Trinity-Pawling School

Trinity-Pawling School
Location
Pawling, New York
Information
Type	All-boys, boarding, secondary school
Motto	Fides et Virtus
Established	1907
Faculty	78 faculty
Grades	9-12, and post graduate. Middle School is available for day students
Enrollment	325 students, 80% boarders, 20% day students
Color(s)	Blue & Gold
Athletics	13 intercolligate sports with 30 teams.
Athletics conference	Founders' League
Mascot	Lion
Matriculation Rate	100% of Trinity-Pawling seniors are accepted to four year universities
Religious Affiliation	Non-denominational (originally Episcopalian)
Website	http://www.trinitypawling.org

Trinity-Pawling School is a highly selective all boys private high school in Pawling, New York. Dr. Frederick Luther Gamage, once Headmaster of St. Paul's School in Long Island, founded the Pawling School in 1907. He left St. Paul's determined to create a new institution that embodied his own educational philosophy-one grounded on the idea that effort across the board is the foundation on which all achievement ultimately rests.Located on 150 acres high on a hill overlooking the Hudson River Valley, Trinity-Pawling has a colonial brick architecture and expansive green fields.It's main mission is to turn boys into gentlemen as stated in their motto "The Pride of the Fighting Gentlemen"

Morning Chapel

Sexual Abuse of Minors

The school has a long history of sexual abuse of students. I am an alumnus and survivor of past sexual abuse delivered by a teacher at this school. In fact, the current headmaster, Arch Smith, worked with and employed a known pedophile/teacher for 25 years. Yet he kept this quiet.

If you are a survivor of past sexual abuse at this school and are willing to speak out, please join me in taking action. External link: Take Action

If you are a current victim of sexual abuse, do not hesitate to speak out. Stand up and assert your rights by being vocal and contacting a local attorney in Dutchess County: Take Action

Academics

Academic Building

The school year has three terms – fall, winter and spring. Final examinations are held at the end of both the fall and spring terms. Students are graded on a scale of 1-100. The passing certification grade is 60; the honor grade is 80. Grades are available to parents online and presented to students approximately every three to four weeks. You can access the link to information for grades online or go directly to the login page to Grades online. Faculty comments are available through the online grading system three times a year at the end of each term. Weekly reports are sent when a student’s performance warrants more frequent monitoring. All students in Advanced Placement courses take A.P. exams in May. A student’s privileges are based on academic rating, citizenship, and most importantly, academic effort. Academic effort is weighed more heavily than achievement in view of the School’s academic philosophy. Effort grades are given out twice each term, at the midpoint and at the end. They are based on effort in academic courses, dormitory, work program, attendance, discipline, activities, and athletics.

Uniform

The class dress for boy's is a pressed yellow shirt, blue and gold tie,blue blazer with school patch, pressed khaki pants and polished leather shoes. School dress consists of a pressed white shirt, pressed gray slacks, blue and gold tie,blue blazer with school patch and polished black leather shoes.

Residential Life

Cluett Hall

Trinity-Pawling was founded as a boarding school and remains true to that tradition. Of our present enrollment of 320 boys, 75% are boarding students. They are housed in eighteen distinct dormitory units in eight separate buildings. Individual dormitory units contain as few as eight students and as many as sixteen. Generally the larger units tend to have two adults serving as dormitory masters, while the smaller units may have only one adult serving as a dormitory master. In all circumstances, the adults are assisted in their duties by seniors in good standing who serve as dormitory proctors. Ultimately, the dormitory is where our boys truly “live.” In turn, the quality of the people who run these dormitories is of paramount importance. 32 teachers live in dormitories, 10 additional teachers live on campus as a condition of their employment. The residential staff is the academic staff. Trinity-Pawling does not believe in the practice of having a separate staff of residential adult advisors. Those administrators no longer on dormitory play an active role in the functioning of the dormitories, and continue to serve as advisors. The school mission statement states that Trinity-Pawling intends “to foster a sense of community based upon a boarding school tradition – boys living with peers and faculty families.” This intention is best met by organizing our dorms according to class groupings. Each dormitory unit is comprised of students from a particular class. Dormitory parents and the senior proctors then oversee them. The school’s intention is to try to keep students of the same class in the same region on campus. For example, we have “freshmen corner” on our quad. This grouping fosters a sense of “home” and belonging for our newest students. The dormitory masters also serve as advisors for the majority of the boys on their dormitory. This ensures the age appropriateness of student interaction as well as allowing the faculty to deal with boys of a similar age on a regular basis.

