Trinity Tidbits

Highlights

Trinity Tidbits

By Nicole Fash, Director of Marketing and Communications

Mama Koku and students across grade levels explore the concept of nonviolence by acting out an African folktale during the MLK observance program.

Mama Koku shares “Stories of a King”

At the Trinity Together Time (TTT) held on January 8, the whole school assembled to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In addition to some beautiful readings shared by Trinity students, Master Storyteller and children’s writer Donna Kokumo Buie (a.k.a., Mama Koku) shared “Stories of a King.” Students had an incredible time engaging with Mama Koku during her interactive performance as she wove animal stories into lessons about cooperation and the importance of working together taught by Martin Luther King.

Margaret Douglas and Khette Plyler lead featured session on alumni

On January 14, Director of Advancement Margaret Douglas and Director of Alumni Relations and Assistant Director of The Trinity Fund Khette Plyler led a featured session on “The Power of Community: Alumni Are Our Ambassadors” at the annual CASE NAIS Conference that was held in Atlanta.

Then-Kindergartners Aiden, Gianluca, Janie, Basil, and Layla select items for their care packages.

Kindergartners give back

Every year, each grade participates in at least one annual service-learning project. In late February 2020, Kindergarten students brought in much-needed toiletries for the homeless in Atlanta. They decorated and packed care boxes with soap, shampoo, mouthwash, and other items, and the boxes were sent to Atlantaarea homeless shelters. In addition, Kindergartners raised money for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, then visited the food bank for a tour to learn more about the important role the organization plays in the community.

Parents participate in second Embolden Your Inner Mathematician session

On January 10, parents gathered to learn more about Trinity’s approach to math during a second offering of Embolden Your Inner Mathematician led by Director of Teaching and Learning Jill Gough and Upper Elementary Division Math Specialist Kerry Coote. The first session was held on November 15, 2019. Embolden Your Inner Mathematician, offered regularly to faculty and staff, explores ways to deepen participants conceptual understanding of mathematics and strengthen their confidence and efficacy in learning mathematics. During their session, parents enjoyed discussing, sketching, and solving tasks that promote flexibility, algebraic reasoning, and

problem solving.

Early Learners enjoy annual Science Fair

On February 28, Early Learners participated in the grade-level’s annual Science Fair. During this special grade-wide teaming project, students from the three Early Learners classrooms were placed in nine different lab groups, each overseen by an Early Learners teacher. In addition to learning scientific principles through some fun winter-themed experiments— such as snowstorm in a jar, magnetic ice, and erupting snowballs—the students made connections across classrooms, building relationships within the larger Early Learners community. The Fair was also an opportunity for the Early Learners to spend time with their Sixth-Grade buddies, members of the Leadership Class who are matched up with Early Learners’ classrooms through the Big Kid/Little Kid program, who helped manage each experiment table.

Then-Early Learner Jesse locates a hidden treasure in the erupting “snowball” as Wales and Murphy look on.

Then-Early Learners Hadrian, Astrid, and Solace spray baking soda with a combination of vinegar and water to cause the “snowball” to erupt.

Then-Early Learners Hayden and Kate watch as Rory adds material to make the snowstorm in a jar come to life.

Teachers participate in STEAM training

James Campbell, STEAM Interdisciplinary Specialist at Atlanta Girls’ School, led a full day of STEAM professional development for Trinity faculty on February 18. James led two keynote sessions, one for Early Elementary Division teachers and another for Upper Elementary Division teachers. Staff were invited to participate in either gathering. In each session, James addressed the importance of making, tinkering, and playing to learn. After each keynote, participants were able to choose between three play-to-learn activities: building a balloon car, quilting, or building a heat shield to protect an egg astronaut. For the balloon car, teachers were challenged to build a car out of materials found in the recycling bin that would travel as far as possible while being powered by air from a balloon. Our teachers enjoyed building, testing, and evaluating different configurations of materials and placements of the balloon to determine how to make their car go the furthest. In the quilting session, teachers brainstormed a pattern and designed a quilt with the pattern repeated. They learned—through trial, error, and finally success—how much math and geometry are involved in the quilt-making process and the importance of recognizing math in all areas of life. Lastly, the third group worked in pairs to build heat shields to protect egg astronauts from a blowtorch. Each pair was given 100 credits to purchase items, ranging from 5 to 30 credits each, to build a shield that could be no thicker than the width of a standard pencil. The groups created and tested shields made of galvanized mesh, sponges, aluminum foil, uncooked lasagna noodles, felt, spackle, and paper, among other things. The group whose design protected the egg astronaut the longest against the blowtorch was declared the winner.

