Trojan Voice Magazine, Fall 2022

TRAILBLAZING

With the addition of our Wyatt Donahue '12 Memorial Trail, we are inviting our community to chart new paths on our campus, both inside and outside of the classroom. p4

THE TVS MISSION

Trinity Valley School has four main objectives for its students: fine scholarship with its fulfillment at college; the development of wide constructive interests; intelligent citizenship; and spiritual and moral development which promotes lasting values.

MANAGING EDITOR AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ASHLEY ROBINSON

COPY EDITOR

KATHRYN DAVIS ‘89

DESIGN

SARAH RADICELLO | RADICELLO CREATIVE

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

DAN BRYANT PHOTOGRAPHS

MEREDITH DORRIS ’81

MELISA GARCIA

DEREK REINHOLD

ASHLEY RIEMITIS ’16

ASHLEY ROBINSON

DR. MICHAEL ROEMER

MARCY ROTEN

DR. PHILIP TAYLOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

BLAKE AMOS CAGE BASS

GERRY CUMPIANO

KATHRYN DAVIS ’89

RALPH DINTINO

EILEEN FORD

MELISA GARCIA

LISA GRIDER

DR. TREVON R. JONES

KYLE KAHUDA

JULIE KNUDSEN

BLAIR LOWRY SANDY MCNUTT

DEREK REINHOLD

DR. MICHAEL ROEMER

MARCY ROTEN

STEVI SCHUKNECHT

CARRIE SKAINS

JEFF SNYDER

TAMARA WILLMANN

Fall 2022 Volume XXXI Number 1

Trinity Valley School | 7500 Dutch Branch Road Fort Worth, TX 76132 | 817.321.0100 | tvs.org

Trinity Valley School’s Trojan Voice is published twice a year. Please contact Ashley Robinson, Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications, with any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding this publication at robinsona@tvs.org.

Trinity Valley School is an independent, co-ed, college-preparatory, day school for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The school admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. © Copyright 2021 by

Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX 76132-4110

ACADEMICS

THEY ARE THE EXPERTS | PAGE11 MISSION-FOCUSED COLLEGE COUNSELING | PAGE14 TRAILBLAZING SPACES | PAGE18 POWERED BY STEAM | PAGE32

ALUMNI

TVS’S ORIGINAL TRAILBLAZER | PAGE50 RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING SUCCESS | PAGE52 CLASS NOTES | PAGE53

THE ARTS

THE ADDAMS FAMILY | PAGE35

ATHLETICS

FALL 2022 SPC CHAMPIONSHIP | PAGE27 TRAILBLAZING INNOVATORS | PAGE28

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

WYATT DONAHUE ’12 MEMORIAL TRAIL | PAGE8

GLOBAL EDUCATION

TOP TEN REASONS TROJANS TRAVEL | PAGE20

INSIDE THE ARCHES

HEAD OF SCHOOL ON TRAILBLAZING | PAGE4 FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES | PAGE5 XPLORE SUMMER AT TVS | PAGE24 UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS | PAGE39 ANNUAL FUND DOLLARS AT WORK | PAGE42 2021-2022 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT | PAGE43 BETTER TOGETHER | PAGE44 TOLLING OF THE BELLS | PAGE63

ON THE COVER: TVS 8th Graders Thomas Danzi, Charlie Rosell, and Reed Smith

BLAIR R. LOWRY Head of School

TRAILBLAZING

We hope you enjoy the theme of this edition of the Trojan Voice, “ Trailblazing.” For hundreds of years explorers, settlers, and adventurers have used marks called blazes drawn or carved on trees and stone to show others the way forward. In the United States, this practice dates back nearly 400 years and even longer in other parts of the world.

TVS alumni have been blazing their own trails since the earliest days of our beloved school. They are forming startups in Texas and around the world. They are leaders in the arts, in finance, and law. They walk the halls of the local, state, and federal government, leaving their “mark” on the lives of countless citizens. They create innovative surgical techniques. They design automobiles and aircraft. They are architects, philanthropists, community builders, and educators.

TVS Trojans begin building the foundation for this trailblazing mindset the moment they begin their first day here. They are guided by faculty and staff who help them to think and to analyze. Our students become critical thinkers early on and develop an eagerness to solve for tomorrow, without ever losing their sense of wonder. The adults here on campus share a love for learning, for community, and an earnest excitement for the future all while drawing upon the legacy and traditions of the past.

We are now grateful to have our own physical trail to blaze. The newly dedicated Wyatt Donahue Memorial Trail encircles the TVS community as it winds around campus for 2.1 miles.

We are now grateful to have our own physical trail to blaze. The newly dedicated Wyatt Donahue Memorial Trail encircles the TVS community as it winds around campus for 2.1 miles. Seeing the outpouring of love and support at the recent dedication ceremony made it feel as though this new path is an enormous embrace around our school as well. Thank you to everyone in our community for your support so that we can continue to show the way forward as TVS trailblazers.

Per Aspera Ad Astra.

Warmest wishes,

TRAILBLAZING

WYATT DONAHUE ’12 MEMORIAL TRAIL

BLAKE AMOS, DIRECTOR

OF EXPERIENTAL EDUCATION

LISA GRIDER , DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND JEFF SNYDER , ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL

I can still see his wry smile and stark blonde hair, usually in the back of the group, but listening intently. Wyatt Donahue ’12 was an extremely helpful TOE leader and great mentor to younger grades as well as a solid student who played several sports, including varsity soccer his senior year. It was on this team that a strong brotherhood formed with the boys, and I witnessed the essence of what Wyatt brought to every group. An incredibly gifted athlete, Wyatt brought more than athleticism to the team: he brought joy, connection, and an infectious energy. In many ways, he was the glue that brought his peers together. While he wasn’t always the star player on the field, he epitomized a selfless work rate and a willingness to do whatever needed to be done to help his team…he was the heart of our little community.

These moments and those students come and go throughout the career of a teacher or coach, and many times the memories fade because we have a new class or new team the next year and the next year and the next. Then we lose someone like Wyatt, gone in his prime, and it gives us pause to remember not only the person but that person’s impact on us and the many people he or she touched. These difficult losses can focus the light on those moments in our lives and help us see clearly how important it is to pause and recognize the special communities we are lucky enough to be a part of today.

When the Donahue family approached us and asked if they could donate some of the funds from Wyatt’s memorial to Trinity Valley, they said they didn’t know what kind of a project they wanted, but simply wanted to share the joy of Wyatt’s life with as many people as possible. Angie Donahue, his mother, said, “Wyatt told me that many of the happiest times of his life were at TVS.”

Wow…how do we convey the spirit of Wyatt and share what he meant with new generations of Trojans? As we pondered ideas, we remembered a project over a decade in the making - one that never had the final nudge to establish it fully. That idea became the Wyatt Donahue Memorial Trail (WDMT). Our new multi-use perimeter trail is now officially open. The two-mile loop takes walkers, runners, and mountain bikers to every corner of our 75 acres. It explores some of the most hidden and beautiful parts of our property and allows users to experience TVS in a new and unique way.

This trail project initially began in 2012 with a generous gift from Meredith and Hank Dorris, both Class of 1981, whose son Holt graduated from TVS in 2017 and who remain strong supporters of Trinity Valley. While the trail had a solid vision and financial backing from the Dorris family, there were two major limitations. First, we

were trying to build it ourselves! Forming a single-track trail system sounds simple, but the art and engineering of a good trail took more than we knew. Second, there were some additions to our campus structures, which would eat up portions of the trail, which then had to be re-routed, causing us to lose momentum, and the trail eventually fell into disrepair.

After many frustrating years of watching it slowly disappear, we were thrilled to take the Dorrises’ initial project and add the Donahues’ vision not only to bring it back, but to make it truly stick. When we included renowned local trail builder Paul Johns, from Shadow Trail Designs, we finally engaged a professional that could take our ideas and turn them into something special.

We now have cross-country teams regularly training and competing on the trail. New mountain bikers are learning to navigate varied terrain for the first time, while experienced riders are flying through its many features. We have classes taking brain break walks on it and faculty/staff using it for walking meetings to inspire creativity. It is a place for the many layers of our

Above top: Charlie Rosell and Reed Smith biking the trail. Above bottom: Pre-K takes a brain break on the trail.

community to be together, to see our spaces in a special way, and to find joy in drawing groups together…much like Wyatt did for us in his time here.

Wyatt was a connector. Wyatt brought smiles to our faces and facilitated community like few others could. That is exactly what we hope this trail will continue to do in his honor. We hope the WDMT is not just a place to work out, but an environment that supports community and connection. Please head out and experience the parts of campus you may not know existed. Take friends and family. Smile, laugh, and create new memories. As you do, remember Wyatt and his example to our community. Look around at our beautiful landscape, enjoy the fresh air and more importantly, the wonderful faces of those with you on the journey. And maybe now, we all will have a better appreciation for the precious moments we are having right here and right now.

STATEMENT OF DEDICATION

WYATT DONAHUE ‘12 MEMORIAL TRAIL

Uniquely TVS, the newest addition to our campus reflects the school’s values and acknowledges the abiding relationship between TVS and its students. It is worth noting that this new addition encircles our community, challenges our students, and stands as a loving memorial to a young man who touched so many lives and meant so much to those of us gathered here today.

The act of creating this trail for the use of our community today and for generations of Trojans to come is not a silent emblem of a life passed away. Instead, Dr. and Mrs. Donahue and the TVS community have created a dynamic and vibrant path that calls us to delight in the out-of-doors, to savor and strengthen our abilities and to live fully into the joy that life offers us all.

On behalf of the students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff, it is my honor and privilege as the Head of Trinity Valley School to formally dedicate the Wyatt Donahue Memorial Trail to the loving memory and everlasting impact of our Trojan, Wyatt Donahue, TVS Class of 2012.

Scan this QR code to learn more about the Wyatt Donahue ’12 Memorial Trail and its impact on our community.

The Trail is open dawn to dusk during normal campus hours.

To help us maintain the trail, please refrain from using it after a heavy rain or severe weather.

Above top: The Donahue Family

Above bottom: Meredith ’81 and Hank Dorris ’81 with Jeff Snyder, Blair Lowry, and Blake Amos

THEY ARE THE EXPERTS: TVS STUDENTS LEAD PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

DR. TREVON R. JONES, DIRECTOR OF EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND COMMUNITY

EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT

In pursuit of educational excellence, we believe fine scholarship and intelligent citizenship are best achieved in a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community where every person experiences a strong sense of belonging. We commit to teaching and learning in a way that develops students to be upstanding and empathetic leaders to shape a more hopeful world.

