Award winners demonstrate excellence in service

Front Row: Second Grade Lead Teacher Rachel Walker ’06, Fourth Grade Lead Teacher Hunter Branch, First Grade Lead Teacher Ali Avery, Extended Programs Core Supervisor Michelle Siegel, School Counselor Erica Pendleton, School Nurse Debbie Bright, Upper Elementary Art Teacher Pat Kerner Back Row: Database Manager Karen Johnson, Early Learners Lead Teacher Robin Martin, Early Elementary P.E. Teacher Laura English, Fourth Grade Associate Teacher Jackie Sears, Director of Outplacement Sarah Morgan Bonham, Maintenance Technician Will Hutchinson, First Grade Lead Teacher Julia Lee, Director of Spotlight on Art and Special Events Leisy Stevenson, Second Grade Associate Teacher Claire Snyder, Director of Marketing and Communications Nicole Fash

By Katie Rosengren, Associate Director of Advancement

At a special reception during employees’ back-to-school pre-planning in early August, the Academic Leadership Team (ALT) celebrated excellence in service by presenting awards to 17 esteemed members of Trinity School’s faculty and staff . These awards, facilitated by generous gifts to the School’s endowment over the years, honor passionate employees who demonstrate extraordinary dedication and commitment to Trinity. The Rollins Quest for Excellence grants, which include a stipend to be used for personal and professional growth and renewal, were made possible by a very generous gift from the Gary W. Rollins Foundation to recognize dedication and loyalty to Trinity. This year, Director of Outplacement Sarah Morgan Bonham, School Nurse Debbie Bright, Director of Marketing and Communications Nicole Fash, Maintenance Technician Will Hutchinson, Database Manager Karen Johnson, School Counselor Erica Pendleton, Extended Programs Core Supervisor Michelle Siegel, and Director of Spotlight on Art and Special Events Leisy Stevenson were honored with this prestigious award. First Grade Lead Teacher Ali Avery, Fourth Grade Lead Teacher Hunter Branch, Kindergarten Lead Teacher Julia Lee, and Second Grade Lead Teacher Rachel Walker ’06 received awards from The Childress Family Fund for Faculty Excellence this year. Established in 2013, The Childress Family Fund supports faculty members in their professional growth and development. Typically, Childress awards provide funds to pursue innovative programs awards provide funds to pursue innovative programs to increase awareness, knowledge, and profi ciency or to increase awareness, knowledge, and profi ciency or insight that will be applied in the classroom and shared insight that will be applied in the classroom and shared with Trinity colleagues. Because of continued restrictions with Trinity colleagues. Because of continued restrictions on travel and professional development gatherings on travel and professional development gatherings due to COVID-19, this year’s award winners received a due to COVID-19, this year’s award winners received a well-deserved stipend to recognize their remarkable well-deserved stipend to recognize their remarkable commitment to Trinity. commitment to Trinity. Early Learners Lead Teacher Robin Martin and Fourth Grade Associate Teacher Jackie Sears were honored with awards from The Hartman Family Fund for Faculty Excellence established by Trinity parent Nathan Hartman to provide stipends to teachers who go above and beyond to provide exceptional service to Trinity School. Director of Teaching and Learning Jill Gough says of Jackie, “This faculty-leader made it a mission to teach our community to enter into both safe and brave conversations. She reminds us to take responsibility for what we say and feel, to use empathetic listening, to be sensitive to diff erences, to ponder what we hear and feel, to examine our own assumptions and perceptions, to keep conversations confi dential, and to trust ambiguity.” Early Elementary Physical Education Teacher Laura English and Upper Elementary Art Teacher Pat Kerner were honored at the reception for receiving grants from the Teacher Opportunity Fund. Established in 1994, this endowed fund was set up to honor excellence in teaching and typically provides awards to faculty for travel, exploration, and curriculum enhancement. This year, the Teacher Opportunity Fund winners received a stipend to celebrate their accomplishments in place of funds for travel.

Lastly, Second Grade Associate Teacher Claire Snyder was recognized with the Stephen G. Kennedy Fund for Faculty Excellence award this year. Established to honor previous Head of School Stephen Kennedy’s 11 years of service to Trinity, this award and stipend honors a faculty member using innovative best practices to foster Information Age skills. Director of Teaching and Learning Jill Gough says of Claire, “This teacher meets all children where they are on their learning journey. She fi nds ways to both challenge and support students to deepen their learning. She also led professional learning for her teammates in order to assure consistency of instruction and content knowledge across classrooms.”

Congratulations to this year’s award recipients!