Each January the campus is abuzz as juniors join their parents in Gardiner Theater for the Junior College Day presentations. This is the day when the juniors step up and officially start the college process. The day, according to Slade Mead, Director of College Counseling, “Is both a sad and happy event. I say good bye to my senior buddies and start the process with the juniors. ” Slade was delighted by this year’s large turnout, as well as the 70 plus people watching on webcast. “We got off to a great start. The event was highlighted with a panel made up of three college admissions representatives, open to Q & A. This process can be somewhat daunting, but a year from now, the students will be in great shape.”
Having grown up on Salisbury School’s campus, with a father who ran the College Office there for 25 years, College Counseling has always been in Slade’s blood. In fact, he explains, “We used to go on family vacations via stops at Lafayette, Lehigh and Muhlenberg. I probably visited over 100 colleges before I reached 9th grade. I had one of the world’s greatest college T-shirt collections.”
Over the years his role in the office has evolved from running virtually everything himself to an expanded office and team of professionals whose aim is to work with our students in every aspect that will help them get into college.
Nic Bell came into the fold three years ago and has been a great addition to the office. “Nic is fantastic! He not only learns quickly, but his personal skills have been essential to both working with the students and establishing relationships with the college admission representatives,” Slade says.
Nic was first introduced to college counseling through his role as Varsity Lacrosse coach. In this role, he served as a liaison between inquiring college coaches and his players who are seeking a college lacrosse playing experience. In doing so, Nic says, “I was able to expand my college network, while gaining insight into ‘fit’ on both the college side and the student side.”
Together, Slade and Nic work to find a match that is mutually agreeable for the college, student and family. “Working in a boarding school environment allows us to see and appreciate each boy personally, as we teach them, coach them, and also see them in the dorm environment. This vantage point allows us to pair students with colleges that fit their needs most appropriately,” Nic says.
As for Slade’s goals for the program, “My goal is simple—by the time a student gets to his senior year most of his college options are pretty well defined, since his transcript is his most important rite of passage into the college world,” Slade says. “I aim to find excellent matches between the students and the schools.”
View the Junior College Day workshops via our webcast channel.
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, students were introduced to a new community service initiative envisioned by Bill Taylor. The goal: Provide opportunities for our School community to give back to others, and promote the ideal of citizenship. “Teaching our students that they belong to a community and, as such, have certain responsibilities to it is an essential component of teaching the concept of citizenship.” says Taylor.
The idea of serving our local community was introduced to students by their Form Advisors. The students were then presented with background information on two non-profit organizations whose work benefits children in the local community. This process allowed the boys to understand the dilemmas, and reflect on their values in order to make thoughtful action plans.
Placed in leadership roles, students are enabled to develop their organizational and problem-solving skills, and are encouraged to inspire and mobilize others in their efforts. Taylor explains, “Community service reinforces the idea of interconnection and interdependence, an essential aspect of understanding one’s role as a citizen.”
In break-out groups, faculty members facilitated planning and brainstorming sessions which proved to be a successful exercise in teamwork and collaboration. Using creative thinking to develop their ideas, the students began planning a community-wide fundraising event and are now preparing to put their innovative ideas into action, and tackle the challenges they have been charged with.
Through this endeavor, we have the capacity to help our students become great citizens and leaders. According to Taylor, “Young people learn a great deal from community service – they learn more about their immediate community and its needs. They also learn more about themselves. This is why I often use the term ‘service learning’. By serving, we connect with others on a human level. In a world that is increasingly disconnected, service reinforces the need for belonging and connectivity.”
This outreach initiative will culminate as a community-wide fundraising event hosted on the Trinity-Pawling campus May 1, 2016. Stay tuned for more details!
After graduating from Trinity-Pawling in 1984, Micah Chase went on to earn his BA and MBA at the University of Rochester. He headed West after graduation and was working in Silicon Valley in the virtual reality industry when his father persuaded him to join in a new start-up invitation business.
It was in this capacity as a young entrepreneur that Micah realized the tremendous value of three key lessons learned through Trinity-Pawling’s Effort System.
Lesson One placed a premium on the importance of always doing your best. It was ok if you didn’t know everything, as long as you were bold enough to ask for help when needed. Failure was not a problem as long as you got up after being knocked down and you tried again. At Trinity-Pawling, Micah learned that, “…the key is to persevere through challenges until you come out the other side with a success or a lesson.”
Lesson Two was the ability to work through uncertainty. “We weren’t allowed to freeze when facing something we were uncertain about. We just had to do it,” Micah recalls. This skill helped enormously when Micah joined his father in business. Micah’s father, Arthur Chase, was busy serving the people of Massachusetts as a state senator so Micah relied on the self-reliance and perseverance learned at T-P which enabled him to find the answers he needed to keep growing the business.
The third lesson Micah learned at T-P that fuels his innovative management style hinges on courage. The T-P Effort System helps students discover what they are good at and what they can contribute to the world. “Each person finds their own beat and that takes courage,” explained Micah. “And courage is cultivated at T-P.”