About a year ago, we began crafting an Equity, Inclusion, and Community Statement that was mission-aligned, rooted in educational excellence, and aspirational in nature. This statement's two sentences help us to build on the strength of the TVS community and focus on the most important people on campus - our students. Our institutional commitment to equity, inclusion, and community is about providing an intentionally inclusive learning experience for every member of our community. One of the ways we are living out this statement is by engaging in professional learning. Historically, we have participated in conferences and workshops to help us continue to grow in our ability to create a strong sense of belonging for every Trojan. While we value learning from professionals in the community, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge on campus that we can leverage as well.

Last spring, Dr. Michael Roemer, Director of Global Education, and I were reminded of the expertise that exists in our community as we reviewed data for our ISAS Accreditation Self-Study. In recent years, dozens of faculty members have engaged in professional learning about equity, inclusion, belonging and other topics. However, in the same period, just as many students had engaged in similar learning at conferences, seminars, and symposiums around the country. This wealth of knowledge in our community presented an

Student presenters give a brief overview of their presentations before faculty decide which breakout sessions to attend.

This page: Faculty participants and student presenters pose for a group picture after a full morning of professional learning at Trojans Teach.

Opposite page top: Coco Davis ’22 and Chelsea Nnanyanzi ’22 lead participants in a discussion about multicultural literacy at Trojans Teach.

Opposite page bottom: Group photo of Trojans Teach presenters. L to R: Vinny Worsley ’24, Collin Snyder ’24, Alona Lerman ’25, Coco Davis ’22, Chelsea Nnanyanzi ’22, Dai Pham ’22.

opportunity: what might we learn from our very own students that have knowledge of the content and experience in our community itself?

Trojans Teach: Student-Led Workshops

This past April, we were able to answer that question with an event titled “Trojans Teach: Student-Led Workshops.” Our first Trojans Teach was an opportunity for our students to combine their knowledge of equity, inclusion, identity, and belonging with their experiences as a Trinity Valley student with members of faculty as the audience. As faculty members, we engaged as learners. Upper School students designed one-hour sessions that included clear takeaways for educators at TVS – something to encourage us to reflect on our practice. Once students crafted their ideas, I shared session descriptions with the faculty. The excitement in this moment was really special – in every area of the school, we were elated to have the opportunity to see our students take the podium and present thoughtprovoking, stimulating information with faculty members. There were three sessions total: one about people in the LGBTQ+ community throughout world history (Vinny Worsley ’24), another on multicultural literacy in various content areas (Coco Davis ’22, Chelsea Nnanyanzi ’22, and Dai Pham ’22), and a third on facilitating belonging for students (Ari Ahdieh ’24, Alona Lerman ’25, and Collin Snyder ’24).

Trojans Teach was held on a Saturday morning. We gathered in Trojan Hall for breakfast and a short opening chat before the fun began. Each faculty participant was able to attend two of the three sessions led by student teams. In the exit survey, faculty members raved about our students. Here are some of the perspectives they shared:

• “...extremely well-prepared with valuable information and insight.”

• “I appreciated their honesty, vulnerability, and the courage it took to share the way they did.”

• “They are the experts; we the adults are not.”

• “While I appreciated having choice in sessions and would advocate for that approach in the future as well, I was super bummed not to be able to see all three sessions.”

• “I loved every minute of it!”

• “I left wanting to learn more and hear from more students, which is a wonderful way to leave a professional development. The presentations made me curious and stimulated my mind thinking about how we can be more inclusive in the future. Thank you for challenging me!”

Overwhelmingly, faculty described their experience as educational and enjoyable. Just like the students, we had fun and built community in the process. In fact, the following week when we ran into one another, we continued to comment on the joy of the experience and how proud we were of our presenters.

You can learn more about Trojans Teach online or in print in the Fall 2022 issue of Independent School magazine under the title “Raising Student Voices.” Trojans Teach was a first for many of us and has led TVS to find new ways to bring students into conversations about professional growth and learning.

Elevating Student Voices

After celebrating a great day and preparing to shift into preparations for the end of the year, I was pleasantly surprised to find that our students were in high demand.

Faculty members that were present and those that heard about the experience were excited to schedule the different student teams to present to departments, faculty teams, and divisions. In fact, since Trojans Teach, Ari, Alona, and Collin have presented their session for audiences all over campus. Their session entitled “Facilitating Inclusion and Belonging in the TVS Community” has been in high demand over the past several months.

The session includes research that the students conducted about belonging, social manipulation, and inclusive practices. While their review of literature is strong, they combined their research with data about TVS students that they collected through interviews and surveys. Their presentation made belonging personal, local, and immediate for educators in the room. As a result, Ari, Collin, and Alona were invited to present to every TVS teacher during our fall in-service. While we would have been happy to have had them repeat the same presentation, the team worked to customize its presentation for each audience. In preparation for this article, I asked Ari, Alona, and Collin to share a bit about their experience presenting to teachers over the past few months.

Ari and Alona generated the initial idea and invited Collin to join. “Ari was going to be out of town during the dates of the original presentation. But, after learning what the topic was, I was really excited to be able to explore belonging and inclusion. I was especially interested in the idea of being able to survey my peers on this topic.”

While she knows simply sharing the information they collected with the administration would have been easier than speaking to the entire faculty, Alona’s favorite part was taking on the challenge of presenting to teachers all over campus. Alona shares, “My favorite memory was coming to in-service and getting to talk to the teachers from all the different grade levels. It was really cool to hear their perspective on the issue and see all of the pieces of the presentation coming together.”

Students taking on the role of teacher not only benefits the school, but the student as well. Ari shares, “Working with a group over an extended period of time to prepare a project is not comparable to almost any other experience, as it brings the whole group closer and teaches you important planning skills. I have also learned much about the topic of belonging and have become further motivated to continue fighting for inclusion in the school myself.” Our students were able

to deepen their knowledge, develop presentation skills, and strengthen their relationships with one another.

What’s Next?

In the late fall, Ari, Alona, and Collin will offer a session in which they share their data with members of the Board of Trustees. Once again, they are hard at work to improve their presentation. They are currently preparing to re-survey because they want to increase their sample size and share a more current picture of the campus with the Trustees. I have no doubt that this session will be even better than the ones that came before.

In addition, immediately after reading the Trojans Teach feedback in April, we were committed to finding more opportunities for our students to share with teachers. Truthfully, we also know firsthand how much work it is to stand up at the front of the classroom, and we never want to overwhelm our students. Balance has been key. In a recent Student Equity, Inclusion, and Community Committee meeting, some students shared how much they valued Trojans Teach and others expressed how they wished they had been able to participate. During that meeting, the students and I started looking for an opportunity to host our second Trojans Teach event. We know that our faculty will be eager for an opportunity to learn with our students again!

MISSION-FOCUSED COLLEGE COUNSELING

KYLE KAHUDA , HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL AND STEVI SCHUKNECHT, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

Trinity Valley School has four main objectives for its students, the first of which is fine scholarship with its fulfillment at college.

This first objective of the TVS mission seems straightforward and uncomplicated at first glance. We are a college-preparatory school, and we develop our students as thinkers and scholars. And fulfillment? The most uncomplicated definition is “the state of being completed or realized.” Simple, right? Paraphrased, this objective could be written as “Trinity Valley School develops its students as scholars, and then they get into college.” Not so fast, as that rephrasing perhaps is not as aspirational as intended by our founders. Perhaps alternatively, we should take as our definition of fulfillment for this purpose “the feeling of satisfaction that one receives from doing something, especially something demanding and useful.” Instead of imaging college acceptance as the end of the journey, this definition of fulfillment posits a successful and rewarding college experience as the fruition of scholarship developed at TVS.

those potential matches that best align with each one’s interests, needs, and abilities, and then for these students to present themselves compellingly in the college admissions process.

Since its founding in 1959, Trinity Valley School has evolved and adapted to meet the needs of its students. Seemingly in response to the bleak picture confronting them in news feeds, manystudents and young adults in Generation Z are demonstrably less optimistic about their own prospects and those of the world at large than their Millennial predecessors, and are more practical and price conscious as a result. They communicate differently than their parents, have different priorities for their lives and careers, and have different expectations of individuals and institutions.

Since its founding in 1959, Trinity Valley School has evolved and adapted to meet the needs of its students in the context of constant social change. In 2022, the pace and scale of that change is perhaps greater than ever.

How then does TVS foster scholarship that will prove satisfying and useful in the post-secondary environment of a selective college or university? There are two components of the Upper School experience that are at the core of our work, and the first is the preparation that students receive every day for the academic and intellectual rigors that they will face in their future scholarly work. The second component is the College Counseling program, which helps all students identify

Colleges themselves are changing also. COVID-19 has hastened the pace of that change, both out of practicality and as a catalyst. Most obviously, institutions of higher learning have leveraged the virtual/remote classroom both out of necessity and as an agent for changes in pedagogy. As individual institutions consider and respond to challenges to certain traditional thoughts about the value of college education and the associated costs, they are evolving in their strategic planning. Some schools, for instance, are reducing their emphasis on programs in the liberal arts, often adding more practical and technical degree paths as alternatives.

The diversity and number of post-secondary educational institutions in the United States means that in one regard, a college education has never been more accessible to the cross-section of American society than it is today. That

said, most of the attention of schools of our caliber is focused on the relatively few colleges and universities that are selective in their admissions practices. Those selective institutions have seen their yearly applicant pools increase by leaps and bounds, and at rates that are not explained by college-aged demographic growth that is increasingly flat and expected to become

more selective; these new plans further contribute to worries about the scarcity of “spots” and in circular fashion encourage even more applications per student as they look to “hedge their bets.”

negative. As a result, selective institutions are able to offer admission to increasingly small percentages of their applicants, exacerbating a misleading sense of scarcity among applicants and parents. Early action/decision and rolling admissions strategies that encourage large percentages of applicants to “apply early” make admission on the traditional timeline even

The relative unavailability of standardized testing opportunities like the SAT and ACT during the pandemic has influenced a wide variety of colleges and universities to adopt “test-optional” or “testblind” admissions processes. While there are plenty of good reasons to consider reducing the influence of high-stakes testing in college admissions, the rampant expansion of these options has made it increasingly difficult to accurately predict and project the admission prospects of a given student at any individual institution – and you can guess at the likely impact that not having to submit standardized test scores has had on application numbers.

