Trinity-Pawling School

Trinity-Pawling School

Fides et Virtus
(Faith and Virtue)
Location
Pawling, New York
United States
Information
Type All-boys, boarding, secondary school
Established 1907
Headmaster Bill Taylor
Faculty 65
Grades 7-12, and post-graduate; middle school is available for day students
Enrollment 300 students, 75% boarders, 25% day students
Color(s) Blue and gold
Athletics 13 intercollegiate sports with 34 teams
Athletics conference Founders' League
Mascot The Pride (of Lions)
Matriculation rate 100% of Trinity-Pawling seniors are accepted to four-year universities
Religious affiliation Non-denominational (originally Episcopalian)[1]
Website http://www.trinitypawling.org

Trinity-Pawling School is an all-boys boarding school located in Pawling, New York, a small hamlet in southern Dutchess County. The school also has a middle school comprising 20-30 local day students, most of whom continue on into the high school. The school was founded in 1907 by Dr. Frederick Luther Gamage, who had been the head of St. Paul's School in Long Island. The campus comprises 165 acres and straddles New York Route 22. The school mascot has evolved from the "Fighting Gentlemen" to the "Pride", the collective term for a group of lions. For a brief period (1978-1985), girls attended the school as day students.

Trinity-Pawling's chapel
Trinity-Pawling's main building

The effort system

This program, unique to Trinity-Pawling, rates student performance in all aspects of school – academic effort, dorm life, athletics, clubs, and work program (9-11 grades only). The scale is 1-5, with a 1 being "superlative", 2 "nothing to criticize", 3 "needs improvement", 4 "poor", and 5 "unsatisfactory". The ratings are calculated and the results place each boy in one of five groups. The top – Group I – has the widest array of privileges, and thus the boys strive to do well in all areas to earn almost complete freedom within the campus community.

Trinity-Pawling daily life

The students begin with breakfast, which is optional for Group I or II and mandatory for the other three groups. On Monday, Thursday, and Friday there is 8 AM chapel followed by classes at 8:20. On Tuesday there is a 10 AM all-school chapel service replacing the old Sunday service, which was not well-attended due to students being off campus for weekends. On Wednesday the Form Advisors hold individual class meeting at 8 AM and classes follow at 8:20. The academic day generally ends at 2:35 and sports practices follow closely. Dinner is family-style sit-down four days a week, excluding Wednesday as it is cafeteria style, due to sports travel. The boys are free from 6:30-8:00 PM to relax, visit the gym, attend club meetings, work, or rest. At 8 PM evening study hall commences and runs to 9:30. Students in Group 1 do not require supervision at this time and are free, as long as their activities do not negatively impact other students. All students are required to check in at their dorms at 10 PM. Lights-out commences at 10:30 for underclassmen.

Teachers are available during study hours for extra help, and many of the boys take full advantage of their proximity to their teachers.

There are half days on Wednesdays and Saturdays to allow for travel to and from sporting events. Students in good standing can depart for a weekend off campus after their last commitment on Saturday. They are due back on campus in time for Sunday evening study hall. Students who remain on campus for the weekend can choose from a variety of activities facilitated by a faculty weekend duty team of eight adults. The activities range from dances, movies, socials with girls' schools, mall trips, grocery store trips, amusement park visits, hikes on local trails (the school borders the AT), and many other special events planned by students and faculty. Most of the time the students take their weekends to catch up on their rest, as the daily schedule is busy.

Academic program

Students generally take five classes, while some take as many as seven depending upon their abilities. Currently the school offers eighteen AP courses and myriad electives to accompany the departmental requirements. Students take exams at the conclusion of the fall and spring terms. The spring term exam is not cumulative, focusing solely on the spring curriculum. Recent additions to the curriculum include Mandarin, Advanced Music Theory, and Robotics.

The classroom building is totally wifi-equipped, with twenty-three smart boards, eight Apple TV setups, and over 70 computers, with each classroom having at least one computer. The school is neither iPad nor laptop oriented, but many students and faculty use these devices in class.

Athletics

The school has thirteen varsity sports which compete against Founder's League and non-league foes. The Founder's League comprises T-P, Kent, Taft, Avon, Hotchkiss, Choate, Kingswood-Oxford, and Westminster. Girls' schools in the league are Ethel Walker and Miss Porter's.

In the fall the boys compete in football, soccer and cross country. In the winter the school offers wrestling, squash, skiing, hockey, and basketball. In the spring teams compete in track and field, baseball, golf, and lacrosse. There are lower teams for all of these sports, which routinely send players up to the varsity level. Recent New England Championships were earned by the football, basketball, and wrestling teams.

