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Symphony of Support

Fourth annual philanthropy breakfast hits all the right notes
On April 10, nearly 200 supporters gathered for the fourth annual “Breakfast with the TITANS,” a now annual event bringing together Trinity’s philanthropic community as stewards of the school’s future. This year’s theme was “The Arts at Trinity,’ with performers and speakers taking to the stage to showcase their vibrant talents and enduring impact of the school’s visual and performing arts program. 
 
Student emcees Abbie Elliott ’26 and Keaton Gregory ’27 welcomed guests to a continental breakfast in the Estes Athletic Center, where guests were treated to musical performances by the Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra. 
 
More students stepped to the podium to highlight two world-class travel opportunities available to Trinity artists and musicians. Childress Alverson ’26 shared reflections and photos from recent IB Art trips to New York City, where students have bonded for years while experiencing the world’s greatest art in person. William Roussy ’27 reflected on the musical adventure that brought nearly 30 students to Nashville this spring, where they took a deep dive into the history of country music, jazz, and African-American spirituals — even meeting the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers. 
 
The keynote addresses were delivered by three Trinity alumni, each of whom expressed deep gratitude for the foundational skills they developed as Titans. 
 
Phillip Tickle ’09 has been the music instructor at neighboring St. Michael’s Episcopal School for 13 years, after earning two master's degrees from the University of Richmond and Longwood University. At Trinity, he said, he was trusted and challenged to grow as a musician. He singled out the support of Brian Rollins, band and music director, for setting the tone over the last three decades. “[Rollins] shaped a music program that grew from a classroomless stage to the basement of Morgan Hall to the now state-of-the-art Perkinson Arts Center,” he said. “At Trinity, discovering your path isn't just a slogan; it's modeled through program and building design.” 
 
Tickle concluded by expressing his continuing gratitude for Trinity, a place that said to him as a young student, “take this horn, have a seat and join in, and to shape a future like mine through the creation, support, and expansion of a program whose ambition has always grown to exceed the needs of its students.”
 
After studying fashion design at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, Lexi Gillert ’17 is now a men’s apparel designer for Abercrombie and Fitch in New York City. She traced her journey from a shy 9th grader to a confident student leader, athlete and artist. Gillert praised the preparation she received as a graduate of the two-year IB Arts program at Trinity. “One of the cornerstones of the program is learning to document your process and explain your ideas in your own personal sketchbook,” said Gillert. “Not only did I enjoy being able to research the art of ceramics, but it allowed me to train a new part of my brain to form design concepts and execute them.” 
 
By the time she got to design school, she said she already had an advantage over other students, which she credited to the high expectations of ceramics teacher Amy Chaplin ’88.  “The skill of being able to put together ideas and explain them to a group of people is a skill that I have been honing since my time in the IB Art program,” said Gillert. “Having lots of ideas is great, but being able to explain them to someone really puts you at an advantage. This foundational skill was something that I learned all those years back in high school, and it's still serving me to this day.”
 
Concluding the alumni testimonial portion of the program was Jack Schultz ’11, a professional actor and acting instructor at Green Shirt Studio in Chicago. With his own acting students, Schultz says he tries to strike a balance between challenging and pushing them out of their comfort zone, while providing a welcoming, supportive and safe space to learn and grow. 
 
“And that style of teaching was introduced to me here at Trinity,” he said. “Chris Markunas ’01 and Brian Phillips had such an amazing way of simultaneously pushing us and taking care of us…. where we could be courageous and push ourselves to learn more and more about who we were and what we wanted to do.”
 
Acknowledging his own personal debt to Brian Phillips, Trinity theatre director for the past four decades, Shultz says he often recalls the opening night of “The Crucible,” where, as a student performing on the Trinity stage, he saw Phillips in his element. “I think it was the first time I witnessed an artist fully alive in creating something that they deeply cared about,” he said. “And that feeling of being driven by passion and purpose is one that I've been chasing ever since I left Trinity. For me — and for countless other students over the last 40 years — Mr. Phillips has offered a clear picture of what a meaningful life in the arts can look like, a life creating things that you care about with people you care about.”
 
Visual Arts Department Head Amy Baynum Chaplin ’88, herself a Trinity alum who has also seen the tremendous growth of the program and facilities over her two-decade tenure, called the arts a pillar of the Trinity educational model and student experience. “Here at Trinity — the administration, the faculty, the parents, the students — they understand the importance of art and the arts overall as an experience of the human condition,” she said. To prepare for an unknowable future, Trinity students graduate with broad future-ready skills like problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity. “And the beautiful thing is,” said Chaplin, “ music, theater, and the visual arts teach that every day, in every moment.”
 
At the conclusion of the program, Development Director Sam Mickens thanked guests for their continuing support of Trinity, offering a special congratulations for Brian Phillips for his four decades of service to the performing arts. After receiving a standing ovation, Phillips joined nearly two dozen former students on the stage of the Perkinson Arts Center theater to reminisce. 
 
To make a gift in support of the arts at Trinity, please visit the Breakfast with the Titans campaign page. 
 
For more information about being a Table Host, guest or sponsor at next year's Breakfast with the Titans, please contact Sam Mickens, director of development, at sammickens@trinityes.org or 804.327.3153.
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