Other considerations and realities add to the confusion and complication. At many larger universities, students are asked to apply directly into specific

Stevi Schuknecht, Director of College Counseling, Zina Wormley, Associate Director of College Counseling, and Natalie Timson, Assistant Director of College Counseling

The relative unavailability of standardized testing opportunities like the SAT and ACT during the pandemic has influenced a wide variety of colleges and universities to adopt “test-optional” or “test-blind” admissions processes.

academic programs, which creates urgency for students to know their path immediately upon leaving high school. Honors programs, competitive scholarships, alumni organizations offering scholarships, and other opportunities add options and often significant additional work to the process in the way of extra writing and interviews. Once students are actually admitted to a college or university, they are often met with a burgeoning assortment of enrollment options as these institutions come up with increasingly varied means of ensuring they hit their enrollment targets: Spring admission. First semester (or year) abroad. Summer bridge programs. Co-enrollment programs. Guaranteed transfer. A scarcity of freshman housing on many campuses (and the subsequent competition to acquire it).

If the whole messy situation invokes to you something of a “Wild West'' vibe, you are not alone in that sentiment. So, who is the town sheriff? Traditionally that role has been filled by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and its code of ethics/ best practices. While that document was last updated in 2020 at the prompting of the U.S. Department of Justice due to antitrust concerns, it remains a repository of commonsense standards for the industry. However, NACAC no longer retains any enforcement authority.

In the college admissions landscape of 2022, it is important that TVS be able to provide students and families with excellent advice that is realistic, research-based, and highly individualized. As in all areas, the programs, strategies, and practices of the College Counseling office are being revised constantly to better prepare students for the process and provide strong advocacy and personalization for each one. All strategic and daily decisions are driven by the department’s mission: College counselors at Trinity Valley School guide and support students as they prepare to further their education in a context that aligns with their individual talents, interests, and goals. Furthermore, the team is guided by the following principles:

• an individualized approach and respect for diverse needs among students and families;

• partnership with and empowerment of families through ongoing communication;

• alignment of our work with ethical standards and best practices to support a student-centered process; and

• the continual search for knowledge about an ever-changing admissions landscape.

The team has restructured duties and responsibilities to shrink the counseling caseloads of each member so that each might support students better as they encounter nuances in the college-application process. Additionally, the team has transitioned to a model where counselors are assigned to students and families earlier, providing the opportunity for deeper interpersonal relationships and greater individual knowledge. So that students are supported toward the goal of fulfillment in college from their earliest days in the Upper School, we continue to refine and improve our four-year college counseling curriculum. That programming begins with self-reflection and self-exploration exercises, and

morphs over time into a more specific topical strategy as students draw nearer to the college application process. The college search, various technical aspects of the application process, financial aid and scholarships, and many other topics are included in the training and exposure that students and their families receive. Through consistent and targeted communication with both students and families, the College Counseling team grows student ownership of and self-advocacy in the admissions process, while assuring that parents have the knowledge base and perspective necessary to reduce anxiety and stress while supporting their children confidently throughout.

The definition of fulfillment at college implies that simply “getting in” is not the end goal. Instead, ensuring strong preparation for students to get the most out of their collegiate experience is our true aspiration. Each and every day, our talented and committed faculty

In the college admissions landscape of 2022, it is important that TVS be able to provide students and families with excellent advice that is realistic, research-based, and highly individualized.

strive to strike the appropriate balance between a rigorous academic experience (built around challenge, personal growth, and consistently high expectations) and an environment of sincere support that makes students the central agents of their own learning. Student preparation for success beyond high school involves not only the acquisition of content knowledge and academic skills, but also the development of certain character traits that the Upper School places first and foremost in our character-development efforts. Among the TROJAN values (Trustworthy, Resilient, Open, Joyful, Accountable, and Noble), the middle four are perhaps most apropos. Both in the admissions process and in taking on a new level of challenge once admitted, students must be resilient to bounce back and move forward positively from inevitable setbacks. They benefit extraordinarily from an open attitude and worldview, gaining energy and broadening their own perspectives in the face of novelty, instead of becoming closed-minded and fearful. They are joyful in the pursuit and practice of their passions, as they encounter communities and experiences broader than they have known and in the exploration of the simple pleasures that accompany age-appropriate independence and autonomy. Finally, students prepared to make the most of their admission and college experiences recognize and embrace that they themselves are accountable for the largest portion of what happens to them. They accept that accountability because they value and appreciate the agency and self-determination that accompanies the ability to accept responsibility for oneself.

Development of students’ capacities as people and scholars is work in which Trinity Valley School takes great pride, but it is also important that we are innovative in the nature of the academic and cocurricular experiences that our students encounter. Increasingly, Trojans in the Upper School are being assessed and evaluated on the basis of their ability to complete (or at least simulate) the type of authentic, collaborative, and frequently project-driven tasks that characterize adult work across almost every industry and domain. Those tasks and assessments involve solving a realworld problem, creating something new and unique, contributing to authentic archaeological research, producing all aspects of something as complicated as a mainstage dramatic production from scratch, or engaging in scholarly work that prioritizes analysis and synthesis over rote memorization and recall. In all cases, they represent activities that are more studentcentered, engrossing, and typical of the world of work and adulthood.

As has been the case throughout the history of Trinity Valley School, adaptation is not only necessary to retain relevance but is in fact the core of innovation and greater efficacy. TVS, the Upper School, and College Counseling have an enormous task to keep up with the speed of change. It is both fortunate and tremendously exciting that we are poised not only to keep up with that change, but to blaze new trails in a manner consistent with our bold and innovative past.

TRAILBLAZING SPACES

CAGE BASS, DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, EILEEN FORD, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION , SANDY MCNUTT, HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL, AND JEFF SNYDER , ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL

Our Lower School community walked into beautifully refreshed classrooms when we began the 2022-23 school year. For more than two decades, our facilities team has maintained and supported our spaces in the Lower School. But after 24 years in our areas, the decision was made to refresh, update, and intentionally focus on what environment best supports our youngest learners on campus. The changes were transformational, from the lighting, flexible new student desks and teaching units, technology, and calming colors and tile. The genuine excitement over the new spaces happened when the children walked into the classrooms for the first time this fall. Consistent comments from the children were, “The light and new colors are awesome!” and “Wow! How did you make it so bright?” My favorite comment, however, was, “Who did all of this for us? They must not have had a summer vacation!” I am thankful for children who see the efforts put in by so many exceptional people … just for them! Below are some of the intentional renovations of the Lower School.

LIGHTING | New lighting was placed in every classroom. Extensive research reinforced our belief that lighting affects moods and emotions. All our fluorescent lights were replaced with LED lighting that creates a bright and glowing light. Students learn better in brightly lit classrooms with LED and natural light. It is more calming than any other form of lighting.

FURNITURE | Knowing that furniture can bring students together, we looked at pieces that could create zones, initiate conversations, personalize spaces, and help students think and focus. All our new furniture is on casters and can be moved to change learning spaces, create centers, and provide much flexibility from where the teachers instruct within the classroom. We have provided opportunities to support many learning styles, from wiggle chairs to high-top and low-rise tables. Flexible seating allows students to wobble, rock, bounce, lean, or stand, depending on the instruction and personal learning styles.

COLORS | All hard surfaces within the classrooms, restrooms, and hallways have been redone with paint color or tile. We purposefully used colors that complement the TVS brand. Our goal was to help students, staff, and visitors connect with our brand by using the predominant colors from our logo/mascot

on walls in the hallways and the classrooms. Our wellthought-out palette includes blues, mint green, and yellow. A primary consideration was how the colors affect our children. The complementary colors offer an environment that stimulates learning in children and alleviates distractions.

TECHNOLOGY | Promethean ActivPanels were installed in all kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. In addition to providing excellent image and sound quality, these interactive, flat-panel displays allow teachers and students to annotate digital content and interact with math and reading manipulatives, 3D models, and more on the large scale that is important for our younger learners. All boards are mounted at gradelevel-specific heights, making the interactive features accessible to students and teachers. The ActivPanels were installed in early October and were well worth the wait! Securing this summer’s model allowed us to ensure that we are maximizing the value of our investment. These boards have even more functionality than the models our teachers evaluated in the spring! Because the fourth-grade team leverages students’ 1:1 iPads as an interactive surface for each student, that team has one interactive flat panel that can be moved between classrooms in addition to projectors in each room. To maximize flexibility and facilitate studentteacher connections, all of our grade levels have wireless projection that allows teachers and students to share and control their screens from anywhere in the room.

We are thankful for those within our community who consistently care for the needs of our youngest Trojans. Our teachers were integral to the process, investigating and proposing ideas that benefit our children. Researching best practices to build environments where children learn best, where teachers can grow and educate our children in innovative spaces, says much about those who invest in our campus. The creativity and talents of Ashley Robinson and her team and Cage Bass and his team brought all of the ideas together. You know you got it right when you hear a child say, “My brain works better now. I want to stay in Lower School forever!”

To our entire TVS community and leadership team, we are most thankful.

TOP TEN REASONS TROJANS TRAVEL

DR. MICHAEL ROEMER, TVS DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL EDUCATION

Travel is nothing new to most TVS families. TVS-led trips have quite a history, as students set out on adventures throughout Europe in vans and minibuses driven by Mr. Seleny and Mr. Kramer. When we began the Global Education Program 11 years ago, travel remained an important part of the school culture, and, since then, more than 30 TVS teachers and staff have led almost 400 students to Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Canada, China, Costa Rica, England, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia, Italy, Peru, Scotland, and Spain.

And then, COVID…

After a two-year hiatus due to travel restrictions and to protect the health and safety of our students and staff and the people with whom they would have spent time, we are excited to announce a return to travel ! This spring and summer, we are returning to our 1:1 Exchange Programs – TVS students host a student from our partner schools in Australia or Scotland in April, then the TVS students are hosted by those same students and attend school with them over the summer. We also are including a language/homestay/cultural program in southern Spain, and TOE Director Mr. Amos is offering a TOE Beyond program hiking the Alps of Austria.

At TVS, our travel programs start with WHY. We do not travel just to travel, and we always aim to design programs that will have longlasting impressions on our students. So, if you have ever wondered WHY you should send your child on a Trojans Abroad Program (from 2023

to 2033 and beyond), here are a few reasons.

TOP TEN REASONS TROJANS TRAVEL

1. We Make Friends

We all know how important friendships are to our health and happiness, and making friends from different cultures expands that network in ways that expose us to new ways of seeing the world we live in and can lead to lifelong friends and new “family.”

2. We Open Our Minds

One of the benefits of spending time with people different from us is that we learn new things, get to try new foods, see new parts of the world, and come a little closer to understanding what distinguishes us AND what unites us as people on this shared planet.

3. We Learn New Ways of Communicating

Our language-focused trips to Spain and China, for example, offer our students immersive language-learning experiences that cannot be replicated easily at home, especially when they include homestays. Students return feeling much more confident communicating in another language, even well before they become fluent. Communication includes much more than world languages, though, and even in Australia and Scotland our students learn new ways to communicate their experiences, feelings, and thoughts in ways that may be quite different from everyday conversations here.