Facilities include a new turf field lined for soccer, football and lacrosse. This field was dedicated to longtime football coach David N. Coratti in the fall of 2013. Nine new tennis courts were completed in 2013. Both facilities were provided by the generosity of a graduate of the school. Tirrell Rink was renovated in 2010. The school offers six soccer fields, one basketball court (Hubbard Gymnasium), a newly refurbished weight room and a new cardio room. The Rock Squash Courts opened in 1999, and the McGraw Wrestling Pavilion opened in 1998. The baseball field was renovated and named for Mo Vaughn, Class of 1986. An all-weather track was installed in 2006, and a grass football field remains in use on the west side of route 22.

Fall

Winter

Spring

The arts

An arts facility which contains the 401-seat Gardiner Theater is named for 1940 graduate and former head of the Board of Trustees Robert M. "Stretch" Gardiner. The building also houses painting studious, a pottery room with a kiln, and musical rehearsal and listening rooms. There are three plays – one in each term – and several concerts each year. The school has a Jazz Band, Rock Band, Choir, and the a cappella group known as the Trinitiones.

Clubs and activities

There are 25-30 clubs and activities each year. Some mainstays are Model UN, Student Senate, Chess Club, Theater Tech Crew, Key Club, and Cheese Club. Some more recent additions include Record Club, Yoga Club, Futsol, Chinese Club, and Relay for Life. Each student must participate in at least one club or activity.

Honor code and Honor Council

The school's honor pledge reads, "On my honor, as a member of the Trinity-Pawling Community, I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized or unapproved outside assistance on this assessment." All boys sign the Honor Scroll at the beginning of their first year in special chapel service.

The Council consists of seven student members – two juniors and five seniors, as well as two faculty advisors. The students are elected by their peers and the faculty. The Council's central value is the mission statement, "We, the Honor Council, hope to encourage a community of character and mutual trust. We gather to discuss honesty and integrity and ways to keep these honorable values at the core of the School's identity. We will hear cases of dishonesty and make recommendations to foster honor and integrity among the students within the School. Finally, the Honor Council holds the Trinity-Pawling Honor Code in trust for all future and past students, faculty and alumni."

Traditions

Each year the student body and faculty vote to name five to seven prefects to lead the student body. They are announced at the Stepping Up Ceremony, the School's internal graduation the day prior to Commencement.

For special chapel students the boys dress in "Blues and Grays", consisting of a blue blazer, gray pants, white shirts and usually a blue and gold tie. Recently the boys have adopted the bow tie as a go to for these events and often regular class days as well. Class dress is blazer, tie, and traditional khaki-style pants with shoes. Usually once a term there will be a dress down day to raise money for a charity or special cause.

Thanksgiving Dinner occurs the night before the last exam prior to break. Each faculty table enjoys a turkey and the prefects judge the best faculty carving performance and award many other humorous awards.

Candlelight is the special Christmas/holiday celebration held on two occasions – one for the Pawling community and the other for the students and faculty and their families. This is followed by a roast beef dinner.

Headmaster's Holidays occur once per term and are very popular. They are usually announced in some clever way – usually in Scully Hall at the conclusion of a sit-down meal. This allows the boys a night free of homework and the ability to sleep in the next day. Sports practices and evening study hall do take place to conclude the day off.

Spring softball witnesses the students drafting teams to compete against one another and a faculty team in the spring term. The games commence after dinner on the quad and on the back fields. This is a spirited and enjoyable way to wind down the busy spring term.

School Prayer "O Spirit of Life, Wonderful Counselor: Let your presence in our midst make this school a fountain of wholesome activity and true knowledge: to her Trustees grant timely wisdom, to her Teachers the gift of inspiration, and to her Students a questing spirit; that soundness of learning, loftiness of character, and a capacity for gallant living may be furthered in this place from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Alma Mater Pawling, hear thy sons who love thee
Sing in worthy praise.
Pledging to our Alma Mater
Loyal hearts always.
Faith and courage, thy foundations,
Spread a-far thy fame:
We revere thee, Alma Mater
Honor'd be thy name.

Green the fields on which we triumphed:
Strong the friendships made.
Sunset o’er the western hillsides;
Pond in which we played.
Blazer, tie, crest worn with honor,
Boys now and always.
Chapel bells rang out the hours,
Cherish we those days.

Those who go from out thy portals,
Hallowed mem’ries bear,
Of the days of earnest striving
For thy glory there.
Here we gather strong in spirit
Singing joyfully,
Ever steadfast in devotion,
Pawling hail to thee!

School Hymn For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who thee by faith, before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might:
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, the one true Light.
Alleluia, alleluia.

O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
Fight as the saints, who nobly fought of old,
And win, with them, the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, alleluia.

Notable alumni

Trinity-Pawling's football team
Trinity-Pawling presents Spamalot!

References

  1. ↑ Trinity Pawling School - Boarding School Profile

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