year for a global masculinities curriculum. I will work with 8-12 boys – roughly the same size as two advisor/advisee groups – using the boys’ input over the course of multiple months to help guide the content and presentation of the material. In each of our meetings, a different issue about masculinity will be presented and discussed in the context of a man or cultural practice in a different part of the world with the aim of helping our boys become more aware of their own identities and roles as young men in the world.

I’m excited to continue my project this school year and to work directly with our students as we further engage in an on-going conversation about being men and global citizens.

Reunion & Homecoming Weekend was a huge success with over 200 alumni from the classes of 1948 to 2015 returning to campus to honor Trinity-Pawling School’s past, present, and exciting future. The highlight of the weekend was the installation of our seventh Headmaster, William W. Taylor, and welcoming his entire family back “home” to campus.

The weekend officially kicked off on Friday, October 8, with a Headmaster’s reception at Gamage House. A clambake followed the reception where the Class of 1990, celebrating their 25th reunion, was recognized for their record turnout and fundraising for the Trinity-Pawling Fund. Holding true to the legacy of the Trinity-Pawling brotherhood, all reunion classes – from the 50th to the 5th – celebrated late into the night reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

On Saturday, the alumni gathered in the chapel for the memorial service, which also celebrated the life of Ben Taylor ’98. After, more than 500 alumni, parents, and friends gathered for the installation of the seventh headmaster, Bill Taylor. The event, which can be viewed online, focused on the school’s commitment to transformative education and featured remarks welcoming the Taylor family back to campus. Speakers included: Tanner I. Baldin ‘16; Toussaint C. Romain ’96; President of the Board of Trustees, Elizabeth P. Allen; and Dean of Faculty, Todd E. Hoffman. Headmaster Taylor’s remarks complemented the sentiments of the guest speakers, reminding everyone in attendance of the power of a Trinity-Pawling education and detailing his ambitious goals for the School. The event was followed by campus-wide celebrations and a phenomenal OT win by the varsity football team over Taft School.

Thank you to everyone who attended the weekend’s festivities, making the 2015 Reunion & Homecoming Weekend one for the books. The sense of community and the Trinity-Pawling brotherhood continues to thrive.

Be there for the boys of Trinity-Pawling. Our boys need a committed corps of donors to support the School every year. When you give, you help create teaching moments—in the classroom, on athletics teams, in dorms—that change each boy’s understanding of his potential and his future.

Join the momentum. You can direct your support to the area of Trinity-Pawling that means the most to you. Find your giving options here.

Thank you and Roll Pride!

Former Pittsburgh Steelers center Chukky Okobi ‘96 returned to Trinity-Pawling on Saturday October 24th to present an NFL commemorative golden football. The presentation occurred at half-time of the game against Hotchkiss on Parents Weekend.

Okobi ‘96 earned a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XL (February 2006) when the Steelers defeated the Seahawks 21-10. He was an All-Conference football player at Trinity-Pawling and played for Purdue in college. Okobi was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft.

In preparation for Super Bowl 50, to be played in February 2016, the NFL is going gold. The golden anniversary will be celebrated in several ways including stadiums with gold 50-yard markers and gold sideline gear. One of the more unique ways the league will be celebrating is the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll. The NFL will be sending a gold football to every high school that has produced a player or coach who has appeared in a Super Bowl. More than 2,000 high schools across the country are a part of the program. Being a part of the NFL’s Super Bowl High School Honor Roll program will give Trinity-Pawling the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support our football program.

Music that transcends generations has proven to be an effective theme for Headmaster Bill Taylor’s Senior Coffee sessions. Every Monday evening following dinner, the Senior class and faculty gather in a relaxed family setting in the Headmaster’s living room at Gamage House for coffee and conversation. Headmaster Taylor’s passion for music provides a theme, which creates an opportunity for the boys to get to know him better. He introduces a different artist each week as a way to share his interests with the boys and to create some great discussion points. Senior Coffee featured artists include The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Ray LaMontagne, and The Decemberists.

“When I was in the dorm, music was a great point of commonality with the students. A student introduced me to a bootleg tape of Dave Matthews Band before their first album released. I also remember talking at length with students about the Grateful Dead. Music is a great connector across generations,” recalls Taylor.

Based on Headmaster Bill Taylor’s taste in music, it goes without saying he will be making great connections with the boys of Trinity-Pawling – past, present, and future. Listen to Bill’s Spotify playlist here.

Congratulations to Van Metcalf, who was awarded the 2015 Arditti Fellowship on Saturday, October 24, 2015. This endowed fellowship honors a member of our faculty for “teaching excellence”.

The Arditti Fellowship award was established in 2000 by Edward Arditti ’51 and his son Ted ’94 as a way to honor our teachers for their distinguished work and dedication. Criteria for consideration include outstanding knowledge of one’s field, commitment to our students and the educational program at Trinity-Pawling, and inclusion of new techniques and information in one’s teaching. Members of the faculty nominate the individual who best exemplifies these qualities.

Van Metcalf, Academic Technology Coordinator, has been a member of the Trinity-Pawling faculty since 2004. He is responsible for all the technology needs of the academic building, which includes more than 100 computers, over 20 Smart Boards, a 3D printer, and numerous Apple TV’s, printers, projectors, and the Middle School Chromebook initiative. Van maintains all of this while teaching courses from Applied Tech in the middle school to AP Computer Programming. When Van is not busy teaching his classes, he is sought out by students and faculty to solve their immediate IT problems. Van is a true team-player, always doing his best for the Trinity-Pawling Community.

Over the years, students have gravitated to Van, not only for his vast knowledge, but also because of his compassionate nature and his willingness to help. When students show interest in the IT field, Van stokes the fire. He has been the impetus of several IT careers of Trinity-Pawling alumni. Van has been a great role model for the boys and strives to find connections for students, who may not find a fit with other clubs, through courses and clubs such as Robotics and Computer Repair. Van Metcalf truly represents “teaching excellence” at Trinity-Pawling School.

Trinity-Pawling is on the move!

Headmaster Bill Taylor and Jennifer Taylor’s first year is off to a GREAT start! In the coming months, we’ll be gathering around the country to celebrate who we are and where we’re headed together.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the brotherhood and welcoming Headmaster Bill Taylor and Jennifer Taylor. See our event schedule here and register to attend an event in your city.

Roll Pride!