TRINITY VALLEY

Tatum Duncan and her two Trier Hosts on a Fort Worth Sister Cities trip (2022).

4. We Experience the Beauty of Other Cultures

In my travels abroad with TVS students, I love seeing when they become fascinated – and even enamored – by “the way things are done here.” They loved the laidback, always-cheerful attitudes of everyone we met in Eswatini and appreciated their long, leisurely lunches in Spain. Experiences like these help our students redefine “beauty” in our everyday lives and sometimes lead to positive lifestyle and personality changes for these students.

5. We Experience the Beauty of Other Landscapes

Imagine the joy and peace of mind that TVS students feel when, accustomed to Fort Worth’s mountainless, sealess landscape, they spend days hiking the Austrian Alps or snorkel in the crystal-blue waters off the coast of Mackay, Australia on one day and visit the rainforest less than an hour from the city the next. Such opportunities open our students’ senses to the variety and beauty of our natural world.

6. We Overcome Fears

Students have reported in the past that they were afraid of having to speak another language all the time, of living with a family they had never met, of going to classes at a different school, and of flying over the ocean. When we travel abroad, our students get to face – and overcome – these fears, and in almost every case they return feeling braver and more self-confident than ever before.

7. We Move Outside Our Comfort Zones

Related to #6, travel to different countries also pushes us to try new things, some of which we have never even heard of before. We are challenged daily in new environments, but because of the school’s network of trusted schools and third parties, our programmatic structure and intentionality, and risk management procedures in place, our Trojan Travelers are never asked to step so far outside their comfort zones that they are put in harm’s way or are forced to do things that could have long-term negative effects on them. We gauge our students’ Comfort Zone Circles and

Trojans take a break along the Austrian Alps (2019).

gently guide them in and out in ways that lead to personal growth.

8. We Build our Sense of Self and Independence

By traveling without their parents and having new responsibilities, students build feelings of self-worth and agency. These characteristics are priceless and lead to improved confidence and a willingness to widen their Comfort Zone Circles even more, yielding transformational experiences with people from other cultures both locally and abroad.

9. We Find the Leaders Within

As students build self-confidence and are given opportunities to lead in these new environments, they come to recognize their personal leadership abilities. Some lead, literally, by carrying the TVS banner through crowded Beijing streets. Others represent TVS and their fellow Trojan Travelers in school assemblies and classroom lessons abroad. Still others lead by maintaining a positive attitude when our best-made plans are forced to change due to weather and other forces beyond our control.

10. We Have Fun!

Trojan Travelers experience all these above and they have fun! Our travel programs are full of laughter, singing (I will never forget when students spontaneously burst into “Country Road” on our way to the airport for our flight home after 16 days in China), games, and activities that make us all better, more well-rounded people and prepare our students to become globally connected, conscientious citizens and leaders.

We cherish the dozens of programs we have led in the past and look forward to journeying with future Trojan Travelers so that many more students can experience these Top Ten Reasons and add their own motivations for travel abroad.

To support future Trojan Travelers, please contact Dr. Roemer to learn more about our Stephen Seleny Travel Endowment. Your contributions will increase the number of Trojans who can benefit from these amazing adventures.

Clockwise from top left: Discovering the power of perspective (China 2019). Trojans teach about Texas in Australia (2019). Speaking Spanish and surfing in Spain (2019). Saying goodbye (for now) to our Scottish friends (2019).

DEREK REINHOLD, DIRECTOR OF AUXILIARY

PROGRAMS

AND MELISA GARCIA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AUXILIARY PROGRAMS

2022 SUMMER PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

The 2022 TVS Xplore Summer Programs were a resounding success! This year, 890 campers – hailing from five different states and 20+ cities all over Texas – participated in at least one program. Xplore ran for 10 weeks, from May 31 to August 5, during which campers enjoyed diverse sports clinics, academic preparation programs, art workshops, and more!

The goal of TVS Xplore Summer Programs at Trinity Valley School is to expand and enrich children’s academic, creative, and athletic horizons. We do that by curating a wonderful collection of programs led by TVS faculty and community partners.

We are already actively designing our offerings for Summer 2023, and we are thrilled to report that preliminary camp ideas continue to reflect the ingenuity of TVS faculty and our partner organizations across the city of Fort Worth! We are excited to present new camp offerings for students in grades PreK - 12, as well as celebrate the return of old favorites!

Children are naturally curious and TVS camps help my child stay active and learn new skills throughout the summer.

— Camp Parent

I had such a great time! The volunteer helpers were incredible and the staff was very helpful!

— Xplore Instructor

FALL 2022 SPC CHAMPIONSHIP

RALPH

DINTINO, DIRECTOR

OF ATHLETICS AND PHYSICAL

Trinity Valley for the first time ever came back from the Fall SPC Tournament with four team trophies and five individual SPC All Conference runners!!

Boys’ Volleyball took home the Gold for winning the Boys’ tournament, and Girls' Volleyball won Gold in the Girls’ 3A & 4A Championships!

EDUCATION

Field Hockey won the silver trophy after losing in a heartbreaking overtime match 2-1. TVS Football also took home silver falling to The John Cooper School in the 3A Football Championship. Boys’ Cross Country finished 6th overall and Girls’ finished 5th in the 3A bracket.

TRAILBLAZING INNOVATORS

RALPH DINTINO, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

NEW AND AMAZING INNOVATIONS ARE ALL AROUND US HERE AT TRINITY VALLEY SCHOOL BOTH IN THE CLASSROOM AND IN ATHLETICS.

ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY

In past years, Scott Allen, part of our incredible maintenance department, was tasked with painting the athletic fields for games, which could take as long as a full day for just one sport…NOT ANYMORE!! With our GPS guided TURF TANK 1, our fields are completely striped and ready to go within 90 minutes from start to finish. Very few, if any, high schools in the Metroplex have access to this wonderful tool. It allows our maintenance department the freedom and flexibility to assist in other areas of the school.

HUDL LIVE STREAMING

Beginning in fall 2022, Trinity Valley contracted with HUDL, an online system of producing game analysis and live streaming for most of our sport matches/games for both Middle School and Upper School. The HUDL system not only allows our coaches the ability to replay and analyze actual game footage but also gives the coaches statistical analysis of each game based on their individual sport needs. Utilizing HUDL for analysis saves our coaches hours of tedious work that they can use instead to concentrate on preparing for practices and games with students.

HUDL is currently used by both volleyball teams, football, and field hockey.

Says Head Field Hockey Coach Claire Pearce, “ HUDL has given our program the ability to break down our game for immediate and positive growth for future contests. It allows my players to critique themselves, and it helps with their confidence in the knowledge of the game and to constructively guide and lead each other.”

ATHLETIC TRAINING & CARE

The TVS athletic training staff is blazing a trail with innovative approaches to athletic health care. While some secondary school athletic trainers wait for an injury to occur before providing care, TVS certified athletic trainers Carrie Morrison and Ben Timson work daily with athletes to prevent injuries from occurring through a wide variety of treatment modalities.

One of the more popular treatments provided in the athletic training room at TVS is myofascial decompression (MFD), more commonly known as “cupping.” MFD is a novel approach to manual therapy and exercise that combines negative pressure technology along with evidence-based movement science principles. Carrie Morrison states, “In general, the athletic health care model is moving away from the traditional ‘RICE’ approach and toward the perspective of active rest and recovery. Essentially, we protect the injured tissue while keeping the rest of the athlete’s body moving, and then gradually increase stresses to the injured area as pain and function improve.” Both Carrie and Ben have completed continuing-education hours and have become certified providers of MFD therapy.

TVS also leads the way in athletic health care with the use of Q-Collars. The Q-Collar is a c-shaped device that applies a light compressive force to the neck which increases blood volume inside the skull to help reduce movement of the brain within the cranial space during head impacts. The Q-collar, manufactured by Q30 Innovations, was granted FDA clearance in February 2021 and is backed by over 28 independent clinical and laboratory studies. When asked about the device, Ben Timson states, “Both Carrie and I really dug into the research regarding the pros and potential cons of the device, and we were excited to get a few of them into our hands and onto our athletes’ necks.” TVS is currently in a trial phase of the Q-collars for multiple athletes across several sports to evaluate their comfort and effectiveness.

DRONE TECHNOLOGY

Taking and analyzing practice videos is critical to successful football practice planning. With the use of a drone, the TVS football team can see firsthand what their practices look like, how to correct mistakes and, most importantly, watch themselves in game-type practices.

TVS is one of a select few to utilize drones for practices.

Also, our managers can operate the drone without any concerns and give a wonderful look at practices.

INNOVATION AT TVS: FITNESS CENTER

The TVS Fitness center has introduced KPI dashboards for each athlete and each team at the school. KPI (Key Performance Indicators) establish a baseline for the athletes in terms of standards, team averages, and positional averages all relative to their respective sport.

The KPI dashboard (as shown below demonstrates all the progress markers for each athlete individually from the moment that he or she begins training until graduation day. This not only serves as a useful tool for showing progression through the years of hard work,

but it also becomes a very useful recruiting tool for collegiate coaches should an athlete want to continue these endeavors at the next level.

KPI dashboards open a huge window of opportunity, as they can store infinite numbers of data markers. They provide future opportunity for velocity-based training modalities, heart-rate monitoring modalities, and player load-monitoring modalities. These KPI dashboards are readily available for all athletes who want to see their progression.

POWERED BY STEAM

JULIE KNUDSEN, HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

It might seem like a challenge to blaze a trail in a field that is constantly and quite rapidly evolving and advancing, yet Middle School STEAM Instructor, Mrs. Abbie Cornelius, continues to be on the cutting edge! Year after year, Science Technology Engineering Art and Math education seems to pick up – well, steam – as new discoveries are made, technology is advanced, and resources are more and more readily available at our fingertips. In partnership with our outstanding Middle School faculty, Mrs. Cornelius keeps the Trinity Valley Middle School blazing ahead, introducing opportunities for our students to explore, create, and discover throughout the curriculum. With a focus on four main domains – coding, robotics, circuitry, and engineering – STEAM projects are integrated into the core curriculum throughout all four years of Middle School.

for their instruments to play. Through this project, fifth-grade students exhibit strong creativity. Though the majority of students build their unique musical instruments out of cardboard, some also include threedimensional printing and even metal fabrication.

With a focus on four main domains

– coding, robotics, circuitry, and engineering – STEAM projects are integrated into the core curriculum throughout all four years of Middle School.

In the STEAM program, students are first introduced to graphical coding languages such as Scratch, then progress to textbased languages such as JavaScript and Python. In the cross-curricular sixth-grade project, Mapping One Refugee’s Journey, students program Ozobots, or deskfriendly robots, to move precisely along a path on a map. That path outlines the journey of a refugee from the start of his or her travel to the host country. Along with movement, students are challenged to use lights and sounds that give the robot a distinct personality, representative of the refugee’s feelings and emotions along the journey. The powerful biographical narrative of their refugee is leveraged using these coded Ozobots.

