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“The fundamental question that all educators must ask is this:  Is what I am doing helping students to be ready for their lives in the context of the future?  Not for college, not for a job, but for a life worth living?” - David Jakes

There's plenty to unpack in this statement, and I certainly won’t empty all of it.

Change is part of life and change happens exponentially faster as we have moved from the 20th century to the 21st.  With change comes what is needed and wanted by society.  These wants and needs dictate jobs and careers.  We really have no clue what this means for this group of 5-10 year olds today.  What are the jobs of the near and distant future?  Sure, we will probably need doctors, but will the skills and knowledge of the medical field be the same?  The point is that we can’t help children develop with specificity.  They need skills and knowledge that applies across  a wide spectrum of careers.  Another phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st century is how people quickly change careers/jobs.  This is due to change in the wants and needs of society and also that people have the ability to be flexible in careers because of their skills.  Currently, many educators are moving to other fields that require collaboration, leadership, and organizational skills.

I think about this daily.  We are not preparing these kids to be successful in the next grade level or in the next level of schooling.  We need to instill more in them than that.  We need to help them become great thinkers.  Great problem solvers.  Innovators.  We need to feed their curiosity and nurture it.  A curious mind is an active mind.  Above all, we need to help them become good people. People that contribute to society through knowledge, teamwork, creativity, etc.

Wow!  That’s a tall order.  Preparing students to be successful in life.  To have a life of purpose and meaning!

On Wednesday January 28th Trinity Chess took on newcomer St. Ann’s.  This is St. Ann’s first year to compete with other schools in chess, and they gave a valiant effort.  Trinity, however, easily prevailed by a score of 62 to 4. Team captains Sterling W. and Jaxson W. led the charge both going undefeated.

 

I saw two interesting checkmates in this match.  The first was by 5th grader Ryan H.  Somehow Ryan lured the opposing king to the center of the board, and checkmated with a bishop, knight, rook and pawn.  The king was between the knight and bishop. The bishop was delivering check, and at the same time defending the knight.  The knight, rook and pawn were cutting off the escape squares.  Nice!

 

The other checkmate was a variation on the rare two move checkmate, and it was preformed by 6th grader Ukwouri E.  Most chess players know about the four move checkmate (also called the scholars mate), but only a few know about the two move checkmate.  If you want to know how this checkmate works, just ask a member of the Trinity Chess Club!

The January Month of Mystery has concluded with much excitement!

We kicked off this literacy and problem solving adventure the day we all returned back to school after the Christmas/New Year Holiday. Each student in each grade level received a copy of a book from the mystery genre.  Students and teachers read the selection and engaged in problem solving as the mysteries unfolded.  The grade level selections were as follows:

Kindergarten - Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard & James Marshall

First Grade - The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin

Second Grade - Mysteries According to Humphrey by Betty Birney

Third Grade - Bunnicula by James Howe

Fourth Grade - From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

The reading and discussion of these texts concluded this week along with another mystery for our Lower School students.  When we all returned in early January it was discovered that the Golden Ticket Box was missing.  Some clues were visible and we made note of that evidence.  Throughout the month a suspect list was developed and evidence was shared at the conclusion of the daily Chapel service.  Students were developing their theories of who absconded with this box and the possible motive of why.

Yesterday, each class had to complete a task with a “Glow Day” theme.  With those completions, students received more evidence/clues about the mystery.

Finally, the mystery is solved and the box is returned to its rightful location and all is well.  Be sure to ask your student about their grade level book and the mystery of the missing Golden Ticket Box.

Reading is the cornerstone of all academic success, but not every student is a motivated reader.  Our school-wide Mystery Reading event helps to transform reading from a solitary task into an exciting community adventure.  We have our school-wide mystery of the missing Golden Ticket box that engages our students in a “real” event in which analytical thinking is activated.  This kind of thinking can also be used as students engage in the reading of their grade-level mystery book.

Mystery stories are well suited for younger readers because they are inherently interactive. Unlike other genres, a "whodunnit" invites the reader to step into the role of a detective, leading to several key benefits:

During this January Month of Mystery we hope that every student becomes a "super-sleuth."  This shared experience levels the playing field for all readers, including those who may typically be reluctant to pick up a book. Clues are revealed as we proceed and the "culprit" will finally be revealed. Through this shared experience students will have not only solved a mystery but have also strengthened their reading stamina, vocabulary, and analytical skills for life.

Who did it? Where is it?  

A good mystery can be lots of fun and Lower School is kicking off 2026 with the January Month of Mystery!

For several years Lower School has started the year with a community reading experience generally known as One School, One Book.  Several years ago the entire school community read a fun adventure titled Fenway and Hattie.  The 24-25 school year began with everyone in Lower School reading Toys Go Out.  These were great, motivating reading experiences that brought us all together.  Time to do something different.

This year we waited until January to bring some excitement to returning to school after a long holiday.  Instead of everyone reading the same book, all of Lower School will be united by reading from the mystery genre.  Each grade level will enjoy a different mystery.  Some will read it together in school and other grade levels will support students reading independently at school and outside of school.  Each grade level’s book is a mystery.

Kindergarten - Miss Nelson is Missing

First Grade - The Trouble with Chickens

Second Grade - Mysteries according to Humphrey

Third Grade - Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

Fourth Grade - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Thanks to a TCA Grant, each student will receive a copy of their book to keep.

The January Month of Mystery will begin on Wednesday, January 7, with the presentation of a mystery and a scavenger hunt for each class.  The end of the scavenger hunt will lead each group to their selected mystery.  During the month, clues will be presented to try to answer the mystery of what happened to the Golden Ticket Box.

We hope that with some of the added excitement, even reluctant readers will become engaged in reading from the genre of Mystery.

The Trinity Chess Team has started practice for the upcoming season.  Hopes are high for another good finish. 

 

Here are the top performers per grade through December 2025:

2nd grade: Knox Lincoln (1023 rating over 8 games)

2nd grade: Meyers Hudson (960 rating over 4 games)

2nd grade: Ryden Stelmaschuk (915 rating over 6 games)

2nd grade: James Ragsdale (899 rating over 8 games)

 

3rd grade: John Samuell (1150 rating over 7 games)

3rd grade: Andrew Joubert (1040 rating over 9 games)

3rd grade: Preston Moyer (1000 rating over 5 games)

3rd grade: Luke Plagens (934 over 8 games)

 

4th grade: Field Gripp (950 rating over 7 games)

4th grade: Raj Annamalai (907 rating over 14 games)

4th grade: Charlie Schmalbach (895 rating over 16 games)

4th grade: Nathan Makut (889 rating over 8 games)

4th grade: Mason Midkiff (886 rating over 13 games)

4th grade: Maddox Stelmaschuck (880 rating over 9 games)

4th grade: Adam Walker (854 rating over 14 games)