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Trinity families and staculty members gathered for the annual Together for Trinity on Friday, March 14 to celebrate the community's generosity to the 2024-25 Trinity Fund.

For 25 years, the philanthropy to the annual fund has been a Trinity cornerstone, helping to provide financial support for families and professional development opportunities for staculty.

Head of School Imana Sherrill thanked the 93 percent of families who gave or pledged to the 2024-25 Trinity Fund, raising $518,000, while 89 families increased their giving from last year.

Ninety-eight percent of new Trinity families gave to the fund, and - for the 25th year - 100 percent of Trinity staculty members participated in the campaign.

Gifts to the Trinity Fund, Sherrill said, are just one of the many ways families show their commitment to Trinity, in addition to volunteering for service learning, coaching sports, and organizing community festivals.

“Thank you for all the ways you share your time, talent, and treasure, and the impact you are making every day for students and teachers,” she said.

Trinity alumni parent and Girls on the Run founder Molly Barker was the evening's featured speaker. Barker shared the impact Trinity had on her son, James TES’ 09, and Trinity’s part in the early days of Girls on the Run. 

“Every day was joy” for James, Barker said. “He always felt loved at this place. There was never a moment that he did not feel that he did not belong.”

Founded in Charlotte in 1996, Girls on the Run has served more than 2 million children across the country. Trinity was the organization’s second independent school chapter and continues to be a popular program for students in grades 3-5. 

Like Girls on the Run, Barker said “the culture here (at Trinity)... celebrate(s) our children and the essence they bring to this place and to the world.”

A key moment of every Together for Trinity is the reveal of the Light the Fire recipients. Made possible by the generosity to the Trinity Fund, the Light the Fire grant allows staculty members to pursue a passion that ignites their love of life-long learning, and provides them with an experience they can bring back to benefit the entire community. 

This year’s recipients are Learning Catalyst Kimberly Monteleone and 2nd Grade Teacher Tatyana Corley.

Mrs. Monteleone will use her grant to continue Trinity’s school dog program following the retirement of Gus at the end of this school year. The Monteleone family’s dog, Teddy, will be trained to become a certified therapy dog.

“A therapy dog has been found to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms, and improve social skills,” she said. Teddy’s presence at school will be another example of how Trinity “provide(s) an environment where students feel safe and comfortable so they can do the hard work of learning.”

Ms. Corley’s grant will take her to Australia to explore the Great Barrier Reef - a subject that 2nd Grade studies every year and brings to life in its Under the Sea Museum.

“By deepening my understanding of the reef’s delicate ecosystem and its challenges, I can better equip my students to explore environmental issues and their global impact,” she said.