As a part of Mrs. Ashley Owen’s fifth-grade music class, students use Scratch programming language along with Makey Makey devices to create musical instruments. A small circuit board that connects to a computer, Makey Makeys are used to create switches that act as keys on a keyboard. Students must add circuits to their musical instruments using copper tape and alligator wires to connect to the Makey Makey. Scratch is then used to program the musical notes, pitches, and sounds

Last spring, in coordination with eighth-grade science teacher Ms. Hannah Bundrick, students took a deep dive into soldering, circuitry, and wiring in their Amusement Park project. Challenged to design a functioning amusement park ride, students put their creativity to work building Ferris wheels, tilt-a-whirls, drop towers, and rides with a pendulum structure using DC or servo motors. DC motors are electrical motors that convert direct current (DC) electrical energy into mechanical energy, while servo motors allow for precise control of position, velocity, and acceleration using actuators. Students added light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, to light up their attractions, which added the perfect finishing touches to their visual display.

On the heels of a field trip to Williams RDM for Manufacturing Day this fall, seventh-grade students continued their study of engineering back on campus as they participated in hands-on rotations that reinforced the learning sparked at Williams RDM. In one rotation designed to reinforce the idea that “it all starts with a sketch,” students were challenged to first design a car, then turn their design into a threedimensional prototype with modeling compound. In a second rotation, students observed the laser cutter in action as they learned about items such as nametags and keychains that are manufactured with this impressive tool on our own TVS campus. In a third rotation, students coordinated an assembly line as they worked to produce “bat lollipops” with an emphasis on quality control. And last, seventh graders used 3D modeling software Tinkercad to design new labels for the produce grown in our own TVS garden. These labels are now in the printing process on one of our four 3D printers here on campus.

Not only does Mrs. Cornelius guide, extend and enrich our STEAM program in the Middle School at TVS, she has been recognized as a leader in the industry through her presentations at the Texas Computer Education Association Convention. Though she makes it seem quite effortless, Mrs. Cornelius puts tremendous thought and intentionality into the continued growth and development of the STEAM program. Her wheels never seem to stop turning as she continuously brainstorms new ideas and approaches in her work. With Mrs. Cornelius’s entrepreneurial mindset and in partnership with our creative teachers, the Middle School STEAM program continues to blaze a trail of opportunity and enrichment for our students.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

MARCY ROTEN , ART DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The Addams Family was originally a cartoon series that first appeared in 1938. It was also an ABC sitcom that ran for only two seasons in the mid-1960s, but years of reruns made it an American classic. Decades later, The Addams Family appeared on Broadway in April 2010. For much of the time since then, it has been one of the mostproduced high school musicals in the United States. While many high schools hire adult professionals to handle costume design, lighting design, sound design, and set design for their musicals, TVS gives these jobs to students. Work in these areas began in May for The Addams Family, and students spent many hours over the summer getting ready for the October performances.

Junior Eleanor Walker was the Scenic Designer for The Addams Family. In May, she traveled to New York with our choir program and saw Beetlejuice on Broadway. Eleanor was inspired by the interior house scenes she saw in the show. Upon returning to Fort Worth, she began sketching ideas for The Addams Family. She shared her ideas with our new Technical Director, George Miller, and he helped her combine those ideas, making them more cohesive and effective for the set. Eleanor said, “Mr. Miller brings so much to the table with his 30+ years of experience. His methods of constructing are much more efficient than what we have had in the past.” Miller taught her how to use a drafting table to bring her thoughts to life. She developed 19 settings for

the show made from three separate, two-sided pieces that rotated, as well as side pieces that were tri-folds, creating another room. On many of the July and August Saturday workdays, just Eleanor, Mr. Miller, and the Student Technical Director, senior Shawn Young, spent hours sketching and thinking through the set. Shawn expertly served as the Student Tech Director, but he pushed his role further by aiding in the design logistics and was a major help during the building process. The set building was slow to start but once it began, Eleanor remembers thinking, “This is really going to be a thing!” Eleanor liked the drawing and design part, although the handson building was what she enjoyed most. “I am a bit of a

control freak and this meant I could get things exactly the way I envisioned,” she said. Her favorite set she designed was the opening scene at the graveyard with dry ice fog.

Senior Kate Roemer not only portrayed the role of Grandma but was also the costume designer for the show.

Kate’s inspiration for the costumes came from watching old reruns and clips from Broadway, and researching online what people wore during the particular eras of the ancestors.

Kate pulled items from the costume closet, ordered necessary odds and ends, and collaborated on sewing with her mother and grandmother. The ancestor costumes were the most time-consuming. She dyed every element

of the costumes, down to the gloves, then hand-painted them and created a ragged look to give off a death effect. Kate spent 50 hours or more on the costumes and said, “It was more work than I anticipated, but I would do it again. It was emotional to see how all the costumes looked on stage and see all of my hard work in the end.”

The costume worn by the Victorian ancestor, played by sophomore Grace Gibson, was Kate’s favorite and the most intricate of all the costumes she created.

The show’s director, Gene Sessa, was impressed with the quality of the work produced by the student designers, stating, “The costumes were very professional as were the hair and makeup designs, and the set design and construction were on par with what you would find at a professional regional theater.” Sessa added that what students accomplished was even more impressive since designers were at the same time managing a full academic load, and some of them even performed in the musical!

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS!

ALL-PARENT EVENING AT THE TVS PARENTS’ CLUB BOARD MEETING

Featuring an address from Blair Lowry

Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m. Stephen Seleny Theater

“SOCIAL SAVVY: RAISING TECH-HEALTHY FAMILIES TOGETHER”

Janell Burley Hofmann, Author of iRules Friday, January 20 at 6 p.m. South Gym (as part of TVS Middle School Social)

“PARENT LIKE A CHAMPION: HELPING YOUR STUDENT ON THE ATHLETICS JOURNEY”

Kristin K. Sheehan ND ’90, ’93 M.A. & Program Director of Play Like a Champion

Wednesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. Stephen Seleny Theater

PARENTS’ CLUB GALLERY NIGHT

April 1, 2023 from 5-7 p.m. Learn more at TVS.org/gallerynight

PHILANTHROPY

BETTER TOGETHER

TVS Parents’ Club Charts the Path for Involvement

TAMARA WILLMANN, PRESIDENT, TVS PARENTS’ CLUB

Students thrive in learning environments where parents and educators share goals, expectations, and information. The Trinity Valley Parents’ Club strives to strengthen the parent/educator partnership by providing opportunities for all parents to connect, engage, and help enrich the TVS community.

Led by a 42-member Board of Directors, the TVS Parents’ Club plans a year-long schedule of events, activities, and programs. In many cases, these are student-focused events such as Fall Festival or the Middle School Social, while some opportunities such as the Parent Speakers Series and the bi-annual Gallery Night are adultfocused events. For the 2022-23 school year, the TVS Parents’ Club is renewing its emphasis on engaging the entire parent community, working creatively to provide parents with a variety of access points for involvement in the school. One example of that renewed emphasis is the recent redesign of the Parents Club Volunteer (digital) signup forms. Thanks to PC Board members Sarah Klein and Anjum George, who redesigned the site, parents can more easily choose volunteer opportunities that are a “best fit” for a wide variety of preferences and schedules. For more information on how to become involved in the Parents’ Club, email parentsclub@tvs.org.

A Fun-tastic Fall

The Parents’ Club opened the school year with its traditional Backto-School Fair. Parent Co-Chairs Casey Creager and Cristina Schneiderman brought a “twist” to the traditional with the addition of musical performances and a “reveal” of the renovations to the TVS Lower School that were completed in Summer 2022.

A few busy weeks later, a carnival atmosphere transformed the Lower School portion of campus during the 2022 Fall Festival. Parent Co-Chairs Noel Nolet and Lynsie DeCet and a group of TVS’

2022-23 TVS PARENTS’ CLUB BOARD

OFFICERS

President: Tamara Willmann

President-Elect: Tara Bibb

Secretary: Katherine Wolman Treasurer: Nidhi Talati

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Back-to-School Fair: Casey Creager & Cristina Schneiderman

Communications/Promotions: Mary Ellen Becker & Jennifer Kostohryz

Data Archives: Heather Breiter & Lisa Green

Dining Hall Volunteers: Jodi Sangalli & Charissa Kumar

Faculty/Staff Appreciation: Mandy Kirwan & LaToyer Houston

Field Day: Markus Kypreos & Lauren Cunningham

Gift Cards: Sara Connaway & Hollin McWilliams

Grants for Greatness: Kellie Lea & Stacie Goldman

Link Coordinators: Emily Strong (Lower School) Jamie Mainord (Middle School) Jennifer McAlister (Upper School)

Lower School Fall Festival: Noel Nolet & Lynsie DeCet

Middle School Social: Mary Ho, Sal Regan & Lindsey Karakourtis

All-School Gallery Night: Shelby Crawford & Ashley Peeders

Room Parent Coordinators: Rachel DeMoss (Lower School) Shannon Moore (Middle School) Erin Aldrich (Upper School)

School Supplies/Directory: Jamie St. Peter & Paige Charbonnet

TVS Cares: Liz Ming, Emily Trigger & Sonya Tanna

TVS Speaker Series: Anne Wright

Uniform Resale: Susie Ursprung, Kristin Tucker & Tonya Cammack

Volunteer Website: Sarah Klein & Anjum George

AUXILIARY GROUP LEADERSHIP

Arts Booster Club (ABC): Audrey Davis, President

T.O.E. Booster Club: Blake Amos, Director

Trojan Booster Club: Paige Bacon, President

most-spirited parents, faculty and staff wowed the crowd of nearly 1,000 – TVS families, prospective families and youngest Trojans – with stilt walkers, jugglers, a petting zoo, pumpkin painting and food trucks.

According to Parents’ Club Board member and Backto-School Fair Co-Chair Casey Creager, events like these are “a joy to plan and provide wonderful ways to meet new families and reconnect with friends.”

Not to be outdone, Board members Mandy Kirwan and LaToyer Houston, plus their team of volunteers, gave the TVS faculty and staff a very special treat on October 24 when they hosted the Faculty-Staff Appreciation Luncheon for all employees. The fall menu and amazing desserts served by parents and students were the perfect “thank you” for our hardworking teachers and staff. For parents interested in getting involved with Faculty-Staff Appreciation, please note that the next luncheon is scheduled for February 27.