These lessons have not only helped Micah make Checkerboard, his high-end stationery and invitation business, the gold standard in the industry, but they have also made it a great place to work.
6900 miles, 22 states, and 10 Trinity-Pawling brothers visited.
The road trip Chris Lamorte ’73 and his wife Judy took on his motorcycle last summer can be summed up in a sentence, though the memories and experiences are far more unabridged. The couple navigated their way from their home in Missouri, and headed east on two wheels.
In their quest to reach destinations east of the Mississippi River, Chris and Judy made their way from state to state, while working in visits with ten Trinity-Pawling brothers along the way.
“These are my brothers from other mothers. We grew from boys to men together. We know each other better than most know us. We are the same people we were at T-P, but our individual development, since then, seems to have enhanced us as a coterie,” Lamorte says. “We are also more clearly defined, individually and collectively, and grow closer with each passing year.”
This closeness, Chris refers to, can be attributed to the Brotherhood of T-P. While he only sees his classmates every five years at reunions, it is the common bond they share from experiencing T-P together that keeps them close with each passing year; that—along with “music and humor”, according to Chris.
As for highlights of the trip? Having a dinner party with 7 alums at Willis’ house and riding the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Thank you to the many alumni, parents, and friends who supported Trinity-Pawling in the first half of the fiscal year. Because of your generosity, boys continue to have access to a Trinity-Pawling education and a thriving community.
YOU make great things possible.
There’s still time! If you haven’t supported Trinity-Pawling this year, the gift year ends on June 30, 2016.
Jordi Jefferson ’17 came to Trinity-Pawling to play hockey and soon realized hockey wasn’t the only way he’d discover his potential. “I already know that attending Trinity-Pawling is a life changing experience. I realize this every day, as I see myself grow more than I ever imagined.” On the ice, in the dorm and in the classroom, Jordi has emerged as a true leader. “It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish when you are always encouraged to give your maximum effort, and that is what it’s all about here.”
Dr. George Coulter lays unique claim to knowing all seven Headmasters of the School, from its founder Dr. Gamage to Bill Taylor. Since 1928, he has lived in his family’s home along Coulter Avenue, the road that generations of boys have traveled to get from campus into the village of Pawling.
Coulter had always dreamed of attending the Pawling School, but by the time he reached 14, the School had just closed its doors. That was 1942.
“Sure I was disappointed. I had spent much of my youth up on campus. Raphael Shortlidge came on as Headmaster in 1935. His son, Johnny, and I were classmates at Pawling Elementary School, and I had great fun playing in the Shortlidges’ apartment on the first floor of Cluett. They had five kids and were pretty loose compared to Fritz Gamage and Dr. Gamage. Mrs. Shortlidge would host teas almost every afternoon for anyone to drop by. They ran two popular summer camps in New Hampshire which many Pawling boys attended.”
Although Coulter couldn’t attend the Pawling School, Dr. Gamage did help get him into college. “He made a phone call for me and found me a spot at Bard College. Dr. Gamage was a generous and loyal man.”
An icon himself, Dr. Coulter has a long history in Pawling. Coulter’s grandfather had served as treasurer of the Pawling School under both Gamages. His family helped establish the Pawling Savings Bank, and Coulter was the town’s dentist for more than 40 years. Several of Coulter’s cousins attended Trinity-Pawling.
Coulter reflected: “Dr. Gamage was a character – he could get blood out of a stone! His son, Fritz, had the unenviable job of following in his father’s path and had a rough time. Matt Dann scared the hell out of most people though I saw a different side. He could turn on the charm when needed.”
“Phil and Holly Smith brought the School to new levels,” Coulter continued. “They really welcomed the public onto campus and improved town relations tremendously, with events like the Candlelight service, the Pawling Concert Series, and letting local teams use the hockey rink and soccer fields. Arch and Gay Smith continued those traditions and were involved in civic organizations. Their Christmas parties were a big hit with the town! And I knew Bill and Jennifer Taylor when they came to T-P as young teachers. It’s been great fun to watch the School evolve for 80 years.”
Trinity-Pawling is equally grateful for Dr. Coulter’s steadfast support of our faculty and boys over the decades.
Bryan Cahill ’15, currently a freshman at University Vermont, wrote a profound Chapel Talk for the Trinity-Pawling community. It was delivered by Dean of Faculty Todd Hoffman on January 28, 2016.
Here’s an excerpt:
I’m currently writing this on my way to visit one of my best friends that I met through Trinity-Pawling, which is enough to show my gratitude towards T-P. I didn’t think life could get better after the day I graduated from Trinity-Pawling. After all the stress and boredom I thought I was facing, after constantly saying “oh my god, this place sucks.” Or, “Why didn’t I go somewhere with girls.” Or, “Wow, I’m being forced to go to dinner where an underclassman literally brings food to me.” Life was tough as a student!