At the end of each session, the divisions reconvened to reflect on their learning, share their experiences of frustration and success, and produce ideas on how they could incorporate maker challenges like these into the classroom. Each person was charged with recording two things that they found interesting or learned from the professional development opportunity as well as three things that they could apply in the classroom. Teachers enjoyed the time to experiment, play, overcome frustration, try again, and learn, taking away new ideas to introduce their students to additional activities around making and tinkering. This ongoing education event was possible due to a generous grant from The Goizueta Foundation, an Atlanta-based foundation that partners with organizations to give “young people the opportunity, through education, to succeed.”

Fourth Grade Lead Teachers Laura Jannausch and Brian Toth and Director of Teaching and Learning Jill Gough work together on a quilt.

First Grade Lead Teachers Abbie Shaw, Julianne Schaaf ’81, and Ali Avery select quilting squares.

Upper Elementary Division Math Specialist Kerry Coote tests out her balloon car.

Katherine Anderson earns master’s degree

In July, Kindergarten Lead Teacher Katherine Anderson earned her Master of Education in Early Childhood Education from Kennesaw State University. At Trinity since 2014, Katherine also has a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

Kate Burton presents at NSTA

At Trinity since 2007, STEAM Integration Specialist Kate Burton presented “STEAM Starts from the Stacks” on July 27 at the National Science Teaching Association’s STEM20: Virtual Event.

Jill Gough continues to lead professional development

At Trinity since 2012, Director of Teaching and Learning Jill Gough was one of 40 national math leaders presenting at the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics 2020 Virtual Conference held on March 30 and 31. She presented “Be Both Author and Illustrator of Mathematical Understanding.” On August 10, Jill was one of 40 math leaders to present at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 100 Days of Professional Learning’s Virtual Conference.

Shaun McCarthy becomes Orton-Gillingham Associate

In May, Kindergarten Lead Teacher Shaun McCarthy became an Associate member of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. At Trinity since 2002 as a parent and 2014 as a teacher, she completed her training after participating in 60 hours of coursework, more than 100 hours of one-to-one supervised practicum, and 10 observations under the mentorship of Orton-Gillingham Fellow Rosalie Davis.

“In order to grow in my practice as a teacher, it was important for me to learn as much as I could about learning differences and how to help make it easier for all children to learn to read,” says Shaun. “OrtonGillingham methods are powerful learning routines, and all children benefit from practicing them.”

Shaun holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education from Mercer University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Marketing from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Faculty and staff transition to new positions at Trinity

Staff Extended Programs

Dana Chambliss, who joined Trinity in August of 2017 as a Pre-K Associate Teacher, is now the Special Events Assistant to the Upper Elementary Division Head. Prior to working at Trinity, she subbed at The Westminster Schools and was a preschool teacher at Peachtree Presbyterian School. Dana spent the first 11 years of her career practicing law, serving as an attorney for companies such as Federated Department Stores, Siemens Corporation, and IBM Credit Corporation. She has a Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Spelman College.

This summer, Lauren Darden joined the admissions team as the Admissions and Enrollment Management Assistant after spending four years as a Third Grade Lead Teacher at Trinity. Last school year, she served as the Grade-Level Team Leader for Third Grade, working with the Academic Leadership Team to grow effective teaming practices and deepen grade-level teamwork. Prior to working at Trinity, Lauren taught Third Grade for four years at High Point Elementary in Atlanta, where she served as a grade-level chair, won a Fulton County Central Learning Community (CLC) “You Rock” award, and was a Teacher of the Year finalist for two consecutive years. Lauren earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia.