Giving Back in a Big Way

Thanks to the tremendous success of the 2022 TVS Parents’ Club Auction and Party, this fall also marked the return of Grants for Greatness. This signature program allocates funds raised through the Parents’ Club’s annual event to award grants for TVS programs and equipment not covered in the school’s existing operating budget. “After a couple of years without significant fundraising events due to Covid, our successful Auction last year made it possible for us to reestablish Grants for Greatness and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” said Parent Co-Chair Stacie Goldman.

According to Goldman’s Parent Co-Chair Kellie Lee, TVS faculty and staff were excited for the return of Grants for Greatness and submitted a number of innovative proposals. “After careful review of the applications, we are so proud to distribute approximately $40,000 in grant awards this year," Lee said. “This is truly what the Parents’ Club is all about – enriching the overall TVS experience for all of our children at TVS.”

While Grants for Greatness represents the renewal of a program, the Parents’ Club also launched a brandnew program this year. Focusing on strengthening the relationship between parents and educators, the TVS Parents Speaker Series opened on October 20 to a standing-room-only crowd that gathered to hear psychologist Dr. Kelly Jameson speak on “Rethinking Resilience.” Dr. Jameson’s was the first of four events scheduled for this year’s Speaker Series,

This page top: Back-to-School Fair

Middle: Cheerleaders with Cristina Schneiderman and Casey Creager, Back-to-School Fair Co-Chairs

Bottom: Orchestra performed at the Back-to-School Fair

followed by Tiffany Taylor Smith's "Building Character & Community through Cultural Competence" on November 14. The remaining series, which is open to all members of the TVS community, includes:

Friday, January 20 | 6 p.m.

South Gym “Social Savvy: Raising Tech Healthy Families Together” by Janell Burley Hofmann, Author of iRules

Wednesday, March 1 | 6:30 p.m.

Stephen Seleny Theater

“Parent Like A Champion: Helping Your Student on the Athletics Journey” by Kristin K. Sheehan ND ’90, ’93 M.A.

According to Parent Chair Anne Wright, “We had a tremendous response to the survey sent to all parents in July. Thanks to parent input, we have been able to create a Speaker Series that truly has something to offer every TVS parent, regardless of the age of his or her children.”

All-in for TVS

Looking to the second half of the school year, the Parents’ Club Board is striving to ensure that every TVS parent feels welcomed and encouraged to get involved. Toward that end, the Parents’ Club Board is hosting an All-Parent Meeting on Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Stephen Seleny Theater. Head of School Blair Lowry will offer an overview of the planning process underway for the future of TVS. In addition, the members of the Parents’ Club Board will be on hand to share information about ways to become involved.

Beyond the big events, dedicated Room/Class Parents at every grade level are working non-stop to create fun activities, celebrate teacher birthdays, and provide communication to all parents about Parents’ Club happenings. This group is led by our Room Parent Coordinators Erin Aldrich (Upper School), Shannon Moore (Middle School), and Rachel DeMoss (Lower School).

Opposite

Opposite

This page: Fall Festival

page left: Faculty & Staff Appreciation Co-Chairs Mandy Kirwan and LaToyer Houston at the luncheon

page right: Dr. Kelly Jameson speaking on “Rethinking Resilience” as part of the TVS Parents Speaker Series.

Other important dates for TVS Parents include:

January 20 | Middle School Social + Speaker Series "Social Savvy: Raising Tech Healthy Families Together"

March 1 | Speaker Series “Parent Like a Champion”

April 1 | Gallery7500 – an art-filled evening for parents to gather and support TVS!

May 5 | Lower School Field Day

Get Involved

Joining other parents who are active in the TVS Parents’ Club is a great way to get to know many of the teachers and staff that your child(ren) see every day and to stay informed of the latest news on campus. And, with the large number of activities and programs throughout the year, you can choose to volunteer in a way that fits your busy schedule.

The Parents’ Club makes it easy to get involved:

● Check the TVS Trojan Columns email every Thursday for information on upcoming activities in your child(ren)’s grade or division

● Join the TVS Parents Facebook page for all the latest news

● Follow TVS on Instagram

● Visit the Parents’ Club volunteer website (found through www.tvs.org)

● Mark your calendar for the All-Parent Meeting on Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 p.m.

● For information, email parentsclub@tvs.org

TVS PARENTS’ CLUB’S 2022 GRANTS FOR GREATNESS AWARDS

And the winner is . . . Trinity Valley School! Based on the overwhelming success of last spring’s Light Up the Night Auction (co-chaired by parents Kristin Anderson and Stacy Hamilton), the TVS Parents’ Club awarded approximately $40,000 in program and equipment support to enrich the TVS experience for all students.

The Grants for Greatness program, which has been on hiatus for the past two years due to COVID, came roaring back this fall and received myriad applications for educational and campus needs that were not funded through the TVS operating budget. Led by Parents’ Club Board members Kellie Lea and Stacie Goldman, this year’s Grants for Greatness application process saw an increase in requests that have campus-wide and/or cross-division impact, ensuring that the funds donated through the Light Up The Night are truly benefiting every TVS student.

Highlights of the Grants for Greatness awards for 2022 include:

ALL SCHOOL

• Expansion and Improvements to TVS Garden: $20,000

• Water Monster dispensing system: $2,000

• Bicycle Repair Stand for Donahue Trail: $2,000

• Planetarium Star Projector for Pre-K Kampout: $500

LOWER SCHOOL

• Portable sound for musical performances & assemblies: $1,700

• Lower School Garden: $2,600

• Flexible seating for 2nd-grade classrooms: $750

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• STEM equipment: audio boards and geared motors: $1,800

• Benches for MS playground: $4,200

UPPER SCHOOL

• AxiDraw drawing machine: $900

• Display cabinet for Roman coin collection: $500

TVS students, faculty, administration and staff are deeply grateful for the hard work and generosity of the Parents’ Club and for all that its many members do for TVS every day.

ALUMNI

TVS'S ORIGINAL TRAILBLAZER

ALUMNI EXPLORE MR. SELENY'S BUDAPEST

KATHRYN DAVIS ’89, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

In an issue dedicated to trailblazing, it is only fitting to feature a story about Trinity Valley’s original trailblazer, Stephen Seleny, who arrived in Texas in 1957 after escaping his native Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. In 1959, seeing a need for a classical education in Fort Worth, Mr. Seleny began a school that would meet that need and so many more. We are all the beneficiaries.

Mr. Seleny’s schooling in Hungary provided a rich foundation upon which he modeled Trinity Valley. He was raised and taught in such a way that education was to be valued, prioritized, and regarded with the utmost respect and gravity. As he said in later years, “I was a concert pianist, and I also had degrees in the sciences. From day one, I wanted to offer these children the absolute best education in every field. Period.”

Knowing about Mr. Seleny’s upbringing and schooling in Budapest, TVS alumni Meredith Watts Dorris and her husband Hank Dorris, both Class of 1981, dedicated part of a recent trip to Hungary to seeing th institutions that molded the Dorrises’ – and all TVS students’ – own education. With a Hungarian-speaking friend as a tour guide, the Dorrises set off to visit not only the Piarista Gimnázium where Mr. Seleny attended grades 5-12, but also the Franz Liszt Academy, where he received unmatched musical training.

The Dorrises were allowed inside the lobby of the Piarista Gimnázium, located near the

Danube. School was in session, so they could not visit the classrooms, but they observed gorgeous architecture and design in this 305-year-old school. The Dorrises remarked on the humbling feeling of being in the same space where Mr. Seleny, whose Hungarian name was István Szelenyi, walked the halls and learned as a child and young man.

They proceeded to the Franz Liszt Academy (The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music), where they were not allowed to enter but did photograph the exterior. It was here that Mr. Seleny earned the equivalent of a doctoral degree; he also studied advanced chemistry and physics.

“Budapest is beautiful and filled with truly friendly, helpful people,” says Meredith. “It was surreal, standing in this city that had witnessed so much uprising and history.”

Another spot they visited, located outside of Parliament, was a memorial to the 1956 student uprising against the Soviets. The bullet holes in the photo depict the horrific violence that took place on October 25, 1956, launching the process that ultimately led to the founding of a remarkable school half a world away.

Thanks to the Dorrises for sharing their photos of this very special experience and allowing the rest of us to witness part of our collective history. How fortunate we are that Mr. Seleny had the vision and determination to blaze that unprecedented trail that continues – and will continue! – to guide us, many decades later.

Around the corner and across the globe, Trinity Valley School alumni live the mission and lead with the values learned as Trojans. Their accomplishments abound and their impact is evident in every walk of life. In an effort to recognize the many TVS alumni who are making a difference in their communities, the Alumni Association Board of Directors will host the inaugural Alumni Awards Ceremony and Celebration on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at Mira Vista Country Club. All alumni are invited to attend.

Intended to become an annual gathering, this year’s Alumni Awards Ceremony and Celebration will turn the spotlight on those in classes ending in “3” or “8” who are encouraged to use this event to celebrate their milestone reunions:

• Class of 2013: 10-year Reunion

• Class of 2008: 15-year Reunion

• Class of 1998: 25-year Reunion

• Class of 1983: 40-year Reunion

• Class of 1973: Golden Trojan 50-year Reunion

In addition to reunion celebrations, the Alumni Association Board has revised and expanded a slate of alumni awards that will be given that evening. A call for nominations for the following awards will be sent to all alumni in early December. The awards are:

Judith Sullivan Kinser ’76 Distinguished Alumnus/a Award

Given to one or more alum embodying the TVS mission and recognized for his/her professional, personal and community contributions beyond TVS.

TVS Alumni Service Award

Given to one or more alum for outstanding service to TVS and to the Trojan Alumni community.

Rising Star Award

Given to one or more alum who, in the first 15 years after graduation from TVS, is distinguishing him/herself through professional, personal, volunteer, or service endeavors.

Honorary Alumnus/a Award

Given to a member or members of the Trinity Valley School community in recognition of faithful and distinguished leadership, service, and generosity to TVS and the Alumni Association.

Stephen Seleny Award for Distinguished Faculty and Staff

Given to one or more members of the TVS faculty or staff in recognition of their contributions to sustaining the mission and educational philosophy of Trinity Valley School. The faculty honoree will be selected based on overall impact on students in the classroom, co- and extracurricular activities, and the esteem of his/her fellow educators. A staff member honoree may be selected for excellence in one or more of the following areas: operational excellence, impact, leadership, communication, innovation, or community service.

Trojan Athletics Circle of Honor

Distinct from the TVS Athletic Hall of Fame (which is open to all student-athletes who continued his or her sport or activity in college), the Trojan Athletics Circle of Honor will recognize one or more former student-athletes, coaches, or teams that meet the following criteria:

• Excelling at the next level (beyond TVS) of their chosen sport (for former student-athletes)

• Recognized with honors beyond participation at the next level in their chosen sport (e.g. captaincy, all-conference, All-American, all-academic honors, etc.)

