Trinity Presbyterian School

Trinty Presbyterian School is a Christian Day school located in Montgomery, Alabama. The school is an independent corporation comprised of an 18 member board of directors. The goal of the school is to integrate Christian principles into all aspects of student's lives, not just sports but also academics. The student body represents a diverse collection of Protestant denominations. The curriculum is college preparatory. Each year a large majority of students choose to attend either Auburn University or the University of Alabama.

Academics

Trinity boasts that the Lord has provided them with a qualified faculty. 65% of Trinity's faculty hold masters degrees. Trinity's 14:1 student/faculty ratio enables students, teachers, and administrators alike to fully inform one another of the various aspects of each student's life, thus ensuring that Christian principles play out both on and off campus. The school is accredited by the State of Alabama and the Southern Association of Schools. Trinity maintains memberships in the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, The College Board, Alabama Association of Independent Schools, and the Association of Christian Schools International.

Christian Studies

Trinity’s Christian Studies program ensures that students enrich their spiritual growth throughout their time as a student. Each year students are required to take one semester of Christian Studies. Students begin with a multi-year sequence in the Life of Christ. Later, in Comparative Religions, students learn about the entire spiritual landscape from a Christian perspective. Other religions such as Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Catholicism are studied and critically evaluated throughout the teachings of this course in dogma. In their final year at Trinity, students partake in an ethics course where ethical dilemmas are presented and students are free to debate the merits of several opposing viewpoints falling under the Christian perspective. This helps prepare students for the new life and experiences that they may encounter after departing from the halls of Trinity.

As an additional component to Trinity’s Christian Studies program, students must complete required community service hours each year. Students may complete these hours by working in a soup kitchen, visiting the elderly in retirement homes, completing typical office tasks for charitable organizations, or contributing through a number of other options.

ummer Sessions

Trinity believes in enriching the learning experience by engaging students in various activities during Summer break to increase their performance throughout the year. Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Dance Team, and Cheerleading camps, in addition to weight training sessions for Football players, are offered throughout the summer. A few students also choose to attend Trinity's camps for Art and Show Choir. Additionally, Trinity offers a course in Driver's Education and Boating Safety over the summer.

Athletics

Involvement in athletics is a vital aspect of being a Trinity student. Many students have transferred to Trinity from other schools in order to pursue their athletic interests to the fullest extent through involvement in Trinity's vast array of athletic programs. Friday night football games feature a standing-room only section, the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs with a vast assortment of condiments, and unbridled enthusiasm matched at no other point in the Trinity experience. In recent years, Trinity has invested a large proportion of its annual budget to produce some of the finest practice fields and facilities in Alabama athletics. This investment produced a 4A Football Championship in 2003, an event that has in only a short time become a major legacy for Trinity. Trinity has an enormous amount of pride in its coaching staff.

Band

Despite heavy attrition in recent years, Trinity's band has proved tenacious. Each year a few rising seventh graders choose to join Trinity's band. Participation in the band includes membership in the Marching Band, which performs the half-time show at Trinity's football games, and also the Concert Band, which performs at various competitions. Due to the small, close-knit nature of Trinity's band, most members also play in the Pep Band, which performs at Trinity's basketball games. At one time Trinity showcased a competitive Jazz Band. This group has been on temporary hiatus for a number of years, but expects to make a strong comeback at some point in the future.

Library

Even Trinity's library takes Christian principles into account. Included in the Library is a wide selection of books by Tim LaHaye and Rick Warren. In recent years, the Headmaster and Board of Directors have decided to spare no cost in improving the aesthetic appeal of the library by furnishing it with a large number of high end Dell computers. New collections of books are forthcoming.

The Brian E. Willett Fine Arts Hall

In 2002, construction was completed on the Brian E. Willett Fine Arts Hall (BEWFAH). This facility was built with the highest standards of quality in mind, using limestone tile and gray drywall. Illustrious columns augment the elegance. The facility houses the band room, choral and music rooms, a multi-purpose room, used for both school lunch and the annual musical, and also a room that once housed a Speech and Debate program. The Hall honors former headmaster Brian E. Willett with a specially made portrait which hangs in the entrance foyer. The fund-raising efforts for the overall fine arts area began in 1984 with the inception of the first Trinity band program and culminated in the building of the Fine Arts Hall.

Technology

Trinity has a strong commitment to keeping up with the latest trends in technology. Traditional chalkboards have been replaced by Smart Boards in many classrooms. These devices enhance the student's learning experience by allowing teachers to write information on a computer-based projection screen using a digital pen instead of writing on a blackboard. A number of technology courses are offered to Trinity students. All of Trinity's students get their bearings in several of the applications included in the latest Microsoft Office suite. Some of Trinity's more advanced students may take several years of Computer Graphics. In these courses, students learn to create and manipluate existing images using using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator and other graphics editors. This skill is maintained through practice sessions occurring as often as biweekly.

=Controversy= Responding to a growing trend, Trinity implemented a drug-testing policy several years ago. This resulted in the flight of some students to other schools. Macon East Montgomery Academy in particular welcomed a strong influx of Trinity Students who were protesting this measure. Ironically Macon - East Montgomery Academy is one of two independent schools in the Montgomery area to begin drug testing in the school year of 2004-2005 and has done so since that time. Which brings the question, why leave one school due to drug testing to attend another school which has been drug testing for four years?

Recent years have seen the departure of a number of Trinity faculty members. Many of these individuals were well established educators and long time members of the Trinity community for 20 years or more. This exodus may have been precipitated by the most recent SACS accreditation review, which became a source of conflict for some. Many in the Trinity community have raised questions regarding this matter, though most to this day remain unanswered. The retirement in 2006 of Brian E. Willett, who enjoyed a 30 year career as Trinity’s principal, only added to the intrigue.

Other

During the 2005-06 school year, a group of TPS students started the new student newspaper for the school, "The Trinity Tribune."

External links

* [http://www.trinitywildcats.com Trinity Presbyterian School homepage]