Trinity-Pawling truly prides itself on those aspects of residential life that lead to an environment of home like adult support for the residents. Consequently, dormitory masters are the first adults in any line of communication at the school. Faculty members are encouraged to maintain an “open door policy” during study hall. This facilitates both supervision, as well as a sense of family and community. In one dormitory in particular, the student lounges are actually part of the faculty homes. The books of one dormitory master are available for use by the students. It is not uncommon to find the dormitory master, his two dogs, and few boys lounging and watching TV together after study hall. Lastly, the school provides an ample budget for dormitory parties, and there are four scheduled advisor/advisee dinners during the year. All faculty invite the boys into their homes for home-cooked meals or trips are arranged to mini-golf and a local burger stand.

As a school we often discuss the residential program as the most important part of our curriculum and of a student’s experience. The Dean of Residential Life is in charge of most aspects of the residential program and ensures that the school’s residential curriculum is implemented campus wide.

Athletics

The school competes in the Founders' League, a highly competitive arena which college recruiters consider a prime source for spotting some of the nation's best prep-school talent. T-P's league competitors, all of which are in New England, include Avon, Kent, Hotchkiss, Loomis, Choate, Taft, Kingswood-Oxford and Westminster. Although smaller in number than most of its rivals, T-P continues to hold its own in the win-loss column year after year. The school boasts a number of Founders' and Tri-State League championships in varsity basketball, wrestling frequently places first in the Western New England Championships, and the cross country team has recorded more than a dozen consecutive winning seasons. An athletics banquet at the conclusion of each season is held to honor the many accomplishments of individual athletes and successful teams.

Fall Play

The Arts

The ground floor of the Arts Center is devoted to spaces for the visual arts. The Photo Lab has 12 enlargers and two other rooms for rolling film, drying and mounting prints, and storage. The Pottery Room has nine wheels, a slab roller, and three kilns for oxidation firings. A large painting and drawing studio can hold up to two classes at one time and the smaller Veith Studio is used by advanced students.

The Trinity-Pawling Drama Society produces three major upper school plays each year, one middle school play, and occasional minor works - perhaps a night of student written scenes or films or a short improv performance in Chapel. All students have an opportunity to perform in the plays, as rehearsals take place at night. The Trinity-Pawling Theater Department is committed to introducing students to all aspects of stagecraft and to the joy and sweat of theater by producing comedies, dramas, and musicals that are classic and fun - and sometimes both at the same time. Students are instrumental in the technical aspects of the theater as well, helping to build the sets, hang and operate the lights, and run the flies. Most terms, there is a small stage crew that takes on these technical tasks during sports period, however there are always enough tasks for anyone who wants to participate.

The Choir The 40 voice choir is the well-respected workhorse of the music program at T-P. The choir meets as a class and performs both on and off campus, presenting more than ten concerts a year. They are regularly invited to choir festivals in the tri-state area where they perform major choral works with other high schools, sometimes with full orchestra. This group is for the young man who enjoys singing and is willing to work hard to be part of a quality ensemble. Repertoire includes traditional high school choral literature, secular and sacred Christmas music, major choral works and standard American popular music.

The Trinitones The Trinitones represent a long tradition at Trinity-Pawling. This close-harmony group practices several evenings a week and works very hard. As a reward, these boys perform over thirty concerts a year. They sing everything from du-wop to jazz to madrigals and standards. They have appeared with the Norwalk Youth Symphony, and performed for the United Nations and other major corporate events. In May of 2005, the Trinitones will be singing at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, in New York City.

The Screamers This is the entry level choral group on campus. This class meets once a week and is for the guy who doesn't sing. Freshmen and new sophomores will be placed in this class. This group sings fun rock standards and is basically karaoke prep for the non-singer. They offer three lively performances a year.

Notable Alumni

• Frank "Muddy" Waters Michigan State Head Football Coach
• Kirk McCaskill Retired MLB Pitcher, NHL hockey player
• Kevin McClatchy Former CEO of Pittsburgh Pirates
• Maurice Vaughn MLB First Basemen, 3 Time all-star, AL MVP
• Andrew Lee
• Edward M. LiddyCEO AIG
• John Agar
• Charles Spencer NFL Player, Houston Texans

External links

• Trinity-Pawling School Web site
• Trinity-Pawling School Athletic Hall of Fame