• Excelling (collectively for Trojan teams; individually for former student-athletes) on the field and off, bringing honor and glory to TVS

• Positively impacting numerous Trojan student-athletes through sustained excellence, leadership, guidance, and sportsmanship (for former TVS coaches)

Note: Former student-athletes will be considered beginning 10 years after graduation from TVS.

The Awards Committee of the Alumni Association Board will review all nominations.

The nomination form will be sent to all TVS alumni in the December 2022 Trojan Alumni newsletter. For additional information, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Kathryn Davis (davisks@tvs.org).

ALUMNI CLASS REPS

1967 Class Rep Needed

1968 Barney Holland bholland@holland1928.com

1969 Class Rep Needed

1970 Chris Stadler jcstad2@gmail.com

1971 David Miley David@TheMileys.net

1972 Class Rep Needed

1973 Deborah Horan dlhoran@mac.com

1974 John Neyland john.neyland@yahoo.com

1975 Francie Richardson Allen .................... frallen@aledotravel.com

1976 Martha Harper martharents@sbcglobal.net

1977 Class Rep Needed

1978 Carol Stucker Carr Carol.Carr@northhighland.com

1979 Mike Atkinson mike@mmallc.net

1980 Christine Stucker Klote christine@s-steel.com

1981 Walter Stucker walterstucker@yahoo.com

1982 Class Rep Needed

1983 Sandra Standefer skshome@aol.com

1984 Class Rep Needed

1985 Janet Kelly chafterall@gmail.com

1986 Michael Appleman mgappleman@utexas.edu

1987 Mark Jones markjonesmd@gmail.com

1988 Molly Guynn Jones mollymoonjones@gmail.com

1989 Kathryn Davis kathryndavis@sbcglobal.net

1990 George Mills georgemills72@gmail.com

1991 Wallace Bubar wwbubar@gmail.com

1992 Melissa Minker Miller TXMink@aol.com

1993 Angie Elkins Ezell allezell@hotmail.com

Melissa Williams Hoskins melissahoskins@me.com

1994 Class Rep Needed

1995 Patrick Pate cppatejr@gmail.com

1996 Brandi Barrett Wubbena bbwubbena@gmail.com

1997 Nancy Park Minkler nancyminkler@gmail.com

1998 Mary Hazelwood Barkley mbarkley@canteyhanger.com

1999 Beth Harwood bethsharwood@hotmail.com Amar Tanna ATanna@barbnet.com

2000 Class Rep Needed

2001 Jennifer Bley Sweeny jennifer@blumenfeldsweeny.com

2002 Class Rep Needed

2003 Class Rep Needed

2004 Erin McDonald erin.mcdonald86@gmail.com Maggie Pine Bellinger mpbellinger@gmail.com

2005 Maddie Dickerson maddie.m.dickerson@gmail.com

2006 Margaret Baird Lynn margblynn@gmail.com

2007 Kelley Clark Morris kelley.c.morris@gmail.com

2008 Morgan Wade morganmadisonwade@gmail.com

2009 Ellen Clarke ellenmclarke@sbcglobal.net

2010 Rohail Premjee Rohail.Premjee@outlook.com

2011 Claire Allen Jones .......................... mrs.clairemjones@gmail.com Chris Morris cjmorris2015@yahoo.com

2012 Adrienne Gamez adriennegamez4@gmail.com

2013 Austin Henyon austinhenyon12@gmail.com

2014 Madelon Allen madelonallen@gmail.com

2015 Bainbridge Allen bain.allen@icloud.com Katie Matson katiematson1@gmail.com

2016 Cannon Brumley csbrumley@crimson.ua.edu Kailey Dow kaileydow@yahoo.com

2017 John Shipp johnshipp2021@gmail.com

2018 Allison Byrd allie.byrd123@gmail.com Emma Stack emmaastack@gmail.com Luke Vasquez vasquezluke@gmail.com

2019 Sabra Belott............................................. sabra0292@gmail.com

2020 Izzy Hoskins izzyhoskins@me.com

2021 Lauren Yonke laurenyonke@gmail.com

2022 Class Rep Needed

ALUMNI NOTES

If your email and home addresses are not current with TVS, please update them ASAP by emailing Kathryn Davis at davisks@trinityvalleyschool.org or calling 817-321-0118. Thank you for staying current with the School!

CLASS OF 1967

Rick Goggans, valedictorian of Trinity Valley’s first graduating class, unexpectedly passed away in his sleep at home in Camden, ME on October 31, 2022. In addition to being an esteemed psychiatrist, he was the loving father of Nick Goggans ’97 and former student Ryan Goggans. Additionally, he was the very proud grandfather of Eliza (grade 4) and Watson Goggans (grade 1), and the patriarch of the first three-generation family at TVS. See the Goggans’ story in the spring issue of Trojan Voice. Rick was a loyal class rep as well! Our deepest sympathies to the Goggans family and to Rick’s fellow 1967 graduates.

CLASS OF 1972

Some Class of 1972 alumni gathered at Angelo’s on Thursday, October 13 to toast to 50 years since graduation. Though classmate Bill Green could not join them Thursday, he represented the class well at Homecoming the following evening. Congrats on this milestone, Class of 1972!

CLASS OF 1976

The Class of 1976 has suffered two great losses: Stacy Reynolds passed away on May 29, 2022 after a valiant battle against cancer, and Vance Renshaw died unexpectedly on November 7, 2022. Stacy is remembered as a compassionate and generous soul. Her circle overflowed with friends and loved ones. She was quite fond of traveling and enjoyed covering so much of Europe on TVS summer trips with Mr. Seleny and Mr. Kramer in the 1970s. With her degree in nursing, she enjoyed her 36 years in Austin working for various state agencies and relished her final 10 years in Fort

Worth. Entertaining and gardening were among her passions, as were music and going to concerts. She lived out her strong faith and touched countless lives with her kindness. Stacy was forever bonded to her twin, Penny, who survives her, as does their brother Dan ’73. Classmates remember Vance as clever, hilarious, a foosball and guitar player, and a master of Monty Python. Friend and classmate Martha Harper recalls, “He played the lead in our senior play and had almost every line. He learned them all the night before and gave a wonderful performance – brilliant!” In high school, Vance found a dead horse in the pasture and cleaned bones for weeks. Then he and the late Ryan Wilson reconstructed the skeleton, and “Sugar” was displayed in Mrs. Paulose’s classroom. Vance was a highly regarded ER doctor who worked cattle and rode horses and was an especially loyal friend. He is survived by his wife Becky and children Kalah, Sean, and Chelsea; several grandchildren; sisters Lisa Renshaw Patenaude ’80 and Julie Renshaw Weber ’8 4; and brother Scott Renshaw ’82

CLASS OF 1982

Ken Blakely planned a fantastic 40-year reunion for his class. The group kicked off the weekend on Thursday evening at Joe T’s, where laughter, rich memories, and customized Class of 1982 shirts filled the room. The following day, several class members visited TVS for a campus tour and lunch. Ken Blakely and Billy Childress served as alumni captains for the football team that evening, which was certainly a factor in the Trojans’ strong win! Congratulations on 40 years, Class of 1982! Missing from the celebration this year was Meredith Strode Merlo, who passed away on May 4, 2022. During their reunion, her classmates

Class of 1972 celebrates 50 years (not pictured: Johnny Howell)

1972 Mark Thomas, Dave Ratliff, Charley McCluer

Rush Vann and Chris Grasher

Class of 1982 with Liz O'Brien and Ralph Dintino

7. 1982 Ken Blakely, Jeanie Randolph Rollins, Billy Childress at Homecoming game

1985 Elizabeth Azerad at 2022 Pan American President’s Cup - O50 Pairs with Master Joseph Coughlin

2022 USAT Nationals in Salt Lake City: Raphael Azerad, Elizabeth, Zachary

Class of 1992 at Homecoming game

Class of 1992 at Fort Brewery

remembered Meredith with love. Though she attended TVS only junior and senior years, Meredith was a valued class member and remained in close contact with TVS classmates even decades after graduation. She is survived by her husband Nestor Merlo, her mother Ninya McKenzie, sisters Baird and Shelby, and many nieces and nephews.

CLASS OF 1985

Elizabeth Perez Azerad M.D. shares this update: “I recently made a public post about a very difficult and challenging period of my life. If you would like to read about this, please find it pinned on FB @The Healing Path TX. I have certainly turned my trials to triumphs, as I have made several advances in my Taekwondo career in the past 16 months. I switched from competitive Board Breaking with USA Taekwondo and retrained in Sport Poomsae, the TKD equivalent of Karate’s Kata category in the Olympics. Since the spring of 2021, I have gone from unranked to 5th of 17 in the USA in the World Class Under 60 Black Belt Division. Still a 2nd degree Black Belt, I am currently a member of the Texas State Poomsae Team, USAT Central Academy and AAU’s Inaugural National Forms Team. In winter of 2022, I won a spot on Team USA for the Maccabiah Games in Israel. Unfortunately, TKD was cut from the Games. Since spring of 2021, my medal counts in Individuals are: State/Regional 4 Gold, Nationals Gold 1, Silver 2, Bronze 2. I am most proud that my firstever National Title was won at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. In World Taekwondo’s new divisions, O50 Pairs and O50 Teams, I am honored to have won 3 Golds, 3 Silver and a Pan American Title in Pairs. This October, I won a Bronze medal in the 2022 TKD Online International Open Online competition as an individual competitor. I am most excited about winning Gold in Family Forms with my son Raphael, TVS 7th grader. I am currently a free agent. I am looking forward to winning a spot on the USAT National Academy, the training ground for Team USA, having advanced to Phase 2 of TalentID this September. Medals aside, I am proud to be on the forefront of Inclusion and Parity for Senior Athletes as these age divisions are beginning to be offered. I have seen ageism in the sport firsthand and am excited to train and compete at the highest levels of worldwide competition to push societal norms about aging and athletic potential.”

CLASS OF 1986

Rachel Ambler, a member of the Class of 1986, passed away on August 10, 2022 in a tragic car accident during a dust storm in West Texas, returning home from winning a trial in Houston. Rachel practiced law at her eponymous firm in Odessa, TX and was devoted to her legal career. She was passionate in her pursuit of justice for her clients and was involved in many legal organizations and causes. She was also an art collector. Rachel leaves her husband Frank Hunold, along with her parents Christine and Peter Ambler, and nieces and nephew.

CLASS OF 1990

Joy Tassin Kaiser says, “My oldest child, Tabitha, is in the graduate program for computational linguistics at Brandeis University. My son Leo is in his third year as a seminarian of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. My daughter Genevieve is attending UTA as a business major. I have another child in high school who is interested in musical composition and one in middle school who seems to be only interested in friend drama.”

