Inspire Excellence heads

Inspire Excellence Co-Chairs

TJ and Catherine Humann Callaway ’97 Melissa and Allen Moseley ’81 Sarah and Neal Williams ’73

Parent Co-Chairs

Libby and Brooks Barge Erica and David Cummings Aisha and Marcellus Parker

Committee Members

Julie and Jim Balloun Dana and Will Bickerstaff Kit and David Bowlin Katie and Bryan Bradford Dorsey and Austin Bryan Rebecca and Chris Cummiskey Isha and Anil Damani Lane and Richard Courts Courtenay and Chris Gabriel Annie and Paxton Griffin Morven and Russell Groves Nathan Hartman and Chris Sipes Anne and Peter Hennessy Molly and John Jamieson Stephanie and Street Nalley Stephanie and Austin Stephens Nancy and Chris Suh Beth and Edward Tate Ellen and Buck Wiley

First Grade students try out the new Early Elementary Dining Hall.

Inspire Excellence

heads toward final phase

By Margaret Douglas, Director of Advancement

Trinity School’s faculty and staff have been committed to educating young children and providing them with joyful and meaningful educational experiences and instruction throughout our 71-year history. Additionally, the strong support of our community has allowed us to continually enhance and better our facilities so that we are always providing the best learning environments for our students. The priorities of the Inspire Excellence campaign, which launched publicly in April, stay true to that commitment and further confirm our dedication to our students, age three through Sixth Grade. The generosity of leadership donors and success of early fundraising efforts enabled us to begin last school year with the Upper Elementary classroom renovations completed and open the engaging, new Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Center in April. Both of these projects from the first phase of the campus master plan have proven to be tremendous assets to the evolution of Trinity’s campus and learning atmospheres. The Upper Elementary renovations have allowed our Sixth Grade Leadership Class to have quick access to the MultiPurpose Room and the Overend Learning Commons, giving them more opportunities for individual and group work while preparing them for middle school. Now that their classrooms are located at the start of the Upper Elementary corridor, they have also had increased leadership opportunities with the younger students. The Fourth Grade is now located in its own hub, which has provided more opportunity for both grade-wide collaboration and student autonomy. The Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Center has been an incredible addition to our campus, providing our youngest learners in the Early Elementary Division with opportunities to learn, play, collaborate, and experiment while having fun, a trademark of a Trinity education. This beautiful new campus landmark blends beautifully and seamlessly with the School’s original architectural style.

First Grader Harper pauses for a photo after going through the lunch line in the new Early Elementary Dining Hall for the first time.

First Graders wait patiently in the hot food line on the first day of school.

Members of the Inspire Excellence campaign committee persist in their incredible work to continue to meet fundraising goals, allowing us to proceed with the next phases of the campus master plan. Due to their strong advocacy for Trinity’s needs and subsequent success, we opened this school year with the new Early Elementary Dining Hall complete and ready to serve lunch to our youngest learners, including Lunch Bunch participants and Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First-Grade students. This renovation has provided not only the obvious benefit of shortening the time needed to serve lunch but also additional flexibility in classroom scheduling, which allows for even more intentional programming and classroom instruction time. The new Early Elementary Dining Hall has also opened up additional space and flexibility in the afternoons for Extended Programs, especially as the location is adjacent to the Early Elementary playground. As of November 1, the Inspire Excellence campaign has raised nearly $12 million toward the total goal of $14.5 million. We are deeply grateful for the incredible commitment from so many members of the community— current and past Trustees, parents, alums, grandparents, parents of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the School— that has allowed us to complete the first phases of the campus master plan. With everyone’s support, we will be able to complete Trinity’s future needs in the coming months. The final capital components include construction and completion of the Multi-Use Recreation Center and improvements to the Early Elementary playground. Additionally, we continue to raise money to increase the School’s endowment for the purposes of financial assistance, faculty and staff support and development, and curricular enhancements.

The Multi-Use Rec Center will house the new Early Elementary physical education gym and an Upper Elementary recess gym that will open up to the Upper Elementary playground and the Trinity Track. It will allow for large gatherings of adults or children and will benefit events like the School Festival. Faculty and staff can utilize the new facility for all-school meetings or professional development opportunities, and Extended Programs, including summer camps, will have access to it after the school day. The planned improvements to the Early Elementary playground will allow us to have ageappropriate playgrounds for all grade levels at Trinity. Serving children from ages three to 12 has proven to require very different outdoor play and learning spaces for our students. Being outdoors has always been an important part of the Trinity Experience, and we are excited to think about the additional opportunities all of our students will have to learn, play, and grow outside. Inspire Excellence will increase Trinity’s endowment by $1.5 million. Our endowment provides financial assistance to students from all socio-economic backgrounds, an important priority that supports the mission of Trinity. It provides our faculty and staff, who touch the lives of our students each day, with salary and professional development support, allowing us to recruit and retain the best possible teachers. Lastly, it helps support curricular and program enhancements, ensuring our students and teachers always have access to the programs needed in the classrooms and for individual learners.

The Inspire Excellence campaign is providing campus enhancements and endowment growth that will benefit both current and future generations of Trinity students. The additions and improvements to our campus are happening only because of the incredible generosity and support from our entire community. I am deeply grateful for the dedication of our campaign chairs and committee members who have strongly advocated for Inspire Excellence and the impact it will have on our students. Thank you to everyone who has made a thoughtful and generous commitment to the campaign; your support speaks volumes and has helped the early and rapid success and campus improvements to date. I invite everyone else to think about how you can be involved in this campaign and help make a difference for current and future Trinity students. I am excited about the next phase of the campus master plan and know we can make it happen together!

A foundation of excellence.

Intentionality and thoughtfulness shape all that occurs at Trinity, and the Inspire Excellence campaign is no exception. This campaign is creating and improving environments that inspire discovery, community, and growth, advancing our unique institution and providing our students with even more opportunities to flourish.

With our Trinity family’s generosity, we have raised nearly $12 million toward our $14.5 million dollar goal and have completed the Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Center, Early Elementary Dining Hall, and Upper Elementary classroom renovations. But there is work still to be done, and we need your help to build the Multi-Use Recreation Center, enhance the Early Elementary Playground, and grow the School’s endowment to fund faculty excellence, financial assistance, and program advancements!

With your support, we can make this transformational campaign a reality. Please consider making your family’s commitment today.

www.trinityatl.org/inspireexcellence

Contact Margaret Douglas, Director of Advancement, at mdouglas@trinityatl.org for more information.