A letter from Anne Torrey McCuean ’08

Alumni

Anne Torrey McCuean ’08 and Meredith Bailey Simmons ’95 share a laugh in the Trinity courtyard.

Dear Fellow Trinity Alumni,

What a joy it has been to be back on Trinity School’s campus as we embarked on the 2022–23 school year! To relive some of my favorite childhood experiences, from cheering on our Sixth Graders during their back-to-school caravan to watching our Pre-K students search for the Gingerbread Man. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Anne Torrey McCuean, and I am a proud alum from the Class of 2008 who spent eight wonderful years at Trinity, from Pre-K through Sixth Grade. In early May, I enthusiastically accepted the role of advancement associate and alumni relations at Trinity and immediately began to think about ways to begin connecting with other alums and reconnecting them with our precious alma mater. When I reminisce about my time at Trinity with friends and family outside of Atlanta, I will often see a look of wonder on their faces. On several occasions, I have heard in response, “Wow, I definitely don’t remember loving Fourth Grade the way you did.” And I always wish that they could have experienced the joy that Ms. Mo [Margaret McGinness] brought to the classroom every single day. Trinity is not just where I went to elementary school, it is where I first learned compassion, resilience, integrity, and collaboration. Trinity is where I found my voice and began to develop into the person I am today. I can still name the teachers who shaped my Trinity Experience, and I imagine many of them touched your lives as well. So many of my favorite childhood memories and “aha” moments involved Ms. Sibyl [Sibyl Scales] and Ms. Sallie [Sallie Wilgus], Ms. Margaret [Margaret Abernathy] and Ms. Lisa [Lisa Siegel Ackerman ’86], Ms. D’Arconte [Sandy D’Arconte], Ms. Mo, Mrs. Simmons [Meredith Bailey Simmons ’95], and Ms. Howard [Megan Howard Nellen ’93].

After completing my Sixth-Grade year at Trinity, I went on to graduate from The Lovett School and Furman University. My experiences at both Lovett and Furman were an extension of Trinity, providing me opportunities to grow as a student and as a person. While at Lovett, I discovered my passion for children and education and wanted to be a teacher after the wonderful examples set for me throughout my years there and at Trinity. It was during my junior year at Furman, when I was taking courses for my education major, that I realized that teaching was not the career for me. I was devastated, feeling as if I was letting my dream of empowering children slip through my fingers. Thankfully, I was fortunate to have a mentor, a former Trinity Teacher and fellow alum, who offered me an opportunity that would change my life. My Fifth-Grade teacher, Meredith Simmons ’95, and her husband, McKittrick Simmons ’88, have played an integral role in my life since we first met at Trinity. I maintained a friendly relationship with Meredith after graduating from Trinity, and what began as a babysitting job turned into walks around the park with her young children in strollers that evolved into conversations about college and beyond over dinners at her house. When I found myself struggling to decide what my post-college future might look like, Meredith and I connected about an exciting opportunity to intern at Atlanta Youth Academy (AYA) as part of a summer fellowship program that she, McKittrick, and a group of other couples came together to host. It was that summer after my junior year of college when I was introduced to the arena of independent school advancement, which encompasses alumni relations, development, and marketing and communications. My experience interning in the advancement department at AYA allowed me to see that I could still make a difference in the life of a child outside the classroom. Since graduating from Furman, I have spent time as the advancement assistant at Atlanta Girls’ School and as the development manager and grant writer at AYA. Fast forward to today, and I am working for my beloved alma mater in a position that combines my passion for children and advancing their education. Returning to Trinity as an employee has allowed me to come full circle. Many of you experienced your Trinity journeyat Trinity Presbyterian Church or on our previous campus just down the road. I also remember that campus, having spent my Pre-K and Kindergarten years there. Although the physical location has changed twice, what’s most important—the School’s integrity, values, and commitment to focusing on the young child—has remained the same since the first students arrived in 1951.

Trinity continues to be the place where childhood is cherished. Where developing strong academic and character foundations are equally important. Where lifelong friendships are built. It is where you and I are blessed to call home. As the saying goes, “Once a Trinity child, always a Trinity child.” Trinity’s Alumni Association is more than 4,000 members strong, and you are an important part of that. I will be reaching out to you through email, newsletters, event invitations, and social media to help you keep in touch, informed, involved, and invested in our alma mater. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me to send your latest news, grab a cup of coffee and catch up, or set up a tour of campus—we have many exciting things happening, including the recent construction of a new Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Center—and relive the joy that is ever-present at Trinity. I look forward to connecting with you soon! Sincerely,

Anne Torrey McCuean ’08 Advancement Associate and Alumni Relations amccuean@trinityatl.org | 404-240-2273

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