CLASS OF 1992

The Class of 1992 celebrated its 30th reunion over Homecoming weekend. Some met up at the Homecoming game on Friday night, and there was a gathering of alums and families at Fort Brewery on Saturday at noon. That evening, alums and spouses had a wonderful time outside at Joe T’s on a beautiful evening. Jill Rosen Davis’ mother, Melanie Rosen, had saved the “Class of 92” napkins from the graduation all-night party, and there are enough that Melissa Minker Miller will bring them back out for the 40th reunion! Speaking of Melissa, her mother, Carol Minker, had saved Melissa’s Class of 1992 scrapbook that was put together by class mothers for each class member, and the classmates enjoyed that walk down memory lane. Tony Cregler and his wife, Joi, traveled the furthest from Chicago. Reports Melissa, “We had a most memorable weekend. It was so much fun to see our classmates and their families, TVS faculty (amazing some are still teaching), reminisce and have a great time! We all really enjoyed being together. A special thanks to Craig Lesok for helping me plan the reunion."

CLASS OF 1997

Congratulations to the Class of 1997 on 25 years! Classmates got together twice during Homecoming: once pre-game on Friday, at the Tannas’ home, and again on Saturday, when they met at Blackland Distillery for dinner and drinks.

CLASS OF 1999

Amar Tanna shares, “Both Tanna girls are finally at TVS now that Remy Raj started Pre-K this fall and Neela is in first grade. They are having the best time!”

CLASS OF 2000

Taylor Strong says, “I am now in my second year working in the Upper School at TVS, and Desiree is at year 15 with her firm. Our girls are in 3rd and 4th grade at TVS so our days are filled with soccer games and tennis practices.”

CLASS OF 2001

Scott Daubin shares, “I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with my wife Antonia and our two girls Aly (5) and Giovy (2). I am still working as a consultant at Bain & Company, where I work with Healthcare and Life Sciences clients. A highlight of 2022 was a family trip to Italy this past summer (see photo). It was great to see so many folks from our class at the ‘unofficial’ reunion last year!” Cami McCluer Gildner writes, “Anders Gildner joined the TVS Class of 2036 when he started Pre-K this fall. He is so excited to join his siblings James (2032) and Myra Cate (2034).” Regan McDonald Gilstrap shares, “Jonathan and I welcomed Sydney Lynn on April 20, 2022. Reese is now 3½ and an excited big sister!” Chaith Indukuri says, “After many years in Dallas and a few years in West Virginia, my wife and I have called Austin home since 2019. I am working as a retina specialist and my wife helps manage the office.” Ashley Bessire Martinez says, “I live in Austin with my husband Rene and two daughters, Zadie (6) and Maya (4). After working as an assistant principal and instructional coach, I recently transitioned into an education consulting role, where I coach school districts and individual schools on their social emotional learning (SEL) strategy. My husband and I love the live music scene in Austin, so reach out if you ever want to join us for a show/concert!”

CLASS OF 2002

Members of the Class of 2002 gathered on Saturday, October 15 to celebrate 20 years since graduation. Special thanks to those who coordinated the reunion. Congratulations to Jennifer Teichelman Yack and husband Alex who welcomed their third child, Matthew Courtney Yack, on March 1. Big sisters Maisie (6) and Maren (4) are smitten with their baby brother, Court.

CLASS OF 2008

Lizzy McNamara Chapman says, “I married Philip Chapman on August 27, 2022. The ceremony was held at my parents’ home with a larger reception that followed at The Modern Art Museum. It was the best day of our lives. Philip went to Trinity Valley from 6th - 9th grade, so technically we met there, but we had to wait until we were in our 30s to officially get our introduction.” Matt Johns says, “I live in Dallas where I manage the North Texas office of a public relations agency.” Claire LaFontaine says, “Still living in Milwaukee working as the Studio Manager at a creative agency. Adam and I just celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary and are expecting a baby girl this December!”

CLASS OF 2009

Michael Ayala will soon be deployed with the U.S. Navy for the third time in four years. Thank you for your service! Katherine Brownlie Broyles shares, “Ben and I welcomed Robert ‘Banks’ Broyles on June 8, 2022. Big sister Mary Carter couldn’t be more excited! Banks has been the sweetest addition to our family.” Meghan Drake says, “Started private Ob-Gyn practice at Womens Health Associates of Richardson. My daughter Ryan Elizabeth recently turned 1.” Michael Kutzler started his residency in orthopedic surgery at UT Houston. Stephanie Tran Laird and her husband Josh welcomed their daughter Rory in August. Travis Ryffel married Madison Ladd and is practicing law in Fort Worth.

CLASS OF 2014

Collin Davda shares, “My new job is Data Engineer at DaylightRx.” Parth Kalaria says, “I started a new job in October as an emerging companies and venture capital lawyer at Feinberg Hanson LLP.” Benji Vasquez says, “I moved to Jacksonville, Florida in April of 2022 to work for the PGA TOUR First Tee Foundation as a Coordinator of Events.”

13. 1992 Jill Rosen Davis, Melanie Kumar, Kelly Herod Wagner, Melissa Minker Miller, Kelly Cope Payne

1992 Steve Davis, Bryan Lucas, Tony Cregler

Class of 1997 gathers at Chez Tanna

Class of 1999 Beth Harwood, former student Blake Billman '00 and his wife Melissa, Lynn Rosen Jordan '95 and Jared Jordan '95 at Austin alumni event

CLASS OF 2015

Timothy Baker shares, “I have a new job. I work in Operations for Success Academy Charter Schools at their Bed-Stuy elementary school in Brooklyn. But my biggest source of pride is my ‘other’ job: I write/ produce/direct and even act in an Off-Broadway sketch comedy show. We used to perform in a small 50-seat black box theatre space on the 3rd floor, but now we’re on their MainStage Theater. No more stairs! And 150 seats!”

CLASS OF 2018

Emma Dalley Bartram says, “I graduated from UT Austin with my BSA in Biochemisty in May of 2022. I also completed an undergraduate thesis on the intersection of gender and mental health within the LDS church. Though I have not decided which program I will be attending yet, I will matriculate into Physician Assistant school next year.” Abigail McGowen Bayham writes, “Avery and I got married this past summer and had an amazing time celebrating with several TVS classmates and their families as well as the best DJ, John Bowman! We are happy to be living and working in Fort Worth!”

CLASS OF 2019

Will Porter writes, “I am completing my final year at Texas Christian University, where I serve on the executive boards of two on-campus organizations. On

top of that, I am currently working at Hillwood, one the nation’s leading real estate developers, as a financial analyst intern within their Fort Worth Office, which oversees their world-renowned AllianceTexas project. Outside the classroom and office, I’m involved in a men’s tennis league at Ridglea Country Club and play golf regularly with friends.”

CLASS OF 2020

Catherine McCurdy shares, “I have been having the time of my life at Washington & Lee! I have met a lot of wonderful people and taken the most interesting classes. Currently, I am a part of Pi Beta Phi and serve on the Leadership and Nominating Committee. I am also a returning member of the Mock Trial team. Finally, I write articles for the Ring-Tum Phi, the school's publication. This next winter/spring term, I will be studying abroad in South Korea for four months! I plan on studying the history and domestic politics of the nation as well as taking some language classes. This summer will be a lot of LSAT prep; I plan on taking the August date for 2023, so wish me luck!”

CLASS OF 2021

Gaze Brazell writes, “I have officially declared accounting as a major and am looking to graduate from Baylor with a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting in 2025.”

TOLLING OF THE BELLS 2022

January 14, 2022

BETTY MARIE GUYDIS GALLAGHER, mother of Board of Trustees President Joe Gallagher ’85; grandmother of Megan Gallagher Underwood ’14, Morgan ’19 and Michael Gallagher (grade 12); grandmother-in-law of Grant Underwood ’14

April 1, 2022

SARAH ANSIN RAVECH, mother of Jim Ravech ’81 and Linda Ravech Mesnik ’83

GUY PIERRE JOSEPH LAFRENIÈRE, grandfather of Jennifer ’06, Darcy ’16, and Emma Stack ’18 and a direct descendent of Madeleine Ouiouisloin

April 8, 2022

FU-KANG DOU, grandfather of William Dou ’17

DONNA KATHLEEN BOYD TULLIS , mother of Paul Tullis ’78; grandmother of Chris ’05 and David Tullis ’08

April 22, 2022

JEAN BOWSER, grandmother of Maxwell (grade 6) and Harrison Hunter (grade 3)

April 24, 2022

STEPHEN SELENY, founding headmaster of TVS; and KATHERINE SELENY, parents of Anna ’73 and Alex Seleny ’92; grandparents of Noah (grade 9), John (grade 7), and Annelise Seleny (grade 5)

May 13, 2022

LAILA ANITA CHOUDHRY, former trustee; mother of Zohra Choudhry ’83, Sabina Choudhry Bramlett '85, Soraya Choudhry Joslin '88 and Fowad Choudhry ’88; grandmother of Karl ’11 and Erik Macias ’11, Charlie Joslin ’22, and former student Luke Macias

September 2, 2022

MARJORIE JOHNSON, great-grandmother of Olive (grade 6), Cailyn (grade 6), and Kinley Johnson (grade 3)

September 9, 2022

Remembering those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

September 16, 2022

DR. CHARLOTTE RISINGER, grandmother of Amelia Abucejo (grade 6)

September 30, 2022

KATHRYN "KAY" BARROS FIALHO, mother of David Fialho ’88 and Anna Fialho Byers ’94

October 7, 2022

JACQUELINE MCGINNIS MELCHER, mother of Jessica Melcher Yonsuni ’87

October 14, 2022

LYNN EDWARD GOODWIN, father of Middle School Head Julie Knudsen and grandfather of Brady Knudsen (grade 2)

October 21, 2022

LAWRENCE "LARRY" EUGENE DUNNE, grandfather of Harper ’20 and Tiernan Dunne (grade 11); father of former Trustee Pat Dunne; father-in-law of Trustee Heather Breiter

October 28, 2022

SUE JORDEN ZIVNEY, wife of Ben Zivney, M.D. ’80

November 11, 2022

KEITH LARAY WOOLFOLK, father of Kameron Woolfolk ’13

December 2, 2022

DEREK DAVIDSON SCHELL, brother of faculty member Sydney Schell Munson ’01 and Austin Schell ’99; uncle of Amelia (grade 6) and Jack Munson (grade 2)

December 9, 2022

JUNE TURNER DOGGETT, mother of Scott Doggett ’76

TRINITY VALLEY SCHOOL

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