Eman Srouji, who joined Trinity in August of 2019 as an Extended Programs Teacher, quickly became an integral part of the EP team and was promoted to Extended Programs Curriculum Associate when the position opened in March 2020. She previously worked as a ceramics instructor for Atlanta Clay Works and was also a private tutor and childcare provider. Eman has extensive art training and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Creative Writing from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

Early Elementary Division

Margaret Abernathy is now a First Grade Lead Teacher and teams with Lead Teacher Ali Avery and Associate Teacher Bella Giorno. She most recently served as a First Grade Associate Teacher at Trinity for two years and has 26 years’ experience teaching children age three through Second Grade, including seven years as a Kindergarten Lead Teacher at Trinity. She is trained in the OrtonGillingham Approach and has participated in Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. She has a Master of Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia.

Katherine Anderson now serves as a Kindergarten Lead Teacher alongside Lead Teacher Julia Lee and Associate Teacher Andrea Barnett. A Pre-K Lead Teacher since August 2016, Katherine began working at Trinity in August 2014 as the Extended Programs Curriculum Associate. Last school year, she was chair of the Faculty Staff Leadership Team after serving as the Social-Emotional Committee Co-Chair the preceding year. Prior to working at Trinity, Katherine was a Pre-K lead teacher at The Goddard School in Midtown and Carpe Diem Private Preschool in Frisco, Texas. She earned her Master of Education in Early Childhood Education from Kennesaw State University and Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

Sarah Kerr is now a Pre-K Lead Teacher after serving as a Pre-K Associate Teacher since 2015. She teams with Associate Teachers Debbie Oakes and Erika Sommers. Sarah joined Trinity in 2011 as the Extended Programs Curriculum Associate, a position she held until August of 2013 when she became an Early Learners Associate Teacher. Prior to working at Trinity, Sarah was a teacher at St. Francis Day School in Roswell and a counselor at Challenged Child and Friends in Gainesville, Georgia. She has a Master of Arts in School Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, both from The University of Alabama.

Upper Elementary Division

Hunter Branch now serves as a Fourth Grade Lead Teacher after joining Trinity in August of 2019 as a Fourth Grade Associate Teacher. She teams with Associate Teacher Cathrine Halliburton. Hunter, who serves on the Peabody Literacy Alumni Association at Vanderbilt, has a Master of Elementary Education from Vanderbilt and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Texas Christian University.

Lauren Covington now serves as a Third Grade Lead Teacher alongside Associate Teacher Gretchen Blake. She joined Trinity in August of 2018 as a Third Grade Associate Teacher. Lauren earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from The University of Georgia and is currently working toward her master’s degree in Education.

Michaela Davida, who joined Trinity in August of 2018 as a Third Grade Associate Teacher, now serves as an Associate Teacher for Fifth Grade Lead Teachers Bridget Billups and Laura McRae. Michaela has a Master of Arts in Special Education and a Bachelor of Science in Education, both from The University of Alabama.

Jennie Rountree is now a Second Grade Lead Teacher and works with Associate Teacher Claire Snyder. At Trinity since 2018, she previously served as a Second Grade Associate Teacher. With an additional 20 years of education experience before joining the Trinity team, she taught robotics to students in grades 3–5 and has taught Kindergarten as well as students in grades 2–8. She has a Master of Arts in Elementary Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Louisiana Tech University.

Jackie Sears is now a Fourth Grade Associate Teacher after serving as a Fifth Grade Associate Teacher since August of 2018. She teams with Fourth Grade Lead Teacher Brian Toth. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Jackie is the School’s Diversity Coordinator, a position she has held since August of 2019. Prior to working at Trinity, her career has included time as an adjunct professor at the Atlanta Metropolitan College School of Business, Mathematics, and Computer Science; a program manager for Diversified Executive Systems; and director of consumer products for Bellsouth Corporation. She has a Master of Business Administration from Emory University, a Master of Science in Operations Research from University of California, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spelman College.

Kelly Swanton now co-teaches FifthGrade math with Vicki Eyles. Kelly taught one section of Fifth-Grade math last year and served as a Fifth Grade Associate Teacher for the last two years. She joined Trinity School as a substitute teacher in October of 2017 after teaching middle school math for four years at St. Francis de Sales School in Philadelphia and St. Andrew the Apostle School in New Orleans. Kelly has a Graduate Alternate Teaching Certification from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Ann Reid Young now serves as an Associate Teacher with Third Grade Lead Teacher Marley Sapp after working as a Sixth Grade Associate Teacher last school year. At Trinity since 2012, Ann Reid has also been a Second Grade Associate Teacher and a Fourth Grade Lead Teacher. She holds her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Auburn University.