But a couple of days after I graduated…it hit me. It may have been the last time I see the people I call my teammates, my brothers, my family. I can honestly say, after all the tough times and stress I went through, I couldn’t miss T-P more right now. Everything the School did for me, the people I met, and the doors it opened up for me have changed my life. I am forever indebted for the friendships and memories Trinity-Pawling provided me, and that’s all I have tangibly besides a diploma, a broadcast team cup, a hockey puck and a couple of pictures….I have so many more intangibles, like my memories. I could go on and on about how easy I had it at Trinity-Pawling, I was surrounded by a faculty who supported me and had nothing but my best interest at heart and literally, (I know Mr. Reade is smiling right now mouthing “literally” to himself, maybe rolling his eyes,) literally chilled for most of the day with my best friends playing “Chel”, or ordering food, or tickling some twine down at the turf, or dangling some scrubs during pond hockey, but I’ll touch on something that I regret every day while I was at T-P. Attitude.
When it’s actually warmer in the Ice Rink than it is outside, you know that you are in the real heart of the winter athletic season.
Continuing its dominance, the Varsity Wrestling team holds a 12-3 record including wins over Taft, Avon, and Loomis. Most exciting, was a 77-0 romp of the Suffield Tigers at the Carleton Athletic Center, where Dennis Ilmela ’17 concluded the shutout with a cradle to a pin only 30 seconds into the match.
The three captains Khaleed Exum-Strong ’16, Pat Marks ’16 and Jeff Thompson ’17 have been absolute wrecking balls at the upper weight classes for the Pride. The 1-2-3 punch of the grappling trio has resulted in over 50 individual wins and only one loss thus far this season. What is being called “The Murderers’ Row” is an almost guarantee victory for T-P in every single dual meet.
106-Pounder David Bancroft ’19 also has shared in the success with only one loss on the season, while fellow freshman, brothers Jake and Zack Conlan have added quite a spark to the middle-weight classes for the Pride.
Varsity Hockey is 4-9-1 in the first season under new head coach Robert Ferraris. The young Pride team got off to a slow start, but has since come together and are 2-3-1 in the last six games. Junior goalkeeper, Justin Lampert has really begun to find his rhythm between the pipes, fellow junior Ray Zimmerman has taken well to his role as the Pride enforcer, and the rest of the team is beginning to understand the new system.
Hockey defeated Taft 2-1 on Saturday, where Trey Aiello ’16 scored the game-winning goal with 14 seconds to go in the contest. Earlier in January, the Pride journeyed to Deerfield and defeated the Big Green 3-2, with the go-ahead goal coming in the last five minutes by junior Chris Connolly off a rap-around pass from Zimmerman. Aiello and Nick Charron ’17 each also added a goal in the contest, while Lampert finished with 26 saves.
JV Hockey is 4-3-2 on the season led by goal-scorer Griffin Moore ’19 and by goalies Evan Angotti ’17 and Brennan McGwire ’17. 3rd’s Hockey is 5-2 on the season led by goaltender Sam Arquit ’18 who totaled an astonishing 52 saves in a game against Berkshire last week.
Varsity Squash has began the 2015-16 campaign with a 2-7 record thus far. Abdallah Bekhiet ’18 has shown some tremendous skill at the #1 position for the Pride as only a sophomore, while Nick Sweet ’16 has acted as the senior leader from the #2 position on the team.
In the most exciting match of the season, the Pride were able to defeat the Canterbury Saints 6-1 in a hard-fought battle with strong play from juniors Ty Gundrum and Chris Taylor.
JV Squash is 3-3 on the season with wins over Kent, Salisbury and Canterbury; led by sophomore Nate Tanner and junior Joe Morley.
Varsity Basketball is 1-12 on the season, but has lost two games by only a two-point differential. Monte Lambert ’16 and Jordan Harnum ’16 have been two huge new additions for the Pride. Lambert with his defensive and ball handling abilities, together with Harnum’s sharpshooting from beyond the arc and his ability to drive down the baseline for the layup. Jonathan Girard ’17 continues to be a powerhouse on the boards, while Stephen O’Hanlon ’16 is a clear leader on and off the court. The Pride concluded a 52-46 victory over Westminster back in December, where Harnum and O’Hanlon led the team with 11 points apiece. Small-forward, Kevin Salis ’17 secured the victory with a couple big shots from distance in the final quarter of play.
JV Basketball is 6-4 on the season with Ricky Norris ’17 continuously scoring in double digits, and Tanner Baldin ’16 leading the team at the point. 3rd’s Basketball is 5-1 thus far, with some dominating performances led by senior Justin So.
The Varsity Ski team, with only a few competitions under its belt, has had some strong performances from freshman Tommy Poulin, and 8th grader Cannon Barnaby.
Roll Pride!
Trinity-Pawling is on the move! Headmaster Bill Taylor and Jennifer Taylor have enjoyed meeting many of you at receptions throughout the first half of this school year. In the coming months, we’ll be gathering in more cities to connect and celebrate Trinity-Pawling’s future. Spread the word, mark your calendars, and get ready to join old friends and new.
Next stop: San Francisco on March 9, 2016
See more details and our event schedule here.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the brotherhood and welcoming Headmaster Bill Taylor and Jennifer Taylor!
If you would like to receive an invitation to an event outside your local area, please contact Beth Bryant at bbryant@trinitypawling.org or 845-855-4833.
Roll Pride!